Because when you hire the right one, your life will change forever
In 2000 I was preparing to leave the Army after an eye condition I didn’t know I had ruled me ‘unserviceable’ for the military aviation career I’d dreamt of since I first heard an Iroquois helicopter aged 7. A strategy I employed to cope with the transition and to buy time to work out my Plan B was to attempt selection for the Australia age group triathlon team. I didn’t have an athletic pedigree. I had an entry-level bike, a history of swimming and an unimpressive track record, at 6'5″, of running.
In 2000 I was preparing to leave the Army after an eye condition I didn’t know I had ruled me ‘unserviceable’ for the military aviation career I’d dreamt of since I first heard an Iroquois helicopter aged 7. A strategy I employed to cope with the transition and to buy time to work out my Plan B was to attempt selection for the Australia age group triathlon team. I didn’t have an athletic pedigree. I had an entry-level bike, a history of swimming and an unimpressive track record, at 6'5″, of running. …
How to find them and what to look for
Later-stage co-founders are skilled, hungry and curious people who turbocharge growth. These are the people I often wish I knew I establish a company. But they don’t always appear at a journeys start.
As I talked about in Do I Need A Co-Founder, entrepreneurs will either remain part of a founding team, find themselves down a co-founder due to disagreement or be hunting for later-stage co-founders after starting solo.
If you find yourself in the latter two camps, this blog post is for you.
I have tried, failed and succeeded in finding later-stage co-founders, and throughout those attempts, I have found the best ones share ten essential traits on paper. …
Because black lives matter
You love them.
That was the immediate response from our seven year old this week when I asked what she thinks when she sees someone who looks different to her.
It was heartening amidst the pain and anguish caused by systemic injustice in the United States. The severe lack of integrity, leadership and compassion at the highest levels of office in the US also defies belief.
We face similar issues in our country but we, as the unaffected majority, are yet to fully acknowledge the ongoing hurt and harm that our indigenous brothers and sisters face. …
Here’s the right way to start something new
Effort, like time, has value. In this post, I’m going to share a first principle rule that has helped me manage my effort and energy for every new project I’ve started. Most importantly, it’s helped me avoid overcapitalising on tasks that add very little, if any value, to creating a revenue-generating business.
I know many people who are thinking about starting a side hustle or a business.
It might be as a result of job loss. You might be wanting to achieve a milestone that requires more income. Or, you might just have an itch that needs to be scratched.
No matter the motive, this rule should be kept front of mind at all times. …
The Remote Control Podcast
F“Let’s do a podcast to help people master working from home”. That was the suggestion I made to my dear friend and co-host Melissa Rosenthal on Wednesday 18 March 2020.
The show launched the following Monday.
I want to share how we pulled it together in five days and how we deliver five episodes each week.
If you are thinking about starting a podcast, I also cover the tactics, tools and freelancers we used towards the end.
The reason for investing time in any project is essential. Remote Control, our podcast is no different.
As leaders, we needed a creative outlet. One that didn’t only result in blowing off steam as we face into the same uncertainty as the rest of the world. But one that also helped us pay our experience forward and remind people that there is a lot they can still control each day in their own lives as they work from home. …
5 Steps To Identify Opportunity Amid Severe Uncertainty
During our recent webinar, Founders Leading Through COVID19, David Burt and I talked about finding the rainbow in the storm clouds.
The rainbow reference refers to opportunity. It makes sense to look for rainbows if you can spare the mindshare to look for them. But many can’t.
Entrepreneurs, especially at seed and Series A stage, who are preoccupied with making sense of future scenarios, are being advised to put their companies into survival mode. …
Look for decisions that help maintain momentum amid crisis
I use Zoom video conferencing at least three times each day, and it’s the focus of this week’s post, but maybe not as you’d expect.
Zoom Inc has experienced a sharp increase in value in the past month. Much of that growth is due to the still yet unknown reach and impact of COVID19, which is stress-testing supply chains and continuity plans around the world.
Young companies are also experiencing a new layer of uncertainty. As Sequoia highlighted this week, timelines to close deals and raise capital are likely to blow out. …
That’s only part of the story
I have loved Medium from birth.
It has helped people congregate around timeless stories and essential ideas, and I hope that remains the case for generations.
Some of my company-building lessons have been accepted by The Startup, Better Marketing and HackerNoon but the truth is not every post makes it here.
I create content to help entrepreneurs and more specifically, founders who are parents.
So if that’s you, and advice to help build your business and love your family is of interest, visit me at philhsc.com and subscribe to my weekly newsletter.
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My commitment to you?
No Hype. Weekly content designed to make a difference. Always free.
Hope you join our community. Apparently it’s pretty good.
Cheers!
Phil Hayes-St Clair
Australia is hurting. Here’s how to play the long game of recovery.
The pain, suffering and shock that Australians are feeling is palpable. And the feeling of helplessness by those not directly in harm’s way is at fever pitch.
This amalgam of emotions is playing out in two forms.
Rhetoric is being poured into the bottomless echo chambers of social media and talkback radio. Images and sound bites are robbing debates of adequate context. Meanwhile amazing acts of courage, selflessness and leadership, few of which we will learn about, are being missed or forgotten due to the sheer volume of online shouting.
The second outpouring of emotion has come in the form of generous donations, both financial and in kind. …
And how you can tap into them by offering them a dedicated pricing tier
If I ultimately benefit from others using the same product I’m using, the company that made that product derives a benefit from what’s called a network effect.
In other words, the more extensive the network, the greater the opportunity for both the company making the product and those using it.
There is no doubt that network effects are critical to growth.
But I think companies leave a lot of value on the table by not thinking about the role of the nuclear family in generating network effects.
That said, a few companies do.
One of the best examples is Spotify. They achieved next level growth through their family plan. Instead of paying $10 per month for Spotify Premium as an individual, you can upgrade for another $7.99 per month and have six premium accounts for family members who live under one roof. …
