Startups

If You’re Not Reinventing Yourself, You’re Falling Behind! Here’s What To Do

Reinvention is the secret weapon of high performers.

Published

2 years ago

Mar 18, 2025

Michael Cerda

Image Credit: Midjourney

Reinvention is the secret weapon of high performers.

Most careers follow a predictable script. You start at the bottom, climb the ranks, and eventually settle into something resembling stability. But the people who make the biggest impact, the ones who don’t just play the game but change it, break that script. They evolve. They shift. They reinvent.

I know because I had to. Multiple times.

The First Shift: From Enabler to Builder

Early in my career, I was what I call an “arms dealer.” I sold internet access equipment; routers, switches, and modems to ISPs who were, in turn, providing consumers with the internet itself. I was deep in the infrastructure layer, supplying the technology that powered the dot-com boom.

But over time, I realized something: I was always enabling someone else’s business, never building my own.

That realization pushed me to take a risk. I wanted to move beyond selling the parts and start building the whole thing. I wanted to create a product, shape a market, and drive something forward from scratch. So I made the leap and joined Trapeze Networks.

Entering the Startup World

Trapeze was a Wi-Fi startup when enterprise Wi-Fi was still in its infancy. It was a chance to be at the forefront of something new, to apply everything I’d learned about networking in a totally different way. Instead of selling infrastructure to ISPs, I was now helping businesses build seamless, secure wireless networks.

The market was taking off, and we had the right team at the right time. I stepped into go-to-market strategy, worked with our sales channels, and pushed to make Trapeze a player in this emerging space. I wasn’t just selling, I was shaping the strategy for an entire category.

That experience opened my eyes to something bigger. I saw how a startup came together from the ground up, how funding worked, and how product decisions were made. I was still on the business side, but I was getting closer to the core of it, closer to being the one actually building something.

The Leap to Founder

That’s when I knew it was time to make the leap for real.

I left Trapeze to start my own company, Ooma. The idea was simple but disruptive: What if phone calls could be free by leveraging the power of the internet? At the time, long-distance calls still cost real money, and Ooma aimed to eliminate that entirely.

It was my first time as a founder, and everything was different. Suddenly, I wasn’t just responsible for sales and partnerships, I was responsible for the whole thing. Fundraising, hiring, product vision, making sure we didn’t run out of money. It was a whole new level of ownership.

Ooma was a bold swing, but it was also a crash course in the realities of building a company. The market was shifting; flat-rate mobile plans were emerging, and our value proposition was starting to erode. We had momentum, but we also had growing pains. I had to navigate investor dynamics, internal challenges, and the pressure of keeping everything moving forward.

Learning to Pivot

When my time at Ooma came to an end, I knew one thing for sure: I wasn’t done building.

I co-founded Jangl (originally called Buzzage), a service that allowed people to call and text each other without revealing their actual phone numbers. It was privacy before privacy was a mainstream concern, and it took off fast. We grew to 80 million accounts, which was great, but growth at that pace brings its own set of challenges.

Some investors wanted us to go all-in on enterprise SaaS. Others wanted us to stay focused on consumer adoption. Different visions. Different priorities. And the inevitable pressure that comes when the stakes get higher.

That’s when I learned something important: Reinvention isn’t just about jumping from one career path to another. Sometimes, reinvention means making a hard pivot inside the thing you’ve already built.

We adjusted our go-to-market strategy. We refined the product. We navigated the challenges. But ultimately, we faced the reality that even when you’re building something innovative, the market moves fast. And if you’re not positioned exactly right, you can end up fighting uphill battles.

Recognizing the Signs of Reinvention

Through all these transitions, I started recognizing the signals that tell you when it’s time for a reinvention.

Here’s what I learned to look out for:

Boredom – If what used to challenge you now feels easy or repetitive, you’re probably ready for something new.
Frustration – This isn’t frustration at just the day-to-day headaches of any job, but a deeper sense that you’re not working on the right problem.
Pull – If there’s something that keeps popping into your mind, a problem you can’t stop thinking about, an idea that excites you more than whatever’s on your to-do list. That’s the one that usually matters most.

Reinvention Is a Process

I’ve learned that reinvention doesn’t happen in a single moment. It’s not like quitting one job and starting another. It’s a process of testing, learning, and deciding what’s worth doubling down on. It’s about recognizing when to shift gears before circumstances force you to.

Here’s what no one tells you about reinventing yourself: It’s not always comfortable, but it’s always necessary.

The skills that got you to one level won’t necessarily get you to the next. The opportunities that seemed perfect five years ago might not be relevant anymore. The market doesn’t care about what you’ve done, it cares about what you can do next.

The Only Way Forward Is Through

Looking back, every major leap in my career started with a reinvention. From sales to startups. From hardware to software. From enterprise to consumer. Every time, the same rules applied: old playbooks stop working, new opportunities look risky, and the only way forward is through.

Reinvention isn’t optional if you want to keep growing. It’s the only way to stay ahead, to stay relevant, and to keep playing at the highest level.

So the real question is: What’s your next reinvention?

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Michael Cerda

Michael Cerdá is a veteran product and technology leader who has served as Chief Product Officer and executive at several of the world’s most influential companies. As VP of Product for Disney Streaming, he helped launch Disney+ to over 100 million subscribers. Previously, he was Chief Product Officer at Goldman Sachs’ Marcus division, Chief Experience Officer at Live Nation/Ticketmaster, and Director of Product at Facebook. He has also founded multiple venture-backed startups and holds two technology patents. His new book, Build Something: Building Products, Business & Culture – A Journey of Hard-Won Lessons and Impactful Outcomes (Feb. 20, 2025), reveals the untold true stories behind some of the most transformative technologies of our time. Learn more at www.build-something.com.

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Startups

How an LLC Can Help Shield Your Personal Assets

Published

2 months ago

Aug 1, 2026

Addicted2Success Editor

Image Credit: Addicted2success

You are a freelance designer, and your client sued you over a trademark mistake. If you believe that your personal savings are safe, then you may be wrong. You are operating as a default sole proprietor. You and your business are the exact same person. As a result, your personal bank account, your car, and even your home are legally up for grabs.

However, if you start an LLC, you can build a legal shield between your business liabilities and your personal life. These days, you can easily form an LLC online.

How Does This Legal Shield Work

When you start an LLC, your business gets a distinct legal identity. Now, your LLC can open its own bank accounts, sign contracts, take out loans, buy equipment, and be held responsible for its own actions. You are not liable. This boundary between you and your business is called the “corporate veil.”

Visualizing the Separation

Inside the Shield (Business Assets)

Everything your company owns is included in this shield. If your business faces a debt collector or a lawsuit, only your business assets are at risk, such as:

Money in the business bank account
Inventory and raw materials
Office equipment, computers, and company vehicles
Business intellectual property

Outside the Shield (Your Personal Assets)

You don’t have to worry about your personal assets, such as:

Your personal checking and savings accounts
Your home and personal real estate
Your family vehicles
Your retirement funds (401k, IRA) and personal investments

What LLC Protection Covers

Business Debts and Contracts

When your LLC signs a commercial lease, hires a contractor, or buys inventory on credit, these are the obligations of the LLC. Your creditors will come after the assets of the LLC if your business can’t pay.

Lawsuits

If your business is sued over a contract dispute, faulty service, or an operational issue, lawsuits will be filed against your business. All your personal assets are safe.

What LLC Protection Does Not Cover

Personal Torts

The term “tort” refers to an act that causes harm or injury to someone else. The LLC shields you from the mistakes of your employees and general business liabilities. However, it never protects you from your own personal actions. For example, if you personally commit fraud, you can be sued personally.

Personal Guarantees

Vendors often hesitate to lend money to new, growing businesses. Such businesses don’t have long credit histories. Lenders often require you to sign a personal guarantee.

How Owners Accidentally Destroy Their Protection

The legal shield provided by forming an LLC only works when you run your business properly. The corporate veil can be pierced when a court decides that your LLC is not legitimate and strips away your protection in a lawsuit. This usually happens when you make one of the following three mistakes.

Commingling Funds

Many small business owners often mix their personal money with their business money. You are commingling funds when you use your business debit card to buy your personal groceries or you deposit a client’s payment directly into your personal checking account. The legal wall crumbles when you don’t treat your business and personal finances as completely separate.

Missing an Operating Agreement

An operating agreement is the legal document that outlines:

How your LLC is run
Who owns what percentage
How profits are handled

If the creditor’s lawyer finds out that an operating agreement is missing, they may argue that your LLC is just a shell.

Falling Out of “Good Standing”

When you start an LLC, you must file annual reports and pay franchise taxes to keep it active. The state will place your business in “Administrative Dissolution” or bad standing if you miss any of these deadlines. You could lose your limited liability protection if you operate a business under an inactive or dissolved LLC.

Startups

Move Fast without Breaking People: Product Safety Lessons for Ambitious Startups

Published

2 months ago

Jul 15, 2026

Addicted2Success Editor

Image Credit: Addicted2success

Fast growth can hide product risks until customers get hurt, especially when safety comes late in development. A software bug can be patched, but a chair, charger, or smart device can cause a burn, fall, cut, or crash.

For founders moving from a prototype to mass sales, the cases handled by Michael Kelly Injury Lawyers in Boston show why launch goals should not push testing, warnings, and foreseeable risks aside. A product claim can involve the design, how a unit was made, user instructions, or several firms in the supply chain.

Why Minimum Viable Should Never Mean Minimally Safe

A minimum viable product should test whether people want an idea, not how much danger they will accept. Teams can delay colors or premium finishes, but not guards, safe heat limits, sound wiring, or clear instructions.

Set Safety Rules Before the Build

The product brief should define who will use the item, where, and what could happen during setup, cleaning, storage, wear, or mistakes. It should also consider what a child, guest, tired worker, or first-time buyer might do.

Shared rules help teams move faster. Designers know which guards must remain. Engineers know which parts cannot fail. Suppliers know what cannot change without review.

Test How People Really Use It

A neat demo is not the real world. Users place products on wet counters, soft rugs, or rough ground. They skip a guide, use the wrong cable, or handle an item in unexpected ways.

Testing should cover misuse without predicting every extreme act. When a risk can be reduced through a guard, lock, stop switch, or clear signal, that design change is often greater than a warning alone.

How Design and Manufacturing Risks Differ

Some risks are built into the design. Others arise when production fails to match the approved plan. Teams need to identify the source before choosing a correction.

Design Problems Start with the Plan

A design problem can affect every unit. A base may tip, a blade may sit too close to a hand, a control may activate too easily, or a battery space may trap heat.

Final inspection cannot repair a flawed plan. The team may need a new shape, shield, limit, material, or control, followed by testing before more units ship.

Manufacturing Problems Break the Plan

A manufacturing problem occurs when a unit or batch does not match the approved design. A fastener may be missing, a weld may be weak, a wire may be damaged, or the wrong component may enter production.

Good records help define the scope. The team should know who made each part, which batch used it, what checks occurred, and where units went. Fast trace work can keep one fault from becoming a wider crisis.

When Customer Feedback Signals More Than Dissatisfaction

Support teams hear about delays, difficult setups, strange sounds, and refunds. Most reports are routine. Yet heat, smoke, sparks, breakage, sharp edges, sudden movement, falls, or failed guards require review.

Treat Complaints as Safety Data

One report may lack key facts, but similar reports can reveal a pattern. Staff should record the model, batch, date, use, photographs, and outcome, then alert someone who can pause sales or order testing.

Teams should not blame unusual use before asking whether another reasonable buyer could make the same choice. A support ticket can be the first sign of a hazard that lab testing missed.

Preserve the Product and the Record

After an injury, the product can help explain what failed. A repair, disposal, or undocumented test can remove evidence. The same applies to old labels, manuals, test files, customer messages, and design notes.

Startups should keep relevant items safely, record who examines them, and preserve earlier versions of instructions and warnings. This history can show what changed and why.

Why Warnings Must Reflect Real Use

A warning works only when a user notices it at the right time. Dense text at the back of a manual may not help during setup. The message should name the hazard, explain the harm, and state what reduces the risk.

Placement matters too. A charging risk belongs near the port. A weight limit belongs where weight is added. Even so, warnings should not replace a safer design when the hazard can reasonably be removed.

How Founders Can Preserve Speed without Cutting Safeguards

A delayed launch, redesign, or recall can feel like defeat. In practice, early action can prevent harm, protect trust, and give the team better facts for the next version. The strongest startups move quickly because their systems protect people.

When a product injures someone, legal guidance can help preserve the item, collect design and manufacturing records, identify responsible companies, and examine whether a defect or unsafe choice caused the harm.