Author Archives: sam_plecic

As a startup one of your most important assets is your brand and that brand is usually embodied in your company name and logo. The valuable time that you invested in coming up with just the right creative name and developing the branding and marketing around that company name is impossible to measure. After creating signage, letterhead, and advertising materials the last thing that you want to learn is that another company has sent you a cease and desist letter to stop using your company name.

This costly mistake can be avoided by taking proactive steps on the front end to ensure that you have all the rights to use the name you choose through trademark searches and registration.

With this in mind we offer the following guidelines for trademark protection for your startup. This is a brief but critical overview of what trademark rights startups should protect and, most importantly, how.

What Should You Trademark?

Often startups have no ide

Freelancing has been dubbed the on-demand economy, where businesses hire independent contractors to perform tasks for the company instead of regular employees. Contractors are generally less expensive to hire because you only pay for what you need. This can make them more appealing for smaller or shorter term projects, but some Silicon Valley startups are moving away from hiring freelancers. If this shift becomes a growing trend, surviving in the freelance Internet-of-Things (or “IoT” for short) world will become even more competitive.

Regardless of competition, there will always be businesses that want to hire freelancers. The problem is, if fewer businesses are hiring freelancers, then freelancers have to compete harder for the limited opportunities that exist. That means if you are a freelancer in the tech world, it is time to step up your game.

It is not easy to survive in the freelance world to begin with. This guide is designed to hel

“Make a spinner and spin the wheel”.

– Seth Godin

That’s what influencers always mean, start what you like doing and stick to it. Don’t give up in the middle. However, you can only continue doing something when you start something in the first place.

Most of us today are tired of living a 9-to-5 job. They want to get out of the mundane routine. but there has to be an alternative to help you sustain, make your ends meet and give you decent bank savings – and that is not asking for too much.

The next alternative is to start something on your own. But there will be two roadblocks you will face instantly the moment you think of starting your own business.

• Business ideas
• Business capital

Your perfect business idea should have:

• Something that drives you ahead

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The Start-Up Chile accelerator was arguably the spark that ignited Chile’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Chilean government, through the development agency CORFO, founded Start-Up Chile in 2010 as a way to bring in foreign entrepreneurs who would galvanize Chile’s transition into an economy built on technology and innovation. Since then, Start-Up Chile has accelerated over 1,500 startups, of which 51.1% were still operating in 2016.

When it was first founded, the program was meant to “change the nation’s culture towards entrepreneurship and to position Chile as the hub of innovation for Latin America,” but its impact has significantly surpassed that goal. While economic growth was not one of the goals CORFO originally planted in 2010, Start-Up Chile companies have collectively raised US$30.5M in Chile and over US$420M abroad. Meanwhile, these startups have created at least a total of 5,162 jobs in Chile and across the globe as of 2016. </p

Forever gone is the era when workers assembled each day at the office. Today, they’re just as likely to be working from home or spread across the globe. Collaboration has always been important among teams. But with team members no longer literally sitting side by side, collaboration tools are vital to preventing ineffective silos.

Business leaders are increasingly aware of the value of modern collaboration tools in ensuring teams stay connected. A recent survey from GoTo by LogMeIn found that 73% of businesses plan to increase spending on collaboration tools. Artificial intelligence plays a big role in these tools’ streamlining and efficiency, enabling digital assistants and automated administrative work. Put another way, AI-empowered collaboration tools are improving modern workers’ daily lives.

New Technology for a New Way of Working

Remote work doesn’t appear to be a passing trend, and it’s not just Millennials who d

Medical tech startups are regulated by the FDA and must abide by strict regulations at all times. For example, all medical devices must be approved by the FDA. Acting outside of the FDA’s regulations can result in harsh penalties including fines and even jail time.

Whether your medical tech startup produces low-risk or high-risk devices, compliance is a crucial and complex necessity.

1. Stay on top of regulatory changes

If you don’t stay on top of regulatory changes you could be in trouble. For example, the recently adopted GDPR regulations threw a wrench in every business owner’s compliance protocols. Businesses owners had a short period of time to comply before penalties would be legally assessed for violations.

The same can happen in the medical tech world. One day, you might be comfortable with the current regulations and the next day there’s a new regulation you need to comply with. Or, a current regulation might be amended.

Virtually every startup has to find funding somewhere. Although some founders take venture capital in exchange for equity, that’s not the only way to do it.

To learn more about the pros and cons of venture capital — and founders’ funding alternatives — I caught up with Mark McKee. Before being named president and COO of OnPay, a growing online payroll solution for small businesses, McKee worked as managing director of The Lenox Group, where he advised growing companies on how best to raise and structure capital.

Here’s his take:

Brad Anderson: As someone who’s worked in investment banking and been an early employee at a startup, do you think most founders understand their financing options? Why or why not?

Mark McKee: Most first-time founders I’ve met don’t, frankly. Serial entrepreneurs usually have a sense of the funding landscape, but new ones typically assume venture cap

One of Silicon Valley’s most compelling attributes is its lack of interest in the traditional bottom line. While most companies focus on revenue and profitability, Silicon Valley leaders tend to view valuation as a success barometer. Because of this mindset, Valley-based companies don’t mind taking significant risks as long as they help achieve big-picture visions. But we can learn from Silicon Valley about blockchain Adoption.

What is the Risk of Blockchain?

One new risk that has begun to pay off is blockchain, and non-Valley companies are taking notice. The International Data Corporation predicts that blockchain spending will reach $11.7 billion by 2022 and extend its reach beyond the tech and banking industries.

Who Embraces Blockchain?

Despite blockchain’s obvious applicability to several industries, it’s a solution that some leaders still haven’t embraced. Some of that hesitation stems from a confused assoc

It can be challenging to realize that you are in the midst of a moment of personal growth when it comes to business. As the day-to-day of your professional life moves more quickly, you are likely to evolve in your career.  Sometimes you change in your leadership role without even realizing a transformation has occurred. But, you’ll want a leadership guide for every business growth stage.

Through every stage of growth, your business transitions to new knowledge, systems, and management.

As this transition occurs, you and your role within the company changes too. I have found that revenue and headcount together are useful markers for uncovering where you are as a business. These precursors are there to warn you about the leadership role required. Typically, more revenue leads to the need for more employees. And, more employees leads to greater business complexity.

As tangible growth occurs, you will need to adjust your leadership style.

Fe

Can business run only on cold emails? Who reads emails these days? I know these questions must be popping up in your head. But let me tell you, cold emails can still help you in generating new leads for your business if done in the right way. Use the six steps to grow your small business with cold emails.

Many businesses still are using cold emails to drive sales. If you are in the notion that emails can only help you close small deals, then you’re mistaken. I have seen examples of companies using cold email to close large enterprise deals too.

These exact steps will help take you as a small business owner and generate great leads for your business. 1. Build a persona.

I have been into marketing for close to two years now, and my most important takeaway in this short span has been the importance of creating the right personas. If you can create the right persona, your half the job is done. But how can you create the right per