early-stage issues
Mario has been through more than one economic downturn. His advice? Cut your dead weight sooner rather than later. If you don't they just end up dragging everyone else down. Tough times are fightin' times. Mario wants you to think about who's in your corner.
Suzie uses the re-naming of the National Angel Capital Organization to ask some questions about government's role in funding startups...but not two-guys-in-a-basement startups. Instead, she points out a lack of public-funds bridge financing for fast-growth companies.
Canadian companies and employees need to make their plans based on detailed regional forecasts, but both supply and demand are fluctuating, says the president of Canada's Communications Technology Council. A report available on Oct 30th will look at why.
Technology moves at the speed of change, and in this now-global community, that’s very, very fast. How fast? Watch this and see.
Stop thinking about what you want your website to do and pay more attention to what your Customers want it to do, says Gerry. Citing Yahoo as an example, he points at the dangers of getting wrapped up in buzzwords, ideas and technology.
Citing the effect that Ontario's venture capital fund had on local investment, Suzie sounds a warning for Albertan tech companies who hope to connect to the province's recently announced $178 million "Bringing Technology to Market" action plan.
Does cloud computing harbour thunderstorms? Perhaps not, but it introduces legal considerations in several areas, including privacy, contract issues and jurisdiction, says Miller Thomson.
Alyssa notes that despite its increasing effectiveness, specialization and relationship with development, most software product management is still poorly executed -- and most software is still terrible. She gives three reasons why PM isn't the difference-maker.
Are there situations where a fledgling app can be developed elsewhere? At what point can an application be parceled out? Is there better ROI for certain kinds of development?
Think you know Canadian Web 2.0 companies? Based on the recent Backbone cover story, this interactive feature lets you rank and discuss their expert's choices.
Alan interviews entrepreneur, investor, and online host of CBC's Dragons' Den, Sean Wise. He shares his thoughts on selling products and ideas.
The incongruence of sales compensation is one of the biggest disconnects in companies. Executives sit in a board room with strategic plans of grandeur, but the plan collapses when they don't address the compensation for the sales troops. It is a very simple equation. Sales people invest their time on activities that drive their compensation. Plain and simple.
My friend and labour law god Dan McKeown likens the Act to “a big old Victorian house with lots of tiny little rooms.” One such tiny little room is a category called “information technology professionals…[who] work on information systems based on computers and related technology.”
Wearing multiple hats is a startup norm. But are hybrid techies attractive to larger companies? Melanie Baker looks at the Jacks (and Jills) of all trades.
Christine Tutssell has earned a reputation for selling -- and winning -- everywhere she lands. Now the former Descartes VP is selling (and still winning) in a difficult environment -- a young emerging technology software company. Red Canary caught up with Tutssell to talk about why she made the jump, where startups go wrong in sales, and what it takes to sell in terms of both tactics and personnel.
Charles Plant has worked with startups as an operator, a financier and now as a leader at one of Canada's largest incubators for young technology and science companies. He shares his thoughts on the external and internal challenges facing our emerging technology sector.
The former employees (and now successful tech execs) of a "no money, no customers and no business plan" startup talk about working at a company that found a way to win.
"You also need to work hard, because I’m the best date that you’re going to find. I’m such a knockout that I don’t even shave my legs." Trevor takes a funny look at jobs descriptions from a blind date perspective.
Alyssa Dvers explains why software companies (even young ones) need a product manager. From dispelling naivety to disseminating customer data, Alyssa argues that a PMs job is never done, and has never been more important to lasting success.
Many employers complain about the low volume and poor quality of their sales applicants, says Lee Salz, but at the same time create job ads that don't sell the position, opting for vanilla job 'descriptions' over job 'advertisements'. Referencing the psychology of food retailers, he goes on to identify effective ways of reaching quality passive candidates.