Just do it, even against all odds

Liaise founder Sidney Minassian's advice to entrepreneurs

What do you do if you live in Australia and have a great startup idea and can't get much traction? Move to the U.S. and work like crazy to launch at Demo. That's what Sidney Minassian, founder and CEO of Liaise,  did. Sidney is a two-time entrepreneur now living in the Bay Area managing his success startup Liaise, an email project management tool.

When a man uproots his family more than 10,000 miles to build a business, that says something about his dedication.  

"Having relocated to the U.S., we had to break the mold to get where we are," said Sidney, adding that a big move like the one he undertook was a bold step in backing his dreams. 

Hence, a key lesson he's learned about entrepreneurship is to "back yourself," he said. "Go ahead and do it, against all odds."

In this "Lessons Learned" segment, Sidney offers more advice to entrepreneurs.

- Back yourself. Go ahead and do it against all odds regardless how big or small the vision is.

- Get early customer input. Work with customers because that input helps shape the product, offering and messaging.

- Break the mold. Be courageous enough to not put up with conventional thinking.