Accelerate Startup Growth

#AskTheCEO Podcast

Helen Yu is the Founder & CEO at Tigon Advisory, where she drives growth for the largest technology companies in the world and is a board advisor to fast growth SaaS companies. She serves as Vice-Chair and Board Director at the Global CyberSecurity Association. Contact Helen: Web: https://tigonadvisory.com/ Twitter: @YuHelenY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigonhyu/ Contact Avrohom: Web: https://asktheceo.biz Facebook: AvrohomGottheil Twitter: @avrohomg Instagram: @avrohomg INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: [01:04] I’m happy to have obtained your latest book, Ascend Your Start-Up, conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate growth. This is such a relevant topic, with over 63,000 startups in the United States alone, and more than 69% of startups being launched as home-based businesses, the allure of having your own business is very great. However, a concern on many people’s minds is that most small businesses fail in the first year of business. How can start-up founders know that they’re on the right track to ensure success? What kind of metrics should they be looking at? [03:00] Success means different things to different people. [04:25] Once you discover your Why, you’re 25% of the way towards your success. [05:00] In your book you talk about the effort involved in climbing a mountain — and the task you were given by your grandmother that inspired you to rise to the challenge. Do you think that having a sense of purpose is vital for start-ups? [05:55] Purpose gives us a destination and the motivation to get there. [06:29] What makes someone qualified to become an entrepreneur? Is there perhaps a certain kind of person that is tailor-made, in terms of drive and temperament, for running a start-up, and conversely, are there people who should never do it? [08:43] Failure is really part of the journey to success. [08:47] It’s not about how many times you failed, but rather what lessons did you learn from failure. [09:27] One challenge for so many start-ups is knowing how to scale. What’s your advice for successfully making the shift? [14:00] What inspired you to write this book? [16:13] How do people connect with you? Helen: You can connect with me via my website https://tigonadvisory.com/. I’m also very active on Twitter at @YuHelenY, and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigonhyu/. [16:39] Do you have any parting words of wisdom that you’d like to share with the audience? Watch this episode on YouTube; https://youtu.be/YJPQLqklZQI