You already know a pitch deck is important to securing funding for your startup, but how do you avoid the common mistakes that can keep you from getting funded? When I started helping startups with their pitch decks, it used to take rounds of iteration and feedback to avoid these mistakes. Since then, not only […]

By now, it’s become pretty commonly accepted that multitasking can make you less productive. While it’s true that trying to do multiple high-concentration tasks at the same time isn’t a great idea, there are several times during the day when “double-tasking” can be your friend. By grouping the activities below, it’s simple to add up to four […]

You’ve heard the same “tried and true” advice from productivity experts for years. And I’ll admit it—I’ve given and taken this advice myself. But the truth is: A lot of it is a lie. Most of the “best” productivity advice doesn’t work. Here’s why—and what to do instead. 1. “Don’t Check Email First Thing in […]

Olark is the first company I co-founded. Starting out, I really had no idea what to expect. Previously, I worked for several years as an early employee at another startup; I had a fuzzy picture in my head of what I wanted Olark to look like, but I wasn’t sure how to get there or […]

The need to create can be overwhelming at times. The drive to invent, to make real life out of dust, to be a rising tide that carries all the ships out of the storm and into a harbor full of other ships all as shiny and teeming with ideas as your own. This is an […]

A business plan is usually one of the first things anyone with an idea for a business creates. However, writing a business plan can be like trying to read a crystal ball: You’re trying to predict the future of your idea. But setting goals for your (perhaps non-existent) business with limited knowledge of how your […]

Jay Schwartz takes a deep breath when I ask if there’s any difference between working on the East and West Coasts. It’s a topic on which Schwartz has intimate knowledge: his advertising, graphic design, and website development firm, IdeaWork, has made moves on both coasts. Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, and New York City are all […]

What’s in a name? For startup founders and small business owners, coming up with a marketable name that captures the essence of their business can be a daunting task. Much like new parents naming a child, business owners put deep consideration into what their company should be called – and for good reason. A company […]