About
I have had a life long and never ending fascination with startup companies. No one told me that it was difficult to get a company going. Naively, at 23 years of age, I started my first company, a market research firm. It prospered and sold to McGraw-Hill in a few years.
Years later, after rolling up my sleeves with several significant technology companies and advising dozens more, I realize that establishing a solid foundation is the most important single thing an entrepreneur can do. Starting with clear strategy and goals, building on great leadership and teamwork, a new company can stretch to become an important player in today's changing world.
Now, I provide boutique strategy consulting to help grow the next generation of successful startups. I want to help new companies get a good start. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the startup capital of the world, I am well positioned to reach the people and services that young companies need. My aim is to see you succeed, and I work diligently toward that end.
My difference is that I am seasoned from hands on experience with real startups. Over the past thirty years, I have worked with numerous innovative companies in a wide range of capacities. Based on this deep experience, learned best practices and unique analytic methodologies leverage my expertise.
All of the companies that I have been associated with have been very successful. My background is marketing, sales and general management. I was given progressively more responsibility over the years. Three of these startups became public companies: 3Com, Sun Microsystems, and Women.com. Several involved mergers or acquisitions: Crescendo Communications -> Cisco, Women.com -> iVillage -> NBC, Gnostic Concepts - > McGraw-Hill. And there are more...
For most startups, surviving and thriving during the first few years is incredibly challenging. The market changes rapidly, new competitors emerge, and technology evolves. Human dynamics within the founding team can make or break a company. Startups move quickly and decisively on limited resources with no margin for error.
I am adept at identifying key strategic elements that lead to success, as well as knowledgeable about many of the common pitfalls. I help startups and emerging growth companies with critical process to improve communication and reduce errors. With direct experience building business plans, establishing team culture, developing presentations, and creating financial models, I specialize in bringing clarity to complex business models and in creating plans tailored for a sophisticated investor base.
