Whether you are a startup looking to hire a contractor or you yourself are providing a service and issuing an invoice it is important that you know your stuff to avoid finding yourself in hot water. Startup Obligations as an employer Hiring a contractor as a helping hand can be a very tempting proposition for [...]
Photo courtesty of dierken There are a few articles on why startups are not just smaller versions of companies but these articles focus on what this means for the process and the product/market side. So what does this mean for the financial and operations side of the business? Here’s a few things to keep in [...]
This article was initially published on the Pollenizer Blog in April 2013 I’m obsessed with problems. When I hear someone complain about something I can’t help but to think about a solution, a “better way”. Needless to say that our recent move to France provided a whole new level of exposure to “problems” since complaining about [...]
Today Pollenizer turns 5 and it’s been one crazy ride. We talk a lot about what we’ve done and what we’ve achieved. I got asked last night why we started Pollenizer and it’s a great question and I’d like to share some thoughts on my motivations. The simplest reason was that I didn’t have a [...]
Jason Calacanis just posted about Sequoia’s most illuminating question to entrepreneurs. Why now? I am pitching my heart out for Pollenizer these days and enjoying the opportunity to try the different ways to think about what we do. The ‘Why Now?’ for Pollenizer is: global markets have never been more accessible, tools this powerful and [...]
There has been a bit of noise lately about share options in Australia and Niki and I have been chatting on Twitter about it. The summary of the problem is that if you’ve got a startup with some value and you offer options to an employee or advisor then they need to consider them as [...]
Unlocking the last 1% to make something out of nothing Isaac and I presented some thoughts on entrepreneurship to the leaders of Globe Telecom in Philippines yesterday. My thesis is that starting something new from nothing requires a massive amount of energy and discipline. This energy comes from properly aligned and motivated people, and the [...]
First mistake: I arrived in a suit. Well not a full suit with a jacket and tie, but leather shoes, suit pants and a tucked in business shirt, which is still definitely way too much for Pollenizer. I don’t think Polly (colloquial term for Pollenizer obviously) has a dress code written down anywhere, but if [...]
At Google Sudo event last night we had a solid panel with Niki Scevak from Startmate, Kim Heras from Pushstart and nicely moderated by Alan Noble. Key messages, though none of these should be a surprise to you all; People – the idea, business and everything will change so many times that it’s all about [...]
“He who feared he would not succeed sat still.” Horace Pollenizer is a firm proponent of the Lean Startup Methodology as a way to systematically de-risk startups. Recently however, Pollenizer has taken a different approach to de-risking their startups: Instill fear in the co-founding team. How? By giving the co-founding team a small but not [...]
