Submitted by Adrian Hirt on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 11:38
Top 17 bits of advice from a collection of serial entrepreneurs.
- Get in over your head -Robert Donat, GPS Insight
- Before you build the product, write the ad. -David Friend, Carbonite
- Focus on simple things like profitability and execution. You don't need to come up with the next Facebook to create a successful business. -Jess Lipson, ShareFile
- Keep the main thing the main thing. -Brad Oberwager, Sundia
- You will be remembered for how you deal with the ups and downs. -Andy Monin, Vendormate
- Failing gracefully is much more important than succeeding. -JJ Lawrence, The JAR Group
- Surround yourself with great partners and share the rewards. -Curtis Hite, Improving Enterprises
- Hire slow; fire fast. -Justin Talerico, ion interactive
- It's a lot harder to repair a train while it is rolling down the tracks, so get everything set up before you build momentum. -Gabriel Krajicek, BancVue
- Systems run the company; people run the systems. -Curt Richardson, OtterBox
- It will take four times as much work as you expect but be 10 times more rewarding than you can imagine. -Eric Albee, Aromatic Fusion
- There is always a solution. -Gregory Lilien, IguanaMed
- You cannot do everything yourself. -Elia Wallen, Travelers Haven
- Without knowing where you are at all times financially, your are destined to fail. -Dean Austin, Wyngate International
- Never confuse a consultant with a partner. -Bing Howenstein, BackJoy Orthotics
- At its founding, a business is victim to what you don't know; at adolescence, it's victim to what you think you know; and as it matures, it's victim to how willing you are to hand the reins to those more qualified. -Kevin Burke, Centuria
- You don't lose until you give up. -David Wachs, Cellit