Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital. ” Fire, Ready, Aim. IPOs dried up.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

ConversionXL

MARCH 19, 2020

Yet in expansionary periods, successful leaders spent significantly less on [selling, general, and administrative costs] than did their former peers. A focus on cost cutting—every decision is viewed through a loss-minimization lens. They do more of the same with less, often lowering quality and customer satisfaction. Promotion.

Marketing 121

Marketing Campaign Non-Compete Lean 121

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

An obvious example is Google who may have gotten less market attention if there would have been 8 well-financed competitors during the 2001-2005 timeframe. Or Salesforce.com who rose to prominence in this same period where they were ramping up PR and shouting from mountain tops when everybody else in the market was mute.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Gust

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Amid the remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks this past weekend, much was made of the voluminous 9/11 Commission report, which described in excruciating detail countless ways in which the United States homeland security and emergency response infrastructure failed to respond adequately to a disaster of unprecedented proportions.

Startup 98

Startup Silicon Valley Reputation Community 98

Hearpreneur

APRIL 19, 2019

I came up with my business name, Kate’s Theatrics at about 9pm April 14, 2001. A brand which can easily be tied back to early childhood education and only cost me $14.99 On the way north from the Chicago suburbs to Wisconsin, I thought it would be a great idea to have my own PR firm. The name and domain were born then.

Naming 110

Naming Cofounder Wisconsin Entrepreneur 110

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

They taught you about customers, markets and profits. Startups needed millions of dollars of funding just to get their first product out the door to customers. 2001 – 2010: Back to Basics: The Lean Startup. VC’s went back to basics, to focus on building companies while their founders worked on building customers.

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

For many businesses you should keep your costs low & your capital raises low until you discover whether you are really on to a big idea where there is market demand. What ended up happening was a critical project was delayed that cost the company some important business. They get the PR bump. The result?

Pre-Money Valuation 303

Pre-Money Valuation Dilution Valuation PR 303