Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 5, 2009

In a startup context, numbers like gross revenue are actually vanity metrics, not actionable metrics. Similarly, it’s easy to generate large aggregate numbers by simply falling back to non-disruptive or non-sustainable tactics (see Validated learning about customers for one example). June 8, 2009 1:16 AM Colin said.

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Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 24, 2009

And thanks to the radical transparency enabled by the internet, the quality of these proposals is actually constantly rising, to the point that it’s almost impossible to judge the quality of the final product – because all the proposals look polished and professional, even the terrible ones. Is that a lot?

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Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Every board meeting, the metrics of success change. First of all, it means that most aggregate measures of success, like total revenue, are not very useful. Time-to-complete-a-sale is not a bad metric for validated learning at this stage. Thank you for your simple, insightful explanation of why that is the wrong metric to use.

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Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 22, 2009

When I was a kid, the way I logged onto the internet for the first time (to play MUDs, naturally) was through an open dial-up console at San Diego State University. No logins, no codes, just raw uncensored internet access. But aggregated across many schools, there are thousands or tens of thousands of them.

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Startup Lessons Learned

JANUARY 18, 2010

Examples of things I monitor are the numbers of user activations, active users, and aggregate page hits to user galleries. Examples of things I monitor are the numbers of user activations, active users, and aggregate page hits to user galleries. Application level diagnostics Despite the best testing, defects still happen.

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Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 16, 2010

Designed for large businesses, the channels let a company share several types of documents, brand the channel with their own design elements, and then include display advertising, contest promotions, blog aggregation, social media integration and metrics reporting. The idea seemed to SlideShare to be a natural direction.

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Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

2gov.org automatically routes your tweet (aggregating it with everyone else whos expressed a similar point of view) to the right legislator or agency. 2gov.org automatically routes your tweet (aggregating it with everyone else whos expressed a similar point of view) to the right legislator or agency.

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