A Startup first success is to be born!

I had/have the privilege to contribute the amazing growth Google had in the last ~7 years and, in particular, the growth of Google Enterprise. On top of my regular work I am a mentor @Campus London and this has been an enriching experience. After meeting many startups there are simple things that they need to consider before they successfully take off.

• The secret for their success is not intrinsically related to quality if their idea(s):

People are usually very protected of their ideas (and of course that’s ok, it’s their “baby”) but they tend to forget that in many cases a similar idea is already there but it never took off. Its all about execution. Great ideas are wasted every day at lunch time. Learning where others failed and understanding the environment where you fit is step 1!

• Commitment is important but by itself it is also not enough.

Yes, be committed and dedicate yourself as much time as possible to your startup. Depending on witch stage you are you will also need to commit yourself financially (otherwise how can you expect others to do so?). Said that, you will need perseverance and to be mentally strong (very strong). Be ready to listen many times the word “NO” until you hear a “YES”. People that you talk to might disagree with your business plan. If they are not a interested party, listen carefully as they might be giving you another angle that you should not disregard.

• Do not rely on a single master plan. Adapt!

Be ready for though questions and analise all possible angles. Go for a plan B or C depending on what happens during each of the milestones. Use all possible information to your advantage because its your idea and its your company but, unfortunately the world keeps moving and you need to move with it!

• Network!

Develop a network of people who can help you or advise you in specific situations. Hiding what you are trying to do from everyone will just get you alone. People can introduce you to other people and help your business.

I’ll definitely come back more in-dept to this topic.

I invite you to read it here!

We are at an inflection point for IT. Think about the following:

• 10-20 years ago people had the best computer at work, the best printer and even a mobile phone! Today we see the exact opposite, a personal phone is better than the work phone. People use the latest communication tools like Google, Facebook, G+, Twitter etc.
• On their personal lives people access their data from anywhere using all sorts of devices. People use every available tool to pass their message across and contact their friends. This change is unstoppable, IT is being “consumerized”.

The questions are: “how are companies taking advantage of these new trends while keeping company data secure?”. It´s not all about having a BYOD* policy and insuring it’s secure. People changed the way they work and the world is different. We realised that we work better together, that great ideas and great solutions come from groups.

Unfortunately I see that at work several people feel locked, unhappy and unproductive.

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

I see companies every day with this problem and helping them to adopt a better and more productive way of working is what I like to do the most

*Bring your own device

This video from SciShow is great!

My friend states that “if you work hard you’ll be successful and if your successful then you are happy”. I actually think is the other way around. You should make the effort to see “the glass half full”. Be happy that the glass is half full and with that extra happiness boost  you will work hard and fill in the rest of the glass.

Keeping a positive attitude to changes and roadblocks will make you more creative. By just seeing the bright side, people will tend to collaborate with you more and with that you’ll reach your goals faster. This makes the journey to success easier.

I know sometimes is not easy to see the positives but if you train yourself (brain and heart) to do so, things will end up being naturally positive in the future.