ARTICLES ABOUT MEANINGFUL STARTUPS

A young entrepreneur once told me during a conversation that he was still the central hub of his business. Almost every important decision ended up on his desk. Employees asked for his approval, clients wanted to speak to him and whenever uncertainty arose, everyone automatically looked in his direction. You could interpret that as an inability to delegate. But that would not have done justice to his situation. In just three years, he had grown from a one-person business into

Many people want to become entrepreneurs. They talk about freedom, passion, impact, scalability, personal branding, investors and maybe even purpose. All fine words, as long as there is something real behind them. Income. Because without income, you do not have a business. At most, you have an idea, a dream, a LinkedIn profile or a PowerPoint presentation. Entrepreneurship does not start with a brilliant idea. Entrepreneurship starts with the willingness to do something today

A woman I have known for quite some time recently started her own business. She is smart, capable and brave enough to take the step many people keep postponing, but when we had a short session about how things were going, I could immediately feel that the beginning was heavier than she had expected. Not because she was doing something wrong, but because starting a business for the first time is not just a practical move. It is a new identity, new decisions, new risks, new exp

Let me start with a sentence that quietly blocks more new businesses than any bad idea ever could: “I do not really know how to start, because I am not good enough yet. And if I am not good enough, I cannot be truly authentic.” I heard it again yesterday. This time from a coach, but it could just as easily have been a trainer, designer, consultant, therapist, copywriter, marketer, photographer, yoga teacher or tech founder. On the surface it sounds humble and responsible. “I

The Free AI Business Strategy Canvas Builder is more than just a tool; it is a strategic compass that guides you through the often overwhelming process of navigating business strategy. While traditional strategy development is often time-consuming and complex, this tool offers an innovative approach by combining the power of AI and the intelligence of Chat GPT with years of experience of Ben Steenstra in business frameworks. What makes this tool unique is the balance between

Entrepreneurial success is rarely the result of vision alone. Hard work matters. Talent matters. Courage, timing, perseverance and strategy all matter. But if we are honest, luck often plays a much bigger role in startup success than most entrepreneurs like to admit. Not because successful founders did nothing. Not because skill is irrelevant. But because success almost always happens in a context. You meet the right person. You are born in the right country. A market opens a

Uber was not conceived by a taxi company. WhatsApp did not come from a telecom provider. Airbnb was not founded by a hotel chain, and the first successful powered flight was not achieved by the best-funded scientist of his time. That is not a coincidence. Established experts are usually excellent at understanding, improving and defending what already exists. That is where their knowledge, experience, reputation and often their income are rooted. But for precisely that reason,

Starting a business is exciting, and writing a solid business plan for your startup is crucial. You can also spend a lot of time developing and refining your product or service offerings. But do you know where you should really focus most of your attention? Making money or finding potential customers. If you can show that you have a business case and that customers are willing to pay for your product or service, everything else is secondary. This is especially true if you are

How much money is needed to eradicate poverty worldwide? $100 million, $1 billion, $1 trillion? In 1983, a man in Bangladesh believed that $27 was enough to start making a difference. Now, nearly 40 years later, he hasn't solved global poverty, but he has made a significant contribution. This is the story of Professor Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, who founded the Grameen Bank. The bank, as they say themselves, is for the poor and was the initiator of microcredits. His motto

Last year a friend and also kind-off the co-founder of my first company came along with what I thought was a ridiculous idea. Despite a...

In the world of startups, there is a very powerful magic spell that is often overlooked: focus. The enchanting secret of successful startups usually lies not in magic formulas or arcane tricks but in the ability to do one thing, and do it damn well. It is very tempting to fall into the trap of wanting to offer multiple services. The clothing store with a coffee bar, the marketing consultant who also offers his partner's design services, or the furniture maker who also offers

Do you know what the first thing most startups get started with? Their logo and company name. Hours or even days are often spent on this, even before the startup knows how it will make money and how it will add value. Don't you find that a bit strange? This article is about 'strange habits' of startups that may not be so strange after all. Start with a company name and logo It indeed seems logical to first understand what you are going to do as a startup and how you are going