Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 22, 2008
In this model, you take some fraction of the lifetime value of each customer and plow that back into paid acquisition through SEM, banner ads, PR, affiliates, etc. For eBay, this is caused by the incredible network effects of their business (so-called demand-side increasing returns and supply-side increasing returns).
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
For example, one angel investor reportedly invested in several hundred social networking ventures employing this philosophy. That being said, I do see problems with the conventional wisdom especially in the valley with your technical vision, which then creates economic problems. Take a look and let me know what you think.
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Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
Customers found it confusing and it turned out to be at odds with our fundamental value proposition (which really requires an independant IM network). Unfortunately, positioning our product as an "IM add-on" was a complete mistake. So we had to completely throw that code away, including all of its beatiful tests and specs. Talk about waste.
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
This was 2004, and we had never even heard of MySpace, let alone had any understanding of social networking. It required hearing customers say it over and over again for us to take a serious look, and eventually to realize that social networking was core to our business. But the early customers all compared it to MySpace.
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 18, 2008
Pick a similar product that they do use, and ask them "who was the first person you know who started using [social networking, mobile phones, plasma TV, instant messaging.]? For companies in the early-adopter phase, you can play "the earlyvangelist game" whenever a customer turns out to be too mainstream for your product.
The Next Web
JANUARY 24, 2014
We boast the world’s second highest fixed broadband Internet subscription rate only an inch behind Sweden. We are the most active Twitter country in the world (measured by tweets per account) and the third most socially networked. We have great intellectual property protection, and have efficient ways to enforce contracts.
Startup Lessons Learned
DECEMBER 7, 2008
And we cant hire new engineers any faster, because you cant be interviewing and debugging and fixing all at the same time! Even with the highest standards imaginable, theres no way to hire just genius hackers. Hire a CTO or VP Engineering. Worst of all, your teammates are constantly wanting to have meetings.
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