by Joyce Schwarz, blogging at www.hollywood2020.net, October 7, 2011...Los Angeles, California....
It was great to have Barbara Kline, founder of Breakthrucenter.com join our keynote power panel at the Conscious Life Expo at the LAX Hilton last week. Kline who is also the co-author of the upcoming bestseller HEART OF A START-UP can be reached at [email protected]
Left to right, Joyce Schwarz,bestselling author THE VISION BOARD, www.ihaveavisionl.org moderator and organizer of the keynote panel on success and abundance at the Conscious Life Expo at the LAX Hilton, Center Barbara Kline, author, HEART OF A START-UP and founder, Breakthru Center,www.breakthrucenter.com and right Trinity Thomas, author of HEART OF AN ORACLE, www.trinitysheathomas.com
TEXT COPY OF BREAKTHRU CENTER'S FOUNDER, BARBARA KLINE3 AS PRESENTED AT THE LAX HILTON EXPO, OCTOBER 1, 2011:
Introduction: Hello, I am Barbara Kline, founder and CEO of Breakthru Center. A website and educational company designed to support and demystify the process of growing a start-up into a sustainable company through the process of second stage growth. You can reach me at 505-899-8578 or at [email protected].I also host a business radio show called KLINE ONLINE that features business personalities speaking on finance, marketing, results metrics and other issues of relevance to entrepreneurs and business owners.As a marketing and business consultant with more than 25 years of experience, I can assure you that you can’t grow a business by yourself.
ABOUT BREAKTHRUCENTER, WWW.BREAKTHRUCENTER.COM Every successful entrepreneur has mentors that help them through the rough spots. Breakthru Center is an outstanding resource and you can become a member, for free, by registering at our website www.breakthrucenter.com. We are offering a teleseminar called “Breakthru Funding” this November and I invite you to attend. Get $25 off when you mention the Conscious Life Conference. Just call 505-899-8578.
pictured left, Barbara Kline, founder, Breakthru Center, www.breakthrucenter.com and Breakthru Communications www.breakthrucom.com speaking on HEART OF A START-UP and "Breakthru to Funding".
BARBARA KLINE'S REMARKS:
"Our country is in love with the startup, but there just isn’t very much material available when it comes to understanding how to grow that company through the 2nd stage – that tricky time when you have 10-100 employees and $1-50 million in revenue, and things have started to change. Here you were, sprinting across a relatively flat plain, and now, suddenly, you have a climb a mountain – new skills, new partners. You didn’t need crampons, ropes, pitons and other paraphernalia of management when you were young and free.
My chapter in the Heart of Success is call the Heart of a Startup and it is all about building a successful startup – and then looking ahead. You can find a preview of my chapter on my website at www.breakthrucenter.com.
There are four pillars of startup success that are necessary for you to build your company – passion, adequate funding, technical savvy, and leadership.
Without building a base that consists of all four of these pillars, you are likely to stumble on a rock or a gopher hole during your sprint and not even make it to the mountain.
Let’s consider them quickly: Passion – startups are hard work. What helps make all the effort and long hours worthwhile, is your passion for what you are doing. Find people that share that passion to help you out and you have one pillar firmly in place.
Adequate funding may be the most difficult pillar to build. Venture capitalists and banks have gotten much more conservative – in fact, many VC firms expect you to have product and customers before they will consider investing. But funding your business on credit cards or mortgaging your home is a risky process – especially these days. Make sure you have a plan in mind and at least six months of operating expenses in place before you take your plunge – and remember that it almost always costs twice as much as you thought it would!
The third pillar is technical savvy. Technical savvy works on two levels. The time to start a business is AFTER you have the credentials to do the work. Don’t try to start a spa when you are still in massage school, and don’t try to start a software company – no matter how good the idea, unless you already know how to write code. Beyond the technology of your business – remember to understand the business as well. Old rule of thumb – if you don’t make time to work on your business, rather that work in it, you won’t have a business to work in!
Finally, leadership means that you have to start building a team – and keeping that team on track. Steve Jobs said that Apple’s secret to success had less to do with what they did, than with all the things that they turned down – so that they could stay on focus. Entrepreneurs are not always natural leaders, but to be successful, they need to figure out how to motivate the troops – and keep them focused!
And, just when things are starting to look good, entrepreneurs need to either focus on new skills – in organization development, finance, human resources and other areas – or they need to plan for an orderly transition to a management team that will allow the entrepreneurs to do what they love best – either in the current company or in a new one. Nurturing second stage companies is one of the key fiscal imperatives of the 21st century. Second stage companies really begin to provide payoffs for their founders – and they also provide jobs and benefits and start creating real wealth. Remember, the startup isn’t the endgame – it’s the start of something that can make a difference!
Breakthru Center – www.BreakthruCenter.com – is there to help you understand and grow through the challenges of second stage growth. Register for a FREE membership – and “Like” us on Facebook and reap the benefits of others who have been there and done that as you grow your company.
Let me know how I can help you. I can be reached at 505-899-8578 or at [email protected]. And don’t forget to sign up for our Breakthru to Funding teleseminar in November is designed to help you with this challenging area – both in the startup stage and as the company grows.
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