Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

By Marty Zwilling

Friend of Thunderbird, Marty Zwilling is the CEO & Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc.; Callaman Ventures Board Member and Executive in Residence; Advisory Board Member for multiple startups; Arizona Angels Selection Committee; Entrepreneur in Residence at ASU and Thunderbird School of Global Management. Published on Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Business Insider.  

 Every startup founder I know talks about the chaos of their business, which they usually attribute to that burst of growth that is required to get to positive cash flow. They envision a stable environment after that point, and may have convinced themselves that they will be safer and happier with a livable income, maintaining a loyal but flat customer base.

Sadly, this false perception often leads to the death of their business, or at least the end of their tenure as CEO. I second the message that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “Conquer the Chaos.” Your only choice is to live with it, and find a way to conquer it.

Some small business owners hope to reduce stress by keeping their business static, and believe that they can rely on referrals and repeat business to keep a consistent customer set. Even with this, there are important reasons why not innovating, or going into maintenance mode, will lead to your demise:

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See Marty on Twitter as @StartupPro, and on LinkedIn and Facebook by name and visit his blog at http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/

By Steven Stralser, Thunderbird Professor

Talk to most any group of up-the-corporate-ladder types and mention the word “failure,” and you will detect an almost-audible gasp, because a mistake or setback is often a career-stopper or, at least, a blot on the record. For these cube-dwellers, an aversion to risk and “don’t take a chance” and “play it safe” attitudes are seen as an antidote to a mistake that can knock the corner office train off its tracks. Yet, talk to an entrepreneur or an enlightened CEO of a company who sees innovation and creativity as the path to profitability and long-term sustainability, and this person will talk openly about failure, mistakes and setbacks as things that are just a part of that journey, process or path along the way to success.
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The Lens Through Which I See, by Thunderbird Professor Gary Gibbons

Most economists and finance professionals believe that people are “rational.” Perfectly rational! This simple assumption leads to serious misunderstandings on the part of all of the various actors in the economy. Two recent examples show the folly of overlooking the mania and panic that so easily beset investors and policymakers. The first example comes from the legislative push to control pollution through Cap and Trade, and the second example comes from the subprime mortgage crisis.
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By Steven Stralser, Thunderbird professor

The recent performance by Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France highlighted several lessons that entrepreneurs can apply to managing their ventures. Like “the Tour,” these enterprises represent a path of grueling challenges from inception to maturity.

Lesson 1: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

In the case of Lance, we saw that physical challenges can produce great psychological strength. As entrepreneurs, we constantly are facing challenges and setbacks. It’s important to remember that the management focus during challenging times should not be on how your venture got into the struggle, but how it’s going to get out of it.
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Corporate leaders looking for guidance in the prolonged economic crisis should check their rearview mirrors for fast-approaching global entrepreneurs, Thunderbird Professor Robert Hisrich, Ph.D., said recently from his office at the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship. He said big corporations can learn important survival lessons from small startups that know how to seize opportunities, stretch resources and create value for everyone around them.
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By Steven Stralser, Thunderbird professor

I have never been a big fan of Star Trek. For me, it’s like having CNN on TV while I’m working on a project at my computer: in the background, kind of knowing what’s going on, but not paying particular attention. But Star Trek’s recent movie release and box office success has interested me in reflecting on some entrepreneurship takeaways from what’s been an enduring franchise, now into a third generation of Trekkies. | Video: Steven Stralser shares business lessons from the Star Trek franchise (4:27) |
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