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Traits of truly sensational startup employees 

1. They would much rather act than deliberate.

I've only written one business plan in my life. It was while I was in business school, and it was required. Generally, I think business plans are pretty useless (but the planning process can be quite useful).

The problem with business plans is that things change so quickly in the startup world. Before the ink is even dry on that 100+ page business plan as it shoots out the printer, things have already changed and "the plan" is already outdated. Stuff happens: Good stuff, bad stuff -- and every now and then, amazing stuff.

Very few startups I know – or companies I’ve invested in – resemble their original business plan. (And that’s a good thing, because it means they’re shaping their businesses to meet the needs of their customers.)

Related: How To Keep Software From Stealing Your Job (LinkedIn)

Great startup employees are the same way. They think a little and then do a lot. And then they adapt and modify.

The best companies often don't start with a brilliant idea, they iterate into one.
It’s hard to learn from thinking. It’s much easier to learn from doing.

2. They don’t care about what’s behind the curtain.

In some corporations, offices – and the perceived status that come with them – are everything. A corner office makes you better than someone with a hallway office. A hallway office makes you better than someone in a cubicle.

(At my company I don’t have an office – I’m not sure what that makes me.)

Startups generally avoid politics. Instead of obsessing who has the bigger desk/office, they obsess over the customer.

Sensational start-up employees understand calories are best spent making a real difference for customers. Every business has finite resources. The key is to spend as much of those resources as possible on things that matter to the customers -- or, at least genuinely matter to the team. Fretting over trivial things doesn't help anyone. It's just a waste of energy.

3. They don’t see money as the solution to every problem.

Sure, capital-intensive ventures that require extensive investment may need significant cash to get going, but most businesses require little funding to get started. (A quick glance at the Inc. 5000 list shows just how many startups were founded with relatively little funding.)

One of the key lessons first-time entrepreneurs need to learn is resourcefulness. How do you take limited resources and turn them into something remarkable?

That’s also true of the best startup employees. They're remarkably resourceful. They're not looking to build an army of people to do their bidding They're not looking to spend thousands on advertising to avoid the hard work of writing a blog. They're constantly looking for creative ways to make the most of the resources they have.

In short, they throw brains at problems, not money. And the solutions they come up with are almost always better. And, the connections built between people from solving problems creatively are some of the strongest connections that can be built.

4. They see every customer as an individual that deserves respect.

Maybe you have hundreds or thousands of customers. If so, that’s awesome – but that also can mean you face the danger of thinking of your customers as a nameless, faceless group of revenue-producing entities.

But no matter how many customers you have, each is an individual. The day you start thinking of them as this amorphous “collection” and stop thinking of them as people is the day you start going out of business.

Great startup employees never lose sight of the fact that every customer is a person: a person with hopes, dreams, expectations, needs… and a person who ultimately wants to be treated as a person. Yes, they worry about the "market" and work to build a business that can scale as it grows. But, that's shouldn't be an excuse for not caring about customers.

Great startup employees solve for the customer – and in so doing, they solve for the business.

5. They love a meritocracy.

Sensational startup employees hate politics. They hate hidden agendas. They hate the “good old boys” network.

They’re willing to succeed on their own merits – because they believe in themselves.

And they believe in others, too.

Related: The Mere Mortal's Guide To Growing A Startup (LinkedIn)

6. They care much more about their peers than the perks.

Catered meals. Free massages. Lavish parties. These are all perks -- and they're great if you have them. But, the best people care much more about who they work with (their peers) than the perks they get.

This is for a very simple reason: The #1 benefit of working at a startup is that you get to learn. And, how much you learn is largely a function of how much autonomy you have -- and who you're around.

Also, stars know intuitively that life is short. Too short to work with people you don't enjoy.

7. They instinctively focus on the company’s mission.

Walk through any huge corporation and you’ll find people who have created their own jobs (and not in a good way.)

Some will have developed databases filled with data (but resulting in no usable insight) because they love building databases. Some will have created fancy charts (again resulting in no usable insight) because they love creating fancy charts. Some will schedule meeting after meeting (none of which resulting in meaningful decisions) because they love being in charge… and they love hearing themselves talk.

Great start-up employees focus on the core mission of the company. They build products customers want. They meet customer needs. They help other employees succeed. The best people don't just bide their time while they're at work. They squeeze as much value out of that time as they possibly can in furthering the organization's mission.

They try to make tomorrow better than today for everyone around them – because that’s what they love to do.

Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Pitching Their Ideas to Investors

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Entrepreneurs tend to work quite hard to nail down meetings with investors. It usually takes a combination of good targeting, persistence and finding a way in.

As an investor, what has astounded me over the years -- after listening to thousands of pitches -- is that many entrepreneurs do not put the same effort in preparing for an initial meeting as they do in securing it.

Below are what I have found to be the five most common oversights that can turn a meeting sideways. The good news is that each of them is not only completely avoidable but, if addressed properly, can lead to fruitful discussions.

Secrets to building all star star_up team

1. Build a content following to expand your pipeline.

To begin your team-building efforts, you need to develop a pipeline of candidates. There are many ways to do this: through advertisements, word of mouth, job fairs and the like. However, there is one productive way to find candidates that is often overlooked: The development of a content following.

As we began to build Consero, we struggled to determine which resources would produce the most suitable prospects for hire. We tried various job boards and recruiters, and though we had some success, we spent a lot of time sifting through cover letters to find the people who were genuinely interested in our company. However, as we began to generate content relating to the substance of our programs and people began to read it, we saw spikes in applications with each new piece. Moreover, the applicants within those spikes seemed to be more attuned to the work of the company than other applicants, making our initial employment discussions with them more productive.

Developing substantive thought pieces takes time and effort. But if you start early and write the pieces with an eye to enticing not merely clients or press but candidates for hire, you may find that your content becomes your most valuable recruiting resource.

2. Seek adaptability.

An employment position at a startup is vastly different from a typical job in a number of ways. In my experience, candidates applying for ground-floor startup roles seem to understand most of the differences, including the need for independence and the importance of being able to stay focused while cash burns. Most of these individuals demonstrate some of the necessary startup character traits merely by opting into a partially defined role at a company with a limited financial runway. However, other critical characteristics can be harder to gauge -- and among the most important of these is adaptability.

Related: 6 Tips for Hiring at Your Small Business

One guarantee at any early-stage business is change. No matter how well your business plan is constructed or how smart your CEO is, you can be sure the company will end up looking different from what you originally envisioned. As a result, you absolutely must have a team that expects and is comfortable dealing with periodic changes of direction -- both small and large. Without people who are adaptable, you risk defections when the going gets tough -- precisely the time when a committed, focused team is most important.

In vetting candidates, it can be very difficult to determine their ability to adapt merely by asking. Rather, consider evaluating their composition by forcing them to adapt in the middle of an interview. One option is to change the interview plan once they arrive (e.g. by having them meet with someone who was not on the schedule). If you are testing software developers, give them a project and then change the constraints before they finish. When you announce these changes, watch their reactions closely. If they happily change course and head in the new direction, they may have the right mentality. If they express or even hint at feelings of frustration, cut them loose. They surely will not last when the changes are real.

3. Use referrals effectively.

Once you have found a candidate you like, it is time to get outside opinions. The natural course is to check references, or asking for feedback from prior employers. However, let’s face it: Many reference calls are a waste of time. Few intelligent candidates will list references who will say anything but good things, and even fewer references will eagerly throw former colleagues under the bus. This does not mean that reference calls can't give you what you need. To the contrary, conducted effectively, reference calls can be invaluable.

3 ways to retain a growing original start up

1. Clean house 

In other words, consider what needs to change. Generally speaking, the processes that govern organizational behavior must adapt as technology changes. What worked in terms of productivity three years ago is obsolete today for the simple fact that technology has changed, which suggests that the tools and systems used to manage people must change, too.

There are a plethora of project management apps out there that handle geographically dispersed teams of different sizes (Asanaand Evernote come to mind). The variability of team location and team size thus determines the type of technology needed to not only stay up to date, but also manage people.

Related: 3 Lessons From the Company That Went From Struggling to $1.2B IPO in 7 Years

Whether it’s three people, 20 people, or 100, each team size necessitates its own individual management approach. Matching the inputs of human capital with their intended outputs requires different processes and management styles at each stage of the growth game.

2. Save yourself

No, not in the selfish sense, but rather identify what shouldn’t change. The principles that govern your brand and the values upon which you initially founded your startup are enduring beliefs that never grow old. Values and behaviors such as service, humility, communication and feedback only serve to improve the company and keep it alive.

When considering implementing new processes, ask yourself how they impact intangibles such as trust. In other words, will a new process build trust or deplete it? Why? If the answer is the latter, consider the longer term impact.

3. Merge the two 

Now that you know what needs to change and what does not, ask yourself, “What new process will maintain the value of [blank] for [x] people?” In other words, if personal interaction has slowly weaned itself from daily activity due to sheer growth, look at your company’s current organizational processes (meetings, feedback sessions) and consider how to involve the larger population.

Scaling isn’t easy. It’s almost as if you’re starting from scratch because what works with 100 employees is completely different than what works with 1,000. Keep it simple by building upon the very elements that sparked your desire to start a business.

Related: 7 Startup Habits Worth Keeping No Matter How Big Your Business Grows

JEFF BOSS

Jeff Boss is a leadership coach with a focus on adaptability who leverages his previous careers as a Navy SEAL and business consultant to help clients accelerate

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Ways to stop being jealous in your relationship 

As much as you want to be thechilled out girlfriend, chances are you’ve felt a pang of jealousy related to your BF at least once.

Take me for example. I like to think I’m pretty laid back. But a few weeks ago, I saw a photo of my boyfriend kissing another girl on Facebook from eight years ago, flipped out, and made him delete it. That was pretty nuts! What a crazy day, huh?

Looking back on it, I get that I did this out of insecurity. I didn’t actually think my boyfriend was secretly looking back at that old photo every day, pining to get back with the person he dated like 10 girlfriends ago. But I was in a touchy mood, I guess, and my insecurity got the better of me.

After that, I wanted to learn more about the roots of relationship jealousy and how to overcome it. So I talked to relationship expert Dr. Nikki Goldstein for some pointers. Here’s what she said.

1. Understand jealousy comes from insecurity.

Like so many other relationship problems, jealousy stems from good, old-fashioned insecurity. You might be feeling bad about yourself or your relationship — or even fearful of losing your partner.

“The first thing is to work out where that insecurity’s coming from,” Dr. Goldstein said. “Maybe you’re not feeling good about your body at the moment. You’re feeling down — ‘oh, he must be flirting with someone because I’m not good enough.'”

The issue could also come from a worry that he’s not into the relationship the way you are. Maybehis lack of PDA is making you worried, so seeing him pay attention to another girl triggers a fear that he isn’t interested.

“If you’re looking at your partner right in front of you putting his hand on another girl’s back, you will get jealous because all of a sudden you have a fear of losing something,” Dr. Goldstein said.

2. Separate your anger and frustration from what’s causing the jealousy.

So your boyfriend’s female friend texted him something flirty, and you saw it and flipped out. Your anger and frustration are totally normal in this situation — but immediately acting on those feelings probably won’t solve anything.

“Anger and frustration can be very confronting emotions for the person on the receiving end,” Dr. Goldstein said. “When someone’s angry at you or acts out at you, the first thing someone will do is get defensive or withdraw. And that’s only going to fuel the fire.”

Before you know it, it’s turned into a blowout fight and no one’s going to come out of it without hurt feelings.

So a better approach is to take a deep breath and figure out the reason why you’re feeling insecure about the text message, or whatever’s prompting the issue. Easier said than done, of course, but if you can keep yourself from defaulting to anger and frustration, you’ll end up having a productive conversation about your relationship instead of a shouting match.

3. If you need to, walk away and do something else before having the talk.

Even if you catch your boo in the sack with someone else, Dr. Goldstein says anger isn’t the wisest course of action. Instead, go talk to a friend or spend some time alone to assess exactly how you feel about the situation.

“That quick anger/frustration response will be at the top of your brain, and you’re acting on a really basic emotion so you may end up doing something that can come back to bite you,” Dr. Goldstein said.

For example, if you’re really in a rage, you might end up saying something nasty about whatever girl has inspired your jealousy — which will only make you feel worse in the long run and could even come back and bite you in the ass.

Avoid this by approaching the situation with a clear head, as hard as that may sound.

4. Know that even if you can approach the situation maturely, your boyfriend might not.

I mean, this isn’t really news to anyone. But a lot of guys can shut down when they feel attacked. There’s a chance your boyfriend will react with anger and frustration, even if you’re being calm.

With this in mind, Dr. Goldstein suggests making sure the time is right for your partner to talk about the situation, too. So if you’re feeling totally zen and ready to have an honest convo about your relationship, and your boyfriend just got home from the worst work day of his life, maybe you should wait a few before confronting him about that comment he made about your friend’s appearance the other day.

5. Think back to similar past situations.

Maybe last month you watched your boyfriend getting friendly with someone at after-work drinks and you didn’t care, but this month he did the same thing and it bothered you.

What’s the difference? Maybe this month you’re not feeling as secure about the relationship for whatever reason. Maybe you just had a bad day so you were extra sensitive. Maybe he did something that reminded you of a past boyfriend who wasn’t faithful.

Or maybe he was being inappropriate and crossing a boundary you’d established. Whatever the case, the more soul-searching you do on this before talking to him about it, the more productive your talk will be.

Speaking of boundaries, that brings us to our next point…

6. Establish boundaries ahead of time.

If you’re not cool with your boyfriend hanging out with other girls one-on-one, but he’s used to hanging out with female friends, he really has no way of knowing that that’s an issue for you. So you two need to establish whether it’s okay for him to continue doing that now that you’re an item.

Similarly, if you’re used to having guys like and comment on your Instagram posts and he’s never been with a girl who kills it on social media before, he’s going to want to talk to you about what it means and whether he should be worried.

If you and your partner can establish what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable within your relationship, it’ll be way easier to sort through your feelings later on when you feel jealous, Dr. Goldstein points out.

For example, maybe you’ve told him that you don’t like him texting other girls and he has accepted that and told you he won’t carry on text conversations with other girls. If he then goes and texts some other girl while you two are together, he’s clearly crossed a boundary. At that point, it’s not an issue of jealousy — it’s an issue of him violating a rule that the two of you had previously agreed on.

That’s way easier to troubleshoot than a vague “I’m mad, WTF is wrong with you?”

7. Explain your feelings in specific terms.

Once you’ve determined the right time and gotten yourself in the right headspace to talk about what’s bugging you, be as specific as possible about what you’re feeling and why you think you’re feeling it.

Don’t say “you’re making me jealous,” Dr. Goldstein said. Say, “I saw you getting friendly with someone else and it’s not making me feel good.”

“Especially when talking to a male, sentences like that are easy understand and they won’t [react] as defensively if you phrase it like that,” Dr. Goldstein said. “It’s not saying you should be blaming yourself for the jealousy, but more understanding where it’s coming from.”

8. Be prepared to put your feelings into context.

As I pointed out to Dr. Goldstein, many guys’ go-to response to a conversation about jealousy will be “you’re crazy.” It’s fucked up, it’s not fair, and it’s often rooted in sexist attitudes (even though in our opinion dudes can be way crazierthan girls). But it happens.

The best comeback to a garden variety “you’re crazy” accusation is context. Explain to him the facts behind your feelings. If he’s been acting weird, or spending a lot of time with another girl, or not being as affectionate with you as he used to be, you’re not crazy for wanting to understand what’s going on.

Most of all, though, know that you’re not crazy, he’s just being a baby and trying to deflect blame. And the best way to counteract that is with reason.

9. If he says everything’s cool and you still can’t shake the feeling, do more self-exploration.

As mentioned in the first point, jealousy usually comes from some other insecurity.

“A lot of women might feel insecure about their body or not happy in life and they act out in a secondary way,” Dr. Goldstein said. “They don’t feel pretty or sexy or happy in their relationship and will cope with that in another way.”

For that reason, Dr. Goldstein suggests you ask yourself questions like, “How am I feeling about this relationship? How do I feel about myself?How do I feel about my relationship? Do I feel supported in this relationship?”

If you’re not happy with yourself or in your relationship, then that’s the issue — not jealousy or a flirty text.

10. Be careful about taking advice from others.

Negative effects of falling in love quickly 

1. Completely forgetting how to be alone.

2. Abandoning close friends.

3. Rudely telling off every other single guy.

You might also make the mistake of burning bridges with too many people. Not cool.

4. Planning your entire future with him.

5. Rushing into sex. [And actually engaging in sexual acts you swore you would never do.]

6. Finding a middle ground when standing your ground, is obviously the right thing to do.

7. Going overboard with social media displays of affection.

Don’t make the mistake of going overboard with social media love posts. Do not. (The Trent)

8. Hastening up to the point of making family introductions.

If you do fall into a quick, whirlwind kind of love, the type that seems to have taken you by utter surprise, you better open your eyes, and not fall into these mistakes that have been the undoing of many careless women before you.