Elena Krasnoperova on “Learning Hacks for Bootstrappers” Fri-Dec-2

Elena Krasnoperova has been a regular attendee at the Silicon Valley Bootstrappers Breakfasts® for more than three years and I was delighted when she accepted my invitation to be a featured attendee and talk about her entrepreneurial journey.  She plans to share some heuristics for learning faster than your competition and immediately applying your knowledge in ways that further improve your startup’s performance.  Elena’s briefing will build on her experiences getting two PhD’s (the first is in Psychology from Stanford and was earned several years ago; she jokes that the second is much more recent: it’s in Entrepreneurship from the School of Hard Knocks), working as an executive at several high technology firms, and bootstrapping two startups in the “family tech” space: SimplyCircle and Calroo,

Elena Krasnoperova on “Learning Hacks for Bootstrappers”

Bootstrappers don’t have the financial resources or staff to established or venture-backed firms. A solo entrepreneur or a small founding team has no choice but to be generalists, a “Jack–or Jane–of All Trades.” Bootstrappers must learn quickly–at least enough to be dangerous–and immediately apply it to challenges facing their startup.

In this briefing, Elena Kransoperova will discuss “learning hacks” for bootstrappers. She will suggest ways to make time for learning when there is always something urgent you need to do. She will introduce her AAA (Acquire, Absorb, Apply) learning framework and offer learning hacks for each stage.  She gave me a brief preview of coming attractions:

• Why is it important to be constantly learning – why it matters for your company, and for you personally
• The different learning styles – what’s yours? (as you know, I have a Stanford Ph.D. in Psychology, so I know a bit about this :-)
• My personal AAA framework for learning
  • Acquire – how to acquire new knowledge / skills
  • Absorb – how to internalize / process new knowledge / skills
  • Apply – how to apply what you learn to your company
• “Gotchas” to avoid as you become a lean, mean learning machine

About the Presenter

Elena Krasnoperova is a former executive at eBay, PayPal, Zong and oDesk, the founder of two bootstrapped companies in the “family tech” space: SimplyCircle and Calroo, and a Limited Partner at 500 Startups. She started her career at the Boston Consulting Group after earning a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University. Elena is a lifelong learner of all things business and entrepreneurship and is passionate about helping parents be better parents. SimplyCircle.com is an online parent communication portal that helps schools, classrooms, and PTAs increase family engagement. Calroo is a new mobile app for busy families that combines a shared family calendar, to-do list, and messaging.

When, Where, and How to Register

• When: 7:30-9AM Friday, December 2, 2016
• Where: Hobees Restaurant, 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306
• Cost: $5 in advance / $10 at the door (Attendees order off regular menu are given separate checks)
• Register: https://www.meetup.com/Bootstrappers-Breakfast-SV/events/235030357/ (Limited seating, please register in advance.)

Update Fri-Dec-2: Elena Gave a Great Briefing

We had a lively conversation this morning and Elena graciously agreed to let us post her handout on the Bootstrapper Breakfast blog; see “Elena Krasnoperova’s Seven Learning Hacks for Bootstrappers.”

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