10 things I have learned about business and start-ups over the last 10 years

Anniversaries are a good time to reflect and look back. What have I learned from the online business startups I have been a part of?

When I wrote this in 2017 I was working at Copyblogger/Rainmaker-Digital, a short time afterward Rainmaker was sold, and then the StudioPress division was also sold to WP Engine so that was another startup with a successful exit, even if it was super stressful at the time. Here is what I said back then:

It’s 10 years since the end of Performancing, and I just had a work anniversary at Copyblogger/Rainmaker Digital, so what have I learned in the last 10 years?

1. You’re not the customer – Empathy is paramount.
2. No sacred cows.
3. No ideas are “stupid”. I told Mike Stelzner he was crazy to start a new conference. Yeah.
4. There are no stupid questions, other than the one you don’t ask but need to.
5. No blamestorming. Find solutions.
6. It’s not “succeed or fail”, just experiments and learning from them.
7. Don’t be a jerk.
8. Don’t let someone else get away with being a jerk in your presence if you can help it.
9. But otherwise, tell someone privately if they are being a jerk.
10. Plan, communicate, implement, iterate.

PS.

I intentionally made this into a list post because I know it will irritate some people, hence breaking rule #7 😉