If you’re able to arrange a trial period with a new hire, do it. It will give both of you a chance to make sure the position is a good fit – and can help you avoid being in the awkward situation of wanting to fire someone three or four weeks in. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
Launching a start-up, you need to get a lot done quickly. Every day is different. Everyone pitches in with everything. It’s easy for the founding team to say, ‘We’re flexible. We all help out with everything!’ But when it comes to making decisions – that flexibility can spell inefficiency and disaster. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
For those working menial jobs or putting in 100-hour weeks for corporations, the lure of starting your own business can seem like a great way to get more flexibility, upside, and ownership. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
Get your product in front of actual, living, breathing strangers. Your college roommate’s approval does not mean there’s market demand. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
As we’ve grown ‘The Daily Muse’ and met contacts who want to collaborate with us, knowing who does what has helped us be clear on who we want our partners to connect with – and makes us look buttoned up, too. SEO firm? Talk to our COO. An editor from the ‘Huffington Post?’ Meet our Editor-in-Chief. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
When talking to first-time entrepreneurs, I often ask them: ‘How do you know that people want your product or service?’ As you can expect, the answer is often that they don’t yet, but will know once they launch. And they’re right. That’s why it’s critical to launch as quickly as possible so you can get that feedback. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
So many of my rookie mistakes could have been avoided by first-hand exposure to other, more experienced technology entrepreneurs. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
The most important thing in startups is getting a product to market, as imperfect as it may be, and then iterating on it and continually making it better. A first rev of a site that has a few typos may not be perfect, but it was the start of something that I deeply believed in. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
The first time you meet someone, they’re a new acquaintance, the second time you have a bit of an understanding, and the third time you meet them, you’re old hats. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
For almost the first year of The Muse’s life, I would do 5 to 8 networking events a week. And I don’t necessarily think that’s the right path for everyone, but I realized that as an entrepreneur, one of my strengths was finding the right people who could help us. I didn’t come into startups with any network. Kathryn Minshew Read Quote
