11 Tools To Simplify Your Startups Accounting

Stay on Track With Indinero

“The most important financial metric for most startups is monthly cash flow. Indinero lets us easily see how much we’re spending each month by category so we can budget for the coming months.”

– Bhavin Parikh | CEO, Magoosh Test Prep

QuickBooks Eases Things

“Almost all small business accountants in the United States are familiar with QuickBooks. Thus, I recommend any QuickBooks product (although I like Online Edition the best) because it makes it easy for your to clean up books and collaborate with your accountant for tax time.”

– Eric Bahn | Founder, Beat The GMAT

Outright Shows Everything

“I’ve got Outright set up to push notifications to my phone: every time I receive a payment, my phone goes ‘cha-ching!’ It’s a good noise to hear. On top of that feature, Outright can automatically pull in data from accounts and other apps, while putting everything together in a format that makes my CPA very happy. (Disclaimer: I write for the Outright blog, as well as using the app religiously.)”

– Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

Go With Google Docs

“Google Docs is a great tool to manage business finances. It’s very powerful and simple to use which makes it a breeze to use.”

– Ben Lang | Founder, EpicLaunch

Pay Up With Square

“Square is a great payment processing mobile app that makes accepting credit cards a snap and moves money quickly into my bank account.”

– Benjamin Leis | Founder, Sweat EquiTees

Microsoft Excel Is Still Relevant!

“It is the industry standard for spreadsheets for a reason. With a little training, you can run circles around any closed source software.”

– Peter Minton | Founder & President, Minton Law Group, P.C.

I Owe It All to Freshbooks

“I’ve never been very good with money. In fact, at one point, I appeared on CNN as the poster child for those with shopping problems. But Freshbooks helps me keep it all together on the business side. I use it to track my time and my business expenses, send invoices (and followups), send out and receive estimates, and generate tax reports. And despite my history with money, it’s all a breeze.”

– Steph Auteri | career coach, writer, and editor, Word Nerd Pro

Wave Accounting Saves Time

“Wave Accounting is completely free and connects directly to your bank account. It automatically keeps track of all your spending for you. It’s a great product and a huge timesaver.”

– Josh Weiss | Founder and President, Bluegala

Sync With Mint.com

“Although most people use Mint.com to monitor their personal finances, many business owners don’t take advantage of doing the same thing with their business accounts. Not surprisingly, Mint’s software works similarly with business bank accounts and credit cards, which makes it very valuable to manage budgets and overall spending.”

– Logan Lenz | Founder / President, Endagon

Stick With Shoeboxed

“I used to dread tax time, because my receipts were always a mess, and often nonexistent. Shoeboxed makes it incredibly easy to keep track of all of my receipts, and then import all of the data to sites like Outright, Mint, etc.”

– Sean Ogle | Founder, Location 180, LLC

There Are Still ‘Human’ Applications…

“I have this awesome human application called a Director of Operations. She handles all the accounting, financing, taxation, and regulation. It’s like magic. I’d highly recommend getting one. They can read between the lines on all those long-winded documents and keep you from wandering into trouble.”

– Brent Beshore | Owner/CEO, AdVentures

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Now check out 10 Tools That Simplify Startup Collaboration

7 Opportunities to Save on Startup Expenses

Older, more established companies have the flexibility of deciding how to allocate their budgets and spend their available funds on the resources that make their

Startup Tips,Guest Post,YEC businesses more comfortable and easier to run. But as a young startup, you have no such luxury! Because it’s important to make every dollar count while your business

is still growing, you’ll want to take a look at the following seven opportunities to save money on common business expenses:

Expense #1 – Office Space

First of all, with many of today’s alternative office space options, it’s entirely unnecessary to run out and sign a

But if you absolutely must have a traditional office for your startup, contact property management companies in your area and ask to see non-traditional spaces or spaces that the agencies have had trouble renting out. With a little negotiation, you may be able to save big on spaces that would otherwise remain empty.commercial lease to house your startup. Instead, look into incubator spaces, co-working offices and executive office rentals – all of which can provide you with flexible office space options at a much lower cost.

Expense #2 – Office Furniture

One word: Ikea.

Although, more seriously, if the world’s leading producer of cheap furniture doesn’t appeal to you, consider seeking out used or consignment furniture stores in your area, hitting up garage sales for discount items or even pulling the extra furniture out of your parents’ basement. When your startup is first growing, all you need is some place to sit and work – it doesn’t have to be pretty!

Expense #3 – Office Supplies

When it comes to purchasing the necessary office supplies for your growing startup, the lesson here is that the best offense is a good defense. Instead of looking for ways to save money on the supplies you think you need, focus instead on eliminating the need for physical supplies. As an example, if you pursue a “paper free” office, you remove the need for paper clips, staplers, staples, hanging files and a host of other associated products.

If you absolutely must purchase some supplies, try cashing in some credit card reward points to fund these expenditures. It’s an easy, creative way to free up the extra funds needed to purchase your must-have office supplies.

Expense #4 – Shipping Expenses

While there’s no way to eliminate postage fees (if your startup ships out a physical product), you can cut back on the cost of packaging products by reusing boxes, picking up free shipping containers from USPS or even collecting serviceable packing materials from other businesses in your area (grocery stores, in particular, get rid of sturdy boxes every day).

And, when it comes to the actual postage fees you pay to ship your products, be sure to shop around to get the best rates. Yes, you’ll wind up paying something, but you might be surprised by the variability in rates that exists between today’s major shipping carriers.

Expense #5 – Employee Costs

The hiring and training of employees typically represents a startup’s largest expense. As such, take the following steps to minimize unnecessary expenditures in this area:

Consider bringing on new employees as independent contractors. This will minimize your tax burden and give you more flexibility regarding the costs associated with terminating employees who don’t work out.
Invest in improving your interview process. Training a new employee, only to have him or her leave down the road due to a bad fit, represents a tremendous cost to startups in terms of lost productivity. You can reduce this fiscal waste by enhancing your hiring process so that you’re more likely to wind up with suitable candidates.
Offer benefit reimbursements – not benefit plans. Although providing employment benefits will help you to attract better employment candidates, it isn’t cheap to set up group health plans or other benefits packages. As a cost-saving alternative, consider offering employees a set monthly reimbursement for benefits that they purchase on their own.

Expense #6 – Advertising

Established companies can run pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns, run TV spots during popular programs and send out highly-effective direct mail pieces. You probably can’t.

Minimize your advertising expenses by taking advantage of “free” (as in, free outside of your time investment) techniques like SEO, content marketing or social media marketing. It’s possible to generate a significant amount of traction in this way, which can drive the sales volume needed to make traditional paid advertising methods a possibility in your business’s future.

Expense #7 – Professional Fees

One last expense that you’ll likely encounter as a startup is professional fees – that is, the amounts that you pay to accountants, lawyers and others for their services.

While you shouldn’t cut them out of your budget entirely, look for opportunities to barter services or products in order to get a discount on your bill. No matter what professional skills you have to offer, you should be able to find the common ground needed to craft an arrangement that benefits both parties, while saving you some serious cash.

Sujan Patel is the founder and CEO of Single Grain, one of the top Digital Marketing agencies in San Francisco, CA. With more than 10 years of Internet marketing experience, Sujan leads the digital marketing strategy for companies like Sales Force, Yahoo, Intuit and many other Fortune 500 caliber companies.

The Dropbox Story: From 0 to 100 Million Users: How a Simple Video Can Change Your Business

Startups: Is Your Public Relations Strategy Outdated?

There’s one thing that’s consistent in this world: change. This is no less true in business; industries have to evolve to keep up with developing technology and new trends. On top of that, they have to promote their ability to keep up altogether.

In the past, public relations required a client to pay a large retainer in order to be mentioned in a sidebar or get quick features published, promoting a service or product. Today, the future of PR is online, and it includes a combination of content marketing, SEO and thought leadership. Times are changing, and there are some things you should take into consideration when you’re making decisions about your startup’s PR.

People Want to See Results

In the past, PR companies weren’t held to meeting specific client expectations. They could always hide behind saying, “How do you measure credibility and authority?” Clients consistently felt screwed over by PR companies because they were paying a sizable retainer without any way to gauge the results. With online tools, you can now track exactly where leads and opportunities are coming from. The analytic tools that are available online — like Google Analytics, DoubleClick Ad Planner, WhoReTweetedMe, and Klout – can help you get a better idea of the results of placements.

To break down sales barriers and comfort people who have previously been shafted by PR companies, pay-for-performance models should be adopted. When I switched Digital Talent Agents to this model, our client base doubled and customer satisfaction increased. Retainers have left a bad taste in many people’s mouths and will continue to be used less. Don’t ride this dinosaur any longer than you have to.

Paper Is a Thing of the Past

Instead of grabbing your morning paper off the front porch, you likely get your preferred content on your tablet or phone these days. The future is online, so print editions are becoming archaic and far less beneficial. The focus won’t be on just the initial placement of an article, but on the potential effect of it going viral. Social media can accelerate media exposure just by having the right influencer sharing it with his networks. If you don’t get the social media boost you’re looking for, there are content aggregators, like Zite, that give your content another vehicle to reach the right influencers.

Google is also rewarding site owners for the higher amounts of quality content they have available. The easier it is to find your name and your article, the more exposure you will get; that allows for a tail benefit that can last much longer than a one-day feature in a newsletter. Magazines and newspapers are thrown away after one read and don’t give you the opportunity to amplify your media exposure, but an online post can be shared over and over again.

The Best Promotion Is Not Being Promotional

Personal and company branding will be extremely important in any PR campaign. The more you concentrate on building your brand, the more press opportunities will naturally come to you. People can see through a promotional piece pretty easily, so direct your efforts toward educating people as a thought leader. It’s the best way to promote yourself without seeming like you’re being promotional. If you just concentrate on a promotional piece to bring in leads, you’ll have a short-term gain. However, if you change strategy and start developing your own content as a thought leader, you have a short-term gain and you help build your long-term brand, which ultimately is more important. It’s what everybody should be working toward. Industries and approaches change, but your reputation can last if you play your cards right.

“Mad Men”-era public relations are a dying breed. Old-school PR companies companies may still insist upon paper press releases, a trusting attitude toward the “results” they’re producing, and promotional features that focus more on what your clients can do for you than what you can do for your clients.

But if you want to keep up with changing times, ditch these efforts, and focus on PR that gives you a high return on investment every single time. Insist upon results, and you won’t feel screwed by PR companies – you’ll feel empowered by them.

John Hall is the CEO of Digital Talent Agents, a company that helps experts build their personal and company brand through producing high quality content for reputable publications.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Now check out 5 Rules for naming your startup.

10 Ways Subscription Sales Can Increase Your Startups’ Sales

TRY TO BUNDLE AND FINANCE

“Consider bundling your products into groups of commonly utilized items, and offering your customers the chance to pay for a “package” on a monthly basis rather than all at once. For example, If your average client buys 10 widgets a year for a total of $110, offer a package of 10 widgets for only $9 per month. Basically, you’re offering in-house financing. People love that sort of thing.”

– Robert Sofia | Co-Founder & COO, Platinum Advisor Strategies

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH CLUB

“Subscription plans that automate sales are a great way to get your product out to raving fans regularly. Whether it’s a cupcake, T-shirt or fabric of the month, giving regular access to your new and best sellers can build anticipation and brand loyalty.”

– Kelly Azevedo | Founder, She’s Got Systems

INCENTIVIZE GIFTING TO OTHERS

“We have a “Mod of the Month Club” where customers choose any one of our watches for a heavily discounted price (30-45 percent off retail). We always make sure to thank these members by offering them first-looks at our new merchandise. The best perk: we offer an extra strap ($15-$20 value) in the package when customers tell us they are “gifting” the watch, gaining us new customers monthly!”

– Aaron Schwartz | Founder and CEO, Modify Watches

USE MEMBERSHIPS TO CURATE

“Subscriptions and memberships are a great way to offer customers the best of the best — wines handpicked by the best sommelier or this season’s must-have shoes chosen by a Hollywood stylist. Combine subscriptions with curators to offer customers the best of your selection.”

– Laura Roeder | Founder, LKR Social Media

HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS USE YOUR PRODUCTS

“Customers come back to companies whose products and services they use. A membership program that helps a client actually learn how to effectively use what they’ve bought makes it more likely that they’ll come back to you. That can include offering case studies, in-depth training and support far beyond the typical user’s manual.”

– Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

PROMOTE ACTION AMONG YOUR MEMBERS

“By positioning your membership or subscription as the best way to take action, you’ll inspire people to join. Very few things motivate people as much as spending money. If they are spending $50/month on your service, most people will actually do something with it, thus see results. These positive results become the best testimonials you’ll ever receive.”

– Sean Ogle | Founder, Location 180, LLC

START TO SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

“Follow Amazon’s lead and implement a ‘Subscribe and Save’ program, where you give customers a discount for setting up a subscription. It’s an added convenience for the customer and it’s a nice revenue stream for the business.”

– Josh Weiss | Founder and President, Bluegala

CREATE COMMUNITY MASTERMINDS

“If you already have customers that are willing to pay for your products, there is an opportunity in bringing all of your customers together to share their ideas and network. By creating some sort of forum or mastermind platform, all of your customers will be able to enjoy an uncontested level of product support, fresh ideas, and new opportunities through your community.”

– Logan Lenz | Founder / President, Endagon

PICK YOUR PROBLEMS WISELY

“Examples of subscription services with high lifetime customer values include hosting, email marketing, and other self-service apps. The key to them is that they solve an ongoing problem. In other words, you don’t just need hosting for your website next week, you need it all the time! So, pair your product with a subscription that makes sense. For instance, web design and web maintenance packages.”

– Matthew Ackerson | Founder, Saber Blast

EVERY COMPANY IS A MEMBERSHIP!

“The key to long-term sales growth is developing a loyal customer base that you can tap into in order to sell new products and add-ons. And the best way to build customer loyalty is with a rewards program. Whether with points used to redeem reward items or randomly distributed benefits, any merchant can convert its customer list into a membership.”

– Michael Tolkin | CEO, Merchant Exchange

You can find more startup tips here at nibletz.com The Voice Of Startups Everywhere Else.

How to Find the Right Venture Capitalist for Your Startup!

This is one match that’s certainly not made in heaven — you’ve got to toil and woo several partners to finally arrive at one that best understands you and your business, and is ready to commit to you in the long term.

I’m talking, of course, about your relationship with a venture capitalist. You’ve probably heard grieving entrepreneurs who, after signing the dotted line, are quite unhappy throughout the relationship with their investors.

But there’s nothing wrong with the venture capitalist (VC) per se. You just made the wrong decision. As an entrepreneur, you’ve got to choose the right VC to work with, because the right marriage can help define how successful your business will be and how happy you will be running it.

Here are 4 key points to consider for a happy and long-lasting marriage with a VC:

1. Expertise: Choosing a VC is just like a marriage — that is, it’s a long-term commitment. You need to court first to find out whether the VC is a right fit for you. Take the time out to research whether the VC has funded companies in the domain they are operating. Research to find out what companies they have invested in and what their level of involvement has been in each of those. Do they have potential conflicts (e.g., is the expertise a by-product of an investment in a potential competitor)?

2. Adding Value: Look for investors who can add value to your business and not just give you funds. The best marriages between entrepreneurs and VCs happen when the latter can contribute to the growth of the former and when it isn’t purely transactional. Entrepreneurs need to ask, when things get tough in my venture, will this VC be a part of the solution?

3. Term Sheets: This is where you really find out what the intentions are of the person putting in the money. Look out for exit clauses; if not clearly defined, ask for them to be. Although they are not cast in stone (I know of one venture where the exit was clearly defined, but deferred as the company entered a new vertical and that added to their top line immensely, adding to a bigger valuation), it helps to know what the person with the money is really looking for.

Term sheets are very carefully crafted to fool even the best of people into believing that they’ve struck a great deal, but in reality, for the entrepreneur, that’s not always the case. So if you’re at this stage, it wouldn’t hurt to have your term sheets validated by experienced entrepreneurs who’ve gone down this road and/or a lawyer who has the relevant experience.

4. Set Expectations: Many deals are left to ambiguity, either because of lack of clarity at the stage of getting into a deal or because of assumptions made by either party. It is very important to set expectations from both ends and be clear about it. Entrepreneurs need to build trust with their VCs and vice versa. If you don’t have trust at the beginning of the relationship, it is bound to cause heartaches at the later stage.

Whatever you do, do not take this relationship for granted. You are in it for the long haul, and giving up because of a failed marriage is the last thing that you want to do with your venture. So take caution before you enter into a contract.

That said, all the best with your pitch! If it has worked out well for you, I’d like to hear your experiences and what makes your marriage successful.

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.

Rahul Varshneya is a startup coach and the co-founder of Arkenea, an enterprise mobility and cloud solutions provider. He writes on starting up and mobile strategy at http://rahulvarshneya.com/blog.

10 Must-Read Startup Tips for Young Brands

Everyone wants a “startup” these days. Everyone wants to be a “founder” with little more than a concept, an LLC filing, some Web real estate, and a dream. But how do you really get it done? In early stage brand building, traction is king.

You’ve likely seen the HBO Series “How To Make It in America.” It chronicles the story of two co-founders and their group of friends. There is luck, drama, rejection, implied success, real success, good marketing, poor marketing, and more luck. As difficult as they make it look in that wonderful series, they actually make it look easy. In reality, think less partying, more planning, and little dependence on gimmicks and luck. This being said, with the right approach it can be done. There is still room for innovation in textile manufacturing and fashion branding.

Starting a clothing brand can be one of the most worthwhile pursuits in all of startups. There are elements of: manufacturing, design, communication, marketing, probability and statistics, industrial engineering, timing, and the almighty of them all — foresight. There are so many variables that go into a success or failure. Right now (and I repeat, right now), we are somewhat succeeding. That being said, I thought I’d share some helpful hints.

Proof of Concept

Before a single shirt was manufactured, we had our initial concept feedback. “So, let me get this this straight,” the industry executive said. “You are going to manufacture in the States? You are going to use American-sourced fabrics? And you think you’re going to succeed in the textile industry?” Well, yes.

From July 2012 and through the fall, we focused on sales, feedback, construction revision, and regional media. Between Kevin and I, we bore the brunt of these tasks. Validation via earned media was the most difficult day-to-day task.

Through this initial stage, we were purely focused on “proof of concept” in our first test market — Dallas, Texas. The media response was great! And so, we continued. Active, driven, and confident men do want something more from their dress shirts.

Spring for Traction

After starting up in April of 2012 and launching the website in July 2012 (with only one product), we are now finally leaning into the Spring of Traction. Through the summer, fall, and winter of 2012, we were silently working on perfecting our first pieces, ginning up “first adopter” sales, building relationships, establishing brick and mortar presences, improving our supply chain, not paying ourselves, and paying our taxes. With that behind us, the fun begins. This spring is focused on the push for traction.

After the foundation that we’ve set over the past year, we can begin focusing on the brand’s opportunity and/or visibility to grow within several of our proven early-adopter demographics: professional athletics, military, collegiate, and metropolitan business.

The “How To” of This Blog

What does all of this mean to a young brand? It is a meticulous process that involves quite a bit of sacrifice, help, influence, and yes, just a little bit of luck. Here are some great tips that few in the industry will share:

Start with a concept that no one else is willing to attempt. Remember, it’s even better when people tell you, “Based on the industry precedent, this likely won’t work.”
The design and manufacturing process is expensive. Allot $20k-$50k for your first product run. You will need to achieve a volume of units manufactured to achieve reasonable margins.
Spend money on your branding and your collateral. I can’t say this enough.
Understand your supply chain and have a manufacturing backup plan when those sources, printers, and cut and sew shops are over capacity.
Spend money on your brand’s website and branding videos.
If you didn’t attend a top fashion design program, find a top designer who did and hire that person. Find a way to get that person on your team.
If there are no other options at the start, plan on pouring all of your personal income into the project for the first year or two.
Keep these elements at the forefront: be first to market, drive sales, gain traction.
Customers aren’t free. Find a natural pipeline that will serve as high-conversion customer acquisition.
Ask for help and be willing to pay for it.

The market is always looking for the next great idea; be willing to sacrifice to see it through. Design really well, depict great logo and lifestyle imagery, prove your concept in a transparent way, and then focus on gaining traction as you go. When you need the push, find a well-connected and cost-effective way to move your brand forward.

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.

Web Smith is a Sr. Analyst, Co-Founder, and Sports / Entertainment / Political Marketing Consultant and a student of strategy. Follow him at: http://www.twitter.com/web.

7 Steps to Raise Startup Money From a Family Member

My family immigrated from Lima, Peru to the United States before I was born to give me a shot at the American dream. I owe everything I’ve achieved so far to my parents, which is why it’s my goal to support them financially as they get older.

Somewhat paradoxically, to achieve this goal, I raised $5,000 from my mom to start an online affiliate business for U.S. tourism to Peru, called Professor Peru. The idea, of course, is to generate enough revenue to fund her retirement.

But after raising more than $1 million from angel investors, which required an executive summary, Powerpoint presentation and financial projections, I can attest to the fact that fundraising from family members is equally hard, if not harder. The goals and fears associated a family member associates with investing in your business are a far cry from the goals and fears of a professional investor.

If you’re considering raising money from a family member too, here are a few tips to make the process pain-free — and rewarding for everyone:

Understand their financial philosophy. My mom is very protective of her money and absolutely loves to save — she has never before invested in anything. She would rather use her money to pay off the mortgage than to take a gamble at a business that might fail. My mom’s philosophy: “Save now; invest never.” Convincing her to invest in me, then, is a challenge to her very view on money.
Build trust by showing examples of success. To overcome my mom’s knee-jerk reaction to investing her money, it was important to show her clear evidence that success is possible with online businesses. I spoke with her at length about my good friends Cody, Sean, and Chris who have built successful online businesses, as well as my own experience building startups.
Listen closely to investor concerns. My mom was intrigued by the evidence, so it was time to pitch her my idea of an affiliate business for U.S. travelers to Peru. Like any savvy mom, she immediately listed reasons why it might not work! I listened intently to understand her hesitation points. I didn’t respond right away; instead, I waited a day to talk about my idea again.
Address hesitation points. One of the biggest fears my mom had was that no one in the U.S. was traveling. The constant barrage on the news about an economic downturn had led her to assume that no one had the excess income to travel, which of course was untrue. To break this fear, I introduced my mom to four close friends of mine that had recently traveled to Peru. Seeing is believing!
Pitch the bigger vision. While you should certainly consider documenting your agreement in writing, you should also be able to clearly explain the benefits in big-picture terms your family member can appreciate. I asked my mom when she wanted to retire. I then asked her, “What if you could retire in two years?” Though she was skeptical, the seed was planted, and the possibility of an early retirement made her hopeful. Though I didn’t sign any official documents with my mom, your situation may be different if the dollar amount or risk is higher.
Make your ask. There was nothing formal about my pitch; I took my mom out to dinner to her favorite Japanese restaurant to make my ask. No financial spreadsheets, no Powerpoint presentations — just a mom and her son. Note: While Excel spreadsheets intimidate my mom, your family members may want to see detailed projections. In either case, if you can show a well-thought-out plan to spend the money and generate revenue, then you’ll be that much close to closing the deal.
Give a clear timeframe. The pitch itself was a very small portion of dinner, but I did make it clear to her that I needed to know her decision by Friday (giving her two days to make a decision). I’ve learned through years of pitching that the shorter the timeframe, the likelier your pitch is successful.

The result? On Friday, I called my mom, and she told me she trusted me and that she would invest $5,000. And so far, so good – Professor Peru is going strong, with several new partnerships, and I’ve also started development for How to go to North Korea.

Have you ever raised money from a family member? What steps did you take to ensure that the ask was a success — for you and your investor?

Jun Loayza is the President of Reputation Hacks and the original creator of the Beginner’s Guide to Reputation Management. In his startup experience, Jun has sold 2 internet companies, raised over $1 million in funding, and led social media technology campaigns for Sephora, Whole Foods Market, Levi’s, LG, and Activision.

5 Things You Need to Know About Interviewing at a Startup

Everything that I learned in college about interviewing is essentially worthless. After speaking to those that are close to me who will soon be graduating, I decided to jot some pointers down.

Most pertinent to a startup or early-stage environment, the following points stem from hundreds of hours of actual interviewing experience. Tech interviews will be more tech-centric and sales interviews will be more dollar-centric, but all interviews with an entrepreneur will require an entrepreneurial approach.

1. The person interviewing you would rather be doing something else.

Don’t kid yourself. Very few entrepreneurial hiring managers look forward to spending hours of their day interviewing candidates. There is always a critical problem to solve, email to be answered or money to be made buried in their hectic schedule. Interviewing candidates is a need and not a want.

Make the experience as memorable as possible for them and capitalize on their limited attention span. Use the first 15 critical minutes of pitch time to communicate your personal executive summary. Succinctly highlight how you make a difference, how you help the bottom line, how you deal with problems, why you can be player and coach, what motivates you and why you’re there for that opportunity.

2. The person interviewing you will speak to dozens more like you.

You likely have been “chosen” to interview less than you think. With stacks of resumes piling up and a never ending to-do list, the entrepreneurial hiring manager has made a quick, educated guess to speak to you based on the need to solve an immediate problem. Something in your resume, LinkedIn profile or referral has gotten you in front of them.

Make it worthwhile. Be the first appointment on their schedule or the last appointment that day. Give them a reason to remember you throughout the day or during their evening commute. Connect on a personal level and appeal to their emotions. Work days will be stressful, highly charged, energetic and sometimes painful. Give the hiring manager a sense of comfort that when difficult situations and long hours arise, you can be the professional family member that they can count on.

3. The person interviewing you knows the textbook garbage.

Just like you already know how to respond to textbook interview questions, assume that the entrepreneurial hiring manager knows when they are asked by a candidate. Further, if you get the textbook interview questions, run away…run far, far away. It’s a sure sign of things to come but that’s a different topic. Instead, craft questions that are intelligent, pertinent, thought-provoking and challenge the hiring manager.

Likely, you will come up with something that’s already been thought of. The key is to find the sweet spot where the question/thought was previously their own or introduced by someone that they respect. This is impressive and says a lot about your ability with creative problem solving. Understand the business and craft questions related to expanding the business rather than defining it. Repeating facts from a Google search or simply perusing the website is classic, textbook mediocrity.

4. The person interviewing you is not mediocre.

Startups and early stage companies have little time, money, patience and tolerance for layers of mediocrity. You are likely interviewing with someone who is either the direct decision maker or a trusted previous hire. This means that they have either developed their own tests or have already passed the tests so never assume that a half-a**ed approach will fool anyone.

No organization needs mediocrity. Startups and early stage companies especially are not looking for the typical 9-to-5′er looking for defined vacation schedules. Set yourself apart by highlighting flexibility, adaptability, comfort with uncertainty and a general can-do attitude. There’s nothing wrong with living for work in the entrepreneurial hiring manager’s eyes.

5. The person interviewing you is a salesperson.

They have no choice in the matter. Every day they are either selling a product, a service, a solution, an idea or themselves to someone internally or externally. You need to have the same exact mentality in the “everyone sells” model. With limited experience, highlight entrepreneurial endeavors that you started in school.

For pros, highlight bottom-line milestones from previous engagements. Talk facts and figures and make it all relative. Focus on your personal brand and use your reputation as your strongest asset. This reputation can come from your studies, collegiate organizations, co-ops, internships, professional organizations, or employer experiences. No matter what the examples are, show that you identified an opportunity and capitalized on it. Be prepared to sell yourself or don’t bother at all.

There’s more, of course, but these five points should get you started. There’s no substitute for practice, practice, practice so if you are fortunate enough to have a trusted mock-interview resource, use them. The worst interviews in the world are the ones where both parties walk away feeling like the hours were completely wasted. No one has the spare time for that.

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.

Max Sobol is Partner and President @ IdeaEvolver. He’s passionate about startups: getting them built, staffed, supported, optimized, growing and then some.

Fueled by cardboard lessons you could learn from 2 nine year old kidpreneurs.

Is Your Business “Partnership” as Solid as You Think?

Good contracts make for good relationships. It doesn’t matter if you and your new business associate are the closest of friends, mere acquaintances or siblings. Yes, even siblings would be wise to ensure they’re covered, should anything go awry.

I urge every person considering entrepreneurship to resist putting personal relationships or financial well-being in jeopardy by failing to clearly delineate the terms of agreement in a professionally prepared, legally binding document. It is not a savvy choice to rely upon what has been said, what was written in an email, or even what was casually drawn up between the two of you. These measures to protect yourself may not hold up in court. They sure didn’t for me.

In 2004, I entered into business relationship that I thought was a partnership. My new “partner” and I were going to take the blogosphere by storm with a daily videoblog about Internet culture. (Note: these were the pre-YouTube days, so putting video on the Web was fresh and exciting.)

For nearly two years I acted as a company partner because, well, I thought I was one! Since I was told verbally that I was in a partnership, I acted as a partner in meetings with potential investors, set up the company’s bank account and filed our trademark paperwork. In fact, in order to set up a bank account, we needed a signed contract between company founders specifying the terms of the partnership. I wrote up a quick one-pager, and we both signed it.

The work commitment was as expected for the co-founder of a startup. Basically, I had no social life — everything was about making the show and business a success. Newly 23 years old, right out of college and living in New York’s East Village, I declined too many invites to count to events, parties and dance clubs. Some friendships faded over time because I was completely preoccupied with writing show scripts and responding to business emails until the wee hours of the morning. As is typical of the entrepreneurial mindset, I put everything on hold for the good of the company.

At first, the show was an incredible success. In fact, we were so popular we could barely keep up with the media inquiries and find the time to shoot our daily videos. Profiled in The New York Times and on CBS Evening News, among many other outlets, and emailed daily by interested investors and potential collaborators, it seemed clear we were on a rocket ship destined for greatness.

Unfortunately, the skyrocketing success of the business was met with the equally speedy downhill slide of our relationship. The partnership became increasingly rocky as we planned to move the show to California. The move was delayed for months, to the point where I found myself subletting a series of New York apartments as I waited for my partner to feel comfortable.

In the end, he never did.

Finally I was given an ultimatum — stay in NYC or you’re off the show. To my amazement, I realized I was being treated as an employee rather than a partner. Since we had only my quick one-page document for an operating agreement, there was nothing I could legally do.

Moral of the story: no matter how nice the guy or gal you’re going into business with seems, you always need a lawyer. I was naive to believe that talk and a self-created contract would hold up in court. That’s because I never imagined I’d need to go to court — why should I? My partner was a nice guy.

My first entrepreneurial pursuit was chock full of some of the highest highs and lowest lows I’ve ever experienced. Yet even with all the heartbreak of this first endeavor, I’m still at it, reaching for more highs with one significant difference: in the two companies I’ve co-founded since co-creating that first one, I have protected myself by hiring a good attorney. Yes, lawyers can be pricey, but it is money well spent. When everyone knows there is a legally binding document signed before the venture starts, expectations are plain and clear to all parties from the get-go. If not, there might be some funny business or eventual rewriting of history.

Have your legal counsel make certain everyone is on the same page, because believe you me, that’s the only place you want to be.

Amanda Congdon is a California based on-camera personality, new media pioneer and healthy food entrepreneur. She has produced and hosted many web and mobile TV projects; her show, AC on ABC, made Amanda the first video blogger for a major network, ABC News. She is currently Co-founder and Director of Operations at Vegan Mario’s™ Organic Kitchen.

11 Founders offer advice on getting a job with a startup.

11 Tips For Increasing Customer Loyalty

Now that your product is launched, tested, iterated and you’re getting customers, how do you keep them? Our friends at the YEC asked 11 entrepreneurs, founders and experts “What’s your best tip for increasing customer loyalty?

Always Over Deliver

“First and foremost, meet the needs of the customer, then take it up a notch and over deliver. Whether you provide deliverables ahead of schedule, throw in bonuses or surprise and delight with cool new features, continue to give more.”

– Kelly Azevedo | Founder, She’s Got Systems

Ridiculously Good Customer Service

“To quote a recent customer email, “I really appreciate your thoughtful and professional response. I don’t get that a lot from customer service. Usually, it’s scripted nonsense that makes it seem like I’ve done something wrong. You’ve single-handedly improved my perception tenfold. Someone there ought to give you a pay raise.””

– Matt Mickiewicz | Co-Founder, Flippa and 99designs

Treat ‘Em As You’d Want to Be Treated

“Empower your employees to help customers the way they would want to be helped. Ditch scripts and “company policy” in favor of dialogue and intuitive problem solving. Customers want to be treated like human beings, not sales figures.”

– Vanessa Nornberg | President, Metal Mafia

Try Genuine Transparency

“If you screw up, be willing to openly acknowledge it and take responsibility for it. Always be real with people, and cut out the “robot act.” Show a genuine desire to improve, even if you’re already doing a good or great job in servicing them. Customers really appreciate that sort of interaction, especially when you show you understand them and actually give a darn.”

– Matthew Ackerson | Founder, Saber Blast

Love Them and Thank Them

“As Gary Vaynerchuk says in his book The Thank You Economy, you need to “shock and awe” your best customers. This means actually giving a crap and rewarding them for no particular reason with thoughtful gifts. I agree 100 percent. Are you telling me the best you can do is an automated Happy Birthday email?”

– Patrick Curtis | Chief Monkey and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

Customer Loyalty Works Both Ways

“If you want customers to be loyal to you, don’t forget to be loyal to them. Focus on your core, die-hard clients. The fringe customers will come and go, but your core will stick with you through the good times and bad. Keep those customers happy at all cost. Customers reward loyalty with loyalty.”

– Nick Friedman | President, College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving

Build a Broader Relationship With Clients

“If the only times you talk to a customer is when you’re getting paid or providing support, you won’t exactly be their favorite person. Creating a broader connection makes you someone that they’ll want to seek out. Something small, like forwarding a relevant article, can be enough to create a positive association, but keep your eyes out for bigger opportunities.”

– Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

Sincerity, Seriously

“Customer loyalty is, in my opinion, built and substantiated with honesty. But more than honesty, it’s really about sincerity. Clients or customers want to look into your eyes and know that you don’t just mean what you say, but you are what you say. They know that everything you do and say is a part of who you are. Because of that, they know they can trust you, and that keeps them loyal.”

– Steven Le Vine | CEO/President, grapevine pr

Send the Message Clearly

“How much would it mean to you if the founder or president of one of your vendors called you up on the phone to ask you how your business was doing, and if there was any more that they could provide for you? Don’t say you care, show you do. Pick up the phone and make it personal.”

– Benjamin Leis | Founder, Sweat EquiTees

Reward the Remaining Ones

“Make your customers feel special by rewarding them for their loyalty. A thank-you gift, access to an exclusive event, a special offer, they all go a long way. And now, there are many services that can help without requiring a major capital investment. For instance, at Merchex, we’re working with dozens of luxury merchants to identify their best customers and effortlessly reward them.”

– Michael Tolkin | CEO, Merchant Exchange

Keep Their Best Interest in Mind

“I believe the best way to increase loyalty is to only offer people what they truly want and need. If someone isn’t the right fit for my company or they no longer need the services, I tell them. Coming from a place of total authenticity not only turns clients into raving fans, but also wins the hearts of people who are amazed you didn’t try to pressure them into a sale.”

– Elizabeth Saunders | Founder & CEO, Real Life E®

11 Founders give advice on getting a job with a startup.