Courtney Abbott's Key Ideas from Broken to Better
by Michael Kurland

Experienced mentors can help you avoid common pitfalls and fill knowledge gaps as a new entrepreneur. Be open-minded, ask questions, and gather advice from multiple experts.

Prioritize and synthesize the information. Find mentors with complementary skills to get guidance on legal, financial, strategic and other key issues. Understand your responsibilities in the mentoring relationship. Expect to continually evolve.

It's natural to have fears about taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Fear can motivate preparation, but it can also paralyze action.

• Be informed so you can make smart decisions.
• Know yourself, your core motivations and vision.
• Identify gaps or needs in the marketplace.
• Develop a sound business plan.
• Secure proper funding for each growth stage.
• Check your ego regularly.
• Continuously examine your relationship with money.

• Initially hire to fill skill gaps, but prioritize cultural fit to sustain the organization.
• Hire team players who rise to challenges and pitch in where needed.
• As you grow, separate employees into functional areas and teams. Build future leaders by empowering your best team members. 

Stay strategically future-focused, even before fully staffing your venture. Envision how you will segment your team into functional groups and empower leaders.

Continuously evaluate if your structure fosters growth or impedes it.

Engage and retain talent over the long-term by fostering an inclusive, appreciative, flexible, and trusting culture. Clearly define authentic values and guard them religiously.

Make your culture more than superficial words on a wall. Enable positive change driven by employees. Ensure everyone feels valued and impactful.

Changing habits requires an internal decision and commitment to a new path. Perseverance and focus make new habits stick. Bad habits result when we lose resolve.

To change, decisively commit to a plan and mindfully persist despite distractions or resistance.

Sales fundamentally depends on human relationships and social skills. Passion for your product and likeability build connections. Without strong people skills, sales will always struggle.

Approach sales through a human lens first. Have convictions about the value to customers. Establish trust and rapport. Sales enables all other functions.

• Make customer service a competitive advantage through memorable, personalized experiences.
• Take care of employees first so they can take care of customers.
• Build trusting relationships over time.
• Identify your ideal customer archetype.
• Continuously improve service offerings.
• Remain honest always.
• Integrate simple processes and helpful technology.