A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 21, 2009

Okay okay, "Planning == Bad," but the supposed benefits of planning are still important: designing for profitability, understanding your customers and competitors, focusing your attention, deciding what's worth doing next, changing directions, and ensuring the founders agree on important issues. Cartoon by Andertoons. Or switch off.

Startup 315

Startup Revenue Cofounder Sales 315

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 16, 2010

The real reason they're pissed is that VCs are increasingly unnecessary to get companies started , both because of inexpensive technology and marketing channels and because there are enough angel investors that founders don't have to sell the entire farm for ridiculous amounts of cash they don't really need. But founders often win.

Exit Strategy 246

Exit Strategy Angel Investor Finance Incubator 246

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 30, 2010

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote worker hired to complete tasks you should not be doing as the founder of a startup. Any ongoing work that can be described in a written process can be outsourced to a VA and save incredible amounts of time for the founders. Tags: How-To finance productivity tools. Did you make it this far?

Software Review 284

Software Review Startup Technical Review Hosting 284

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 20, 2011

As you’d suspect, I was similarly ignorant of such things while watching the sale of ITWatchDogs (where I was a co-founder), and still harbored misconceptions as I went into the sale of Smart Bear. So, once and for all, I’d like to share my own perspective on how this works. Many people start by looking at “the Multiples.&#

Sales 260

Sales Channel Cofounder Valuation 260

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 11, 2011

SEOmoz founder and figurehead Rand Fishkin wrote a typically transparent, thoughtful blog post about his struggle of whether to raise a Series B. The typical arguments against: (a) unfair to employees/co-founders, (b) now you’re not hungry so you care less, work less, (c) swinging for fences without attention to detail is imprudent.

.Net 230

.Net Cofounder Dilution Finance 230

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 24, 2011

Well when I hear that I think of writing checks because I feel like that’s all I do sometimes as a founder of start ups is write checks because you don’t see them when they come in. We are a company of five, and we have two co- founders, myself and Adam Ride. Jason: That’s like C-K-S or X-S or what is that?

Cofounder 208

Cofounder Technical Review Software Review Differentiation 208

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 25, 2011

“Yes&# if it means one of the co-founders can quit her day-job. . “Yes&# if this extends the runway of our startup by at least three months. “Yes&# if it completely funds development we’d like to do anyway. “Yes&# if it will completely pay for three new marketing efforts. Think of it like another form of funding.

Java 311

Java Software Review Technical Review Salary 311

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 24, 2012

So here’s the answer to your question: If you believe this company has a good shot, you must invest your $95k , because it’s the only logical way to make the finances work! In short, your $95k investment buys you far more equity than your time does, whereas your time is much more valuable to you than your money.

Salary 229

Salary Stock Startup Valuation 229

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 14, 2009

From Business Insider , Kevin Ryan, founder of six companies, says "I don't do a detailed plan. Tags: Essays finance planning strategy. If a VC focuses a lot on the details on the financial model, I won't work with them.". From Steve Blank , "In the real world, most business plans don't survive the first few months of customer contact.

Business Plan 312

Business Plan Salary Finance Web 312

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 11, 2014

Listen to this episode if you want to hear about a founder who has a product and users and paying customers … and is trying to figure out how to take his company to the next level and grow faster. I first did it for the founder. In this episode, Jason talks to Edwin from MeetingKing. It’s bundled in different groups.

Technical Cofounder 220

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Review Management 220

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 27, 2011

Here’s why: The acquirer knows that you, the founder, are looking for financial freedom. In fact often this is how they come up with their initial offer, and it’s why companies with three founders often get more money (all else equal) than companies with one founder. (I’ve The personal stuff.

Sales 235

Sales Term Sheet Stock Deal Structure 235

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 28, 2011

On the other side of this radio interview are Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams , both founders of their own startups, both coaches and mentors to dozens of other startups over the years, and who together created and still run the In Good Company co-working space for women entrepreneurs in New York City. I think you kind of need something.

Cofounder 223

Cofounder New York Conversion Entrepreneur 223

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 8, 2012

This is a long episode (1:20), but it’s a conversation that will resonate with a lot of early-stage startup founders. Jason: In commercial real estate it’s almost a given that you sort of ask for a couple of months off, and they always say yes because it works, and it works with their financing on their side and all that stuff.

API 220

API Software Review Hosting Technical Review 220