At the EO Accelerator Mixer earlier this week we were fortunate to have Michael Brown, CEO of Affirma, speak to a room full of leading entrepreneurs and share what advice he would tell his younger self. Michael is a seasoned entrepreneur and his company is a PSBJ Fastest Growing Company winner for the last four consecutive years, INC 5000 fastest growing company, and Best Place to Work for three years. Michael has bootstrapped his company to over 110+ employees. Here’s what he would tell himself:
“Young me, bad advice has ramifications only to you, your family and your team. Find advisors that have successfully been where you are going and get right sized advice.” – Old me
“Young me, Don’t Party with Employees” - Old me
“Young me, a niche service focus can keep you small.” - Old me
“6 months ago me, Business is Personal, Don’t Hire Your Neighbors, BBQs will get weird” - Old me
“Young me, people make perfect sense if you understand the emotions driving their decisions” - Old me
“Young me, bad advice has ramifications only to you, your family and your team. Find advisors that have successfully been where you are going and get right sized advice.” – Old me
“Young me, shamelessly plug your solutions and services” - Old me
What are some of the things that you would tell your younger entrepreneurial self? If you are interested in joining the EO Accelerator check out the following information:
Apply for the EO Accelerator: Email me or fill out this form.
Requirements:
- Company that can scale and grow to $1M and beyond (see the infographic)
- $250K in revenue or $250K in funding
- Founder of CEO
Program starts: July 2014 thru June 2015 Time commitment: Once a month for 3 hours you will participate in Forum with same stage entrepreneurs. One day per quarter you will participate in Quarterly Learning Day which focuses on: Strategy (building your $1M plan); Financing and Funding; People and Culture, Sales and Marketing. Access to EO Mentors (ad hoc, connect with experienced entrepreneurs when you need them!).
