Yes, this blog is very simple and that’s on purpose. Decluttering and getting back to fundamentals is a theme in my life; and I impart that on this blog very intentionally. What you’ll find below is not a framework for avoiding difficult or complex situations. You will, however, find suggestions for making the complicated seem…
Author: dancoyle
The Startup Environment: It’s A Real Thing
I’ve interviewed, hired, and onboarded hundreds of startup employees. During the interview process, whenever I’m asked, “what should I know about XYZ company?”, I always tell them to be sure they truly want to work at a startup. One person’s baggage is another person’s opportunity. To me, being a part of a startup equates to…
In The Startup World, Luck Is Earned
As I have an ever-growing number of conversations with early-to-mid-stage Founders and CEOs, there’s an obvious pattern that’s emerging. Somewhere along the way, while telling the story of their startup, something gets chalked up to “catching a lucky break.” While I see value in the humility behind these statements, I think it’s important to realize…
Startup Hubris: Don’t Fall Prey To It
Luckily, there are a ton of innovative, humble, open-minded startup founders and leaders out there. However, I’ve also encountered my fair share of, what I call, “startup hubris”; when you see it, you know it. It spreads throughout the organization and typically radiates from one or more early-influencers. Once startup hubris takes hold, it’s hard…
Startups: Prioritize Turning Your Customers Into Evangelists
It always blows my mind when I’m talking to a startup (or business in any growth stage for that matter) and they have no idea what their Net Promoter Score (NPS) is. Your Net Promoter Score is an index ranging from -100 to 100 that measures the willingness of customers to recommend your company’s products…
What Incentivizes Your Startup Staff (it’s not really free beer and ping pong)
It’s easy to get caught up in the (by now cliche?) norms of startup life. The standing desks and open-office layout abound in a variety of snacks, catered lunches, breakout spaces, beer, cold brew on tap, and the list goes on. I would never promote getting rid of these perks; I think they’re important. What…
Startups: Hire Top Down or Bottom Up, Just Make a Smart Decision
Lately I’ve noticed a lot startups that seem to be haphazardly seeking their next hire. Don’t get me wrong, the positions they’re trying to fill make a lot of sense, but the strategy and logic behind who to hire when seems to be vacant or skewed. This seems to happen for a few reasons: Casting…
Startup Leaders: Your Team’s Job Isn’t To Make Your Job Easier…Yet
In a startup, you need every bit of horsepower you can get; but few know how to harness that from their staff. I promise you, your people are hungry to achieve great things, they just have to be shown how. I know a lot of folks who work at startups; I have for over a…
Meaningless Buzzwords Are Killing (what could be) Your Startup’s Culture
Here’s how you can turn company values into a living organism, thriving in an ecosystem that is functional and makes sense. ∞ The crux of the problem: It’s not them, it’s you ∞ A collaborative, team environment sounds nice and is a great buzzword for People, HR, and Recruiting teams to throw out to staff and…
New Parents: Failing at Everything
For expecting parents there are a slew of classes, books, and videos that are ubiquitous and, more-or-less, make us feel like we’re preparing for what lies ahead. Admittedly, when we were expecting our baby boy, the only reading I did was a courteous skim of something my partner forwarded me. We were bookends of two…