February 2012
15 posts
“The fact that Teach for America — which pays almost nothing and can place its...”
– Wall Street Steps In When Ivy League Fails
4 tags
Social Commerce and Fab
I have become increasingly bullish on the future of e-commerce, particularly because I think we’re about to enter a period where social shakes up the industry. There are a couple of emerging trends we’ve seen over the past year: content & curation first, commerce second (Fab); celebrity endorsements (Beachmint & Shoedazzle); subscription models (Birchbox); flash sales (Gilt...
2 tags
Talking Trash: Don't Fuel the Fire
This past week’s tech journalist public smack down has been interesting to watch. The public exchanges got me thinking about something we’ve always practiced at GroupMe, which is to never talk negatively about competition, individuals, or other companies.
Since we launched GroupMe we’ve been part of a very competitive space. Between messaging, group messaging and private social...
“It is not, as it turns out, necessary to be a micromanaging psychopath with...”
– A VC: The Management Team - Guest Post From Joel Spolsky
Office Space
Believe it or not, one of the most frustrating things to deal with at startups is office space. Unless you absolutely have to, do not sign a lease for your first office space. There are so many variables in determining what a good first office space is for you: but the most important is if or when you will outgrow it. It makes no sense to sign a 2 year lease on a 2,000 square foot space when...
“Good luck is often with the man who doesn’t include it in his plans.”
– Fortune Cookie
More on Lawyer Relations
I was talking to a friend who is getting his startup off the ground and we started discussing working with law firms in the company formation stages. I think a lot of first-time entrepreneurs shoot from the hip when dealing with selecting and working with a corporate firm early in the lifecycle, so here are a couple simple things I learned along the way that I recommend to people doing startups:
...
The Legal Sink Hole
When GroupMe started one of my responsibilities was taking care of everything legal-oriented and keeping the company organized. Around eight months into it, two financings later, and with a staff of 15 people (and growing), I was stretched too thin and getting basic paperwork out was taking me too long. I was also dealing with multiple points of contact when it came to our legal initiatives, and...
“Mr. Lerer also imagined a day in which the combined operations would begin...”
– Advertising Age
If there’s anyone who knows media companies, it’s the Lerers.
“A young man wrote to Mozart and said, “Herr Mozart, I am thinking of writing...”
– This reminds me of the best entrepreneurs I have met!
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