Bassam SalemI finally mustered the guts to transition from written words to spoken ones. I’m so much more comfortable writing than I am in front of a camera. Entrepreneurship has taught me a lesson: that Nolan Bushnell was spot on when he declared, “everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the […]
I’m currently in the process of transitioning out of my current position. I’m proud to say that I’m doing so on very friendly terms and, over the past few days, one of the most common questions I’ve received has been: “how are you able to leave and still be on such good terms with your boss […]
Three Reasons Why, In SaaS, Customers Really Are the Drivers of Revenue & Growth Yes, every new company starts with no customers and a greenfield of prospective ones. The focus, naturally, is on customer acquisition. The focus is on prospects. For software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, like other subscription-based industries, as the company grows, the focus and […]
These days, it’s all about high-tech start-ups. Every smart, ambitious young person aspires to build the next Facebook…and some will. These aspiring entrepreneurs will follow what has become a clearly-identifiable, four-stage lifecycle as they take their companies from a back-of-the-napkin idea to a successful, $100 million or larger business. Stage 1: Imagine Getting to a […]
The last decade has taught me many lessons about real estate. Like many, I experienced what appeared to be an unstoppable freight train of real estate values that peaked in 2007, collapsed in 2008, and rebounded with a vengeance over the past few years. Now that this is all behind us, we can assess lessons […]
This is the third in a series of posts with the same theme: letters addressed to my younger self. These letters, written by an “older me,” would have helped me navigate some of the rough waters I faced during various phases of my life. They would’ve also helped me when I was faced with difficult […]
I’m honored that, for some time now, my friends and colleagues have come to me for career advice and guidance. It’s actually been quite a responsibility to hold. Topics have been everything from personal job fit to long-term career planning to deciding about accepting a new position. Fortunately for me, they haven’t sued me yet […]
Even the most nascent of businesses have some sort of business plan that captures their “strategy”, their “vision”, the competitive landscape and how they’re going to disrupt and dominate it. After the hard work of authoring it and excitement of promoting it, it’s likely now sitting on a shelf or old hard drive collecting dust. […]
We live in a very complex world. We spend a great deal of our childhood trying to better understand that world. We try to wrap our heads around the notions of a modern legal system with all of its intricacies, today’s unbelievably complex financial systems, and complex rules around the rights of people to the […]
The topic of this post is was inspired by a question that my 11-year-old son posed to me: “Baba (as he calls me), how can I know what career to choose?” As I know other parents would feel, the question in and of itself made me feel proud :-). After that moment of pride, I […]