Beermat articles. Short reads on starting, selling and growing.
Mike and Chris West on cash, cornerstones, networking, leadership and the myths that trip up people starting out. Each one takes about four minutes.
Longer reads from Mike
- Starting a business →The Apprentice Entrepreneur's first steps: the Elevator Pitch, a mentor and your first customer.
- Growing a business →From Seedling to Sapling to Mighty Oak, and the team you'll need on the way.
- Mike's life story →Jazz bands, a mobile disco, The Instruction Set, Mike Fab-Gere and the Beermat books.
The articles
- Building a team
Building a Dream Team
If there's one thing that characterises Beermat, it's people. And once you've got your Cornerstones, the five people at the heart of the business, you'll need even more people. They're your Dream Team, and here Mike explains what they look like.
Read it → - Building a team
The Legend of the Lone Entrepreneur
The lone entrepreneur, fighting battles with a world that doesn't understand, is a popular one (and some nurture it as part of their personal image). But in most cases, it's an undeserving myth. Great entrepreneurs deploy their vision, but they also deploy a great team too. In this article, Mike shows you how to do it.
Read it → - Building a team
Leadership
At Beermat, we're pretty skeptical about some models of leadership. Mike says leaders do need to be visionary, communicative and energetic. But they don't have to be gung-ho and unwavering: we prefer something more collaborative - the right metaphor is sport, not war.
Read it → - Building a team
Life after 25
No, this isn't about getting older! We're talking about the number of employees. Because after 25, a company suddenly, magically and irrevocably changes in character. It becomes more administrative - a different beast to the startup. And not everyone will cope with the change. Here's Mike's advice.
Read it →