[quote style=”boxed”]Watch the competition and innovate. See what they do, do it better, and do it again and again and again.[/quote] Brandon started his first business back in 2005 by selling rings and other jewelry to the Mormon community. Never intending it to turn into a full-time job for himself…
[quote style=”boxed”]Work with people you know and like. Be very careful about signing onto a team where you don’t know anyone, and when you do, check them out thoroughly for compatibility and competence.[/quote] Chris Tolles is the CEO and co-founder of Topix, the largest local forum site in the United…
[quote style=”boxed”]Be passionate. Be diligent. Have integrity. Provide exceptional service. Show gratitude.[/quote] Vina Lustado is the founder of Sol Haus Design, a firm that specializes in sustainable building. After receiving an architectural degree from University of Southern California, Vina worked with notable offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and…
[quote style=”boxed”]In your early stages, invest your time in interacting one-on-one with users, as much as you can.[/quote] Rachna is the founder of Hachi. The entrepreneurial bug bit her the day she was named, as Rachna means “creation” in Sanskrit. She started her first venture when she was 10 and…
[quote style=”boxed”]Your biggest challenge will be to believe in the right people and ignore the rest. Ignoring people will feel hard at first, but it’s the most important thing you can do. Figure out the right people to ignore and you’ll have the time to focus on what matters.[/quote] A…
[box type=”alert” icon=”none”]Hey IdeaMensch! My name is Tom Stewart and I’m a product designer based in San Francisco, CA. Two years ago just after I started my business, Mario interviewed me for IdeaMensch. He was kind enough to let me write a guest post for everyone today, so I’d like…
[quote style=”boxed”]I wouldn’t want to start again. I’ve gotten where I am today from my experiences. When I was 17, I began my journey of building a business from the ground up.[/quote] Todd A. Hills is a Colorado native and 25-year veteran of the pawn industry. Todd lives in Parker,…
Red is the founder of StartupSeattle, a partnership to connect the startup community in Seattle. He also curates for StartupDigest and has a passion for tech startups, public service and whiskey. What are you working on right now? I’m working on StartupSeattle, a partnership with Startup Weekend, Microsoft BizSpark, TechStars…
[quote style=”boxed”]Every day from 5:00-7:30 p.m. I have my “immovable appointment.” That’s when I make the three-block walk from my office to my apartment, and see my wife and son. We have dinner and I help put Ammon (my two-year-old) to bed. Then I come back to work. The evenings…
[quote style=”boxed”]Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is a must-read. It’s sometimes hard to abide by, but the authors give great ideas about building an MVP (minimum viable product) and organizing a team for work effectiveness.[/quote] Abby Ross is a partner at Blueye Creative, a Chicago-based Facebook Preferred Marketing…