Funding and Building your Business

Here are some key points on how to find and utilize the right mentor, which I have adapted specifically for entrepreneurs:

For many student entrepreneurs, professor relationships are the entry point for connections — and funding — outside of campus. For these investor professors, the return is often equity in a nascent company, some of which make it big.

There’s a lot to consider when you’re hiring people. When you’re a small business on a tight budget, you can’t afford to make many mistakes.

Whether you’re in sales, run your own business, or have an idea for a killer start-up, mastering the 90-second "elevator pitch" should be at the top of your to-do list.

It’s a gut-wrenching conversation, knowing how this simple act affects a person’s career, self-esteem, and livelihood.

Thankfully, there are readily available resources out there to help us diversify our workforce. Here are some nuggets we’ve learned along the way:

"Elizabeth does a great job of explaining how to start your company for less – and offers great tips on personal finance and sources of capital for startups"

A culture of giving can be a powerful force in the tech talent war, as more people seek work that embodies personal, professional and philanthropic ideals.

"Invention is turning money into technology. Business innovation is turning technology into money."

The company may lose a share of the market, but its product ultimately becomes more valuable as a result of the extended innovation effort.