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Start-up and Business Incubator Blogs

written by liz ernst

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 25th May 2018

Startup leadership skills: 4 key practices that all entrepreneurs need to adopt to achieve success

Startup leadership skills are fundamental to achieving a business’s goals. Successful startup leaders do what it takes to establish an integrated team that is motivated to work together toward a mutual goal. For a startup leader, this means encouraging open communications and providing leadership by example. A team-centric environment goes a long way toward creating an inclusive workplace culture that is best suited to growing and scaling a business more quickly.

Developed by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 13th March 2018

Why startups fail: 20 reasons why startups fail - a comprehensive research brief

Most startups that fail do so for a multitude of reasons. Knowing the whys and hows of startup failure can help entrepreneurs plan ahead for success. From deficient product-market fit to team member conflicts, new data from CBInsights analyzes 101 startup failures post-mortems and breaks down the top 20 reasons why startups fail. After examining 101 startup postmortems, CBInsights discovered that there is no single reason for startup failure, but they did identify a pattern to each failing startup, but they did identify a pattern to each failing startup’s story.

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 11th March 2018

Blockchain is writing new rules to recreate the financial industry

There is an opportunity to recreate the financial world as we know it in the parallel universe that is the blockchain. We are writing rules for this whole new universe. ~ Patrick M. Byrne According to an article in Inc. Magazine by Bill Carmody, Founder, and CEO, Trepoint “For a company founder or even a professional who works in and around the technology space, there is perhaps no better time to invest in understanding the fundamentals of blockchain and bitcoin. Here are three reasons that startups should care about (cryptocurrencies and decentralized systems):”

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 15th February 2018

Startup odds are tipped against you. You can beat them.

Startup odds are tipped against you. Here is some advice for beating them. In this era of startups, a good idea is a good start, but it’s just the beginning. You still need to raise money, market your product or business, and attract customers. It’s a lot of work and requires a lot of strategic planning, which is most likely why While the likelihood of entrepreneurial success may seem slim, there are some actions you can take to help tip the odds in your favor. Keep the following pointers in mind when launching your startup:

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 14th February 2018

5 Steps Startup Founders Should Take When They Feel Like Calling it Quits

Most startup founders experience rough patches that seem never-ending. After years of dreaming and planning for business success, the obstacles and setbacks that are part and parcel to growing a business from the ground up can become so overwhelming, they feel like calling it quits. If you’ve been trying to grow your business alone, discouragement can easily undermine your efforts and make you question whether accomplishing your goal is even possible. If you’re experiencing trepidation, you are not alone. Plenty of now successful entrepreneurs have felt this way.

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist • 23rd May 2017

Naming your start-up: Techcrunch offers insight on trends

“Startups put great effort into finding the perfect name. Ideally, it should be short, memorable, descriptive, and easy to pronounce.” Techcrunch’s article “The Bizarre Naming Trends That Modern Startups Follow” is the result of a search for naming trends among more than 1,000 startups founded in the past two years.

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeGgist • 16th May 2017

Books for entrepreneurs: Forbes Magazine released a list of the top 10

According to Brian Rashid, a Forbes contributor, “Every entrepreneur needs an active reading list. After all, books are one of the most valuable knowledge resources. Even the best podcasts and YouTube videos cannot replace the in-depth lessons found in a good book. “The challenge, however, is sifting through and finding the right material. Find something that will not only resonate with you and inspire you to aim higher, but will also guide you through that process as well.

Written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist • 27th April 2017

Turning vision into action: 3 steps to achieving your goals

Whether it’s a start-up idea you’ve been putting off for too long, or a lifestyle achievement that drives your imagination, success is yours for the taking. Here are three steps that, if you’re willing to commit, can help you turn your long-held vision into action. Step 1: See it clearly. Envision your goal—if the results seem fuzzy in any way, you’ll struggle to succeed. Take the time you need to define what “success” looks like to you.

Written by Liz Ernst for Ideagist Blog • 25th April 2017

Social Media Marketing for Start-ups is a powerful, budget-friendly tool

Start-ups on a budget need to utilize smart marketing opportunities, and social media should be one of the first options they turn to. Social media provides valuable advertising space that costs little-to-nothing and provides a powerful platform for engaging with customers. It also offers multiple opportunities to showcase your business’s unique products, services, and story. social media marketing for start-ups.

Written by Liz Ernst for Ideagist Blog • 14th March 2017

Start-Up Mistakes Entrepreneurs Should Avoid at All Costs

start-up mistakes Most likely, you didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur because you thought it would be easy. Launching a new business is hard work, and the challenges, like the rewards, can seem monumental. Most entrepreneurs make mistakes and those who are most likely to succeed learn from their mistakes

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 21st February 2017

start-up growth and profitability: 6 steps to achieving success

Entrepreneurs from all walks of life usually start out with a high level of ambition and idealism regarding their pursuit of success. They go after their venture with enthusiasm and determination, only to discover that the enchantment of start-up ownership can be fleeting, the early flood of creative vigor slows to a trickle, and maintaining consistency regarding growth and profitability is trickier than they had expected as the minutia of day-to-day business activities crimp progress. Start-up

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 15th February 2017

Start-up founders are choosing to remain employed after llaunch

Many U.S. start-up founders struggle to decide whether to continue working part-time (or full-time) outside their new businesses after their start-up launch to maintain a financial safety net. Australian start-ups appear to be doing just that, according to a recent study.

Ideagist Blog • 8th February 2017

Bootstrapping your start-up: the advantages of self-funding a new business

Whether you’re in the idea phase of starting a business or you’re in the early growth stage, you’re probably already thinking about finances. Launching and operating a business requires money, and how you choose to fund your venture requires thoughtful consideration of your options. Bootstrapping your start-up Your choices include seeking investors, securing a bank loan, or bootstrapping. Bootstrapping, if you can do it, means you are self-funding your startup using personal finances and compa

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 31st January 2017

product launch the wide world of products and services, all that’s importan

You’ve put much thought into developing that product or service idea that’s been on your mind for a long time, and you feel fairly confident people will buy it. But how can you make certain that your product will be a success? If you don’t move soon on it, someone else will beat you to the finish line. If only there were a crystal ball. You can be your own entrepreneurial clairvoyant of sorts by developing an awareness of the wealth of possibilities ahead of you.

Written by Liz Ernst for Ideagist Blog • 12th January 2017

Believers and Non-Believers: Understanding What Motivates

Believers and non-believers As creative innovators, we come up with ideas all the time, and sometimes we have the audacity to work on them! And although we are the geniuses that can do everything, we often struggle against time constraints. Sooner or later, we feel the need to get help from other people. If you are looking for help to bolster your world-changing idea, this blog will (hopefully) help you understand the motivations of people who offer their support to innovators.

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 2nd January 2017

Marketing Strategies for Startup Success in 2017

A recent article in Forbes[1] about marketing trends that startups need to know about in 2017 is actually not about trends. In fact, it’s about anything but trends, which are never guaranteed. Instead, to mitigate susceptibility to market volatility, startups need to plan their marketing strategies around transience. That’s right—The best way to plan for something we don’t know is to plan for something we know. In a nutshell, consumers’ intellectual structure is hardwired, and has been for mil

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 26th December 2016

Reinventing the wheel: Innovation Breathes New Life into Old Things

A client called me the other day and began telling me about an existing business he recently purchased. The company is well-known nationally and internationally and has had its had ups and downs. As he told me about the business and his plans for its rejuvenation, I sensed he is second-guessing his decision already, having given some after-the-fact thought to purchasing the organization’s reputation (both good and bad) along with its online presence and brick and mortar.

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 15th December 2016

Growth hacking: the evolution of marketing

Growth hacking is a process of rapid experimentation across marketing channels and product development to identify the most effective, efficient ways to grow a business. Growth hacking refers to a set of both conventional and unconventional marketing experiments that lead to growth of a business. (source: Wikipedia)

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 13th December 2016

Virtual augmented reality in architectural design and construction

It shouldn’t be surprising that virtual and augmented reality seem like ideas sprouted from the imaginations of adolescents, whose earliest influencers were probably books and movies. In fact, the earliest references to the concept of virtual reality came from science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum, whose 1935 short story “Pygmalion’s Spectacles” includes a virtual reality system in which goggles are employed, as well as a holographic recording of fictional experiences, including smell and t

Developed and written by Liz Ernst for IdeaGist blog • 7th December 2016

Startup Ideas: What can a Business Incubator do for Your Startup?

You have a great idea for a product, service or business, but no clear idea about where to start You need to grow your team Often, incubators provide entrepreneurs with idea sharing opportunities and unexpected benefits that can yield rewarding results, and advance an entrepreneur’s knowledge tremendously.

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