Guest article by Marty Wynkoop
My nearly 20 years in startups have taught me several valuable lessons. Valuable, because those lessons have cost me time or money, and usually both. My failed start ups outnumber my successful ones, by a long margin. But as I like to say, I still get in the batter’s box and swing for the fence. I have learned that the people you have on your team is much more important than the idea. Theodore Roosevelt says it best: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” If you can practice this, then you have a better than average chance to succeed. I have seen more GREAT ideas go bad because of the greed or ego of the principals gets in the way. Greed: “I will NOT share MY company with _______.” Ego: “I know it all and my idea is great, so don’t try to improve it.” These are just a few of the killers of great start ups. Below are 26 of my Dos & Don’ts that I have lived and can tell you first hand. Get to know them and hopefully the lesson you learn will be valuable.
Dos & Don’ts for Creating Value in a Start Up
Do something you kn...
