I have and continue to accumulate many lessons learned while building SaaS, technology, entertainment, and professional services companies. And since knowledge not shared is wasted, this blog is the medium for me to share the best practices, learnings, and advice.
Sincerely,
Apolinaras “Apollo” Sinkevicius
Any growing venture is hard. It does not have to be a startup, it could be a lifestyle or a mid-size business. The faster the growth, the more extreme are the swings and tensions. It is way too easy to lose sight of what matters, end up with agenda, and kill your...
The day-to-day execution and administration of a business often take an excessive amount of time, so the primary reason to augment your team with an Operations Executive is to maximize your CEO and other co-founders' contribution to the enterprise. I firmly believe...
NOTE: please see an updated article, "What do operations people do," outlining differences between business, technology, people, sales, and marketing operations. I have been in the craft of operations for two decades already. I have run ops in SaaS companies, digital...
I have dealt with hundreds of employment agreements, promotions, and other compensation arrangements. And I tend to help my friends too, so my dataset includes both sides of the table. Given how the compensation information is easily accessible, I am often...
Suppose you have been a loyal reader of my blog. In that case, you know whom I give credit to for my iron business ethics standards and love for growing businesses - my father, Apolinaras Sinkevicius II - diplomat, journalist, TV executive, and entrepreneur. For those...
I have been part of 5+ companies* that had at least two senior execs, founders, or owners related to each other. Be it family-owned, family-affiliated, or dominated by family leadership, issues a non-family member will face I have found to be about the same. And these...
NOTE: please see an updated article, "What do operations people do," outlining differences between business, technology, people, sales, and marketing operations. I have been in the craft of operations for two decades already. I have run ops in SaaS companies, digital...
One-time employee referral bonuses need to go the way of the dodo. They are an antiquated reward system that motivates the wrong things. Before I suggest a solution, let me tell you why one-time referral bonuses are a waste of money: One-time large rewards do not...
15 years ago, when I left the entertainment for the tech industry, how useful my talent experience would be. Yet, I use that knowledge every day, and I am thankful to my mentors. It has become my "secret sauce" that helped build talented, effective, and loyal teams....
When the word "lawyer" or "attorney" is mentioned, most business people either make a joke about how lawyers belong in hell, or complain about how their attorney recently overcharged them. As the head of operations for several companies, I had to deal with attorneys...
Like many of you in the startup world, I have read and signed my share of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). I have reviewed, edited, and sent hundreds of them in my career, but I am yet to come across one that really serves anyone but the lawyers who charged dearly to...