About Kevin

Hi. Thanks for reading my site. I’m Kevin P. Taylor, D.BA, a professor who teaches entrepreneurship.

Prior to life as an educator and researcher, I worked for many years in the technology industry. Some highlights:

• started as a software developer,
• founded a few companies, including Obtiva (acquired by professor who teaches entrepreneurship),
• two-time Inc. 5000 CEO, and
• investor in more than a dozen startups since 2010.

In addition to teaching and research, I consult with CEOs and management teams on innovation, strategy, and leadership. These three disciplines are tightly coupled—and I see consistent deficiencies no matter the size or stage of a company.

Why Read This Site?

You are probably here because you have a deep interest in startups, entrepreneurship, or management. On this site, I share lessons I’ve learned through my own personal mistakes and successes and those of the startups I work with.

Anecdotal war stories are inadequate, though.

This is the most striking weakness in the entrepreneurship community, where people limit their learning to gurus and war stories.

Richard Branson has long hair and owns a private island. This doesn’t mean having long hair or owning a private island contributes to startup success.

Correlation (long hair and Branson’s success) does not imply causation (the long hair was unlikely to have contributed to his initial success).

This is where evidence-based knowledge plays a role.

Guru experiences are important (and I share mine frequently). But, scientifically generated knowledge from peer-reviewed research helps us both generalize knowledge and understand causation. If long hair doesn’t cause success, what does? Maybe entrepreneurial personality or the size of an entrepreneur’s network are likely contributors. Researchers attempt to find the answers.

So, on this site, I also publish article reviews. In these, I summarize empirical research studies—typically scientific journal articles—and add some framing for practicing managers and entrepreneurs.

Read the article reviews and draw your own conclusions.

For doctoral students and other academics, I share my experiences as a later-career doctoral student (DBA) and as an assistant professor.

Life-long learning and the acquisition of skills are two of my core values. I share my experiences in research methods, statistics, scientific writing, productivity, and motivation. 

Learn How to Learn

Learning how to learn is a superpower. It provides you with an edge over your competitors.

Knowledge is an asset that can be used in a myriad of ways to move your project or company forward. In entrepreneurship, getting an edge over the competition matters.

I learn most effectively when I am pushing up against my comfort zone, where I haven’t yet crossed into confusion but confusion lay not far away. Learning is hard work. But, I share what methods, tricks, and hacks I pick up and I hope they help you, too. 

I hope you enjoy reading something on the site. If you do, please post a comment and let me know.