I’ve seen a Giant Eyeball, or actually an advertised Giant Eyeball behind a closed door, vaporize a psychologist after he confessed to killing puppies as a hobby. I’ve seen a woman in a cowboy outfit, face down on the floor and tangled in a rope, regain her will to...
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The Upsize Blog
For two angel investors, company’s leader is only criterion
I sat next to Hermann and Michele Buerger at a University of Minnesota event today featuring the founder of a new company called PreciouStatus, a mobile health care technology, and got a bit of insight into the mindset of two angel investors. For these two, who came...
Learning investors’ values is key for growing firms–and they change
The five investors who bought AutoData Systems take a long-term, patient approach to building a business, which may surprise some because they’re hedge fund managers and other investment types. That matches CEO Charlie Lehmann’s philosophy as well, who cites Warren...
Agility keeps Cheryl Alexander’s firm on topic
“What are the economics of engagement?” asks Cheryl Alexander. She means engaged employees, and by focusing on a key business issue for corporations she demonstrates her agility as a small-business owner. She runs Cheryl Alexander & Associates, a leadership...
Cast ‘fresh eyes’ on your company’s expenses
When Charlie Lehmann was named CEO of AutoData Systems two years ago, his first task came straight from the investor group that bought the company and recruited him: stop the red ink. The company, a subsidiary of a larger firm, had been neglected for years as its...