Kristen Cooper: Deep buyer insights help attract, maintain customers
“Buyer insights” are the keys to sustaining and expanding the customer base.
Kristen Cooper
Articles
Kristen Cooper: How to be a great advisory board member to a startup
Gray hair and wrinkles are not only desirable, they are an advantage.
Kristen Cooper: Philanthropists are ideal investors for social impact
While a traditional startup is 100% focused on making money, a social-impact startup seeks to increase profits while making a positive impact in its community.
Kristen Cooper: Leadership Barbies speak up and take action
Given the current state of Indiana affairs, perhaps it’s time to expand the number of “leadership-oriented Barbies” (and Allans)—and to redefine what leadership looks like in 2023 by honing some new skills.
Kristen Cooper: Indiana feels unsafe to LGBTQ+ community
Five members of The Startup Ladies (who are highly educated and have created businesses and jobs in Indiana) have moved to different states because they no longer feel safe living and working here.
Kristen Cooper: Women-owned and women-led companies aren’t the same
A “women-led” company might have several women in charge making important strategic decisions on a daily basis; however, those female leaders don’t have enough equity in the company to control a board/investor-level vote.
Kristen Cooper: Success can—and should—be whatever you want
We benchmark ourselves by those who have been extended different opportunities and privileges. Yet, too often, we feel shame and disappointment for not achieving what our peers have accomplished.
Kristen Cooper: How to keep women founders, investors from leaving
Indiana needs to allocate investment dollars specifically allocated for women similarly to how states like New York created a Minority and Women-Owned Business Investment Fund.
Kristen Cooper: Tinker, test it, talk about it, then teach it
Don’t wait for somebody else to figure out what you are perfectly capable of figuring out on your own.
Kristen Cooper: Startup ecosystem needs more female lead investors
Lead investors can be challenging to find, particularly if you are a woman business owner.
In the Workplace: Business leaders can help stop homophobic, transphobic behavior
The LGBTQ+ community needs business leaders to better understand the bigotry that many experience every day. We need leaders to play a significant role in eliminating discriminatory behaviors that were learned outside of the workplace.
Kristen Cooper: Why every business leader needs a therapist and how to find one
While you might be one of the fortunate ones to have family, friends, mentors and spirituals leaders who can guide you through tough times, a psychotherapist will help you better understand yourself and those around you so you can be a better person, business owner, leader, partner, manager, team member, friend, parent and community member.
In the workplace: Have a business idea? Survey customers first.
The first step in developing a survey is thinking about your audience.
In the workplace: How to overcome gender double standards
Investment fund management continues to be male dominated, and, unsurprisingly, funds go primarily to male founders. Things don’t change because those with power don’t have a strong impetus to upset the status quo.
Kristen Cooper: Ways male allies can support female startups
Historically, women have gone unfunded and have been underfunded while being expected to do more than their male counterparts. Male allies in C-suites can help by working to eliminate these often-overlooked forms of gender disparity.
Kristen Cooper: Psychological stability is key to leading in 2021
If you own a business or lead in some capacity, you can be guaranteed that problems will arise daily and that it’s entirely up to you to decide how to respond. This set of questions below will help put you in the right state of mind to mitigate problems and communicate effectively.
Kristen Cooper: Do you practice these tenets of accountability?
Whether you are a powerful CEO, rising up on the corporate ladder, or play on a team, ask yourself if your community finds you to be “accountable.” If yes, cheers to you! If no, you’ve got some work to do.
Kristen Cooper: Pre-seed funding will help more women succeed
Unless a founder is independently wealthy, she can operate for only a limited time with her own savings. Securing pre-seed capital is extremely difficult for founders without access to networks of affluent people conditioned to write checks for risky ventures.
COOPER: Retain customers and expand market share through COVID-19
You have massive opportunity right now to start and grow a business if you assess market trends and respond accordingly.
Kristen Cooper: Could this be a boom time for B2C startups and small businesses?
Now might be a good time for some startups and small businesses to consider pivoting their marketing and sales dollars to the individual consumer.