Today's Entrepreneur: Tom Alexander

No. 1 mistake: Never getting started

Today's Entrepreneur is Tom Alexander, CEO and Founder of PK4 Media. According to his VEQ Tom is a thought leader and is good at sales management and negotiation.

Vator’s community is the home to entrepreneurs who embrace their passion and follow their dreams. Our profiles allow members to express themselves by sharing their interests, lessons learned, as well as bits and pieces of their roller-coaster journey.

These profiles give entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase themselves and tell their story. So if you are an entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur, or even an aspiring entrepreneur, we'd like to hear from you.

Companies I've founded or co-founded:
PK4 Media

Startups I worked for:
BlueLithium, Dedicated Media, Clickshift

If you are an entrepreneur, why?
I grew up in Silicon Valley. It's in my blood!

My favorite startups:
Vokle, Square, Optimal Fusion

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

The most rewarding part of entrepreneurship is taking time years later and looking back at what you and your team have created - out of nothing. It's an amazing feeling.

The most frustrating part of being an entrepreneur is the lack of time in a day. When you're excited about the project you are working on, it's hard to pull yourself away. It can be frustrating to pull yourself away to eat or sleep when you'd rather be helping your company grow.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?
Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of never getting started. They have great ideas that they can execute on, but most get too used to that cushy job with a solid salary. If you want to be an entrepreneur and a position gets too comfortable, it's time to move on. You should be constantly learning something new and reaching beyond your comfort zone.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1. Spend every minute trying to generate a dollar, rather than trying to save a dollar
2. You always need approximately 20% more time and more money than you think you need. Budget accordingly!
3. Take vacations. It's important to take time to decompress and unplug. You'll be more effective overall.

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