It has become very fashionable over the last few years to talk about being “data-driven” or using “big data.” Companies are pouring billions of dollars into developing tools and hiring talent to get more from their data so they can find the insights, new customers, and behaviors that can help them sell more products to the right people, increase efficiency, or stretch their dollar further. Despite these investments, there continues to be a significant data “skills gap.” In this guest post, Aaron Filous, CEO of Promotable, takes a look at how founders can use data to their advantage.

Today's guest post comes from Sharmili Majmudar, who champions gender equity and justice as Director of Strategic Partnerships at Women Employed. Women Employed is a 45-year-old organization widely recognized for its groundbreaking work to improve women’s economic status and remove barriers to economic equity. Sharmili develops and leads the organization’s collaborations with employers to improve workplace practices, with a particular focus on scheduling, as well as leading the organization’s work with partners to address sexual harassment and advance an equal pay agenda with a racial equity lens. On International Women’s Day, she facilitated a workshop with the same name as this blog as part of 1871’s Balance for Better programming.

On March 13th, 1871 invited a group of entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to address challenges associated with financial and tax regulations. Taking the lens of established or soon-to-be entrepreneurs, the forum was full of insights and best practices on how founders could navigate their way through a web of complex regulations. This policy forum was created in partnership with Groundwork, a workshop series focused on foundational topics for entrepreneurs.

From cash flow to investment decisions, entrepreneurs face difficult financial decisions each and every day. However, learning to keep retirement and other personal finance goals on track is equally important. In this guest blog, Frank Devincentis, a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley in Chicago discusses a few important personal finance considerations for entrepreneurs just starting out.  

Since running a startup is a constant balancing act, assessing just when to invest in hiring more employees can be tricky. As you work on scaling your business and reaching profitability, it's best to run as lean as possible. With labor accounting for 50 to 60 percent of business costs, hiring more people isn't exactly "lean." In this guest post, Bob Cerone, CEO of Cognos HR, shares his insights on when its best to start expanding your team.

Most entrepreneurs begin with the idea that their startup is bound to create ripples in the market. They may have a strong investor and an empowered team. They are focused on the big picture. They have all the ingredients that could lead to a successful startup. Despite being well prepared, there are only a few businesses that manage to see another year of existence. Some businesses fail while some don’t. In this article, Taylor Ryan, CMO at Valuer.ai, takes a look at why execution -- and not ideas -- can make all the difference. 

If you are building a youth-centric company, engaging the youth into the work process is an all-around solid move. Montana Butsch, Founder and CEO of Spotivity has put together a guest post on how companies can build a better product by strategically engaging the very audience they look to serve.

When you’re ready to hire your first non-founder employees, the stakes are high: your early employees will play a critical role in getting your startup to its next phase of growth and will help define the culture you hope to create. In this guest post, Bob Cerone, CEO of CognosHR, takes a look at what makes a good hire for startups. 

As a startup founder and entrepreneur, intellectual property (IP) isn't always your top priority. However, intellectual property is just as important to your organization as any other business consideration and shouldn't be ignored. In this guest post series, Nicole Poulos, an attorney at K&L Gates LLP, describes what entrepreneurs need to know about developing intellectual property strategies for business. Poulos is an attorney whose practice focuses on intellectual property, cloud computing, data center and infrastructure, licensing and technology transactions, privacy and data security, trademark, and copyright matters.

Deciding to enter the entrepreneurial waters is exciting. However, these moments of happiness are often accompanied by numerous financial worries. You need to secure your funds on time and, most importantly, know how and where to spend those funds. In this guest article, Bizzmark Consultant Keith Coppersmith talks about how you can best manage your finances when starting a business.