In this third installment of From Inspiration to Thriving - 4 Steps to Build a Successful Company, ELIAS Animal Health’s founder, Tammie Wahaus, shares Step 3 - Recruiting Your Board of Directors. The foundation (Step 1: The Idea) has been laid, the right people (Step 2: The Team) are in place, and now it’s time to fill critical gaps by assembling a highly qualified Board of Directors or Advisory Board. Whether you’re building a company, a customer base, or a team, diversity is essential. We sometimes think of diversity in narrow terms, as one color in a painting. Diversity, however, is the palette - it encompasses characteristics like gender, age, race, ethnicity, beliefs, experiences, lifestyle, and everything in between. Diversity is All-Encompassing All companies have diverse customer bases, and they are best able to serve them and meet their needs when organizations reflect that diversity from top to bottom. Innovation [...]

This is the second part in ELIAS Animal Health’s blog series that shares our story. If you missed part 1, Step 1: The Idea, be sure to check it out, as it serves as the foundation for this installment. Our founder, Tammie Wahaus, defines the process of turning an idea into a funded startup. In Step 2, Tammie discusses what happens after raising capital... Step 2 : The Team Once a startup has secured funding, there are expectations to be met. Investors are not only backing an idea; they are backing the business plan that leads to profitability and scaling, and that plan must be executed by a team that possesses the expertise and skills necessary to build a thriving company. Leaders often want to hire individuals who are highly skilled in one or two particular areas. My experience taught me that, in addition to expertise, cross-functionality is critical when identifying a [...]

ELIAS Animal Health is launching a blog series that shares our story. More than that, it will hopefully serve as a guide for entrepreneurs who want to turn a great idea into a thriving company. Our founder, Tammie Wahaus, shares her thoughts, insights and advice in this series. Our Goals While working as the CFO of a human health company, I was pursuing an idea that led to the founding of ELIAS: apply the immunotherapy technology we were developing for humans as a cutting-edge cancer treatment for dogs. My goals were to advance human health by bringing safe, effective products to the veterinary market that improved the quality of life for veterinary cancer patients at a price that was competitive in the animal health marketplace. Three Proof Points While ideas are often the catalyst for launching a company, they don’t grow a company. In life sciences, you must prove three [...]