Be A Badass Through Influence, Not Authority

I just finished reading Donald Desantis’ article, “Everything I Need to Know About Startups, I Learned from a Crime Boss.” If you haven’t read it, you need to read it.  It’s flat out awesome.  Of all the great advice that Don passes on though, there is one thing that really resonated with me the most and that is being a badass by influencing others. Let’s face it, the tech startup world is noisy.  There’s lots and lots of noise in all types of spaces — from social apps to cloud analytics, games to dating sites.  So, how can you be a badass startup?  Well, as Don points out, you want to influence; you want others…

What Do You Do?

When you meet someone new, a very typical entry point to the conversation is the question, “What do you do?”  Many see this as casual and friendly conversation; however, entrepreneurs should see this is an opportunity.  This very simple question is the introduction to your elevator pitch and is the hook that will bait the listener — who could be a Google or Microsoft exec, an investor, or someone able to connect you to strategic resources — into a longer discussion about your startup.  So, how do you answer this question? First, you have to seize the opportunity.  You need to realize that no conversation is a casual conversation.  As a startup, you have to…