Every day. Fast Forward.
Are you customer obsessed? Is your startup? I think the question is relevant to ask, as I see quite a number of startups, who claim to be customer focused but in reality aren't. Let me give three specific examples of what I mean. You leave revenue goals to sales. It is up to them to… Continue reading Why customer obsession matters
One of the things, I have always enjoyed, is getting my hands down in the day-to-day grind of operations; ensuring that the wheels are in motion, running smoothly and any issue is dealt with in a timely manner. I absolutely love oiling the machine here and there, ensuring it spins properly. For that reason I… Continue reading Back in the engine room
The thing that truly separates a corporate job from a job at the startup is the chance to have an outsized impact on solving a problem for customers. More often than not the distance between problem, potential solution and the ability to get that solution in front of customers to test out is way short… Continue reading Have you got a sales quota?
It is always a pleasure when you have the opportunity to go out and share some of the experiences and learnings, you have had, to an audience who need the insights in order to improve their odds of turning ideas into successful startups. I had such an opportunity the other day, when I visited the… Continue reading Helping university research count
Working at startup takes it toll. Ambitions are running high, ressources are always stretched, a lot of processes are not in place, and getting the right talent to join the mission is super hard. There is absolutely every reason for why days and weeks can feel like an almost eternal struggle. But that's just the… Continue reading Affecting change hurts
OKRs are a super efficient way of setting short term objectives and define key initiatives to reach them. It is perhaps the most simple way of ensuring that your startup is at all times outcome-driven that you can get. But there is one key element to setting your OKRs that you should keep in mind… Continue reading Manage your effort
Too many startups are still looking towards other startups and their org charts, when they recruit to expand their teams. While there is of course something to be said about having someone on point to fill the various operational roles in the startup and ensure smooth operations, navigating by org chart is typically a pretty… Continue reading Recruit by objective
Being in disagreement sucks. Not only is it a sure way of ensuring you defocus from what you should ideally be working on. It also can be completely draining of energy. And depending on how the disagreement plays out, it can be downright nasty and make you want to head for the exit. But there… Continue reading The power of disagreement