236 Posts found for Source: Inc. Magazine

People don’t judge you on the basis of your mistakes—they judge you on the manner in which you own up to them. In my experience, most companies do a terrible job of taking blame. They lob press releases. Or they apologize for the inconvenience. Resist that temptation and say you’re sorry like you’re apologizing to a friend. Be good—and your customers will be good right … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jason Fried | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Customer Related

It’s still hard to say no when we’re building a new product. I think it’s because yes just sounds so much better. Yes is the thing of dreams. Yes, we can do this. Yes, we can do that. Yes feels really good.

The problem is that yes often results in massive costs that we don’t consider when we’re dreaming up all the things we want to … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jason Fried | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Management

[Entrepreneurs] make lots of mistakes. They overestimate market size and underestimate how long things will take. But what happens most often is that entrepreneurs underestimate the importance of what they don’t know. They know their competition as it is today, and they know that their own product is going to be significantly better. But they don’t know what’s going on in the backroom of their … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Bill Draper | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

Another thing I do… is call references and then ask the references, “Who else should I talk to?” Often the reference has been set up in advance and is a good friend of the entrepreneur. And sometimes he will know something negative about the entrepreneur that he doesn’t want to personally disclose. So when I ask that reference for another reference, he can steer me … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Bill Draper | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Human Resources

What distinguishes great entrepreneurs? Discussions of entrepreneurial psychology typically focus on creativity, tolerance for risk, and the desire for achievement—enviable traits that, unfortunately, are not very teachable. So Saras Sarasvathy, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, set out to determine how expert entrepreneurs think, with the goal of transferring that knowledge to aspiring founders. While still a graduate student at … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Leigh Buchanan | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Entrepreneurship

I see nothing to contradict the principle that who comes first and what comes second, for a very simple reason: If you cannot predict the what, you have to be able to do a good job with the who, because the what is going to be constantly shifting.

Content: Quotation | Author: Jim Collins | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Management

If the podium is calling your name, you should get to know Josh Shipp, a one-man school in the art and business of motivational speaking.

Content: Article | Author: Leigh Buchanan | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Industry Specific

There is no shortage of expert opinion on how to negotiate, as a quick scan of any bookstore’s shelves will reveal. Some of that advice is valuable, but much of it is simply not practical. Too often, what negotiation gurus are really saying is that you have to be a particular kind of person: thick-skinned and supremely confident, afraid of nothing, and with a big-picture … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Robb Mandelbaum | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Negotiation

Employing open-book management and leadership by consensus, the Sky Factory’s Bill Witherspoon has set out to create the perfect business.

Content: Article | Author: Leigh Buchanan | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Jeffrey Bussgang, author of Mastering the VC Game and a principal at Flybridge Capital Partners, on how to get funded.

Content: Article | Authors: Bobbie Gossage, Jeffrey Bussgang | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

Looking for venture capital? Don’t be so quick to sign on the dotted line. Here’s what you need to know about liquidation preferences and preferred stock.

Content: Article | Author: Darren Dahl | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Legal

During interviews, we love when potential hires ask questions. But all questions aren’t equal. A red flag goes up when someone asks how. “How do I do that?” “How can I find out this or that?” You want people who ask why, not how. Why is good — it’s a sign of deep interest in a subject. It signals a healthy dose of curiosity. How … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jason Fried | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Career, Human Resources

Paul Graham says that good startup founders can be described in two words: relentlessly resourceful. I agree, but I would add two words of my own: arrogant and naïve. Arrogant enough to get in the ring, and naïve enough that you still think you will win after you feel the first punch.

Content: Quotation | Author: Richard Aberman | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Entrepreneurship

There are no guarantees when it comes to running a business. But the best entrepreneurs I know follow these guidelines.

Content: Article | Author: Norm Brodsky | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Management

He can close, but how’s his interpersonal sensitivity? A guide to screening sales candidates.

Content: Article | Author: Susan Greco | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Human Resources, Marketing / Sales

How the military can help you learn from your mistakes.

Content: Article | Author: Leigh Buchanan | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Leadership, Management

An entrepreneur’s guide to offering trade credit, crafting a credit application, and evaluating a customer’s credit-worthiness.

Content: Article | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Finance, Management, Small Business

It pays to find out what the other side is thinking, then adjust your position accordingly.

Content: Article | Author: Norm Brodsky | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Negotiation

If your best salesperson leaves, how do you make sure you don’t lose your best customers, too?

Content: Article | Author: Norm Brodsky | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Management

As your company expands, you’ll probably want to write down policies and rules that govern your employees. Here’s how to create an employee handbook that is sensible, practical, and that protects you as an employer.

Content: Article | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Human Resources