Sat.Apr 12, 2014 - Fri.Apr 18, 2014

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‘Do-It-Yourself’ Startups Have Never Been Easier

Startup Professionals Musings

'Sponsored by VISA Business If you have a unique product or service, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. The cost of entry has never been lower. Anyone can be an entrepreneur today, without a huge investment, bank loans, lawyers, venture capitalists, or Angels. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites, for example, cost a million dollars to set up.

Startup 252
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10 Key Traits Of An Ideal Entrepreneur Partner

Gust

'Photo of Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt with Sergey Brin and Larry Page via Wikipedia. A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. Even if you are looking in all the right places, it helps to know what you are looking for.

Partner 179
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The 21-Day Job Search: 5 Tips To Ensure Success

YoungUpstarts

'by Teddy Hunt. In 21 days, you can redecorate your home, form a new habit, lose enough weight to not feel guilty about indulging while you’re on vacation, or find a job. With all the horror stories about people going jobless for months or years at a time, the idea might seem absurd. It is possible, however, if you diligently apply the following tips: Make Your Job Search Your Job.

Search 196
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6 Tips for Coming Up With Your Million-Dollar Business Idea

Up and Running

'When I was a kid, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was going to be the next Boris Vallejo! (You know, the famous fantasy and sci-fi artist who always painted ripped, shirtless men and buxom, bikini-clad women atop flying dragons and Pegasuses… Yeah, I wanted to be him.). There were two problems with my future career plans though: 1) I wasn’t very good at art, and 2) my parents made it clear there wasn’t a snowball’s chance that they would pay for me to go to art school

Detroit 156
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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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Team Member Competency Is Critical To Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most people think that the Peter Principle (employee rises to his level of incompetence) only applies to large organizations. Let me assure you that it is also alive and well within startups. I see startup founders and managers who are stalled transplants from large organizations, as well as highly-capable technologists trying to start and run a business for the first time.

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Female Founders: What the numbers mean and what they don't

This is going to be BIG.

'Last week, there was a Business Insider article measuring the percent of female founded companies that NYC seed funds invest in. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures came in first, with a whopping 61%. Lerer Ventures was second, with just under 20%. So, clearly, I''m making some kind of a portfolio-wide bet there, right? Nope. Well, it''s gotta mean something, right?

Founder 142

More Trending

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Lessons Learned: Why My Kickstarter Campaign Failed

Up and Running

'Thousands of business owners have turned to Kickstarter , an online fundraising site, to help raise capital for new ventures. Raising capital for your business isn’t easy, which is why so many entrepreneurs are attracted to Kickstarter. If you’ve got an idea, you can create a page on Kickstarter, highlight your project, and ask backers to support the idea financially.

Campaign 105
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Twitter Link Roundup #219 – Small Business, Startups, Innovation, Social Media, Design, Marketing and More

crowdSPRING Blog

'Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

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6 Customer Success Secrets

Guy Nirpaz

'In the 2nd annual customer success summit last month in San Francisco, I’ve introduced the Customer Success Manifesto. If you are familiar with the agile software development manifesto will see a similar presentation style (visuals are updated to 2014 though). The Customer Success Manifesto should be viewed as 6 rules for great customer success.

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Infor: Its a vertical world after all

deal architect

'Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor, is a sharp dresser. His lean frame and his attention to detail (he has designed his own shirt collars since he was young) certainly help. At dinner he politely explained to a few curious analysts.

Vertical 273
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How’s the launch of Robots Love Ice Cream doing?

Jeff Hilimire

'Since we launched Robots Love Ice Cream for iOS – you did download it , right :) – on the 9th, I’ve been asked by a ton of friends how the launch is going. So, five days in… We were featured in the Apple App Store on April 10th, which looks like this. and we’ve had a ridiculously high ratio of five star ratings and reviews. and the press has loved the game so far. and we had our first fan create a cake of the game!

Atlanta 60
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How Stories Best Communicate Your Startup Value

Startup Professionals Musings

'The entrepreneur’s challenge is to effectively communicate their value proposition, not only to customers, but also to vendors, partners, investors, and their own team. Especially for technical founders, this is normally all about presenting impressive facts. But in reality facts only go so far. Stories often work better, because humans don’t always make rational decisions.

Chad 279
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New Lessons Learned from Berkeley & Stanford Lean LaunchPad Classes

Steve Blank

'Our Stanford and Berkeley Lean LaunchPad classes are over for this year, and as usual we learned as much from teaching the teams as the teams did from us. Here are a few of the Lessons Learned from these two classes. — Have each team talk to 10 customers before the class starts. Each year we learn how to move more of the Lean LaunchPad class logistics outside our classroom so teams have more time for in-class learning.

Lean 268
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Of Cloud Vendors and Roofers

deal architect

'We recently had our roof redone. Should have had it done years ago. Instead we periodically had it patched with new shingles. Cosmetics instead of real work. The thought of days and weeks of workers and cost estimates that reflected.

Cloud 268
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When Your Startup Business Plan Needs to Be Revised

Early Growth Financial Services

'How will you know when to revise your business plan? The short answer is that plans are living documents and should be constantly evolving. That being said, there are certain times when major, rather than incremental change, is called for. How do you distinguish between the two? Below are unmistakable signs, or forks in the road, that should prompt you to substantially rethink your plan. 1) Your market has changed — Whether due to technological, regulatory, or competitor driven factors, k

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Is An Ideal Entrepreneur Right Brain Or Left Brain?

Startup Professionals Musings

'Traditionally, the majority of entrepreneurs have been logical thinkers, problem solvers, and pay attention to details. These are the stereotypical left-brain engineers. Yet I see a big shift from the knowledge age, with its left-brain foundation, to a critical focus today on visualization, creativity, relationships, and collaboration, which are more in the domain of right-brainers.

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[Infographic] The Potential Of Social Media For B2B In 2014

YoungUpstarts

'It’s often said that social media is much harder to crack for B2B businesses than it is for consumer-based ones. In many cases, it’s true – but increasingly social media platforms have become the choice for B2B marketers, and budgets have also correspondingly grown to take advantage of this space. For 2013, professional networking site LinkedIn has actually caught up with Facebook as one of the preferred social networks for B2B businesses at 86.4%, with Twitter coming in 3rd a

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More global innovation

deal architect

'Innovation from around the globe'' iElevation – Nepal A museum or a library? – Mexico Technology on the ICE Train – Germany Shipping ice cream globally – US, China Big Data of Long Lives – Italy, Greece, Japan Nokia alumni.

Global 150
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Empirical Support for the Boulder Thesis

Feld Thoughts

'Yesterday, Kauffman Foundation released a study that provided empirical support for the Boulder Thesis that I came up with in my book Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City. The study is excellent if you are interested in this topic and can be read at ad “ Think Locally, Act Locally: Building a Robust Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.” Kauffman did a study of 1 Million Cups , a program that was launched at Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City and is expandin

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Do what you love: Why you are not your job

The Next Web

'Paul Jarvis is a Web designer and bestselling author. His upcoming book, The Good Creative, outlines the 18 habits of the world’s most respected artists. “If we believe that personal fulfillment is really the ultimate purpose of labour, then who do we expect to do all the other jobs that are not so existentially fulfilling?” -Mika Tokumsitu Even as someone who works for myself and makes a living off of creativity, it’s not always fun.

Web 167
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7 Things Entrepreneurs Don’t Realize They Need

YoungUpstarts

'Dream of quitting the rat race and becoming your own boss? Better read this list first. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration , 50% of all new businesses fail in the first five years – probably because they didn’t have one of these essential seven items. 1. A successful business. Wait, what? You’re supposed to have a business before you start a business?

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What is appropriate for Investor’s Contracts?

Gust

'There is no standard thing called an “Investors Contract”, and it sounds as though you are trying to re-invent the wheel here. It also sounds as though you are doing all of this yourself, instead of using an experienced lawyer…which is a very, very bad idea. For example, in virtually every case I can imagine, the “contract” you are describing is an asset that absolutely would transfer to the investor’s estate in the event of his death.

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Americans Are Quitting Their Jobs and Pursuing Entrepreneurship

Up and Running

'The number of Americans quitting their jobs is at a 5-year high , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Entrepreneurial activity has also been on the rise as of late, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Could these trends be related? I’d say so. The number of Americans quitting their jobs is at a 5-year high, and the number of entrepreneurs is growing, too.

Global 148
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Why entrepreneurs shouldn’t shoot down ‘bad’ ideas

The Next Web

'Rahul Varshneya is the co-founder of Arkenea Technologies and a mobile strategy advisor. He can be contacted via Twitter @rahulvarshneya. Ever noticed that whenever Facebook implements a new design change on their website, just how many people crib and rant about the change? Most people are habituated in the way they use products and services and any change, even the slightest brings about a sudden reaction of resistance.

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The Changing Paradigm Of Wealth Management Best Practices

YoungUpstarts

'The new generation of wealth managers is looking towards purpose in addition to profit – a clear indication of a changing paradigm in the wake of a widespread structural shift in wealth, also recently highlighted at the World Economic Forum. According to their report, a wealth transfer of $41tn is going to take place from baby boomers to millennials in the coming decades, depicting a change in the management of wealth and calling for best practices to be reformed before implementation.

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What has been the highlight of your week and why does it stand out?

Gust

'SIIA (the US Software and Information Industry Association) named Gust the Best Collaboration Solution of 2013, at the gala during the All About The Cloud annual conference in San Francisco on Thursday. Since this is the closest our industry has to the Academy Awards, and since it’s the second year in a row we have won it (beating the other nominated products from Google, Adobe and SalesForce.com ), I’m a very happy camper.

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How to Start Your Business and Keep Your Day Job (Without Going Nuts)

Up and Running

'Testing out your idea for a new business before you quit your day job is always a wise idea. It gives you a chance to make sure you really enjoy working for yourself and that your business is economically viable, while still allowing you the financial security of a steady paycheck. It can be a great way to “test-drive” your entrepreneurial dreams. That said, having a side hustle is by no means easy.

Restful 144
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Getting to $100M+ revenue: Understanding the 3 phases of a startup

The Next Web

'Mitchell Harper is the co-founder and co-CEO of Bigcommerce. He tweets at @mitchellharper. In order to be successful as a first-time entrepreneur, it’s important to understand that as your business grows, what got you to where you are won’t necessarily keep moving you forward. In his excellent book The Hard Things About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz explains why it’s important to be almost short-sighted when hiring people into your business.

Revenue 166
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Proven Tips That Will Help You Promote Your Mobile App

YoungUpstarts

'by Greg Fisher, founder of Berkeley Sourcing Group . There was a time when any good idea could make you rich with a mobile app. Back then the market was far less saturated and there were big gaps that needed filling. People were searching for apps that just weren’t there yet and this meant that you could easily come along, meet that need, and make it big without even needing any promotion or marketing.

Mobile 171
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What type of market are you operating in?

Version One Ventures

'When we look at investment opportunities, we need to consider the type of market that the potential investment is in. How much room is there for a market leader or leaders? Is it winner-takes-it-all or winner-takes-almost-all? Is there room for multiple potential winners? Winner takes all. These markets are driven by network effects and only one company will win in the space.

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11 Things Only Parents Can Teach Their Kids About Business

Up and Running

'There are certain things that parents are uniquely equipped to teach their children. Most of those things, of course, are not about business. Yet, many of them can be applied to the working world. Below, eleven entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share lessons they plan to teach their kids, and/or lessons they learned best from their parents. 1.

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A brief history of brand love: The evolution of viral advertisement

The Next Web

'Dominic Smith is a senior writer and content strategist for Rackspace Digital, the digital marketing infrastructure specialists. In the age of experience-based marketing, some brands want us to do more than just buy their products. They want us to interact with them, to love them. Dan Wieden, legendary adman, described this desire for active participation when he said: “Brands are verbs.

Viral 166
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[Review] The Economy Of You

YoungUpstarts

'We’ve heard it all before – the economy is in its doldrums, and the best way to prevent being retrenched from your job is to actually have a backup plan… to be an entrepreneur. But that’s easier said that done – not everyone is so inclined to start their own businesses, and even fewer are actually good enough to ensure their business survives beyond their first year.

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Today’s Fun – Gnip, Twitter, Uncommon Stock, and Pre-Seed Rounds

Feld Thoughts

'FSA (Feld Service Announcement) – my version of a “public service announcement”: Moz is on the hunt for a VP of UX and Design. This role is one of our most crucial hires this year. The ideal candidate will come to us with experience and examples to show of very complex, technical projects that s/he made simple and fun. I would love for you to share this job description with your network or if you have anyone in mind I would love for you to send them our way.

Stock 114
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Break These Rules for Better Public Speaking

Mike Michalowicz

'For audience members, typical is boring. Watching a performer take risks is exciting. The best of the best break the rules. However, they don’t break the rules just to break the rules. They break the rules to make the show better, to advance a story, to raise the stakes, to get you to sit up and take notice. Here are a few rules that you can break.

Audience 115
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How to retain mental and creative focus

The Next Web

'David Hassell is the CEO of 15Five. This post originally appeared on the 15five blog. Have you ever wondered why, when you leave a two-hour meeting you usually have very little retention of what was said? An onslaught of stimuli and information comes our way every day. Why do our minds label some of it as important, and the rest becomes no more memorable than this morning’s Starbucks experience?

Retention 160