Entrepreneurship Tips — Founder

Scale Sooner and Perform Better - An interview with Go Solo

Posted by Robert Norton on

Scale Sooner and Perform Better - An interview with Go Solo

Scale Sooner and Perform Better - AirTight Management An interview with Go Solo  This interview speaks to what I want to talk about most in newer articles, which is scaling and targeting companies that have some product market fit and are ready to begin growing. What's your business, and who are your customers?We help businesses with 5 to 200 employees scale their business by installing all the systems needed for strategy, management, metrics, process improvement, budgeting, and human capital. Tell us about yourselfAs a serial entrepreneur for 14 years, I built and sold four different companies, returning 25x ROI to...

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What are the most common starting mistakes made by the founders?

Posted by Robert Norton on

What are the most common starting mistakes made by the founders?

Prepare for years in advance by study and experience in management, leadership and smaller companies. Read 2–4 books per month. Always be learning. Now, you can build a tiny house alone, but building a significant company requires a team without about 20 different skills that no one person possesses. Many think they can build a skyscraper alone, even without capital! Dumb. A formula for disaster and why 85% of new companies fail. It takes tremendous commitment and perseverance and is always a rollercoaster ride. Almost never a straight, predictable, linear process. Here are some great educational sources I have created...

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Should I join a company as a Founder?

Posted by Robert Norton on

Should I join a company as a Founder?

If you have to ask this question, you are likely not passionate enough or ready in other ways to do this. The commitment to any startup is likely five or more years. And long working hours that can easily be sixty-to-eighty-hour weeks at times.  As a result, you need to know for certain you would both enjoy the work and are qualified to do the job offered. You also need to do your due diligence to understand the company’s team, finances and chances of success. About 85% of startups will fail. Just a fact. Asking about a specific company is...

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How long does it take to prepare to become a founder?

Posted by Robert Norton on

How long does it take to prepare to become a founder?

I spent 10+ years preparing to launch my first big company opportunity at age twenty-nine. Having already started four different businesses before I finished high school, I had some basic experience and knowledge. I worked as a software engineer in my first full-time job after college. I worked on both mainframes and the first major Apple computer (Apple II). I then quickly move up the ranks to Senior Software Engineer, Architect and Vice President of Engineering by year five of my professional career.  That is exceptionally fast because I read every book available, did consulting on the side, worked long...

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Everyone Wants to Be an Entrepreneur

Posted by Robert Norton on

Everyone Wants to Be an Entrepreneur

By Arielle Pardes Applications for new businesses rose 20 percent last year, after languishing for a decade. Many newly minted founders attribute it to the pandemic. ANGELA MUHWEZI-HALL HAD a startup idea long before the pandemic—it just never seemed like the right time. She had a steady job at a university, a 401(k), and the ability to take paid time off. Then came March 2020. As the university shut down and Muhwezi-Hall retreated to work from home, she started to think about making the leap. What she wanted to build was a job platform for service workers. While the idea was...

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