The 6 Ways to Save a Failing Startup

You might hear about successful startups so often you think the odds are on your side. But its quite the opposite. According to recent data, just half survive five years or more, and only a third make it to 10 years. Starting a business is a risky proposition.

QUORA: Why is having biological children usually a couple’s first choice, rather than adopting a newborn?

QUORA: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn?

My answer to a question about adoption on Quora:

Q: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn?

My Answer:

Because the adoption process is:

  • Potentially very long & uncertain. You might not get matched to a child for years, or maybe you'll get matched tomorrow. Who knows? But usually it's YEARS, and way longer than a 9-month pregancy.
  • A time-consuming pain in the butt. See my blog post, "Why is it so difficult to adopt a child?" for the monstrous checklist of tasks, paperwork, social work visits, etc, we needed to do to adopt our first son from Korea.
  • Costs a lot of $$$. (at least in the USA, the average adoption costs $8k - $40K [Source: The Cost of Adoption, US News & World Report]
  • Complicated. Many domestic adoptions are "open" - meaning the biological parents have ongoing contact with the child. This is usually very positive for the child, but adds another layer of "in-laws" (biological parents, grandparents, siblings, etc) and interesting family dynamics that many couples don't want to deal with.
  • Your friends/family/community might not be supportive of adoption as your first choice. In many countries, adoption as seen as something shameful that needs to be hidden.Fortunately, in the USA adoption is generally seen as a positive thing, which is not the case in most countries in the world. But even in the USA you'd be surprised how many well-meaning friends/family advise against adoption due to their own prejudices.

When you're ready to start a family, it is SO MUCH easier (and fun!) to try for babies the old fashioned way versus adoption. And for the vast majority of people, it is indeed pretty easy to get pregnant.

It's only when couples discover they are infertile that the uncertainty, complexity, and cost of adoption start to compare favorably to the uncertainty, complexity and cost of infertility treatment.

Who Cares How Millennials Want to Work?

I am Generation X (if a generation really can define a person). Born between the Baby Boomers before me and Generation Ys after, in a group that is smaller than both. Working for a communications strategy firm while in graduate school, my boss told me that my generation was technologically astute, individualistic, cynical, and had a healthy disdain for authority. And this guy liked me. Sound familiar?

6 Ways Your Resume Says “Do Not Hire Me”

You spent hours digging into your work history and crafting the perfect resume. Your references are prepared to share glowing reports of your work ethic and attention to detail. You have applied to several job openings, but your phone is not ringing. What gives?

Just Launched! — Custom Branded Idea Management Software

We launched idea management in Aha! based on a simple concept. Customers will tell you what they want if you give them a voice. We wanted to give organizations a place to bring customers, employees, and other stakeholders to the innovation table. And we wanted to give you a way to integrate customer feedback directly into your product roadmap.

The Evolution of Product Management Tools

Ever wondered why product managers have been forced to fight battles with bows and arrows for so long? Think about it. Software engineers have been the recipient of so many new types of tools in the last 10 years new languages, platforms, and applications. This partly explains how its possible for engineers around the world to create 60,000 new apps each month!