By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker We never hear the term “male entrepreneur,” yet the distinction of “female entrepreneur” is often used when referring to entrepreneurs that happen to be women. Therein lies a clue that there is, indeed, dissimilarity in the perception of entrepreneurship by gender. While both women and men certainly face the [...]

By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker The long-awaited approval of equity crowdfunding opens a gateway of capital for small businesses, but it also introduces serious hurdles. What benefits were set in motion when the S.E.C. voted in favor of Title III of the JOBS Act?  What are the risks for investors, and what challenges now [...]

By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker As the owner of a small business, you are responsible for the basic care and feeding of your business, but there’s another vital element at play. You need to reach out and increase your business network in order for your business to grow and develop. A recent Knowledge@Wharton article, [...]

Previously Published on LinkedIn By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker There’s a fire in the belly of members of today’s corporate workforce to start their own businesses. This means that corporations have an increasing opportunity (and responsibility) to foster ingenuity within their own ranks with corporate incubators. Indeed, in today’s startup culture, the decision to [...]

  By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker The media are filled with stories of “change-the-world”, high valuation companies – particularly like those born in Silicon Valley. All this publicity has the potential to create false beliefs about what constitutes a worthy business idea: If your startup isn’t going to skyrocket into the public eye, it [...]

Previously Published on LinkedIn By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker Meeting with investors to ask for funding can seem like going before “the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.” But if you understand what investors are looking for, then you’ll have the knowledge, tools, and ability to shift the odds in your favor. While there [...]

Previously Published on LinkedIn By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker Tech startup, Sphero, rose to prominence, drew national attention, and secured brand advertising on the big screen of one of Hollywood’s most popular franchises. How did they do it? They turned an ordinary ball into a high tech learning toy, and then they caught the [...]

  Previously Published on LinkedIn By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker What makes an entrepreneur become wildly successful? Is it luck, hard work, skill, or a combination? In a Town Hall Q&A talk earlier this year Mark Zuckerberg attributed Facebook’s success partly to luck: “There was no reason why a group of college students should’ve [...]

  By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker Even though I am not a big believer in the two-minute funding pitch, I have come to learn that it does serve a purpose in culling and sorting potential angel investments. Once I have selected my investment targets, the real opportunity to build a bridge between entrepreneur and [...]

  Previously Published on LinkedIn By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker How can you create a productive and satisfying workplace for yourself and your employees when there are goals to achieve, investors to please, and pressure to perform? Can you encourage a mentality where everyone can’t wait to get to work and wants to do [...]