The Startup Help Desk
Answers to your questions about starting and building companies. Your hosts are Sean Byrnes, Ash Rust and Nic Meliones, all experienced founders who have built companies themselves and coached hundreds of CEOs on their startup adventures. They share their lessons from building, buying, selling and investing in companies over the past 20 years. If you have questions you'd like answered you can submit them on Twitter by tagging @thestartuphd or on our website http://www.thestartuphelpdesk.com.
Episodes
In this episode we talk about growth. Every startup wants to grow faster, but how do you do it? What channels are better than others? Are there secrets to growth? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- Are paid ads a good idea?
- How do we scale inbound traffic?
- What drives customer referrals?
All of these questions were submitted by listeners just like you. You can submit questions for us to answer ...
In this episode we talk about team structures. As soon as you have employees, you need to decide how to organize them. What are the best organization structures? What are the trade offs? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How many people should you have reporting to you?
- When should you hire leaders like a VP of Sales?
- Do you need product managers?
In this episode we talk about strategic financing options. There are a lot of ways to raise money for your startup, and corporate investors (strategics) can be a good option. Are they right for you? What are the pros and cons of strategic investment? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- Should you raise money from a competitor?
- What about raising from your customers?
- Are government grants a good idea...
In this episode we talk about co-founders. If you start a company, chances are you have a co-founder. How do you maintain a positive relationship? What happens if you start fighting? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What happens when you never agree with your co-founder?
- How do you handle a co-founder who lacks commitment?
- What happens when one co-founder is working harder?
Episode 50! We've answered hundreds of your questions and now it's time for us to tell you more about our journeys. In this episode we dive into our own experiences as founders including:
- What is the worst crisis we faced as founders?
- What was the highlight of our founder experience?
- What's the craziest thing that happened to you as a founder?
- If you could go back in time, what's one piece of advice you would gi...
In this episode we talk about staying positive. Things constantly go wrong at every startup company. How do you stay positive in the face of bad news? How do you keep your team motivated? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What if your big product launch flops?
- What do you do if your competitor announces big news?
- How can you keep your team focused on the big picture?
In this episode we talk about getting started. Founding a company means you are constantly learning to do new things, like hiring and selling. How do you handle these new situations where you have no experience? How do you avoid mistakes? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How is AI changing the nature of work?
- How do you stay ahead of how fast AI is changing today?
- Will my data advantage still be ...
In this episode we talk about getting started. Founding a company means you are constantly learning to do new things, like hiring and selling. How do you handle these new situations where you have no experience? How do you avoid mistakes? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How do I find a co-founder?
- How do I sell my first customers before my product is ready?
- How do I hire my first salesperson?
In this episode we talk about process. Big companies have a lot of process, but startups have very little. How much process is enough for your startup? When do you have too little, or too much? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- When is the right time to introduce process?
- What if an employee refuses to follow our processes?
- How do I know if we are using too much process?
In this episode we talk about employee problems. If you have employees, some of them will create problems that you will have to solve. How do you solve employee problems without firing someone? When do you have to fire someone? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How do I handle an underperforming co-founder?
- What can I do about an employee who is chronically late?
- What if you suspect an employee ha...
In this episode we talk about giving up. Startup companies are hard, and at some point you need to ask whether it's worth grinding or just moving onto something new. When do you stay the course, and when do you give up? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- Should you keep pursuing a goal that is out of reach?
- How long should you keep trying if the business is flat?
- What happens when co-founders ...
In this episode we dive into annual planning. All companies need annual plans, but most companies don't know how to build great plans. What does a great plan look like? How do you make sure your team believes in your plan? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What should be part of an annual plan?
- How do I get my team bought into my plan?
- How aggressive should our annual goals be?
In this episode we dive into competitive advantages. Everyone knows they need them, but what are they? How can you have competitive advantages when you are just starting out? What happens if you lose them? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What competitive advantages can you have when you first start?
- What happens if we lose our competitive advantage?
- How can we turn one advantage into many?
In this episode we dive into raising extensions and bridge rounds. Many companies are looking to these as ways to extend their runway, but they can be complicated. How do you go about raising these kinds of rounds? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What is the difference between an Extension and a Bridge round?
- How do I talk to my investors about an Extension?
- What happens if one of my investors w...
In this episode we dive into category creation and what it takes to win in a new category. Many startups are building products unlike anything that has existed before, but how do you build a category around it? How do you let people know it even exists? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What is category creation?
- How do you anticipate the need for a new category?
- How do you educate the market that...
In this episode we dive into new kinds of Venture Capital firms and what they offer startups. Many startups seek venture funding, but most funds look the same. What can new types of funds offer? When are they a good fit for you? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How involved should a typical VC be?
- What’s more important the founders or the market?
- What are examples of an “unfair advantage” that a ...
In this episode we answer questions about growth. Specifically, what do you do if your growth has stalled? How do you find a new growth engine? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How do I break out of a flat sales slump?
- How do I avoid spending all my time fighting with competitors for deals?
- How do I stand out in a crowded market?
All of these questions were submitted by listeners just like yo...
In this episode we answer questions about your top employees. The biggest problem with top employees is that they might leave! How do you make sure they stick around? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What to do if a key employee wants to become a founder themselves?
- How do I handle competitors trying to hire my best salespeople?
- How do we keep our first employee as the company scales?
In this episode we answer questions about underperforming employees. If you have a team, some people on that team will underperform. What do you do when that happens? Can you turn them around, or do you have to let them go? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- How long should you give an employee to ramp up?
- Why would a top sales person start missing targets?
- What do you do about executives that aren...
In this episode we answer questions about innovation. Startups are expected to innovate, but what does that mean? What is innovation and how does it become an advantage? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:
- What is innovation?
- Is there a process to innovation?
- What is the cost to not innovating?
- How do I know if I'm being innovative?
All of these questions were submitted by listeners just lik...
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