Making the Most of Your Workplace

by Elle Kaplan | Jun 22, 2018 | Leadership

Bringing positive intent into your workplace can make all the difference. Your office can be a supportive environment where you and others cultivate smart habits. Paraphrasing the Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, author Will Durant wrote, “We are what we...

Fly Safely: Key Leadership Lessons for Entrepreneurs

by Elle Kaplan | Feb 20, 2015 | Leadership

While traveling by plane recently, I was reading an article about the statistical likelihood of plane crashes. I actually found this article very comforting for several reasons. First, a crash event is much less likely when traveling by large commercial jet than by...

A Common Entrepreneurial Mistake and Three Questions to Help Avoid It

by Elle Kaplan | Jan 22, 2015 | Entrepreneurship, Success

It’s a tripping point for many an entrepreneur: spurred by one initial success, you get so excited that you try to build the entire shopping mall instead of focusing on the boutique. An entrepreneur’s instinct is to look for new opportunities, chances to...

How To Raise The Bar With Every Hire

by Elle Kaplan | Dec 17, 2014 | Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Success

One of my all-time favorite statements about leadership, hiring, and building your team: “You want to know how to have motivated employees? Hire motivated employees.” There is no substitute for hiring the right team. Hiring decisions are among the most important and...

Bootstrapping vs VC Funding

by Elle Kaplan | Nov 17, 2014 | Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Success

When I founded LexION Capital, I received several offers to fund the firm. These ranged from an infusion of capital to partnership to part ownership in exchange for backing. I turned them all down in favor of funding the firm entirely on my own. In fact, this was...