A startup company’s equity can often be one of its most powerful assets. With equity, business owners can incentivize employees, entice investors, hire co-founders, increase synergistic partnerships, and earn a payout in an exit event. However, while startup equity is powerful, it typically causes early stage companies a lot of…

It’s often cheaper to retain customers than onboard new consumers. In fact, studies show that it’s 10x less expensive to keep a loyal customer than to try and find a replacement. That’s all well and good, but you can only hang onto a paying customer if you already have them…

So — you have a business idea, you’ve come up with a plan, and you’ve funded it with either personal finances or a round of investments. Congratulations! You’re one step closer to entrepreneurial success. Now comes the time to implement your plan and achieve operational excellence. However, not so fast…

If you started a company in the last two to three years, chances are you’re flush with investment capital. If this is the case for your company, congratulations! It must be nice. However, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware that the hot venture capital (VC) market we’ve…

Building a business is tough — we all know it. In a colder funding climate like we’re in now, some may say it’s even impossible. Those “some” that say that? They aren’t entrepreneurs. No one so negative could last five minutes on the roller coaster that is business growth. No…

Nonprofits are nice, but few of us run them. No; many of us are members of the for-profit business society, and for good reason. For-profit companies can increase shareholder value, build personal wealth, supply the economy with jobs, and grow a community. However, there appears to be an epidemic occurring…

When Elon Musk talks, it might do us all well to listen. As the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, and previously of PayPal — and, most recently, known for acquiring Twitter for roughly $44 billion — Musk has faced a lot of business obstacles in his life. He’s overcome almost…

We’ve all heard the term “growth hacker.” What an amazing business idea: to hack growth. There are actually a few people who are tried and true growth hackers. But what is a growth hacker, really? A growth hacker is someone who increases a business’s sales or user base in a…

Businesses are treated like people, according to the U.S. federal government. It’s true. Just do a quick search on “soft money” and you’ll understand. And, just like people, businesses also have a lifecycle. Companies are born and they attempt to survive just like any other entity. Some thrive and mature…