Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically

Technical Review 187

Technical Review Startup Software Review Database 187

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

by Bill Lee, author of “ The Hidden Wealth of Customers: Realizing the Untapped Value of Your Most Important Asset “ The old paradigm works like this: Your company produces goods and services that help customers get a job done. In return, the customers pay you money. You take that money and invest a good portion of it in traditional sales and marketing efforts — including product developers, creative people, and salespeople, all of whom are paid to figure out what buyers want and to

Customer 168

Customer Social Media Retention Canada 168

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

This week, TIME Magazine editor-at-large Harry McCracken interviewed himself as a follow-up to his piece on how he had been using his iPad as his primary computer. During the interview he mentions that he still uses his iPad a lot – so much so that it is still his favourite computer. Yes, he’s a journalist. But he points out that others have taken up the charge of becoming “big time” iPad users: “I’m pretty sure it’s not just journalists who are using iPads as computers.

Software Review 155

Software Review Technical Review Social Network Hosting 155

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

I like open systems. Always have, and probably always will. It’s partly because open-ness begets more innovation, partly because open systems are easier for startups, and partly because I don’t like the way companies that dominate closed systems bully the other participants. The last two points are illustrated well by Apple’s recent ejection of the iKamasutra app from the app store – an app that had been in the app store for 3-4 years, and had grossed millions of dollars and 9 million downloads.

Marketing 102

Marketing Software Developers Software Development Mobile 102

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

Startup

crowdSPRING Blog

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

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!

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Are charismatic superstar CEOs the answer to enduring success? What about dramatic mergers and acquisitions – aren’t those the panacea to ailing companies? Finally, cutting edge technologies ought to at least have an impact on greatness, right? Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly), the answer to these are “NO” Not at least according to “ Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t “, a phenomenal business bestseller publis

Technical Review 159

Technical Review Merger Valuation Framework 159

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

With TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012 in full swing this week, it’s only a matter of days before a new winner is crowned. We decided to check in with previous Disrupt winners to see how they’ve fared since their victories - and try to determine how it means to ace a high-profile startup contest. Startup contests like TechCrunch Disrupt can generate a lot of hype and interest, but does that translate into any lasting benefit for the startups involved?

San Francisco 123

San Francisco New York Audio Software Review 123

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

In part one, I shared some of the painful lessons I learned by not planning. We also reviewed the benefits of planning and then began to lay a foundation for the start of a web development business. Now, let’s go deeper. In this article, we’re going to focus on the launch of a web development business, moving from the idea to your first customers.

Web Development 73

Web Development Web Developer Technical Review 73

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

I get on a whole host of these tech blogger lists where PR firms just spam a whole bunch of folks trying to get people to write about their book/startup/event. It just creates a To Do in my inbox. It's kind of annoying because I write a personal blog. I'm not a journalist by trade so I'm really not an appropriate person to pitch in such an automated way.

Technical Review 87

Technical Review PR Early Stage Venture Capital 87

Life Beyond Code

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

A few days ago, my friend Kevin Madsen from SlimBooks sent me a copy of Sarah’s book Re[Frame] to get some comments. I told him that I would be on a plane on Tuesday and I would read it then. Kevin is smart and sneaky (in a good way) so he sent me a mail back asking me to just browse through the first 6-8 pages before Tuesday. So, last Friday I started browsing through the book.

Advisory Board 72

Advisory Board Public Relations Social Media Cofounder 72

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

With TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012 in full swing this week, it’s only a matter of days before a new winner is crowned. We decided to check in with previous Disrupt winners to see how they’ve fared since their victories - and try to determine how it means to ace a high-profile startup contest. Startup contests like TechCrunch Disrupt can generate a lot of hype and interest, but does that translate into any lasting benefit for the startups involved?

San Francisco 84

San Francisco New York Audio Software Review 84

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

This continues a series of columns from practitioners I respect. The category "Real Deal" describes them well. This time it is Praveen Desai, in Cognizant Application Services (CAS) who works closely on innovation projects with the Office of the CIO.

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Duct Tape Marketing

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Introducing The Commitment Engine. As you can see from the image here, my third book – The Commitment Engine – Making Work Worth It is just about ready to go. And, I would like to give you a free copy! A bit more on that in a minute, but first, what’s the book about? This book is undoubtedly the riskiest thing I’ve ever written, but it contains a message that I think needs to be spread and shared.

Engineer 60

Engineer Iowa Delaware Ohio 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

You know the old saying about trust … “It takes years to build and seconds to destroy.” And once destroyed it is very difficult if not impossible to repair. You need to be the guardian of your own reputation. You need to constantly ask yourself whether your actions in rapidly scaling an online community are worth the potential downsides of destroying trust amongst your users.

Community 328

Community Warrant Reputation Web 328

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

With TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012 in full swing this week, it’s only a matter of days before a new winner is crowned. We decided to check in with previous Disrupt winners to see how they’ve fared since their victories – and try to determine how it means to ace a high-profile startup contest. Startup contests like TechCrunch Disrupt can generate a lot of hype and interest, but does that translate into any lasting benefit for the startups involved?

San Francisco 60

San Francisco New York Audio Software Review 60

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

I have not been too happy about the state of our industry for a while now. As I wrote in the Preface to my recent book “I started my technology career in the 1980s when there was palpable excitement about.

Technology 307

Technology 307

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Pin It There’s a well-known way to win in Vegas, and famously some people have done it systematically. Maybe it works for startups too? Suppose you’re betting on “red” in a game of Roulette. There are 41 places a Roulette ball can land — numbers 1 through 40, plus a “double-zero” and sometimes a “zero.” (So it’s a CHAR(2) not an INT(2)).

Startup 254

Startup Algorithm Cofounder Lean 254

Genuine VC

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Like a lot of students, I went into business school a decade ago with a set plan to start a company coming straight after graduation in co-founding an internet startup (… again ). During the following two years I did a number of things which prepared me for that endeavor, but then also in retrospect, I completely missed out on a number of opportunities and valuable resources immediately in front of me which I didn’t recognize at the time.

Cofounder 256

Cofounder Portfolio Venture Capital Reputation 256

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

I’m sure that every one of us who has been out in the business world for a few years can look back with perfect hindsight and name a few college courses that we should have taken. What’s more disconcerting to me is that I can name a few that weren’t even offered, and more than a few students who graduate ill-prepared for the real world! I won’t even try to cover here the ones you didn’t find for your personal life, like managing personal finances and credit.

Dividend 244

Dividend Salary Social Network Finance 244

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Nate Silver, the election forecaster was on CNN this morning. Try as hard as he might, Fareed Zakaria could not get very specific answers about November from Nate. I found that segment part frustrating because of Nate’s evasiveness, part fascinating.

Analytics 261

Analytics Forecast 261

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Working teens can be a double-edged sword. Research shows that some teens may get lower grades and even get into trouble with drugs and alcohol as a result of after-school jobs, but for many, the benefits outweigh the potential risks. Building experience, self-reliance, and important skills are among some of the best benefits many teens see from part-time work, and they’re among the best reasons for teens to get an after-school job.

Search 250

Search Finance Cost Developer 250

Gust

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Amilya Antonetti image via Entertainment Resource Group. It takes a great entrepreneur with a great vision to start a business, but it takes a collaboration of many people to make it a success. That’s where leadership comes in as a key ingredient, to drive the collaborative process to make the whole team better than the sum of the parts. I remember a book from a while back by Amilya Antonetti, titled “ The Recipe: A Fable for Leaders and Teams ” which illustrates the key concepts with stories an

Leadership 167

Leadership Matching Developer Entrepreneur 167

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Investors are people too. They evaluate you like you should assess a possible co-founder or first employee. What are your credentials? What have you done that would convince me that my money is safe in your hands? Only after they see you as fundable, do they want to assess your plan for fundability, not the other way around. Even with great credentials, it is all too possible for an entrepreneur to come across as a high risk investment.

Entrepreneur 242

Entrepreneur Bootstrapping Cofounder Restful 242

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

on the innovation blog Seven Minutes of Terror Edible Packaging The Battle for CMO Mindshare Rio Tonto’s “Mine of the Future” Cheese Technology The “Chemical Internet” The TechnoSensual Exhibit Track your life from food to mood.

Internet 239

Internet Technology 239

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

by Tallya Rabinovich, CEO of IzzoNet. So you’re thinking of launching an eCommerce store, whether it’s to turn a hobby into an additional income, to take your ‘bricks and mortar’ business online, or perhaps you’re ready to launch a new full-time venture in cyber space. Like any new business, setting up an eCommerce store involves an abundance of research, strategy, planning and business savvy.

eCommerce 213

eCommerce SEO Distribution Design 213

Rembrandt Communications

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Now that summer is coming to a close and you’ve started your fall schedule with the kids back in school, are you ready to get going to increase sales at your business? Well, if you’d like to get a new client right away, here are three tips that might help: Ask! Make a list of [.].

Sales 150

Sales Public Relations PR SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

For a few, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy. For others who are perfectionists, letting go of even the most trivial task is almost impossible. If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.” Business school professor John Hunt notes that only 30 percent of managers think they can delegate well, and of those, only one in three is considered a good delegator by his or her subordinates.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Product Social Media SEO 240

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

I first heard the term “Business-IT Alignment” 15 years ago from a Gartner colleague. These days when I hear the term, I suspect some consultant has dusted off deliverables from previous projects. Alignment? How about Alternating as in the scenarios.

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YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

by Nikos Acuna, author of “ Mindshare: Igniting Creativity and Innovation Through Design Intelligence “ Interruption marketing is dead. Pop-up blockers exist because we hate pop-ups. TiVo exists because people hate commercials. Brands are becoming more cognizant of digital platforms in which they don’t have complete control of their brand’s message.

Marketing 212

Marketing Equity Social Media Audience 212

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

It takes more than a big idea and a thorough business plan to start a new business. Most entrepreneurs aren’t quite sure what else it takes until they’re well underway, and many are shocked to discover important elements of startup success that they simply hadn’t considered at all. To find out what startups learn they really need but never though of, we asked eight successful young entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council ( YEC ) for their input.

Startup 163

Startup Green Revenue Partner 163

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, I recommend that you team with a co-founder with experiences, connections, and a skill set that complements, but doesn’t duplicate yours. Even experienced entrepreneurs need a partner to back up each other and improve fundability. The question is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. First, I will admit there is no magic formula here, just like in real life when trying to find a relationship partner.

Cofounder 239

Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 239

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

On the New Florence blog Ford Raptor v Mars Rover The Complexity of Online Sentiment Analysis Busted! Medical Body Area Networks “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” Super-Cloud Computing The consumerization of industrial technology The Ikea Catalog: A marvel of miniaturization.

Cloud 223

Cloud Networking Technology 223

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Most of us agree that the mobile phone will increasingly play an important role in a customers’ purchasing behavior. Whether they use the mobile phone to research for products, locate dealers, find special deals, pay for something through a payment application, or even shopping on the phone itself , small business owners need to consider how they can connect with this new generation customer.

Mobile 201

Mobile Small Business Networking Customer 201

Life Beyond Code

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

You and I both know that one cannot become remarkable overnight. We also know that being remarkable has many benefits – the biggest one is that you have a better opportunity to make a bigger difference in this world. So, how do you get started? How do you take a proactive approach to become remarkable? During my consulting engagements at Foresight Plus , I get to see many smart people transforming themselves to be remarkable people.

Networking 159

Networking Leadership Conversion Cost 159

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Starting and building a company is all about leadership – formulating an idea, building a unique plan based on vision and experience, and forging a path over and through all obstacles. Yet the image of leadership in business is at an all-time low, according to national leadership experts, considering the political debacles, record business bankruptcies, and executive fraud cases.

Leadership 178

Leadership Bankruptcy Entrepreneur Developer 178

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

When I present on the 12 attributes of the “Technology Elite” from my recent book, I seem to rush through the one on being Paranoid. It goes into scary hacking scenarios, IP protection challenges, teardowns and jailbreaks companies need to.

IP 220

IP Technology 220