Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Customer Development 224

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 224

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 7, 2009

With your permission, I’d like to tell this tale and direct other aspiring entrepreneurs to follow your lead! One alternative I have used is to have a PDF of a sanitized version of the slides ready to go as a leave behind or email afterwards so you can keep the really good stuff out. Certainly not fun, but great insight.

Silicon Valley 225

Silicon Valley Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Startup 225

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. There’s lots of lore, emotion, and misconceptions of what VC’s do or don’t do for entrepreneurs. What Do VC’s Do? The reality is that VC’s have one goal – to maximize the amount of money they return to their investors.

Silicon Valley 217

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Pattern Recognition One of the great things about being an entrepreneur is that you are constantly running a pattern recognition algorithm against a continual collection of customer and market data. But at times it’s why entrepreneurs can sink their own companies. More on this in later posts.)

Customer 195

Customer Silicon Valley RSS California 195

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 26, 2009

Reply steveblank , on November 26, 2009 at 10:29 am Said: Just the stories of the entrepreneurs are bigger than life. Families gather from across the country to spend time with each other and feast on a traditional turkey dinner. .&# Your ranch has rattlesnakes and rabbits bigger than you?

Silicon Valley 137

Silicon Valley Turkey United States RSS 137

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

The same issues arose time and again: big company management styles versus entrepreneurs wanting to shoot from the hip, founders versus professional managers, engineering versus marketing, marketing versus sales, missed schedule issues, sales missing the plan, running out of money, raising new money.

Silicon Valley 125

Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital Customer Development 125

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2009

Simulation to Reduce Invention Risk If you’re in a vertical where “invention risk” is dominant, then you want to do everything you can to manage and reduce those risks. When I wrote the Four Steps to the Epiphany , the Customer Development text, I hadn’t yet thought about what vertical markets it might be appropriate for.)

Vertical 128

Vertical Silicon Valley Marketing RSS 128

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2009

In the last three posts, we drew the relationship of market risk and invention risk with vertical markets and pointed out verticals where customer development would be useful. would look in each of the verticals. For example, How does sales differ from one market to another? Others you need to know when you execute the plan.

Vertical 122

Vertical Silicon Valley RSS Marketing 122

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 5, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

North Carolina 125

North Carolina Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 125

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Slightly off-topic, there’s a good example of an entrepreneur going through the “Discovery/Validation&# process for a web business that charges for its product here. Therefore the way to solve that is to ask, “what business model&# am I using. And then set up the correct metrics in Customer Discovery and Validation.

Customer Development 219

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

Steve Blank

MAY 22, 2009

Direct email or snail mail to the pre-registered attendees is essential. Make sure that sales is emailing/ phoning/ texting the hottest prospects within a week after the show ends — the longer you let them sit, the staler they’ll become. Send everyone else who gave you a lead some kind of follow-up email/paper mailing.

Silicon Valley 128

Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development 128

Steve Blank

JULY 30, 2009

Unfortunately most startups learn this by going through the “Fire the first Sales VP&# drill: You start your company with a list of potential customers reading like a “who’s who&# of whatever vertical market you’re in (or the Fortune 1000 list.) Your board nods sagely at your target customer list. Does this help?

Silicon Valley 131

Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development 131

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

The Focus on a Finished Product Rather than a Minimum Feature Set The passion of an entrepreneur coupled with the product development diagram drives you to believe that all you need to do is build the product (in all its full-featured glory) and customers will come. One’s hypothesis and assumptions are the equivalent of apriori guesses.

Customer Development 238

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 238

Steve Blank

JUNE 25, 2009

were the first computer entrepreneurs here. So, here is my assignment. Find out Memorex’s position in Silicon Valley. Some say we were the first PCM in the valley. Others say Larry Spitters & Co. Were we anything first? Any answers or pointers will be appreciated.

Technology 138

Technology Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 138

Steve Blank

JULY 27, 2009

For entrepreneurs good things come to those who ask. Entreprenuers Know How to Ask Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to ask for things relentlessly. Entrepreneurs are fearless, persistent and uninhibited about asking – whether it’s asking to assemble a team, get financing, sell customers, etc.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley RSS Technical Review California 120

Steve Blank

APRIL 2, 2009

I’ll email a brief review of it. I have been suspicious of magazines since the Chevrolet Vega became the Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1971. I bought one for Linn and she has never forgotten that. press and use it to generate end user demand and then drive that demand into our sales channel.

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review 124

Steve Blank

MARCH 20, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Silicon Valley 134

Silicon Valley Customer RSS Philippines 134

Steve Blank

MAY 11, 2009

Please contact me with your email address. It still shocks me that marketing people in general don’t want to talk to customers, at all. Reply Jim Wolcott , on April 28, 2010 at 7:30 pm Said: Steve! Great blog, just now found it. I was the Senior Technical Writer for SMac from 1988-1991.

Video 164

Video Silicon Valley RSS California 164

Software By Rob

JULY 1, 2010

Join nearly 6,000 startup entrepreneurs by subscribing to my RSS feed. For a startup, this means avoiding “me too&# products, staying away from horizontal niches, solving a pain-point, and targeting a vertical niche. The lesson: stick to vertical niches. Subscribe via RSS On Twitter? at 12:52 pm [.]

Software Review 54

Software Review RSS Startup Vertical 54

techcrunch.com

AUGUST 12, 2012

The top layer of applications and services that use the innovations of the first two layers to transform vertical markets (e.g, We respect your anonymity feel free to directly email us. Founder Stories) Aereos Chet Kanojia Urges Entrepreneurs To "Go For The Difficult Problems" [TCTV]. Your tip here. tips@techcrunch.com.

Early Stage 70

Early Stage San Francisco Los Angeles Southern California 70

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 21, 2010

BTW, the definition of entrepreneurship I describe at 2:50 into the video is described in detail in the post “ You’re Not a Real Entrepreneur.&# Instead of a brawl it turned out to be collegial, entertaining and informative. Here’s a 6 minute excerpt from the talk.

Silicon Valley 140

Silicon Valley RSS United States California 140

Steve Blank

MARCH 25, 2009

A key lesson is that as an entrepreneur, you get to choose your segment. Getting B-52s through the Soviet Air Defense System » 20 Responses brantcooper , on March 26, 2009 at 3:52 pm Said: Great story, Steve. Glad to see you blogging! The question is, what characteristics do you weigh when making the choice?

Silicon Valley 141

Silicon Valley Marketing RSS California 141

Steve Blank

APRIL 6, 2009

If you’re an entrepreneur, ESL is the most important company you’ve never heard of. Two years out of the Air Force, serendipity (which would be my lifelong form of career planning) found me in Silicon Valley working for my first company: ESL. If you are a practitioner of Customer Development, ESL was doing it before most us were born.

Silicon Valley 171

Silicon Valley Stealth RSS California 171

Steve Blank

APRIL 30, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Sales 120

Sales Silicon Valley RSS Las Vegas 120

Steve Blank

AUGUST 17, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Silicon Valley 142

Silicon Valley RSS California Government 142

Steve Blank

APRIL 9, 2009

on April 10, 2009 at 6:58 am Said: Amazing blog.

Silicon Valley 259

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS PR 259

mashable.com

OCTOBER 27, 2010

DIY Tools There are quite a few do-it-yourself options for the thrifty entrepreneur. Here, developers and dev shops are organized by vertical so you can find a shop that has expertise in the kind of app you want to build. Fees for these devs and shops run from under $5,000 to more than $20,000.

Small Business 104

Small Business Technical Review Social Media Software Review 104

Steve Blank

APRIL 27, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Silicon Valley 180

Silicon Valley Technical Review Europe Germany 180

Steve Blank

JUNE 5, 2009

This is incisive and powerful and I hope many entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs “get&# this eloquently stated point. The last thing I want is for new entrepreneurs to read my comment and get dismayed about the importance of facts. You do different things as an entrepreneur when you are creating a new market.

Silicon Valley 212

Silicon Valley RSS Vertical California 212

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Customer Development 212

Customer Development Developer Silicon Valley Customer 212

Steve Blank

AUGUST 7, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Thailand Vietnam RSS 120

Steve Blank

AUGUST 14, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Government RSS California 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Eighty some pages later I realized that a) I had some great war stories as a good marketeer and failed CEO, b) I’d have to pay my wife and kids to read them, c) the three of them were probably the entire total available market, and d) when I looked at what I had done and what other entrepreneurs had done at their startups, that there was a pattern.

Redemption 126

Redemption Silicon Valley RSS California 126

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

the recurring theme that CEOs and entrepreneurs should avoid hiring marketers, that marketers only “create web sites, corporate presentations and sales materials… [hire] a public relation… CEOs should formulate marketing strategy are [.] Doesn’t it depend on vertical market.? Thanks for sharing.

Customer Development 215

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 215

Steve Blank

MAY 1, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

Customer Development 139

Customer Development Developer Silicon Valley Customer 139

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

Home Books for Startups Secret History-Bibliography Steve Blank Startup Resources Steve Blank Entries RSS | Comments RSS Categories Air Force (9) Ardent (9) Big Companies versus Startups: Durant versus Sloan (29) California Coastal Commission (3) Conservation (2) Convergent Technologies (1) Customer Development (98) Customer Development Manifesto (..)

North Carolina 143

North Carolina Silicon Valley RSS Connecticut 143

Steve Blank

JULY 1, 2009

I can’t get this one out of my head. ———— The VENONA Project One of the most interesting (declassified) stories of cryptography is the deciphering of Soviet communications to their diplomatic missions in the U.S during World War II.

Silicon Valley 135

Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development 135