Avoid the Silicon Valley Syndrome!

By Rolfe Larson on June 2, 2016

Guest blog from my colleague, Adam Brock, Director of Social Enterprise at Joining Vision and Action (formerly JVA Consulting): How can a well-meaning startup avoid “Silicon Valley Syndrome” and actually use a social startup to create real value for society? Every era has an industry that epitomizes its values. At the turn of the 20th […]

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Execution Trumps Strategy

By Rolfe Larson on June 18, 2015

The results are in.  Execution trumps strategy. Your business plan may have great strategies, but it will be a great  failure if executed poorly.  So just hire the right people, right?  Turns out the answer is not what you think. At least according to a a recent Harvard Business Review Article.  Here are their five myths about […]

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Is Balance Possible?

By Rolfe Larson on November 18, 2014

Now here’s a frank perspective: Balance doesn’t work.  So don’t even try. Accept the fact that the only way to really make something happen is to go “full out” at it, with everything you have.

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B Corp As A Competitive Edge?

By Rolfe Larson on September 22, 2014

Last week, I attended a celebration for B corps in Colorado. These are for-profit companies certified by a nonprofit called B Lab for achieving social and environmental goals along with business ones. What I noticed differently from other discussions among B Corps in the past, was a stronger focus not only on this vibrant community of […]

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Women Entrepreneurs Bring Unique Strengths

By Rolfe Larson on July 2, 2014

The corporate “glass ceiling” prevents many women from advancing above a certain level in Corporate America.  For example, men hold the top position in 98% of Fortune 500 companies. So increasing numbers of ambitious female entrepreneurs have opted to increase their influence and impact by running their own company.  And in so doing, they bring […]

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Business Plans vs. Strategic Plans

By Rolfe Larson on May 1, 2014

There is often a great deal of confusion about the difference between business plans and strategic plans.  And, frankly, they are similar in many ways, and since each plan has to be tailored to the organization it is prepared for, one can easily blur into the other. In both cases, you begin with internal and […]

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Mindfulness as a Competitive Strategy

By Rolfe Larson on February 18, 2014

One emerging trend we’re noticing in our work is the number of companies using meditation and mindfulness practices to increase individual and group productivity, improve well-being and health, and reduce stress in the business environment. Moreover, recent neuroscience research demonstrates at the brain’s molecular level that meditation and mindfulness, even if practiced for just 20 […]

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Caves and Campfires…

By Rolfe Larson on November 1, 2013

OK, you know this. You’re spending too much time answering emails. Getting interrupted by unimportant stuff. And worst of all, attending meetings, lots of meetings, sometime endless, pointless meetings.

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Crowd Financing Debuted Last Week (sort of)

By Rolfe Larson on October 7, 2013

First the good news: Starting Sept 30, US federal law allows small startup companies to raise equity on the Internet, without the expensive barrier to register the shares for public trading with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Companies can now raise unlimited amounts of capital simply by using social media sites or elsewhere on […]

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Intrapreneurial Business Plans

By Rolfe Larson on September 9, 2013

Entrepreneurship is as invaluable to large organizations as it is to small ones, perhaps more so. While big companies often can provide the resources start-up businesses lack, they also typically provide all sorts of  bureaucracy, slow decision-making and red tape that can stifle entrepreneurial spirits. This can apply to for profits or nonprofits, or for […]

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