You’ve been told a million times to “work smart, not hard”, but in the startup world that’s never the case: you’ve got to out-hustle the competition, reinvent yourself daily, and put your entire soul into your mission. Whether you’re pitching to VCs or coding all night, your ability to deliver, inspire, and energize will be the cornerstones of your success. It’s not just taking a job, it’s exploring an idea -- and it’s not about work/life balance, it’s about work/life integration.
This session delivers 21 proven ideas to help your mind, body, and soul thrive at your startup. From “Check Entitlement at the Door” and “Be Your Own Worst Critic” to “Work Out or Tap Out” and “Classy Never Goes Out of Style”, these lessons from entrepreneurs Chad Norman and Christina Lock, who helped build 2013’s fastest-growing software company SPARC, provide a framework for living the startup life - from garage to corporate headquarters. Their experiences, along with those of successful industry leaders, will help you create the company of your dreams, and the lifestyle to survive it. Think, feel, and love your startup...and your head, heart, soul, (and profits) will follow!
2. Chad Norman
VP of Marketing, SPARC
Chad is a digital marketing strategist,
proven leader, speaker, and author. As
VP of Marketing at SPARC, he leads
marketing and communication strategy
across all business units. Previously at
Blackbaud, the leading provider of
nonprofit technology solutions, Chad
managed digital marketing and online
training teams. His book, 101 Social
Media Tactics for Nonprofits: A Field
Guide, was published by Wiley in
February 2012. Chad has presented at
dozens of industry events including
SXSW, SHRM, IHRIM, Dig South, NTC,
DMA, AFP, and has lectured at Wake
Forest University, Indiana University,
University of Michigan, and College of
Charleston.
@chadnorman
#SurviveYourStartup
Christina Lock
VP of Human Resources, SPARC
Christina has over 10 years of human
resources and recruiting expertise with a
proven track record of driving results,
implementing ‘best-in-class’ processes, and
instilling a business-minded approach to
functional situations. A strategic problem
solver with excellent aptitude in client
negotiations and building rapport. As the
Vice President of HR and Recruiting at
SPARC, Christina and her team have hired
over 300 Team Members in less than 5
years, all the while standing up internal HR
processes from the ground-up. Previous to
her position at SPARC, Christina held
positions as Lead Recruiter for the
Corporate Headquarters of a Fortune 500
company (ARAMARK), as well as a highly
successful career in an external search firm.
@cnlock
3. Funding. Bootstrap. Pitch deck. Burn rate. Exit Strategy. VC. MVP. ROI.
There are hundreds of thousands of publications, articles, and quotes about
how to successfully guide CEOs and founders through those first few arduous
years of a startup. And good reasons. Founders eat, breath, live their
companies. It’s overtakes them.
#SurviveYourStartup
4. What a lot of us don’t consider, are those original 5, 10, 30, 50,
100 employees. The ones who took the ultimate risk. Jumped
ship. Joined the cause. Saw the vision. You know who we’re
talking about. The people who took your company from startup
to viable, from napkin to profits, from garage to highrise.
#SurviveYourStartup
6. For those of you who have been on the ground floor from the
early days, or for those of you who are considering the startup
journey...forget your day job, welcome to your life job.
Founders and early employees, pay attention:
You’ll need your team to be in it for the long-haul.
So what does it take? It’s more than just your experience,
resume, or even your relationship. It takes ALL of you.
Your head. Your Heart. And yes, Your Soul.
#SurviveYourStartup
7. Put Down Your Phone
Make Decisions, Move On.
Answer Every Email. Now.
Perseverance
Delegate It
Take Some Advice
Avoid Distractions
21 Ways to #SurviveYourStartup
Work Out or Tap Out
Early Morning Zen
Sleep
Fuel Your Body Right
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody
Classy Never Goes Out of Style
Grooming Is Not an Option
Forget the 40-Hour Week
Check Entitlement at the Door
Forget Your Job Description
Build Intimate Relationships
Don’t Ever Stop Dreaming
Take Risks, Run Fast!
Exposure is Everything
Head Heart Soul
14. “I always did something I was a little
not ready to do. I think that’s how
you grow. When there’s that
moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure
I can do this,’ and you push through
those moments, that’s when you
have a breakthrough.”
– Marissa Mayer, Yahoo
#SurviveYourStartup
16. “Virgin's ability to grow and diversify
successfully was set in the
company's early days, with my
learning how to delegate and let go.
This will probably seem
counterintuitive to anyone who is in
the midst of launching a business.”
– Richard Branson, Virgin Group
#SurviveYourStartup
18. “Don’t take too much advice.
Most people who have a lot of
advice to give — with a few
exceptions — generalize
whatever they did.”
– Ben Silbermann, Pinterest
#SurviveYourStartup
23. “If you’re changing the
world, you’re working on
important things. You’re
excited to get up in the
morning.”
- Larry Page, Google
#SurviveYourStartup
26. “Make sure your engine is
running as well as your
business engine, or
eventually your engine will
fail, and that means your
business will too.”
– Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine Editor
#SurviveYourStartup
28. “Your reputation is more
important than your
paycheck, and your
integrity is worth more
than your career.”
– Ryan Freitas, About.me
#SurviveYourStartup
30. “People want to do business with
you or become involved in your
sphere of influence. They perceive
you as successful and someone
who can expand their possibilities.
They trust you to act with
responsibility, integrity and aplomb.
Class acts tend to attract people
who are at the top of their game.”
– Jack Canfield, Author
#SurviveYourStartup
33. “I had to kick myself in the
ass and recommit to
getting up early, staying up
late and consuming
everything I possibly could
to get an edge.”
– Mark Cuban
#SurviveYourStartup
36. Work with People You Can Trust
& Build Intimate Relationships
#SurviveYourStartup
37. “My model for business is The
Beatles. They balanced each
other, and the total was greater
than the sum of the parts. That's
how I see business: great things
in business are never done by
one person, they are done by a
team of people.”
- Steve Jobs, Apple
#SurviveYourStartup#SurviveYourStartup
38. Don’t Ever Stop Dreaming,
Reaching, and Innovating
#SurviveYourStartup
39. “Stop chasing the
money and start
chasing the
passion.”
– Tony Hsieh, Zappos
#SurviveYourStartup
41. “The biggest risk is not taking
any risk… In a world that’s
changing really quickly, the
only strategy that is
guaranteed to fail is not
taking risks.”
– Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
#SurviveYourStartup
43. “Those who insert themselves into as
many channels as possible look set to
capture the most value. They’ll be the
richest, the most successful, the most
connected, capable and influential
among us. Participate or fade into a
lonely obscurity.”
- Pete Cashmore, Mashable
#SurviveYourStartup
44. “For me, in business and
in life, success came
from my fear of failure.”
#SurviveYourStartup
45. Put Down Your Phone
Make Decisions, Move On.
Answer Every Email. Now.
Perseverance
Delegate It
Take Some Advice
Avoid Distractions
21 Ways to #SurviveYourStartup
Work Out or Tap Out
Early Morning Zen
Sleep
Fuel Your Body Right
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody
Classy Never Goes Out of Style
Grooming Is Not an Option
Forget the 40-Hour Week
Check Entitlement at the Door
Forget Your Job Description
Build Intimate Relationships
Don’t Ever Stop Dreaming
Take Risks, Run Fast!
Exposure is Everything
Head Heart Soul
46. Using Your Head, Heart,
& Soul: 21 Ways to...
#SurviveYourStartup