Reading Books on Paper is Sexy (again)
“..People are keeping their phones tucked away and reading books on the Tube again. There’s comfort in the analogue: in 2014, book sales totalled £2.2 billion; last year, they stood at £3.7 billion. There’s always been something alluring about reading in public, a certain cachet, the hint that you’re a thinker. Now, it comes with bravado. A decade ago, people were buying Kindles because they were too embarrassed to be seen reading Fifty Shades of Grey in public. Conversely, today’s commuters proudly brandish their copy of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses..” (Will Hosie, Country Life, UK)
Another book for team members and their early stage company
“..In Defy, Dr. Sunita Sah brilliantly reframes our understanding of defiance—from an act of mere rebellion to a vital tool for personal growth and social change. This book is a powerful, transformative read for anyone who’s ever felt the tension between doing what’s expected and doing what’s right..”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret
Start-up teams that collaborate remotely produce fewer breakthroughs !
Many early-stage companies with venture capital funding pride themselves currently of having a remote workforce. Not realizing, that during the early stages of building a company, quick collaboration and continuous on-site communications are most important in developing creative strategies and competitive strengths. (see whiteboards)
I can only support these comments ” If you want to encourage radical innovation, you’ve got to bring people together. You cannot just rely on digital infrastructure.” (University of Pittsburgh, Social Scientist Lingfei Wu, recent study in Nature magazine)
I’ve made this discovery, while working remotely, needing to share ideas to build competitive strengths and accelerate the time to customer deployment. It simply takes much longer, and many individuals need more time to understand the changes required, for improved operations.
Given these discoveries, I do have the impression that office space will become a more important consideration to bring creative and intelligent employees and executives together, for continuous and agile communications and better results. As the phrase goes “a good idea may be worth $1 million.”
The image of venture capitalists as competent advisers, is often at odds with reality..
With the very low interest rates over the past 10+ years, many very young MBAs with a background in Finance are working in the venture capital industry, not as analysts, but either as observers or even as board members.
While they are intelligent and may find their job and university education sexy on paper, I do question their lack of experience and expertise. (Most often, I wonder how many have ever worked “hands-on” in the particular industry and an early stage company environment.)
Questions and points to review.
Have your finance MBA VCs ever written and funded their own business plan successfully ?
70%+ of companies are not able to return their initial investment to their investors.
VCs today are often less knowledgeable about the industry and the technology than the entrepreneurs trying to run the company.
The more money venture capital teams manage, the less time they have to nurture and advise entrepreneurs. Yes, there actually is a need to get experienced CEOs and senior members on board, to support the investors with running their early stage company operations particular when it comes to sales and marketing.
Venture capitalists invest in good people and good ideas.. no, not really – more importantly they invest in good industries. High growth and accelertion within a particular industry vertical are most important to investors.
Indentifiying competent management is very difficult. Many young companies are run by techies today – often with zero knowledge of basic sales and marketing principles. ( A competent finance MBA on the board will not make a big difference, and much of their work will eventually be replaced by a smart algorithm and AI model)
(A special thank you to the team and Bob Zider in Menlo, Park)
Reasons why so few start-ups scale and become a success for their customers and investors. For an early-stage venture-backed company, business development is generally more important than sales. Really ..
Here’s why:
Business development plays a crucial role in establishing the foundation for long-term growth and success.
In the early stages, it focuses on:
1. Creating long-term value by finding customers to validate product-market fit.
2. Developing strategic partnerships and relationships.
3. Identifying new market opportunities and potential business ventures.
These activities are essential for early-stage startups because:
1. They help finalize products or services and gather market data
2. They assist in building a customer base and establishing strong cash flow
They contribute to securing funding from angel investors or venture capitalists
Think first.. 👍
(B2Venture, Investopedia)