Interview With Alex Lawrence From Startupflavor

This is another awesome interview on MegBizFlakes.  Our interviewee is Alex from Startupflavor. He’s a great guy and when it comes to investing and entrepreneurship, he’s a guy I can vouch for because he really knows what he’s doing.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or entrepreneur who is in the game and you’re looking for someone who can help you out in the entrepreneurship journey in order to manage possible risk, Alex is the guy you should follow. I’m sure he’s ready to give you a helping hand.

Check out the interview and let me know how you feel about it by sharing your opinion in the comment section.

Hi Alex, I’m glad to have you as our next interviewee on MegaBizFLakes; could you please tell us about yourself?

Alex Lawrence is the author and owner of startupflavor. He is an entrepreneur, a teacher, Twitter fan, writer, and early adopter of all kinds. Alex is like you; the kid with the lemonade stand, the car detailing business and other small and large companies that have led to success and failure. He is known as a passionate, energetic, fiery competitor that is enthusiastic about work, helping other entrepreneurs and seeing people and processes get better.

Why Do You Choose To Be An Entrepreneur?

I didn’t really choose to.  I was a kid that had the desire to start businesses and make money at a very early age.  It was a natural and somewhat easy thing for me to do.  I did not know much about entrepreneurship, I just knew I had ideas about how to make money and I loved the challenge.

What are the mistakes you made when you were still an aspiring entrepreneur?

I make mistakes all of the time.  Too many to list!  Some that come to mind are:  getting involved in businesses that I wasn’t passionate about (focusing on making money more than following my passions), raising money too early or too late, not selling a business when I should have (so holding it too long), and I wish I had taken even more/larger risks earlier in my career.

Being an entrepreneur and an investor how has the journey been so far?

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  I am very lucky and blessed.  I get to do something that I love every day.  Not a lot of people can say that.

When it comes to starting a startup, do you think one must have “the next big thing idea” before starting a startup?

Absolutely not.  The world is filled with great small businesses.  There is nothing wrong with starting a company that pays you and your employees and nothing above that.  The world goes around because of these types of companies actually.

When it comes to protection of a startup idea, do you think a founder should sign an NDA with his or her team before sharing the idea with them? Or when does one really have to sign an NDA?

I think NDA’s are overrated.  Ideas aren’t worth much in my opinion.  They are necessary when you have gotten to a certain level of development, or when dealing with competitors and sometimes investors, but early on they aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.

When funding a startup idea, do you think it’s hygienic for an entrepreneur to pitch Investors first or use their customers?

It depends on a lot of factors, but as a general rule, customers are a better source of financing.

How can an aspiring entrepreneur build a great team?

Talents, dedication, track record and personal compatibility.  If they have skills you need, will work their butt off, have a record of doing that kind of work well, and you get along great – they are a good candidate.  All of these have to be present though; none can be missing.

How can an entrepreneur survive in the business world?

Take the time to have fun.  All work and no play make you a dull person (and makes it tough to survive.  Keep things in perspective.  Business isn’t life or death.

Your blog is really awesome, could you please tell my readers what your blog is about?

Thanks!  My blog is about all things entrepreneurship.  How to start a business, find partners, get customers, raise money, sell a business, buy a business, what tools to use and more.  On Mondays we have great guest bloggers as well.

What advice can you give to aspiring entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs out there in order to keep the spirit going?

Figure out what you are truly passionate about, get some business models together, and then talk to and use customers to finance and grow that business whenever possible.  Take risks early and often.  Work hard and play hard.

Follow Alex on twitter: @_alexlawrence

Check out Alex Blog: http://www.startupflavor.com

I hope you enjoyed the interview? Feel free to share your opinion. Thanks so much!