Aaron Schwartz

8 steps to improve your hiring process

The biggest potential sales channel for many consumer brands doesn’t yet have a name. It falls somewhere between the black-and-white view of B2B and B2C.

We call this third channel business-to-group, or B2G. Here are a few example cases to better define this target market:

Affinity group: softball team, fraternity or sorority, fans of an Instagram celebrity
Event: nonprofit gala, quarterly sales meeting, championship games
Occasion: wedding, family reunion

7 tips to help even the smallest startup build meaningful - and lasting - partnerships

Advising startups is incredibly gratifying, but it also comes at the cost of taking precious time. We list seven tips for how to get the most out of being an adviser.

Raising money is difficult - and one of the bigger challenges is choosing the *right* investor. Bhavin, Michael and I describe what you want to learn about your investors before inviting them to the dance!

When building a company, press can be really exciting. But the results are often fleeting. We break down how to strategically approach earning press to build your business.

We ran a crowdfunding campaign in March 2014. In the end, we were successful, raising over $50,000 from nearly 800 backers. This article provides tips and tricks to get the most out of your crowdfunding campaign, and also discusses the merits of Kickstarter versus its more company-friendly competitor, Indiegogo.com

Every startup founder has heard that they need to focus on major projects. That is, don’t sweat the small stuff; focus on your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals); and of course, build a scalable business model.

This article details the small things that Magoosh.com and Modifywatches.com have done to grow - missing the small stuff might kill a startup.

No matter what type of business you run, focus on customer service. Bhavin, CEO of Magoosh.com and I describe how a deep focus on exceptional service has led directly to improved products - and growth - at both of our companies.

Being a MBA carries a stigma with a lot of entrepreneurs, especially in Silicon Valley. I loved my experience at Berkeley-Haas, and try to make the case that in the right circumstances earning an MBA is a great investment. An MBA enables you to

*experiment with your idea
*build a strong network
*meet investors
*recruit a great team from the university setting
*learn tangible skills (negotations, finance)

This article discusses Lean Startup and Customer Discovery. These principles - very hot in the tech space - are applicable whether you're starting a non-tech company, or simply trying to grow as an "intrapreneur".

Almost every retailer is struggling with “showrooming,” when customers browse a retailer’s product only to purchase the product elsewhere for a lower price. This article provides a few strategies to differentiate yourself and make sure your customers buy directly from you.

Some of the lessons we learned while starting Modify
1) Get outside the building and test everything
2) Think of yourself as a customer
3) Build a great team.An A+ team can build a business around a B+ product. A B+ team will fail even if it stumbles upon an A+ product.
4) You are not the first person to run into different issues. Talk about your business with as many advisers, friends and strangers as you can.
5) Read everything by Tony Hsieh and the Delivering Happiness… Show more

Some of the lessons we learned while starting Modify
1) Get outside the building and test everything
2) Think of yourself as a customer
3) Build a great team.An A+ team can build a business around a B+ product. A B+ team will fail even if it stumbles upon an A+ product.
4) You are not the first person to run into different issues. Talk about your business with as many advisers, friends and strangers as you can.
5) Read everything by Tony Hsieh and the Delivering Happiness Team
6) Smile. A lot. Don’t forget that you are living your dream! Show less

When applying for a startup, expertise matters. But we've found that the following three skills are the most indicative of success in an entrepreneurial environment:
1) Hustle
2) Follow-through
3) Curiosity