The Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurial ecosystem is privileged to have a number of leaders who represent successful startups, Universities, entrepreneurial support organizations and more. Want to learn from the leaders? We’ve polled the men and women of the Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurial ecosystem on several informative topics. Here are some of their answers to this question: “What’s the Best Advice You’ve Ever Received?”
Jeff Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie:
“‘Never give up because anything worth doing will be hard.’ My Dad, Lt. Col. Bud Amerine told me that when I was young, and he was right.”
Carter Malloy, founder of AcreTrader:
“Make all of your important decisions as your 80-year-old self.”
Edwin Ortiz, founder of Luncher:
“Si al hablar no has de halagar mejor te debes callar,” from my mom. It means, “If when you speak you don’t make others feel better, you should shut up.”
Angela Grayson, founder of Precipice IP, PLLC:
“The secret to business is not complicated, just make more than you spend, and you’ll be fine.”
Haley Allgood, executive director of Startup Junkie:
“Get revenues out in front of expenses.”
Rick West, co-founder and CEO of Field Agent:
“You are only as good as you invoice and collect. If you cannot do that, then you are simply operating an expensive hobby.”
Omar Kasim, founder of Con Queso, Juice Palmand Plomo:
“Focus on the three C’s – consistency, cleanliness, and customer service.”
Brett Amerine, COO of Startup Junkie, co-founder of Cadron Capital Partners:
“It’s not advice I received directly, but something I heard from Elon Musk that’s propelled me:
‘If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.’ It’s what drove me to help us win our initial contract with the SBA, that really helped catapult Startup Junkie Consulting. Against all odds, and against way larger organizations, we won. That mindset has been contagious, and now we have teammates like Haley Allgood that have won grants and contracts against some of the largest NGO’s, universities, and economic development groups in the country, helping grow Startup Junkie’s impact on society.
I also love J.B. Hunt’s, ‘Don’t ever let anyone build a fence around your dreams.’
Also, it’s become posh and fashionable to say you have to say no to things. Don’t say no to things. Don’t talk about how you have to say no to things, that is if you truly want to be incredibly successful. I don’t know anyone that’s wildly successful in life, who didn’t say yes to just about everything they could. It’s the only way to not miss great opportunities. They don’t always present themselves with a nice bow.”
Canem Arkan, managing director of Endeavor Arkansas:
“Find yourself a brutally honest mentor. Startups, by necessity, require many tough decisions. At times, you will need someone to turn to who is neither an investor nor your friends/family. And it is essential that your mentor not be afraid to deliver you critical (important) and critical (potentially negative) feedback. If you have chosen your mentor wisely, then you will have an invaluable resource at your fingertips. That’s also one of the reasons I believe that Endeavor can truly have a transformational impact on companies – amazing mentorship!”
Christine Pummill, community manager at Plug and Play:
“Be yourself and the rest will fall into place.”
Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, founder of LIVSN Designs:
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood… That’s very useful in pitching.”
Have a question for leaders in the Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurial community? Send it to caleb@startupjunkie.organd look for the answers in an upcoming blog post.
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