3 Easy Ways to Cut Costs and Keep Your Business Lean
"When in doubt, simplify." ― Eric Ries, The Lean Startup. Small businesses are always pushing to drive profits and increase sales, but few fledgling firms truly know the ins and outs of cutting costs to maximize profits. Here are three ways you can effectively cut costs for your small business while keeping operations running smoothly. 1.
Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding Campaign Tools and Resources
Crowdsourcing is a testament to the power of collaboration. Hundreds and even thousands of individual efforts combine to create something world-changing. If you’re jumping into the chaotic world of crowdsourcing to fund your startup or passion project, you’ve got a lot of hectic days and coffee-fueled nights ahead. Running a successful campaign, standing out in
5 Biggest Time Wasters Leading to Startup Failure (Infographic)
Startup success isn't just about the perfect product. Now the emphasis is on speed: faster ideation, faster iterations, faster time to market. Startups are even told to "fail fast." But where do successful startups invest their precious time? And what are the costliest time management mistakes? Here are the top 5 time wasters to avoid. Failed
26 Best Crowdfunding Sites by Niche
The crowdfunding landscape has gotten pretty, well, crowded. It's not just Kickstarter anymore —when entrepreneurs and artists want to take their projects to the masses, they've got dozens of platforms to choose from. How can you tell which one suits your project best? We've broken down the best crowdfunding sites by industry and project type, and collected
The Essential Guide to Financing For Startups
Startup businesses need adequate funding to support operations. But there are a lot of myths around financing for startups that make the process more complex and prolonged than it needs to be. For example, while most entrepreneurs assume venture capital will be their primary source of funding, only 6% of all startups actually receive anything from
How Fast-Growing Startups Can Leverage Machine Learning: A Conversation with Andrew Filev (Podcast)
Wrike's CEO Andrew Filev recently appeared on TechEmergence to share his ideas about practical applications for machine learning in startups. As Andrew explains, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence have the power to help businesses identify patterns and use them to improve their marketing efforts. In the podcast, Andrew shares his thoughts on: Machine learning as a tool
Startups Should Lean on Lean Project Management
We are living in a world of entrepreneurs. Chances are you know one (at least), or you have your own ideas waiting to come to fruition. But ideas are expensive in reality. The question is, how can you get the most bang for your buck? How can CEOs and managers save money while chasing their
$250K to $1.2M in 18 Months: Hubstaff's 2-Step Process for Hyper-Growth
What makes companies successful? There are a myriad of factors for fast and sustainable business development, including building a powerful brand, forging strong partnerships, and having a flexible management system in place. But having a single, clear business goal is arguably one of the most important elements for success. A focused goal makes your team more
10 Essential Elements of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
You’ve seen the headlines on wildly successful crowdfunding projects: the Pebble watches, the Reading Rainbows, even potato salad projects that take off and raise support beyond the creators’ wildest dreams. This success may look like a stroke of genius, a million dollar grassroots movement, or pure insane luck. But crowdfunding success doesn’t happen by accident
Why (and How) a Small Business Chooses Project Management Software
Small business owners do it all: juggle responsibilities, shift roles without a hitch, and stretch every dollar to do more with less, all while keeping their heads above water and their businesses afloat. It's not surprising then that more and more small businesses are turning to project management tools to become more competitive, efficient, and
Top 20 Threats to Startup Success (Infographic)
You put everything into your business: your time, your talents, your money — whatever it takes to make your startup a success. But you’re all too familiar with the scary statistics: half of all new businesses fail within the first five years, and for every successful entrepreneur, there are plenty who wish things had turned
13 Productivity Tools & Tips for Small Business Success
When you're a small- or medium-sized business, you typically have less manpower to get all your work done. This means you need all your employees to be as productive as possible to make sure you meet all your quarterly goals. Here are some tips and tools to write into office law to help your employees make
Anatomy of a Tech Startup Team (Infographic)
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all blueprint for a successful tech startup team. As most founders are well aware, good hiring is a lot more complicated than simply plugging people into a cookie cutter org chart. But blindly guessing which positions you need isn't exactly a stellar hiring strategy, either. Having a general
Silicon Valley vs. Beijing: Who’s More Productive? (Work Management Roundup)
Welcome back to the weekly Work Management Roundup where we collect and curate the week’s best reads in work and management. This week, we talk a lot about productivity. We lead off with an article on Beijing's workaholic startups and continue with discussions on busy work vs. productive work, and why we need new ways to measure the productivity of our workers. Read on for more!
VCs Foresee a Bleak Future for Startups? (Work Management Roundup)
Welcome back to the weekly Work Management Roundup, where we collect and curate the latest articles on productivity, business, and work. This week, we're looking into the future of work. We lead off with eight VCs foretelling the future of startups. Then we follow up with six trends that will affect how work will be done a few years from now. Read on!
Startup Launch Checklist: 22 Steps to Success (Infographic)
Starting a business is an exciting idea, but pretty daunting when it comes down to logistics. If you're stumped on where to start when it comes to launching your startup, check out our latest infographic for a step-by-step roadmap on how to go from concept to thriving business. Share this infographic with fellow founders with this
31 Quotes About Launching a Startup (Infographic)
Launching a startup is no walk in the park. Once you decide to follow your dreams, it's a long marathon to success. Luckily, you're not the first person to take on the challenge. Read these inspirational quotes from well-known founders and CEOs for actionable startup launch advice. They cover everything from finding your niche to the
Launch Your Startup in 22 Steps (Checklist + Resources)
It’s 3 AM and you’re staring at the ceiling yet again, absorbed in fantasies of developing your dream product and launching your very own business. If your idle thoughts automatically turn to prototypes and product designs, it’s time to start thinking seriously about founding your own company. But how do you turn an exciting idea
21 Thought Leaders Tweeting About #Startups
Creating and developing a successful startup is not all glitz, glamor, and magazine interviews. It's a lot of hard work and long nights producing something out of nothing. Thankfully, there are a lot of people who want budding entrepreneurs to succeed — and they're all writing tips and articles full of great advice. The problem