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When I first heard about DogVacay, it struck me as one of those “Airbnb of X” or “Uber of X” derivatives that swept through startup-dom over the last few years. I liked the founders, and I got the problem. There are millions of dogs and most owners leave them at some point. Current solutions to finding care for them is expensive, risky, and unsatisfying. But I wondered if this was one of those pitches that begins with a “This is a fill-in-the-blank billion dollar market…” but it’s a market so fragmented, so hyper-local, so hard to scale that there is a reason it’s so large and no one owns a meaningful percent of it.

Add to that, most of the venture-funded pet-related companies I’ve been pitched over the years, have wound up being financial...

What is a business grant?

A business grant is a sum of money given to a business in order to help them further their business. They’re usually distributed by governments, corporations, foundations, or trusts. Unlike many other types of business funding, grants don’t have to be paid back and business owners aren’t required to give up equity in exchange for a grant.

However, most small businesses probably won’t qualify for a small business grant, as they’re tied directly to US government agencies that have specific goals. There are some categories of business that are an except, though, including research and development companies, as well as some high tech companies.

State level grants are also tied to the direct economic or social needs and...

What do startup hiring and a Broadway production of Hamlet have in common? No, it’s not the murder, the Oedipus complex, and the existential crisis. (If it is, what kind of company are you running?)

In startup hiring, as in the theater, casting is everything.

When it comes to building a startup, you are who you hire. Not only do the people you bring onto your team determine the direction and destiny of your product; they also shape what it will be like to come to work every day.

Hiring is one of the most essential components of building a startup. But for some reason it’s also one of the least talked about. When you’re a founder, you’re frequently pulling double-duty as your own HR rep. But how many founders have you heard of that actually...

Everyone knows brand building is an essential component of building a company. “That’s not on brand,” you hear people say. Or: “This is going to be great for our brand.”

There’s brand essence, brand style, brand ambassadors, brand story…. But, when it comes to defining what a brand is – let alone how you build one – things start to get a little murky.

What is a brand?

Part of that stems from a confusion between two similar, related, yet distinct terms: branding and brand.

Your company’s “branding” refers to the collection of visual and verbal assets associated with your company. That includes things like your logo, color scheme, messaging platform. These are the cues that signal to customers that they’re interacting with your company.

Your...

You got it, I was being ironic. Because no idea is worth a billion dollars, or even a dime. Yet, many first-time startup founders seem to overvalue their pitch expecting everyone to be just as excited about their ideas as they are: Be it a customer, investor and more importantly a strong founding team that will turn their vision into reality.

There is no harm in pitching an idea. The issue is nobody will take you seriously (except close friends and family) unless you translate your words into action and into something people want. To achieve that, the common route is to find a technical partner to help you get your project off the ground.

After helping many founders get started on their product for the last couple of years, I got to realiz...

Don’t miss out! Check out the previous edition here:

–Getting Your Idea Going: There is no perfect idea

You should have started your business yesterday. You’re reading this because you didn’t. It’s frustrating, I know. You find yourself waiting for that perfect storm of events to come together to make it obvious that it’s time to get going.

Instead, you come up with a perfect storm of excuses.

Founders basically use three basic excuses to avoid starting–and they all “feel” valid at the time! But, what’s (usually) missing is someone willing to challenge them.

Today let’s put some excuses down on paper and figure out how we can get past them.

“But, I’m waiting for a novel idea.”

Your idea does...

When you’re on the hunt for startup office space, the number of factors surrounding the search for a suitable working environment can actually make the process quite daunting.

You need to satisfy your startup business’s current needs while also looking to the future, making sure that wherever you choose is cost-effective and good for team morale, as well as accurately reflecting your brand image.

If you’re beginning your search for the incubator your startup needs, here are five tips from locker and shelving manufacturer Action Storage that should help you make the right decision when choosing office space for startups.

1. Choose your location wisely

The first thing you’ll need to think about is where your new office space is situated, as ...

I have insane anxiety. But I’m not supposed to tell you that.

I’m supposed to create a facade of confidence that says all of the decisions in my life and all of my outcomes materialize with full certainty. My career, résumé, awards and success should be nothing but a shining reflection of confidence and brilliance.

That’s all bullshit.

I wake up in the morning and I freak out. I go to bed at night and I freak out. It doesn’t end. It didn’t end after growing companies, selling companies, making money, or any of the other bazillion “final reasons” why we think it will all disappear someday.

My anxiety is here to stay. So I have to deal with it. And I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you do too.

Let’s Just Admit We’re All Freaked Out

Essent...

I had never heard so many f-bombs in my life. That’s saying a lot, considering I’ve watched my fair share of Martin Scorsese films. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and my 2-year-old and I were walking through the mall. A group of young people followed close behind, not even attempting to censor themselves.

Hey, I get it. I was young once — many years ago. The absence of parental authority allowed these youngsters to enter an uncensored, primal place of freedom. When the cat’s away, the mice play. The same thing happens with the employees in your organization when you’re not around — albeit with fewer f-bombs. Who knows, maybe more.

“Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work with my 2-year-old, it didn’t work with me as a teenager, and it doesn’t w...

Lesson 1: Stop writing “can”

Company X can assist you with ___________________.

Does this sound familiar when you’re looking for a product or service? What about this on a cover letter from an applicant looking to get hired:

I can work well in a team or unsupervised.

Stop saying can! “Can” simply means you have the potential ability to. It doesn’t mean you will, it doesn’t mean you excel, and it doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else.

Uncertainty avoidance is when a cultural group avoids a level of uncertainty. Different cultural groups tolerate different levels of uncertainty or ambiguity, however when it comes to making a pitch — whether that be to make a sale, to set yourself apart as an authority figure, or to be employed — makin...