Tag: founders | SEO'Brien

Startup Founders, Focus! (Yeah, but on what?)

Thursday, 25 May 2023 by SEO'Brien

Focus. We hear that word and advice bantered about A LOT in the startup community but rarely is that mentorship capably followed up with WHAT to focus on and why. This is what contributes to founders to wasting time and failing. You think the advice is helpful; it’s not, it’s distracting. Focus? Yes. But on what?? Most

Published in Startups

13 Comments

Entrepreneurs Struggle Beyond Startup

Tuesday, 08 June 2021 by SEO'Brien

Highly risk tolerant and constantly fixated on doing things better, entrepreneurs tend not to be found running companies. That’s not remotely a knock against entrepreneurs. Operating a company is a management skillset, it’s operational, it’s project based, it’s plan and execute…. and these are skillsets that, while valuable to a founder, are not typically consistent

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Published in Startups

38 Comments

The Stress of Running a Venture Backed Startup

Friday, 17 July 2020 by SEO'Brien

The expectations of investors, the demands of a company now more prominent in the market, but the ease of pressure in having resources available… Being venture backed doesn’t make it more stressful, nor less, it’s a matter of the stage, the expectations, and what that all means to you personally. Startup teams usually change from

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

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The Mental Health Burden of Entrepreneurship

Monday, 16 December 2019 by SEO'Brien

In 1985, management scholar Manfred Kets de Vries wrote in Harvard Business Review, “Entrepreneurs seem to be achievement oriented, like to take responsibility for decisions, and dislike repetitive, routine work. Creative entrepreneurs possess high levels of energy and great degrees of perseverance and imagination, which, combined with willingness to take moderate, calculated risks enable them

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

34 Comments

I’m Thankful for Cofounders

Monday, 25 November 2019 by SEO'Brien

It’s a marriage. I’m a bit surprised by how many entrepreneurs start something merely hoping to have a business, solve a problem, or accomplish something. I can’t recall when I’ve ever seen that work, substantially. Launching a startup is like having a child, and finding committed cofounders is a marriage. The difference is that you

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Published in Startups

20 Comments

What Startup Founders with No Technical Skills Do During Incubation

Friday, 05 July 2019 by SEO'Brien

I was inclined to put a brief Q&A in the experience where I mentor startups and founders, as I’m so frequently asked this that it’s certainly an FAQ. On further contemplation, this warrants an article. What do startups with no technical cofounders do during incubation? Seriously? It’s the most important work a venture does! The

entrepreneurship founders

Published in Startups

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The Hub of Entrepreneurial Artists; Making the Most of SXSW

Monday, 11 March 2019 by SEO'Brien

This is my… 13th SXSW (I think). Hazy to recall. Having had so many experiences with the conference, the question of WHO excels there, why, and how to help others make the most of one of the world’s most culturally and economically important events, struck me as a worthwhile question. I like to refer to

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Published in Austin, Conferences, Startups

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