Entrepreneurs' Forum of Greater Philadelphia

Young companies frequently stumble in their quest to build the right leadership team for their business.  Next to the quest for funding, the talent hunt is usually the most daunting hurdle a rapidly growing firm must face.  After all, Unique Business Model + Money + Talent =Success, right?

There are many pitfalls facing an emerging growth company’s leaders, not the least of which involves hiring people.  Few executives of companies (of any size) consider themselves poor judges of character and candidates, yet the success statistics and turnover data contradict this theory.  So, to increase your chances of success, here are ten common hiring mistakes and steps to help you minimize them.

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By: David Carter, President – Scramjet Strategies

There are many opportunities for those who are alert enough to recognize emerging trends, perceptive enough to realize their importance, and clever enough to take advantage of them. Here are nine Minitrends--emerging trends that will become significantly important within 2-5 years, but are not yet generally recognized--that are well worth examining for possible action by those ambitious individuals who seek to start new ventures or keep existing businesses innovative and competitive.

Unlike megatrends, Minitrends are of a scope and importance to offer attractive opportunities to individual entrepreneurs, decision-makers in small and mid-size businesses, innovative thinkers in large companies, and adventuresome investors. In his new book, MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit from Business & Technology Trends, John Vanston categorizes the nine Minitrends below to those most applicable to different-sized groups. But in reality, all provide opportunities to perceptive individuals in all-sized businesses.