Sunday, August 14, 2005
OnlyOnce: It feels like the first time and it is.
How many times have you heard the saying, "You only get one chance
to make a first impression?" This is often applied in hiring and social
settings, but has enormous implications in that rather big part of our
lives, otherwise called "work."
As an extension of first impressions, we have many "only once"
experiences, which almost always sets the tone for how those same
experiences turn out. So what big "only once" are you most concerned
about? Are you making a good impression?
Today's Feed of the Day - OnlyOnce - comes from Matt
Blumberg, a first-time entrepreneur blogging about his "only once" as a
first-time CEO. His blog makes a good impression on me, especially as
he shares his thoughts/experiences/war stories related to being a first
time CEO, getting funding, hiring employees, and
business/technical/political trends that affect his company's outlook.
It'd be interesting to have a few employee/partner/investor insights
into how he's doing with his "only once" - maybe they're in the
comments?  Anyhow, I gathered a few posts that you might appreciate
(permalinks may require scrolling):
Promiscuity.
Not the kind you're thinking of. It's about the current transparency in
business practices, communications (internal/external), and financing
negotiations. People expect you to share what you're all about.
Personally and professionally.
Are you Topgraded?
- Interesting book review about an organizational strategy that only
allows hiring "A players," especially while the venture is young. So
are you an A player? Is your company made up of A players? Assuming
that A players aren't dominated by unmanageable egos, this is an
essential part of a successful start-up (VCs love it too).
The rumors of email's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Obviously we think RSS is a phenomenal way to communicate. But can you
really imagine giving up one-to-one (or closed group) communication via
email? I can't either.
How to negotiate a term sheet with a VC.
Ten steps to term sheet negotiation (note: there are several additions
to this post, well worth the reading). If you make it this far, you're
doing quite well. A word to the wise though, investors are your
financial partners, not your friends. You can be friends when/if you
make money for the investors and generally not before!
There are plenty more insights about
building/growing/leading/managing a tech company (and probably applies
to any company) in a more back-to-fundamentals entrepreneurial climate.
RSS Feed of the DayRSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Onlyonce Website: http://onlyonce.blogs.com/onlyonce/ more...
http://www.sebura.com
Originally Posted on 8/14/2005 7:58:43 PMContent source: http://pluck.typepad.com/feed_of_the_day/2005/08/onlyonce_it_fee.html
to make a first impression?" This is often applied in hiring and social
settings, but has enormous implications in that rather big part of our
lives, otherwise called "work."
As an extension of first impressions, we have many "only once"
experiences, which almost always sets the tone for how those same
experiences turn out. So what big "only once" are you most concerned
about? Are you making a good impression?
Today's Feed of the Day - OnlyOnce - comes from Matt
Blumberg, a first-time entrepreneur blogging about his "only once" as a
first-time CEO. His blog makes a good impression on me, especially as
he shares his thoughts/experiences/war stories related to being a first
time CEO, getting funding, hiring employees, and
business/technical/political trends that affect his company's outlook.
It'd be interesting to have a few employee/partner/investor insights
into how he's doing with his "only once" - maybe they're in the
comments?  Anyhow, I gathered a few posts that you might appreciate
(permalinks may require scrolling):
Promiscuity.
Not the kind you're thinking of. It's about the current transparency in
business practices, communications (internal/external), and financing
negotiations. People expect you to share what you're all about.
Personally and professionally.
Are you Topgraded?
- Interesting book review about an organizational strategy that only
allows hiring "A players," especially while the venture is young. So
are you an A player? Is your company made up of A players? Assuming
that A players aren't dominated by unmanageable egos, this is an
essential part of a successful start-up (VCs love it too).
The rumors of email's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Obviously we think RSS is a phenomenal way to communicate. But can you
really imagine giving up one-to-one (or closed group) communication via
email? I can't either.
How to negotiate a term sheet with a VC.
Ten steps to term sheet negotiation (note: there are several additions
to this post, well worth the reading). If you make it this far, you're
doing quite well. A word to the wise though, investors are your
financial partners, not your friends. You can be friends when/if you
make money for the investors and generally not before!
There are plenty more insights about
building/growing/leading/managing a tech company (and probably applies
to any company) in a more back-to-fundamentals entrepreneurial climate.
RSS Feed of the DayRSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Onlyonce Website: http://onlyonce.blogs.com/onlyonce/ more...
http://www.sebura.com
Originally Posted on 8/14/2005 7:58:43 PMContent source: http://pluck.typepad.com/feed_of_the_day/2005/08/onlyonce_it_fee.html
