The First Step to A Successful Business: A Shareholders’ Agreement

What Happens When Two Founders Start a Business With No Clear Rules? Every entrepreneur begins their journey with a good idea, a trusted friend, a shared dream. It always starts with, “We should do something together.” The idea feels fresh, the energy is high, and the possibilities seem endless. Those first moments are filled with hope and optimism, where everyone is enthusiastic, the roles seem obvious and collaboration feels smooth. This is the classic startup story of two friends chasing a dream and finally deciding to make it happen. Party A and Party B were exactly like this: Friends with complementary skills, united by a vision, and eager to launch their business. They set things up quickly, registered the company,…

Startup Culture: Building a Team that Grows Together

Image by Lightspring via Shutterstock_Resized Startup culture is a term that encapsulates the attitudes, values, and behaviors that differentiate startup companies from their more well-established counterparts. It's the secret sauce, the mojo, the lifeblood that gives a startup the power to innovate and outperform even the largest of competitors. This lively and dynamic environment, typically marked by open communication, flexibility, and a passionate commitment to the mission, plays a pivotal role in shaping the startup's future. Let's be real, people are your cherished treasure, and when we talk about people, their collective approach shapes your company culture. Your startup culture, when cultivated thoughtfully and intentionally, can be the catalyst for extraordinary growth and success. Ignored or mishandled, however, it can…

Do You Want To Be An Employee or An Entrepreneur? How To Decide Which Path Is Right For You?

Chasing The Entrepreneurial Dream As you scroll through your LinkedIn feed, you see another person breaking from the corporate script to build something of their own. Meanwhile, you're stuck in endless meetings and a job that has become achingly dull, dealing with the profound frustration of working for a boss who fails to acknowledge your impact. The instinct is to escape and the answer may seem obvious: time to strike out on your own. The entrepreneurial dream feels like such an enticing option when you picture the freedom, the autonomy, the thrill of calling the shots. By the time you hit mid‑career, the urge to carve out a legacy and claim ownership often intensifies. Yet, we need to unpack this…

Authentic by Design: On Creating with Integrity and Courage

Rooted Beginnings: It Started With a Feeling  The truth about starting your own business is there is no "perfect time" nor a "secret formula" to unlock. Most meaningful businesses often begin with something more intuitive: an intrinsic feeling, a deep-seated knowing, or a sense of misalignment that signals a need for change. For many, it is simply having the courage to lean into that instinct and build from where they are. This article delves into the journey of one such individual who listened to her intuition, illustrating that the most powerful moment in any entrepreneurial journey is daring to take the first step. Trading a conventional career path for an entrepreneurial venture, Ash Mendelsohn established a business embedded with creativity,…

Still Doing Everything In-House? Maybe It’s Time to Outsource Non-Core Work and Focus on Growth

Why Trying to Do It All Could Be Holding You Back Many businesses opt to manage their operations in-house, motivated by the belief that it offers greater control and cost transparency. However, handling everything internally can drain valuable time, energy, and resources. Retaining every function does not always lead to the best performance, especially in roles with low engagement or high staff turnover. Trying to manage everything internally can waste talent and limit your company’s ability to focus on what truly drives innovation. At its core, outsourcing is a decision about resource allocation: whether to develop and manage a function internally or partner with an external provider who can deliver it more effectively. Though this dilemma is not new for…

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