Entrepreneur & Small Business Forum
Sponsored by The Hatchery
 
Development Strategies for Startups
From Leading Business Coaches
   
Steve Grundleger, FocalPoint Coaching
Scott Pollack, American Express
Joanna Shows, ActionCOACH of Gotham

Startup managers typically do not receive much guidance during the formation and early developmental stages of their companies. Usually, they start with a concept or product believed to have potential, and do their best to turn it into a real business. A fundamental mistake often seen is that, due to intense pressure to create a revenue stream, efforts are made to create a client base before the firm's unique or distinct value proposition has been sufficiently vetted.

Business coaches, also referred to as executive mentors and business consultants, can be a great asset to entrepreneurial firms since they provide perspectives that owners may not arrive at on their own. As such, they help managers accelerate the development of their companies, and avoid mistakes that cost considerable time and money. Coaches can be a key link in devising strategies to launch and grow a new firm, as well as serve as a sounding board for approaches to procure funding.

Most early-stage firms need help not only in refining their products, but also in creating the infrastructure necessary to function as a going concern. Further, resources need to be fairly  allocated so as to balance the competing priorities of product development, sales & marketing, client service, strategic planning, internal systems, and team management. The panel will focus on methods and strategies deemed most beneficial to startups and small businesses.

Steve Grundleger is a business coach with FocalPoint Coaching, which helps business owners resolve managerial challenges regarding money, productivity, and resources. His focus is on implementing strategies that result in stronger revenues, higher profitability, controlled expenses, and better team performance. Previously, Steve was Managing Director at Fitch Ratings, Group Vice President at Duff & Phelps, V.P. at Moody's Investor Service, and V.P at Salomon Brothers.

Scott Pollack works on business development and partnerships for American Express, where he has signed and led partnership deals with Costco, DirecTV, Sovereign Bank, and others. He has considerable experience in business development in the startup sector, and teaches courses on the topic at the NYC business accelerator General Assembly. Further, he serves as a mentor at SkillShare. Prior to Amex, Scott was responsible for a $30 MM sales distribution partnership at Dow Chemical.

Joanna Shows has been a certified Business Coach in New York for the past six years. ActionCOACH, which has over 1000 offices in 39 countries, has been named  "The World's #1 Business Coaching Firm" by Entrepreneur Magazine each year  since 2004. Based on prior work, the company cited her for outstanding performance in 2012. Joanna has coached owners and executives of a wide range of firms, with a focus on small to medium-sized companies.

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