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Matthew Gordon

Educate. Innovate. Create.

7 Tips for Gen Y Entrepreneurs Looking for Investors

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Dealing with investors is tricky for all entrepreneurs. But as a member of Generation Y, you don’t just have to field questions about your product or business model; you also have to learn how to anticipate and respond to common misconceptions about you.

As you probably know, Generation Y has a reputation. Most investors assume you’re tech-savvy and socially responsible, but the positive stereotypes pretty much end there. Here’s what investors are probably thinking about you before you ever walk through the door:

  • Generation Y doesn’t care about ROI. Many dot-com-era investors recall how so many Silicon Valley startups were launched without a clear strategy for earning money. They’re wary of idealistic entrepreneurs without a solid financial strategy and articulated plan for growth.
  • Generation Y wants collaboration, not direction. Investors assume you know you have other options, such as crowdfunding or angel groups. They may assume you want to use them for their industry expertise or business acumen, rather than form a lasting relationship.

To make a positive impression on investors, use these preconceptions to your advantage. Instead of highlighting how tech-savvy you are (which they already assume), use that time to talk about the viability of your idea. Make it clear from the first meeting that you’re focused on ROI and looking for a long-term partnership.

4 Things to Consider Before Meeting With Investors

In addition to addressing common generational stereotypes head-on, new entrepreneurs should spend a lot of time preparing for their first meeting to win over investors from the start.

  • Decide whether you really need investments. Look at your business and decide exactly why you need startup cash. Will it make your company grow faster? Will it make your idea more successful? Always keep your funding as lean as possible. You’d be surprised by how much you can do on your own.
  • Try letting someone else make decisions. Ask a friend or employee to make decisions about the future of your company for a few days to see how it feels. Will you be able to handle someone else making decisions for your business? If not, seriously consider whether to ask for investments. With a little more financial freedom comes less autonomy.
  • Understand investors’ motivation. Investors are not friends or advisors. Even investors who want to give back or help an industry are still primarily interested in profit, so you need to show them how your business is going to make them money.
  • Build success. If you want to attract investors, demonstrate success before approaching them. Whether it’s building a strong customer base regionally or validating your business through crowdfunding, success breeds success. Investors will see your initiative and results-driven mindset as a sign of your ability to produce results in the future.

2 Essential Tips for Meeting Investors

Once you’ve decided that you actually want to work with investors, it’s time to pitch. Pitching your idea for the first time can be intimidating, so here are a few tips to put you at ease:

  • Start the conversation with crowdfunding. New projects, ranging from video games to movies, are being created through crowdfunding. Show investors the traction you’ve built with your fans on social media. Even if you haven’t raised a lot of money, a group of contributors or users grabs investors’ attention and reflects well on your business.
  • Have a profit strategy. Determine a clear point in the future when you plan to start earning money. Nothing frustrates investors more than a great idea with little future earnings potential.

The No. 1 Mistake to Avoid

The biggest mistake I see Generation Y entrepreneurs make when pitching to investors is coming poorly prepared. Pitching your idea without financial projections or plans for future growth makes an investor doubt your ability to put your plan into action.

Great ideas often go unfunded because investors don’t grasp their value, but the burden isn’t on the investors to understand a business’ potential — it’s on you to convince them.

Generation Y has many traits that make them great entrepreneurs, but they also have a lot of preconceived notions to overcome. Do your homework, come prepared, and pitch with confidence. If you have a great idea and a solid strategy, you won’t be ignored for long.

Have you faced pushback from investors as a young entrepreneur? How did you overcome their objections?

Matthew Gordon is president and CEO of Gordon Group, a holding company that primarily managesGraduationSource andAvanti Systems USA. Gordon strives to foster positive corporate culture and empower young minds.

 

Matthew Gordon

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Thursday, May 1, 2014

You Can’t Ignore the 46 Percent: Here’s How to Engage Them Before It’s Too Late

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In just six short years, today’s image of a thriving, functional workplace will make the familiar command-and-control corporate environment look ancient. But if employers don’t prepare to engage Millennials — who are expected to make up 46 percent of the workforce by 2020 — they’ll have little success attracting and retaining top talent.

In this article, Matthew Gordon explains what Millennials expect from a workplace and offers tips for engaging this generation to ensure they stick around.

Read full article on SCORE.

Matthew Gordon

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Friday, April 25, 2014

How Millennial Entrepreneurs Can Define Their Own Success

Many Millennials entered the workforce caught between the challenges of starting a career in a down economy and the expectation that rewards and achievements would come as easily as they had throughout their lives. Millennials are perhaps the most criticized generation of all time, but it’s not because they don’t understand how the “real world” works. It’s because the real world has changed before their eyes.

The good news is that Millennials still believe they can make a difference. They believe in their personal value, and they don’t define success as past generations have. They want a life that is characterized by creativity, social recognition, and personal happiness rather than material things, and they want to build this life on their own terms.

Nearly 60 percent of Millennials consider themselves entrepreneurs, and 71 percent of Millennials with “regular” jobs would prefer to quit and work for themselves. Unlike their contemporaries, money is not the primary motivator; rather, it’s the freedom to be their own boss and choose projects that bring them happiness and personal recognition.

To Millennials, DIY Success Is Creative

Three years ago, 26-year-old Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz became the youngest self-made billionaire. He earned his success by revolutionizing an already revolutionary technology: the Internet.

Millennial entrepreneurs like Moskovitz would much rather risk a new path than settle for the traditional route. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fit it” no longer applies. Millennials are a maker generation — and they want to make their mark on the world.

They also want to feel unique. They want to have their own personal style, they seek to be different, and they want to be recognized by others for the value that they alone can provide. Millennials’ work satisfaction is directly tied to these feelings of uniqueness.

You can redefine success for yourself by drawing out your most unique qualities and asking, “During what percentage of my day am I using these qualities?”

If you find that you’re not utilizing your unique qualities enough, incorporate them into more of your day-to-day tasks. You’ll see an improvement in your creativity and feel more fulfilled by what you do.

DIY Success Is Social

Millennials also value recognition. In 2012, South Korean pop star Psy broke the all-time record for most views on YouTube. His music video, “Gangnam Style,” has been viewed more than 1.9 billion times. That’s a kind of social currency that simply didn’t exist 10 years ago. Even today, 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s a lot of people seeking recognition from their peers.

However, social values go beyond “likes” and retweets. The Millennial entrepreneurs I interact with value team success over individual success. In short, they want to hang out with people who bring positive energy into their lives. They focus on not only hiring candidates who are highly qualified, but also on hiring those who will enhance company culture and make the office a better place to be every day.

To feel more “social” success, make a list of people you want to associate yourself with. Then, make a list of people you don’t want to be associated with. Remove the latter group of people from your life. If they work at your company, it may be time to ask yourself why.

DIY Success Is About Being Happy

The popularity of books like “The 4-Hour Workweek” reveals that Millennials are willing to “hack” their way to happiness. The old suits-in-summer business traditions are headed out the door. Millennial entrepreneurs are looking to create relaxed business cultures.

A happy, balanced life does not happen by accident — especially for an ambitious entrepreneur. If you aren’t doing what you’re passionate about, you will burn out fast.

List your top 10 passions, and rank them from the ones you’re most passionate about to least. Take your top passion, and set a specific goal. Remind yourself of your true passions on a regular basis, and make sure your time and energy are going into what you care about most.

Just because your vision of success might not include a dollar sign at the top doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a concrete, detailed plan. Internalize your vision of success, identify the necessary steps to get there, and break those steps down into quarters, months, weeks, and days.

Once you’ve developed a plan, you can set that plan into motion. By following your passions, surrounding yourself with people who make you better, and utilizing your unique strengths every day, you’ll feel more fulfilled by your business and, ultimately, be more successful.

Matthew Gordon

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Forget Climbing the Corporate Ladder: Move Laterally Instead

The motto in traditional corporate culture is “Move up or move out,” but the career landscape is changing. While previous generations entered the workforce planning to keep one job their entire lives, more than 90 percent of Millennials will keep a job for just three years.

This new environment means job seekers need a new strategy: lateral movement.

Rather than moving up incrementally in one department (i.e., climbing the ladder), lateral movement within a company gives you firsthand experience in many departments, which makes you a more marketable hire and a more effective worker.

Why You Should Move Over Before You Move Up

Today, gaining a wide range of experiences is critical if you want to move into higher-level positions. Here are some advantages to getting experience in different departments:

1. You’ll develop a good track record. Excelling in diverse positions shows management that you’re capable of handling whatever is thrown at you. When the opportunity for leadership arises, you’ll have a history of success at the company and lots of people who can vouch for you.

2. You’ll show employers you’re flexible. Lateral movement impresses employers because it shows you’re willing to do what it takes to help the company and work outside your comfort zone.

3. You’ll develop a diverse skill set. Moving laterally helps you build skills you might need in the future. A variety of experiences also diversifies your professional portfolio and prepares you for possible career changes. You never know when your dream job will pop up, and your experience might be just the “something extra” employers are looking for.

4. You’ll see the bigger picture in your industry. Working in diverse departments gives you a bird’s-eye view of your company and your field. You’ll see how decisions affect every sector of the business and how each department connects.

Personal Barriers to Lateral Movement

Despite the advantages of lateral movement, you might still be unwilling to give a different department a try. Here are three common personal barriers to embracing lateral movement and how you can overcome them.

1. You’re afraid of failing. It can be frightening to step off the ladder, knowing you could lose everything you’ve worked for if you fail in your new role.

Solution: Seek someone you admire — inside or outside your company — who can give advice about your new role. A mentor can help you avoid pitfalls, recover quickly from mistakes, and plan how to move forward in your career.

2. You’re lazy. It’s normal to feel a sense of laziness when it comes to taking on new tasks. But laziness is usually only masking boredom or a lack of motivation.

Solution: Find your passion. Combating laziness means finding something that will light a fire under you. If you’re already employed and have some vacation days saved up, why not take a “workcation” and focus on exploring your passions for a week or two?

3. You want something more prestigious more quickly. Some people want to climb the ladder quickly for a better title and a better salary. They long for the status and pride that comes from achieving a high position. Putting time and effort into moving laterally doesn’t seem like it will pay off quickly enough.

Solution: Change your perspective to adopt long-term thinking. Understand that without learning about every area of the business, you’re less likely to succeed in future leadership positions. Consider lateral movement an investment in your career — building experiences and skills that will prepare you for your dream job.

While climbing the ladder may seem easier, think of it this way: Ladder-climbing gives you tunnel vision, while lateral movement allows you to see the bigger picture. Besides, what’s the fun in climbing a ladder that never ends when you could explore every avenue of your company and find your passion instead?

Matthew Gordon

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

6 Core Values Every Startup Should Consider (Hint: Happiness Should Be One of Them)

When building a business from the ground up, it’s important to recognize the significance of values. They’re at the heart of any great startup, and they affect almost every aspect of your company. During the startup phase, the world is your oyster — it’s the most ideal time to decide which core values are important to you.

In this article, Matthew Gordon outlines six core values some of the most successful companies share and explains why each will support the growth of your startup.

Read the full article on Startup Nation.

Matthew Gordon

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Interview with Tara Albi of GraduationSource

Tara

Employee name: Tara Albi

 

1. Please tell us about GraduationSource and your role in the company.

 

GraduationSource is an innovative web-based business that sells various academic commencement regalia. At this company, my role is customer care coordinator/supervisor. I assist customers and co-workers with numerous inquiries. I also handle some of our largest VIP resellers by providing extra care and attention.

 

2. What is it about GraduationSource that sets it apart from its competitors?

 

GraduationSource is different from our competitors because great customer service is one of our main goals. We’ve had many new clients who left their old suppliers simply because it was impossible to get someone on the phone. We make sure we are available to communicate and assist customers with their needs. We sell our products at a reasonable cost and offer last-minute shipping. We cut out the “middleman” and allow the customer to take control of what he needs with our simple ordering process.

 

3. Please describe the overall culture of GraduationSource and how this culture helps drive the company’s success.

 

In my opinion, maintaining a positive attitude is truly imperative to a company’s success. The culture of GraduationSource is modern, very casual, and even silly at times. To provide the best service to our customers, we believe it is important that employees remain upbeat and motivated.

 

We are encouraged to be open with each other and are able to express our individuality. To combat stress, we have fun company events, such as scavenger hunts, cook-offs, and bowling nights. One of our core values is “Happy, Happy,” which not only applies to pleasing our customers, but to our internal team as well.

 

4. How has GraduationSource grown and developed within the past few years to keep up with the digital age?

 

Over the past five years, GraduationSource has grown exponentially because we catered to the cyber craze. Our website and internal systems are constantly updated with new features. Our employees are extremely tech-savvy and are trained to make customers feel comfortable when ordering products online. Schools save money and establish independence when purchasing graduation regalia through us.

 

5. Please describe your proudest moment while working at GraduationSource.

 

As a customer care representative, I have many proud moments because helping people is very gratifying to me. I once had a customer make a video testimonial for me. In the video, he recreated the situation involving a last-minute order. I was depicted as Superman in the video, and his family thanked me in unison in the video’s conclusion.

I also went on my first business trip recently and trained approximately 15 new customer service representatives for our company. I never thought I would do something like that. I felt proud to be there, representing GraduationSource, and left feeling accomplished.

 

6. What is the thing you look forward to most about coming to work every day?

 

The thing I love most about working at GraduationSource is that I actually like my job and know I can learn more. Many people wake up in the morning feeling unsatisfied with their lives because they hate their professions. I like coming here because it feels like things are always evolving. It makes me excited for the future. Another bonus is that our team is like a big family. There are ups and downs, but ultimately, we all come together to make this company thrive.

Matthew Gordon

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

5 Ways You Are Scaring Away Potential Hires

Company leaders and recruiters often complain about a lack of quality job applicants. If you’ve been posting your job openings on generic job sites and have an impersonal application process, you’ve probably been bombarded with anything but quality talent.

However, that’s not the talent pool’s fault — it’s your recruitment process. If your inbox is being flooded with sloppy résumés and ill-fitted job applicants, your company has most likely fallen victim to five recruitment mistakes that scare away potential talent.

In this article, Matthew Gordon discusses the most common ways companies lose high-quality job candidates and explains how companies can correct their recruitment process to land the right talent.

Read the full article on Smart Recruiters.

Matthew Gordon

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Friday, March 7, 2014

GraduationSource’s Cap and Gown Featured on the Cover of Time Magazine

Time Magazine Cover

Every entrepreneur dreams of being featured in Time Magazine. But having your company’s product featured on Time’s cover? Well, that just goes beyond our wildest dreams.

If you pick up (or Google) the most recent issue of Time, you’ll see GraduationSource’s cap and gown front and center. It accompanies the magazine’s cover story, “The School That Will Get You a Job.” We attribute a few factors to landing this incredible opportunity.

First of all, GraduationSource is not only the leading online retailer for graduation caps, gowns, accessories, and academic regalia, but we also promise same-day shipping and overnight delivery on our graduation materials because we know graduation is a time-sensitive event. Overnight delivery is exactly what Time needed for its next-day photo shoot.

However, we can’t forget that our ability to ship inventory overnight wouldn’t have done us any good had Time not been able to find us in the first place. GraduationSource has the positive reviews and stellar SEO to rank first in a Google search for fast delivery on graduation accessories. This enabled Time to discover us via a quick Google search.

All that stuff you read about the importance of SEO? I experienced firsthand how true it really is. Thanks to our investment in online marketing, GraduationSource’s leading product is now featured in a spot Fortune 500 companies would kill for.

The article that our cap and gown accompanied tells the story of a new type of STEM-focused high school that could affect America’s next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. The Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy doesn’t fuel a class of students, but rather a class of “innovators” who receive six years of a STEM-focused education and walk away with a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, and the promise of a $40,000-plus opportunity at IBM, the school’s corporate sponsor. This new type of curriculum could pave the way for future trade-focused schools — schools that equip students with a set of marketable and applicable skills. This is not a standardized, one-size-fits-all education.

All in all, GraduationSource was flattered to be a part of the coverage of such a forward-thinking, potentially revolutionary development in America’s education system. We thank not only our business model, but also a well-developed SEO plan, for that.

Matthew Gordon

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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

3 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Employees’ Hobbies

There are obvious benefits to getting to know your employees, but going beyond basic small talk and actually experiencing the activities that make them happy can improve your company in several unexpected ways. It can make your team more productive, increase trust, boost morale, and even reveal hidden skills.

In this article, we’ll reveal how supporting employees’ hobbies can benefit your company and share some suggestions for getting involved in your team’s passions.

Read the entire article HERE.

Matthew Gordon

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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Smart glass will transform hospitals

Smart glass, or switchable glass, can transform from privacy glass to near-transparent
glass with the addition or removal of an electrical charge.Smart glass allows it
to reach further, helping patients heal and return home sooner.

A new antibacterial glass developed by AGC Glass Europe reportedly kills 99.9
percent of bacteria and maintains its functionality over time.Though using smart
glass in hospital renovations would require removing existing structures to add
glass walls, the process would be much simpler for new hospitals.

In the future, glass walls will allow patient charts and vitals to be displayed
digitally on the surface.The hospitals of the future will combine operable glass walls,
bacteria-resistant glass, and smart glass to create a versatile, high-tech space that kills
bacteria, enables privacy with the push of a button, helps medical staff work efficiently,
and heals with natural lighting.

Read the rest of the article HERE

Matthew Gordon

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

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Matthew GordonI am the President and CEO of Gordon Group, a holding company that manages successful growth focused companies. My leadership at its core is to create progressive & positive corporate cultures.

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