PCV’s network of expert small business advisors are among the brightest business minds in the country. The advice and insight that PCV-advised entrepreneurs receive is invaluable to their growth as business owners, and PCV Advisors are both a resource for information and also dedicated and enthusiastic supporters of each business they work with.
To start of 2014 on the right foot, we asked a handful of our advisors, “What is the best business advice that you’ve ever received.” See what they had to say!
Noah Alper, Founder, Noah’s New York Bagels
“After very careful consideration regarding a decision…go with your gut.”
“I have two pieces of advice. One is to fail big, fail early and fail smart. The second is that despite popular belief, the hardest thing about getting a new venture right, and up on its legs fit for running, is NOT raising money. It is getting the people part right. If you design for success in culture at the start, you create the most nutritive value the enterprise will ever need, and you create the basis for an inexhaustible supply of it.”
Rebekah Helzel, Vice President, Cutting Edge Capital
“Give your employees everything they need to succeed – training coaching, mentoring, giving good and productive feedback and not to forget trust. This is particularly important for start ups and new businesses, where founders often hold onto skills and contacts in a way that conveys a lack of trust and respect, and most often holds back the company from getting real traction, depth and growth.
Secondly, hire slow and fire fast. When you are strapped for time and need help, its tempting to grab the first person who looks like they might work for the company, when in fact, without insuring a good fit with not just skills, but the culture of the company could cost you big and set you back.