Seth Kravitz - (Chicago Entrepreneur)
7 Books That Should Be on Every Entrepreneur's Bookshelf
Posted by Guest Author on July 23, 2012 in Business Start Up Advice [ 5 Comments ] While most of the greatest lessons that you’ll learn as an entrepreneur will probably come from mistakes and challenging experiences, published works such as books, whitepapers, blog posts, and the like still provide a lot of value for business owners. Books in particular are great resources because they can offer credibility and in-depth commentaries that most online sources can’t match. Below are some of the best books that entrepreneurs can have on their bookshelves. Whether you’re looking for some motivation to continue with your venture, or wondering how the most successful entrepreneurs got to where they are now, these 7 books are definitely worth checking out. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries In the words of Eric Ries himself, “Entrepreneurship is not about your DNA or astrological sign. How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It by Mark Cuban Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki
Everything I Needed to Know About Negotiating I Learned Watching My Dad Make a Huge Buck on Some Old Furniture
My father, Bernie, passed away a couple of years ago, and yet he lives on in so many practical life lessons that he taught me over the years. While he couldn’t spell "banana" (he always spelled it “banna” on his grocery lists), he could negotiate a mean deal. Sometimes, his method of choice was annoying the hell out of the other party, but in this example, it was something quite different. In the early 1990s, my parents got divorced and my father had to sell our house. Related: This Strategy Will Make Negotiations Less Painful One of the pieces was a “gorgeous” wall unit from the fine French furniture company “The House of Tackee.” I am sure you are entirely shocked to hear that there wasn’t a lot of demand for this type of furniture (this was before hipsters became a thing), so my dad had to be resourceful. Apparently, she had been smoking a very powerful substance, because when she came to view it, she liked it -- a lot. “Why don’t you make me an offer?” “Two hundred dollars?” 1. 2. 3.
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Seed Investment: Angels in Chicago (Part 2)
Part 1 of “Angels in Chicago” examined the importance of angel investment on startup development and introduced four active Chicago angels. Part 2 investigates the level of competition for investment deals in Chicago, problems that angels see in business plans and proposals, incubators as an alternative to angels, and offers some sage words of advice for entrepreneurs from the angels. Competition for Deals Recently, Fred Wilson, a well-known venture capitalist and principal of Union Square Ventures in New York, wrote, “…there are a few storm clouds out there that we need to be watching. In particular, I think the competition for "hot" deals is making people crazy and I am seeing many more unnatural acts from investors happening. In general, Groupon notwithstanding, the answer is no. Nick Rosa’s view is that “We’re pretty practical in Chicago. What Problems do Angels see in Proposals? According to Jeff Carter, the common problems include: A valuation that’s too aggressive.
6 Simple Rituals To Reach Your Potential Every Day
It’s Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Two San Francisco entrepreneurs are pitching their ventures to potential investors today. They’d both agree that this is one of the most important days of their lives. This is the story of Jane and Joe... Jane was up until 4 a.m. putting the final touches on her deck. Joe, on the other hand, went to sleep last night at 11 p.m., as he does most nights of the week. Which entrepreneur would you bet on? And, which entrepreneur most closely resembles you? Jane and Joe are fictional characters but having been immersed in the world of startups in both New York and San Francisco, I see a lot of Janes. This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with my friend Mike Del Ponte, who resembles the character of Joe. "Every day I need physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance to tackle everything that comes my way," Mike said. Here are the six simple rituals he uses to perform at his highest, which you too can begin implementing right away: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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Seed Investment: Angels in Chicago (Part1)
This post was written for Technori by Len Feldman. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Yelp, Tesla Motors, LinkedIn, Zygna: Not all of them are household names, but they’re all highly-successful companies. They also have one thing in common: All of these companies were funded by angel investors who originally worked at a single Silicon Valley company, PayPal. When PayPal was sold to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion, the company’s founders, and some of its early employees, decided to make seed investments in other startups, along with providing advice, counsel and connections. Some of those investments have already paid off in a very big way; for example, Peter Thiel’s $500,000 angel investment in Facebook is currently valued at around $1.7 billion. (Thiel received approximately $55 million from the sale of PayPal to eBay.) Chicago has its own network of angels, and most of them came to angel investing with very different backgrounds than their Silicon Valley counterparts. Meet the Angels
