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About meI am a business strategist who coaches startups and established companies through the Leanstack method to gain rapid market validation of their startup idea or innovation strategy in order to gain traction. My 20+ year career in advisory services spans many perspectives. Investment banking on Wall Street. Corporate development for Fortune 10 companies. Launching an ed-tech platform for thousands of school districts. Co-founding media company for children in Africa. Helping innovative non-profits strategically adapt to changing donor requirements. Providing entrepreneurship and finance advice for large international development projects. Serving as a member of the investment committee for an impact investment fund in Africa.
What I have learned is that businesses and organizations across industries all need to continuously innovate to stay relevant. As market demands change faster and faster, so do the expectations of supporters and customers. You need to adapt fast or they will find other alternatives. The speed of learning is the new 'unfair advantage' which will put you out in front of the competition with the exact offer your customer wants. 
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Why I do what I do
If you are not focused at all times on what your customer wants, you don’t have a business! "
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In my long experience with entrepreneurs and established companies all around the world, I have realized that companies need a better, faster way to get traction - whether they want to raise funding or venture into a new market. I keep hearing the same questions again and again: "How do I get funding? How do I get into Y Combinator/Tech Stars/Founders Factory/L’Accélérateur? How do I find a CTO? How do I get into market X? How do we find new revenue streams for our organization? "
These are all great goals which may help move your business forward, but they’re missing the point: if you are not focused at all times on what your customer wants, you don’t have a business. Customers, not investors, are driving the success or failure of businesses more than ever because they have so many choices that address their needs and solve their pain points. Jeff Bezos said it best, “Determine what your customers need, and work backwards.” |
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