The Big Internet Venture: LinkedIn + Microsoft

Changing the Way the World Works: LinkedIn + Microsoft

June 13, 2016 Jeff Weiner CEO at LinkedIn sent following email to LinkedIn’s global workforce.

December 15th, 2008, marked the first day of the best job I’ve ever had. My rationale for joining LinkedIn was simple: The opportunity to work with Reid Hoffman, a founder I greatly admired and respected; to join an extremely talented and dedicated team; and to massively scale LinkedIn’s membership and business, both of which had the potential to fundamentally transform the way the world connects to opportunity. Never in my wildest dreams, could I have imagined what would happen in the next 7½ years. Our team has grown from 338 people to over 10,000, our membership from 32M to over 433M and our revenue from $78M to over $3 billion.

Despite those accomplishments, we’ve only just begun to realize our full potential and purpose: Our mission to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful, and our vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

Today’s announcement, that LinkedIn will be combining forces with Microsoft, marks the next step in our journey together, the next stepping stone toward realizing our mission and vision, and in remaining CEO of the company, the next chapter in the greatest professional experience of my life.

No matter what you're feeling now, give yourself some time to process the news. You might feel a sense of excitement, fear, sadness, or some combination of all of those emotions. Every member of the exec team has experienced the same, but we've had months to process. Regardless of the ups and downs, we've come out the other side knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is the best thing for our company.

Let me explain why.

Every day I come to work, I'm primarily guided by two things:

First, realizing our mission and vision. While this has always been top of mind for me, it’s never been more so than now. Remember that dystopian view of the future in which technology displaces millions of people from their jobs? It's happening. In the last three weeks alone, Foxconn announced it will replace 60,000 factory workers with robots, a former CEO of McDonald’s said given rising wages, the same would happen throughout their franchises, Walmart announced plans to start testing drones in its warehouses, and Elon Musk predicted fully autonomous car technology would arrive within two years.

Whether it's worker displacement, the skills gap, youth unemployment, or socio-economic stratification, the impact on society will be staggering. I’ve said it on multiple occasions and believe it even more so every day: creating economic opportunity will be the defining issue of our time. That's why I'm here and why I can't imagine doing any other job. Simply put, what we do matters, and matters more than ever.

The second thing I focus on every day is making our culture and values come to life. Ten years ago, had you asked me about culture and values I would have rolled my eyes and recited a line from Dilbert. But when I started as CEO I began to appreciate just how important they were. Culture and values provide the foundation upon which everything else is built. They are arguably our most important competitive advantage, and something that has grown to define us. It's one thing to change the world. It's another to do it in our own unique way: Members first. Relationships matter. Be open, honest and constructive. Demand excellence. Take intelligent risks. Act like an owner.

That's who we are. That's LinkedIn.

I primarily focus on these two things, because that's all I ever wanted when I was in your shoes: A clear sense of purpose and the opportunity to be successful in pursuit of that purpose. Thankfully, in my current role, I can actually do something about that.

In order to pursue our mission and vision, and to do so in a way consistent with our culture and values, we need to control our own destiny.

That, above all else, is the most important rationale behind today's announcement.

At this point, some of you may be thinking this sounds completely counterintuitive: How will we be more likely to control our own destiny after being acquired? The answer lies in both the way in which the world has been evolving and the unique way in which this deal will be structured.

Imagine a world where we're no longer looking up at Tech Titans such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook, and wondering what it would be like to operate at their extraordinary scale -- because we're one of them.

Imagine a world where we're not reacting to the intensifying competitive landscape -- we're leading it with advantages most companies can only dream of leveraging.

Imagine a world where we're not pressured to compromise on long-term investment, hesitant to disrupt ourselves, or hamstrung in the way we can reward and acquire new talent due to stock price concerns, but consistently investing intelligently toward the realization of our mission and vision.

And imagine a world where a global economic downturn doesn't limit our ability to execute, but reinforces the essential quality of our purpose and actually strengthens our resolve when people need us most.

With today's news, we won't need to imagine any of it because it's now our reality.

Some of you may be asking “Why Microsoft?”

Long before Satya and I first sat down to talk about how we could work together, I had publicly shared my thoughts on how impressive his efforts were to rapidly transition Microsoft’s strategy and culture. After all, it’s extremely rare to see a company of that scope and scale move so quickly to make fundamental changes.

The Microsoft that has evolved under Satya’s leadership is a more agile, innovative, open and purpose-driven company. It was that latter point that first had me thinking we could make this work, but it was his thoughts on how we’d do it that got me truly excited about the prospect.

When Satya first proposed the idea of acquiring LinkedIn, he said it was absolutely essential that we had alignment on two things: Purpose and structure. On the former, it didn’t take long before the two of us realized we had virtually identical mission statements. For LinkedIn, it was to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful, and for Microsoft it was to empower every individual and organization in the world to achieve more. Essentially, we’re both trying to do the same thing but coming at it from two different places: For LinkedIn, it’s the professional network, and for Microsoft, the professional cloud.

Both of us recognized that combining these assets would be unique and had the potential to unlock some enormous opportunities.

For example:

1. Massively scaling the reach and engagement of LinkedIn by using the network to power the social and identity layers of Microsoft's ecosystem of over one billion customers. Think about things like LinkedIn's graph interwoven throughout Outlook, Calendar, Active Directory, Office, Windows, Skype, Dynamics, Cortana, Bing and more.
2. Accelerating our objective to transform learning and development by deeply integrating the Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning solution in Office alongside some of the most popular productivity apps on the planet (note: 6 of the top 25 most popular Lynda.com courses are related to Microsoft products).
3. Realizing LinkedIn’s full potential to truly change the way the world works by partnering with Microsoft to innovate on solutions within the enterprise that are ripest for disruption, e.g., the corporate directory, company news dissemination, collaboration, productivity tools, distribution of business intelligence and employee voice, etc.
4. Expanding beyond recruiting and learning & development to create value for any part of an organization involved with hiring, managing, motivating or leading employees. This human capital area is a massive business opportunity and an entirely new one for Microsoft.
5. Giving Sponsored Content customers the ability to reach Microsoft users anywhere across the Microsoft ecosystem, unlocking significant untapped inventory.
6. Redefining social selling through the combination of Sales Navigator and Dynamics.
7. Leveraging our subscription capabilities to provide opportunities to the massive number of freelancers and independent service providers that use Microsoft's apps to run their business on a daily basis.

And these are just some of the ideas that have been discussed since our first meeting.

Turning from purpose, we focused our attention on potential structure. I had no idea what Satya was going to propose, but knew how difficult acquisition integrations could be if not established the right way from the start.

Long story short, Satya had me at “independence.” In other words, his vision was to operate LinkedIn as a fully independent entity within Microsoft, a model used with great success by companies like YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. I would remain as CEO and report directly to him instead of a board. Together, along with Reid, Bill Gates, my former colleague Qi Lu, and new partner Scott Guthrie, we would partner on how best to leverage this extraordinary combination of assets while pursuing a shared mission. This, we both agreed, might not only be a structure that could work, it would be one in which both companies could thrive.

Now onto the most important question: What does this mean for you specifically as an employee of LinkedIn?

Given our ability to operate independently, little is expected to change: You'll have the same title, the same manager, and the same role you currently have. The one exception: For those members of the team whose jobs are entirely focused on maintaining LinkedIn's status as a publicly traded company, we'll be helping you find your next play. In terms of everything else, it should be business as usual. We have the same mission and vision; we have the same culture and values; and I’m still the CEO of LinkedIn.

I wanted to conclude on a familiar note. One of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced at LinkedIn was ringing the bell at the NYSE. I remember the All Hands we had following the event like it was yesterday. During that meeting, we reinforced the fact that becoming public was not the end game, but rather a stepping stone in the process of our ultimate objectives. We finished the All Hands with two words that have become LinkedIn’s unofficial mantra: “Next play.” In other words, don’t dwell on the past, lingering for too long on a lesson learned, or the celebration of a special accomplishment, but rather focus on the task at hand. It’s a mantra that’s served us well.

So, here’s to the next stepping stone.

Next play.

8 Reasons You Should Hire an "Gen Y” interns

Your startup or growing company has a tight budget. You’re hoping to get a lot done, but only have a few employees. Has the thought of hiring an intern -- or several interns -- ever crossed your mind?

These benefits of hiring interns might persuade you to start an internship program.

8 Reasons You Should Hire an "Gen Y” interns

Reason One - New perspective on Organizational Issues
Interns challenge “the way we’ve always done it” mentality and bring fresh, new ideas to the company. Interns are good at questioning processes and can often see a better way of doing things that a manager might not.

Reason Two - Ease of Use With Technology
Social media, computer programs, iPads – these are a piece of cake for young professionals. And, although you’re a young entrepreneur, you can always use a hand from a fellow Gen Y tech-savvy professional.

Reason Three - It’s a Trial Period That could lead to something more
An internship is a great way to see how much potential a student or recent graduate has in the field. You’ll get to see their skills and work ethic as an intern—and might choose to bring them on as a paid employee down the line.

Reason Four - Cost-effective
Compared to other populations, Generation Y appears less motivated by money. According to a 2009 online survey conducted by Monster.com, 37% of employers report that "work/life balance and flexibility" is the most motivating factor for Gen Y, with only 17% claiming "compensation" as the primary driver.

Reason Five - Help with projects or tasks that you’re struggling to complete
An interested candidate takes on an internship in hopes of accomplishing something to use on their resume or in future interviews. Give them real, meaningful work that will help your organization run smoother, accomplish more, or be more successful. Just make sure you don’t violate the The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which states that “the employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees, and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded.” (Of course, you probably realize that if you’re not benefiting in some way, the intern likely isn’t either. I definitely think this law needs a serious update, which I take a shot at in my recent book, Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle.)

Reason Six - Self-expressive
In the Gen Y world, Twitter has taught them to express themselves. And while their parents would have shuddered at this type of sharing, the positive effect has been a group of prospective interns who aren't afraid to put ideas out there. In the workplace, this translates into unabashed brainstorming, generating new solutions and fresh perspectives.

Reason Seven - Gain brand advocates
Hiring an intern helps spread the word about your company—whether you mean to or not. If you’re an impressive internship supervisor and mentor, your interns will probably talk about their experience with peers, friends and family members, essentially advertising for your organization (but it’s free!).

Reason Eight - Intrapreneurship Programs
Study after study show that Gen Ys have an extremely strong entrepreneurial focus — with many planning to start their own businesses (partly so that they can control their own fate). Employers can retain workers longer — while leveraging that entrepreneurial sprit — by developing incubator and intrapreneurship programs and opportunities.

WordPress Site Security: What Can You Do About It?

Want WordPress Site Security? Enable Two-Factor Authentication on WordPress Site?

How you are protecting your website from Hackers ? Security issues using WordPress!! Headache?? Don’t be nervous, here’s easy two-factor authentication to make your WordPress Website Safe & Secure.

More and more sites are using two-factor or multi-factor authentication to ramp up security. I mean, Google wants my cell phone number to confirm my identity before I can log into Gmail. And it’s a good idea. I mean, do you see how often hacking stories hit the mainstream news? Security (or the lack thereof) is a real problem and while you may not be able to prevent a big security breach like the one that happened at The Home Depot recently, you can do your part as an individual to protect your information and your site.

What is Two Factor Authentication?

As its name suggests, two factor authentication is a process that requires two sets of authentication before you’re logged into a site. Many big name sites currently make use of it in one way or another. I already mentioned Google, but sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon use it, too.

What is  WordPress Two-Factor Authentication?

Passwords are the de-facto standard for logging in on the web, but they’re relatively easy to break. Even if you make good passwords and change them regularly, they need to be stored wherever you’re logging in, and a server breach can leak them. There are three ways to identify a person, things they are, things they have, and things they know.

Logging in with a password is single-step authentication. It relies only on something you know. Two-step authentication, by definition, is a system where you use two of the three possible factors to prove your identity, instead of just one. In practice, however, current two-step implementations still rely on a password you know, but use your Phone or another device to authenticate with something you have.

A WordPress user can increase their website’s security by installing a plugin, which gives them the two-factor authentication feature. There are several plugins widely available and can be found in the plugin tab on the WordPress Dashboard. On installing a plugin, a user needs to activate it and follow the instructions that are prompted. It’s an easy procedure offering a better chance at security.

However, there are several other kinds of two factor authentication on the market. For instance, you might be required to input a specific personal identification number (PIN) along with the username and password. Or you might need to confirm a specific visual pattern before being granted access. Many banks use this form of authentication.

A fob is another popular choice for confirming identity before sign-ons. The fob (that you can easily attach to your keychain) displays a random series of numbers that you are then required to input into a text field on the site before you’re allowed to login.

While two factor authentication might feel like a new thing, rest assured it’s not. When you pay with a credit card, you often have to show your ID to the person behind the checkout counter. Or you have to input your zip code. Or if shopping online, you need to input the security code from the back of your card. So you see, it’s nothing new. But the application to website logins is sort of a new thing and that’s why more and more people have started asking about it.

Why Do You Need Two-Factor Authentication?

As I mentioned in my opening paragraphs, two factor authentication adds another layer of security in a world where hacking has become commonplace. In short, you need it because you need to protect your personal information and your site from malicious people out there. And they are out there.

Brute force attacks occur constantly and unless you have your site secured properly, odds are good that a hacker will one day break through your defenses and steal your info, upload malware, or perform a whole host of other malicious acts.

Two factor authentication makes hacking your site harder. And unless you’re running a high-profile site, most hackers and bots are going to give up after a time when they can’t break in right away.

You want an even shorter answer, Right?

Anything you can do to make hacking your site harder is worth doing.

A lot of people are reluctant to jump on the two factor bandwagon, however. Because in the process of improving site security, it makes the login process more complicated and more time-consuming. Arguably, it doesn’t take that much longer but there is a definite time factor involved here. You can always opt for the “stay logged in” option to reduce the number of times you have to go through the double authentication process in a given week, too, if it’s a major concern for you.

How To Enable Two-Factor Authentication on WordPress Site?

You have several options for plugins that make setting up two factor authentication a snap. You can use Duo, Clef, Wordfence, OpenID, Authy, Google Authenticator & Many More. In this article we're going to tell you about Google Authenticator for your WordPress Site.

WordPress Two-Factor Authentication with Google Authenticator

To set up two step authentication via an authenticator application on your device, you’ll need to start in a desktop browser.

First, go to your Two-Step Authentication settings page at WordPress.com. Or, you can reach Settings by clicking on your Gravatar image from the WordPress.com home page:

Next, click the “Security” link in the navigation on the left-hand side of the screen:

Then, click on Two-Step Authentication and then Get Started.

Here you’ll be prompted to select your country and to provide your mobile phone number (without country code and spaces or dashes). After doing so, click Verify Via App.

Next, scan the QR code presented with your authenticator app. A six-digit number will appear in the authenticator app. Enter it in the blank provided and click Enable.

Lastly, you’ll be prompted to print backup codes. Don’t skip this step, as it’ll be your only way to log back into your account without staff assistance should your device go missing!

If your web browser is set to block pop-up windows, you may need to temporarily disable this feature as it will prevent the window with your backup codes from opening.

Click All Finished.

At this point, your site is enabled for two-step authentication. A follow-up step allows you to confirm that your backup codes work by entering one of the printed codes.

Setup with SMS Codes

If you’re unable to set up two step authentication using an authenticator app, you can also set it up to work via SMS messages. To do so, set up your phone number as described above, but then click Verify via SMS.

Within a few moments, you should receive a text message that includes a 7-digit number. Enter this number in the blank provided and click Enable. From this point forward, you can print and verify backup codes as documented above. Your account is now protected by two step authentication.

Logging In

The login process varies slightly from the usual process once you have two step authentication enabled. Regardless of whether you used the Google Authenticator method or the SMS method to enable two step authentication, you’ll start by logging in as usual with your username and password.

Next, you’ll be prompted to enter the verification code that was sent to your device.

If you’re using SMS for two step authentication, we’ll send you a text message with a six-digit number. If you set up two step authentication with the Google Authenticator app, open the Google Authenticator app on your device and provide the six-digit number listed for the account. Once you’ve entered the code, you’ll be logged in and ready to blog.

Backup Codes
We don’t want you to lose access to your WordPress.com account—you’ll still need to be able to log in if it’s is lost, stolen, you’re locked out for any reason, or your device needs to be wiped clean (which will delete Google Authenticator). To make sure you’re never locked out of your blog, you can generate a set of ten, one-time-use backup codes. We recommend that you print the backup codes out and keep them in a secure place like a wallet or document safe. (Don’t save them on your computer. They’d be accessible to anyone using your machine.) Generating backup codes is essential and must be done. If you ever need to use a backup code, just log in like you normally would, and when asked about the login code enter the backup code instead.

At the end of the setup process for Two Step Authorization, you’ll be given the option to generate backup codes:

Just click “Generate Backup Codes,” print the screen containing the codes—don’t save it—and then close the screen. If you lose your list of backups or it’s compromised, you can generate a new set of codes. For added security, this will disable any previously-generated codes.

Important: You can only generate the backup codes from a desktop browser. For example, Safari on iOS will not display the backup codes. Additionally, if your web browser is set to block pop-up windows, you will need to temporarily disable this feature as it will prevent the window with your backup codes from opening.

Application-Specific Passwords

There may be some apps that connect to your WordPress.com account that don’t yet fully support Two Step Authentication; the most common are the WordPress mobile apps or Jabber apps used to subscribe to WordPress.com blogs. For these apps, you can generate unique passwords for each application (e.g., you can have a different password on your phone and your tablet). You can then disable individual passwords and lock applications out of your account to prevent others from accessing your sites.

To generate application-specific passwords, head back to Two-Step Authentication and then down to “Application Passwords”:

Give the application a name—you’re the only one who will see this name, so call it whatever you’d like—and click “Generate Password.” WordPress.com will create a unique 16-character password that you can copy and paste the next time you log in to your account on that device. The application will remember this password, so you don’t need to.

Your Security page will maintain a list of all the applications for which you’ve generated passwords. If any of your devices are lost or stolen, or you simply wish to revoke access for a particular application, you can visit this page at any time and click “X” to disable the password and prevent the app from accessing your account:

Disabling Two Step Authentication

We don’t recommend disabling Two Step Authentication, as it’s much less secure, even if you believe your password is very strong. But if you insist, you can disable the feature by going to your Two-Step Authentication page.

The page will show that the feature is enabled, and you can click the Disable Two-Step Authentication button. This will prompt you to enter a code to confirm that you still have access to the device you originally used to set two step authentication up. If you’re using an authenticator app, open it and provide the code it lists. If you’re using SMS, you’ll be sent a code to use. (This code is different from the code you used to log in to your account. You can also use one of your backup codes for this step.)

Click Disable after entering the code and your account will no longer be protected by Two Step Authentication.

Moving to a New Device

If you are planning on switching to a new device, and you have enabled Two Step Authentication, you will want to take the following steps to avoid being accidentally locked out of your user account.

If you are using an authenticator app to generate verification codes:

1. Print a set of backup codes for your user account by following the steps here. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
2. On your new device, install the authenticator app.
3. Disable the Two Step Authentication link with your old device by following the steps here.
4. Set up your user account to link to your new device by following the steps here.
5. If you are prompted to enter your verification code, use a code from your list of backup codes. Backup codes are one-time use only.
6. You can now uninstall the authenticator app from your old device.

If you are using the WordPress.com mobile app to manage and publish to your blog:

• Create a new application-specific password by following the steps here.
• Enter your new application password when using this app on your new device.

If you are using SMS to receive authentication codes, you will not need to update your settings unless you are also changing to a new phone number. In that case, you will want to set up a new recovery number prior to disconnecting your old SMS number by following the steps here.

If You Lose Your Device

If you lose your device, accidentally remove the authenticator app, or are otherwise locked out of your account, the only way to get back in to your account is by using a Backup Code.

To use a backup code, fill in your login details like you normally would. When asked about the login code enter the backup code instead. Remember: backup codes are only valid for one time each so be careful when using them.

Remains of the Day: Google Voice Will Soon Get an Update

Google Voice is finally getting an upgrade. Despite Google’s focus on services like Hangouts and Allo for voice chat, Google Voice still exists and maintains a certain longtime loyalty from many users despite never being updated. But something is in the works. That and more in today’s news.

A few Google Voice users recently saw a prompt reading “The new Google Voice is here.” The notice was evidently premature, but Google has confirmed to The Verge that they are working on an update. Might be just be a fresh coat of paint but it’s surprising to see Voice get any update at all—and for fans of the service, relieving, as Google is fond of unceremoniously killing off products. [Droid Life]

The part of Yahoo that wasn’t included in Verizon’s $4.8 billion acquisition has spun off into a company called Altaba Inc. Altaba includes Yahoo’s 15 percent stake in the Chinese company Alibaba as well as Yahoo Japan. The more familiar parts of Yahoo—Yahoo Mail and the news site, for example—go to Verizon. It’s not clear if Verizon will keep using the Yahoo name. [TechCrunch]

More news about upcoming Windows updates: Microsoft will address some of the privacy concerns about Windows 10, which has been criticized for sending usage and telemetry data back to Microsoft. The Creators Update will include more specific controls about what data you send to Microsoft, with specific options for location, ad tailoring, diagnostic data, and others. [Windows Blog]

Apple says a Safari bug was responsible for Consumer Reports’ assessment of the MacBook Pro’s inconsistent battery life. In testing, Consumer Reports experienced drastically different battery life results with their tests that utilized Safari. Apple says they’ve identified the problem and will issue a fix. [The Verge]

The Wikimedia Foundation just received a $3 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to make it easier to find and share the 35 million free, reusable images on Wikimedia Commons. The media currently only relies on causal notation and not rich metadata, making it difficult to search for specific images. [Wikimedia Foundation]

Google Voice is getting new updates, Google confirms. Obviously, Google is trying to be clever without being specific. The fact that there are no details leaves us to speculate about what will be new about the service. [TechnoBuffalo]

10 Steps to Starting a Side Business While Working a Full-Time Job

We are living at a time of unlimited potential. Never before have we experienced such a rapid growth in the number of young entrepreneurs who’ve begun working for themselves. From app developers, to freelance writers, business consultants, creative producers, and startup founders, there’s no shortage of people willing to take large calculated risks in the name of sculpting their own self-employed dream careers.

And why not? Every single day, many of these ‘solopreneurs’ are growing their small businesses into the millions.

Yet, despite the optimistic outlook, the majority of would-be business owners still fall victim to the fear of turning their side business ideas into reality. In a recent study from Bentley University, over 66% of those aged 18–34 cited a desire to start their own businesses. Yet, as of 2013, only 3.6% of businesses in the U.S. were owned by those under the age of 30.

And it’s not for lack of education or talent.

Global access to free and inexpensive online education resources on platforms like CreativeLive, Skillshare, General Assembly and others, have helped drastically cut the learning curves and barriers to entry in many industries. With valuable online learning opportunities as readily available as an internet connection, there’s no excuse for not picking up new concepts and building powerful skills.

Case in point, over the past few years, I’ve personally gone from first-time founder of a failed business, to freelancer, to building four successful businesses—all while working a full-time job. Through my work and own experiences, I’ve found the three most common reasons people don’t follow through on starting their own businesses are:

• A lack of confidence in themselves
• A perceived lack of necessary resources
• And most of all, a lack of motivation

Starting a business while you’re still working full-time is hard. But it can afford you many luxuries and securities that go straight out the window when you quit your job to pursue a business idea. From the obvious of having a steady income to fund your new venture, to forcing yourself to focus only on what delivers the highest impact and lessening the pressure on yourself.

Now, before you take the plunge, you need to have a solid plan. Here are my 10 steps to starting a side business while keeping your full-time job:

1. Make the Commitment

This will get difficult. It will strain your relationships and you’ll continually be forced to make tough decisions.

Write down a list of all the activities and commitments you have during your week with the amount of time you devote to each. Take note of the ones you can afford to lessen your involvement with and let them know you are stepping back a bit to focus on a new project that means a lot to you.

Then start to cross off the easy stuff first: Time spent watching TV, playing video games, or surfing Facebook and Instagram. The more time you can free up, the quicker you’ll be able to start seeing results.

2. Inventory Your Strengths and Interests

Which skill sets does your new business idea require? You likely possess at least some of the necessary skills to make your business happen, but if you don’t, you’re now faced with a tough decision. Pause to spend time learning a new skill or outsource to someone else who can help pick up the slack?

If you want to discover your strengths as an entrepreneur, try this exercise, which will help you uncover both your soft and hard skills and uncover your unfair advantage in business. Just remember, if your ideas and your skills don’t match up, that’s still okay. If you look in the right places, there are scores of talented freelancers out there ready to work with you.

3. Validate Your Business Idea

When Fortune decided to ask the founders of failed startups what went wrong, the #1 reason that came up was a lack of market need for their product (almost half cited this as the reason their company died).

Early on in your planning you need to validate your business idea. This means getting honest feedback from actual paying customers, because as Basecamp founder Jason Fried explains:

It’s human nature to think that we’re right and that our ideas are always amazing. Unfortunately, our business concepts and product ideas are often not fully thought out, useful, or even properly researched.

By slowing down and building a very basic proof of concept with ongoing feedback from your target audience, you’ll gradually create a solution that’s guaranteed to meet their needs. You’ll be able to grow from there.

4. Create a Competitive Advantage

A competitive advantage is defined as your unique advantage that allows you as a business to generate greater sales or margins, and/or acquire and retain more customers than competitors. It’s what makes your business, your business.

This can come in the form of your cost structure, product offering, distribution network, strategic relationships, customer support, or elsewhere in the business. Get honest with yourself here. Not only does your business honestly have to fill a market need, but it has to do so in a way that’s different from what’s available now.

5. Set Detailed, Measurable, and Realistic Goals

You don’t want to take your first steps without at least knowing where you might end up. Without setting attainable goals and realistic deadlines for yourself, you’re going to spend a lot of time spinning your wheels. In my experience, it works best to set daily, weekly and monthly goals for yourself. This constant accountability helps you stick with both the short- and long-term objectives.

In the beginning, your daily goals are most likely small wins or to-do list type of items, then you’ll gradually start hitting milestones as you get closer to launching your side business.

6. Build a Roadmap to Launch Date and Beyond

It’s one thing to set your goals, and yet an entirely different activity to map out exactly how you’re going to get to point B, C, D and beyond.

You need to be particularly proactive with this step and expect that you’ll have to regularly adapt as things change over time. Nobody can launch your business for you, but you won’t be able to do it all on your own, either.

Your ability to problem-solve and navigate around your obstacles will determine your level of success with your business. And if you need extra inspiration, check out how some of the top leaders and companies ensure they hit their launch goals time after time.

7. Outsource Your Weaknesses

This is all about focus. Look for opportunities to outsource every possible part of your business creation that you can. Obviously, you don’t want someone else planning your goals, roadmap, or telling you what your product or service should look like.

The real point is that you need to be doing only what you do best. While it would be great if you could code your own website to test out your online service idea, if you don’t already command a knowledge of developing, you’re looking at a few months of dedicated learning time just to get to the point where you’ll be able to understand the basics.

Luckily, I know a great place to find high-quality help for your business idea.

8. Actively seek objective feedback

Your goal is to build a product or service that provides value to people. So it’s important that you seek unbiased, outside feedback to make sure you’re building something that’s actually providing value to your customers.

Do this from day one and never stop. To find your early feedback group, you want to individually target people that you know will give you an honest opinion. My go-to group consists of a handful of close entrepreneurial friends and a few mentors I regularly keep in touch with.

From here, you can start to widen your scope for feedback and begin incorporating Facebook groups, LinkedIn Groups, Reddit, HackerNews, ProductHunt, GrowthHackers, and so on.

9. Don’t Blur the Lines Between Work and Your Business

It may seem tempting to create a ‘better version of the company where you work’, but unless your employer missed some major lessons along the way, your contract probably clearly stipulates that you’ve agreed not to do exactly that. Plus, that’s just bad practice and can destroy a lot of relationships that could instead be very helpful for you one day.

That’s why the best business ideas are ones that enhance your performance at work and give you the opportunity to continue building your strengths outside of the office. If you’re under any non-compete clauses, assignment of invention clauses, or non-disclosure agreements, then it’s best to consult an attorney for personalized advice on this matter.

It may seem obvious, but don’t work on your side business during company time. You’ll also need to refrain from using company resources on your business, no matter how tempting that may be. This includes not using your work computer, online tools, software, subscriptions, notebooks, or seeking the assistance of other employees unless you’ve specifically cleared it with your attorney.

10. Reach Critical Mass Before Quitting Your Day Job

Don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate of only doing things that I’m interested in, and doing those things with 100% of my energy. That being said, I’m willing to take my time in fully vetting an idea, discovering my target market and testing that idea with them, before making the solo decision that ‘this must be great!’

Having the time to continue thinking things through and seeking the advice of others will greatly benefit your new side business. Even more importantly, unless you’re working on a high-growth startup and can secure investor funding (or you’re able to self-fund), you’re realistically going to need some form of sustainable income before your new business is able to be that sole source of sustenance for you.

Starting a side business while working a full-time job will undoubtedly be difficult, but it’s doable. There are as many paths to entrepreneurship as there are entrepreneurs in this world. Take these steps into account and you’ll be well on your way to being your own boss. Imagine that awesome feeling.

This post originally appeared on the Crew blog.

Ex-Reddit CEO Ellen Pao Returns to Venture Capital

Ex-Reddit CEO Ellen Pao Returns to Venture Capital. Her previous stint as a VC ended in 2012 when she sued her employer, Kleiner Perkins, for gender discrimination.

Ellen Pao, the technology investor who made headlines by suing one of Silicon Valley's most successful VC firms for gender discrimination, is finally making her return to venture capital.

Pao on Tuesday announced she will be joining Kapor Capital as a senior member of the firm's investment team. Kapor Capital is known as one of the few firms in Silicon Valley that places a strong emphasis on supporting entrepreneurs who want to make a social impact or who come from underrepresented groups.

"Ellen is an inspiring change leader," said Mitch Kapor, partner at the Kapor Center, in a statement. "We are fortunate to be able to tap into her vast business expertise and passion as we challenge Silicon Valley to build diverse and inclusive tech workplaces."

Pao told Inc. that the bulk of her work will focus on tech diversity efforts. She said she will work with Kapor Capital's portfolio companies to help them drive diversity and inclusion as they grow their teams. Additionally, Pao will be joining the Kapor Center for Social Impact as its chief diversity and inclusion officer. In that role, she will help formulate strategies tech companies can use to improve their hiring and retention of women and minorities and other underrepresented groups.

Aside from some angel investing here and there, Pao's work with Kapor Capital will be her first time in venture since leaving Kleiner Perkins in 2012. There, Pao served as a partner for seven years, but she left after suing the firm for gender discrimination. The high-profile case continued through 2015 and culminated in Pao losing on all counts. The case, however, was a wake-up call for many, highlighting the challenges women face in Silicon Valley.

For a brief period in 2014 and 2015, Pao also served as the interim CEO of Reddit, the popular link aggregation and social forum service, but Pao left the company after receiving a barrage of abuse from users after she fired a popular employee.

Pao used both the legal battle against Kleiner Perkins and her exit from Reddit as a springboard for a career as an advocate of tech diversity.

Last year, Pao and a number of other women in tech banded together to create Project Include, a group intended to collect and share data with the purpose of helping tech employers with their diversity efforts. Pao said Project Include is now formally a nonprofit organization and will soon be hiring an executive director and a full-time team. Pao said she will be handing off her responsibilities over time but plans to continue to be involved.

"With the Kapor Center, I see it as implementing solutions of scale across the whole tech pipeline," Pao told Inc. "It allows me to have an even bigger impact."

Article Source: http://www.inc.com