When to Take Off the Gloves with Competitors

Let’s face it: every company needs to deal with competition. You compete on your product offering, your pricing, your customer benefits and more. And, for the most part, relationships against competitors follow some degree of decorum -- the best that two competitors can manage, at least. On most days, you usually speak to your company’s advantages, keep your pitch factual and avoid stooping to the level of bad-mouthing the competition. But, your competitors don’t always follow those rules, and at times may even come out swinging, especially if they are new entrants in the market, trying to knock out the incumbent industry leader. So, when that happens, you have no choice other than to take off the gloves and get your hands dirty. The question is . . . how?

Read the rest of this post in Entrepreneur, which I guest authored this week.

For future posts, please follow me on Twitter at: @georgedeeb.

What is an Entrepreneur? The Ultimate Definition.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an entrepreneur as: “one who organizes, manages and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise”. Really? I am left completely underwhelmed, as this definition falls short at so many levels. To me, an entrepreneur is so much more than that, and hopefully, the below definition will give you a better appreciation for how special entrepreneurs really are.

Read the rest of this post in Forbes, which I guest authored this week.

For future posts, please follow me on Twitter at: @georgedeeb.

Thoughts on Chicago's Growing Tech Scene, And How to Improve It Over Time

I recently read a very good post on Chicago's tech scene: where it is today, from a talent and ecosystem perspective, and where it is heading.  But, honestly, many of the recommendations herein can apply to any startup ecosystem that is in the early years of getting off the ground.  It was written by my good colleague, Jeff Carter, an angel investor at West Loop Ventures, co-founder at Hyde Park Angels and author of the Points and Figures startup blog.  Jeff was kind enough to let us share this post with all of our Red Rocket readers.  So, here it is:

How to Recruit Employees for Your Startup

As a startup, odds are you will not be able to afford a dedicated HR person or 30 percent headhunter fees, and will most likely need to be doing the recruitment yourself. Here are a few tips on how to find the right talent for your business, in a way that brings in the best candidates and reduces any distraction from your main business focus.

Read the rest of this post in The Next Web, which I guest authored this week.

For future posts, please follow me on Twitter at: @georgedeeb

Targeted Marketing Has Never Been Easier . . . or Cheaper!!

The marketing world has substantially evolved over the last few years, in terms of how you can target prospective customers for your business.  Before, your primary options for targeting, were largely around demographics or geographies through media buys on larger websites and ad networks, or through keywords through the search engines.  But, the major social networks have made some very interesting strides in the last couple years, in terms of letting advertisers drill down like a laser beam on very narrow targets within their broader audience.  Below are a few examples of what I am talking about.

Read the rest of this post in Forbes, which I guest authored this week.

For future posts, please follow me on Twitter at: @georgedeeb.

10 Things You Need to Know When Responding to RFPs

If you are in the B2B space, odds are you will need to respond to requests for proposals (RFPs) from prospective customers throughout your normal course of business. But the RFP process is typically filled with potential pitfalls along the way. Here's how to identify, and more importantly, avoid them.

Read the rest of this post in Entrepreneur, which I guest authored this week.

For future posts, please follow me on Twitter at: @georgedeeb