November, 2010

article thumbnail

Embrace Losing – It Will Make You Stronger

Both Sides of the Table

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . I HATE LOSING. I hate it. I really, really, really hate it. It chaps my hide. It rips at my core. I don’t get over it easily. I lose sleep. I fucking hate losing. It’s not so much the actual outcome that I hate – it’s the process.

China 333
article thumbnail

Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers

SoCal CTO

I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. We had several emails back and forth where he provided basic details on the concept. And I tried to evaluate the idea and figure out: What did the founder really need here? Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Was it a case of needing Homework? Did they really need a Startup CTO or Developer or both?

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Startups Need the Eight P’s for Successful Funding

Startup Professionals Musings

By Joseph A. Bockerstette, Main Street Venture Fund As I outlined last week, trophy angel investors are always looking for trophy entrepreneurs. In many areas, not enough entrepreneurs meet the criteria, so it’s still a buyer’s market. The result is that the Main Street Venture Fund consistently has more money available than good opportunities for investment.

article thumbnail

Startup Strategy Roundtable: Not Coming To The Rescue Of Victory

ReadWriteStart

During this week's roundtable I addressed a commonly held critique of the 1M/1M program: that we're focusing on the basics and stating the obvious. I have seen this criticism at various places where this recap is syndicated on a weekly basis, as well as in certain random forums on the internet. Well, I have coached early stage entrepreneurs for a couple of years now - diligently, patiently - and have learned a few things.

article thumbnail

Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

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

article thumbnail

Twitter Link Roundup #62 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

crowdSPRING Blog

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!

article thumbnail

How To Instantly Turn What You Love Into An Income

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

Before I got into the fat loss industry, I was a musician (I still play today so who knows what the future holds!). In the past, I tried to make that love an income. My dreams were big, but my pockets ultimately were empty. Eventually I had to do what a lot of musicians do and get a job. Luckily, it ended up being in something else that I love – health and fitness.

More Trending

article thumbnail

Web Designers vs. Web Developers

SoCal CTO

Funny graphic by @shanesnow that captures the difference between web designers vs. web developers: Like the issue of Startup CTO or Developer , often startup founders who are less technical have this same question. Do I need a designer or a developer? I need to come back to this issue and write more in the future – spectrum of what designers vs. developers cover.

article thumbnail

Do You Have the Right Traits to be a Great Boss?

Startup Professionals Musings

Everyone can recognize a great manager a mile away, so why is it so hard to find one? We all remember a few that are “legends in their own mind”, but that doesn’t do it. In fact, the clue here is that the view in your mind is the only one that matters, rather than the other way around. Almost every one of us in business can remember that one special manager in their career who exemplifies the norm, who commanded our respect, and treated us like a friend, even in the toughest of personal or busin

article thumbnail

Risk-takers and Strategists: Jeremiah Owyang on Long-Term Social Media Planning

ReadWriteStart

Two years ago, 93% of Americans believed companies should have a social media presence. Today, brands are hiring social media specialists for customer support, crowdsourced product development, promotions and even leads generation. At this point, with Twitter and Facebook having hit critical mass and millions opting into location-based advertisements, the issue for most organizations is transitioning from ad hoc profile updates to long-term strategy.

article thumbnail

Twitter Link Roundup #59 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

crowdSPRING Blog

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!

article thumbnail

3 Things to Consider When Staffing a Software Development Project

mashable.com

Top Topics Twitter YouTube Facebook iPhone Google Video Google Buzz Social media Business Small business Advertise Network Blippr iPhone App Mashable France MashDeck Twitter App Mobile Site Social Media Events Twitter Guide Book Facebook Guide Book Partners App Development WordPress Experts MaxCDN Content Delivery Dynect Managed DNS Rackspace Hosting Intridea About Us Submit a Tip!

article thumbnail

Design for the Novice, Configure for the Pro

Both Sides of the Table

I recently wrote about my philosophy of minimalism that “ less is more &# with the mantra “when in doubt, leave it out.&#. I’ve had a long-standing rule of thumb in product design, which I call “design for the novice, configure for the pro.&# I started saying this back in 2001/02, long before the era of Web 2.0, lean startups or even the advent of AJAX.

Design 325
article thumbnail

Entrepreneurship in the Fast Lane

Growthink Blog

What do all of the most dynamic 21st Century entrepreneurial companies have in common? They: 1. Pursue Global Markets 2. Place Corporate Culture Above All Else 3. Embrace the Black Swan Both Within and Without 1. Pursue Global Markets. If you don’t have a business that can scale globally, then either don’t bother or just content yourself with staying small.

Africa 104
article thumbnail

Big-Company Executives Rarely Survive in a Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

Mid-level or even top executives who “grew up” in large companies often look with envy at startups, and dream of how easy it must be running a small organization, where you can see the whole picture and it appears you have total control. In reality, very few executives or professional stars from large corporations thrive in the early-stage startup environment.

Startup 238
article thumbnail

Meet the New Enterprise Customer, He’s a Lot Like the Old Enterprise Customer

Ben's Blog

Meet the new boss. same as the old boss. —The Who, Won’t Get Fooled Again. Cause hustlers hit the block when police change shifts. New York, California different toilet, same s#@t. —The Game, Let Us Live. Every day I hear from entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists about an exciting new movement called “the consumerization of the enterprise.

article thumbnail

Twitter Link Roundup #60 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

crowdSPRING Blog

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!

article thumbnail

Is Action First, Fix Later The Right Model For You?

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

I am a believer in taking action. As I discussed in my mini-life story , I jumped into my field head first and never looked back. I was guided by the belief that if I cared enough and was smart enough, the little things would fix themselves. Years later, I am still reeling off of some of those mistakes I decided to “fix later“ and so is my brand. I am more successful than ever, but I make sure to take my steps more carefully.

article thumbnail

Be Careful not to be Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Both Sides of the Table

Justyn Howard, founder of Sprout Social has a blog post that he’s written about his experiences of migrating from scrappy tools to more efficient ones (i.e. Using Balsamiq instead of SnagIt, Website Optimizer over just Google Analytics and FTP). It’s a great topic, his post is well written and given that he’s going through it right now in his startup it’s worth reading his point of view on the topic.

Germany 333
article thumbnail

Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

Last week, (seems that all of my postings start this way) I attended the Second Annual West Coast Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit , a Women’s Network for Sustainable Future event , at IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. There were about 150-200 women in attendance (my guestimate). I am by no means an expert on “green&# businesses and sustainability, but I definitely have an interest in learning more about what this area is all about.

article thumbnail

How to Get Funding From Friends, Family, and Fools

Startup Professionals Musings

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than angel investors or professional investors (VCs). In fact, most investors “require” that you already have some investment from friends and family before they will even step up to the plate. You see, investors invest in people, before they invest in ideas or products.

article thumbnail

Thanksgiving – THE Holiday for Entrepreneurs

Growthink Blog

I have always felt that Thanksgiving acknowledges the best American qualities – hard work, diversity as strength , and a focus on solutions not problems. And not coincidentally, these same qualities are the cornerstones of successful entrepreneurship. As every school boy and girl knows, Thanksgiving traces its origin from a 1621 Pilgrim harvest feast to celebrate surviving an extremely difficult first winter in the New World.

Harvest 85
article thumbnail

Building Great Software: Less is More

crowdSPRING Blog

My experience with crowdSPRING over the past several years has proven to me that with few exceptions, startups and established companies should strive to keep their software features simple. Simple features allow you to release software more often and to iterate and leverage feedback from users. Time and time again, we’ve made the mistake of over-thinking a feature only to learn that we didn’t do a good job planning and took far too long to release that feature.

article thumbnail

36 places where you can submit your startup for some coverage

blog.traindom.com

Traindom Traindom Customer Login Sign Up Affiliates Support Information Marketing Conversations 36 places where you can submit your startup for some coverage October 4th, 2010 § 45 Photo used under Creative Commons from theparadigmshifter So you have a new startup company and want some coverage. This post will give you 36 places where you can submit your startup for reviews, mentions or at least some backlinks.

article thumbnail

What Angel Investing & Florida Condos Have in Common

Both Sides of the Table

It’s really hard to zig when the whole world seems to be zagging. One of my favorite quotes I learned in high school was: “Nonconformity is the Highest Form of Social Attainment&#. It was written as the yearbook quote of the smartest seniors as I was finishing my freshman year. It has always stood with me. I have had a low bullshit meter.

Florida 299
article thumbnail

Market Samurai Review – How Keyword Research Can Increase Your Traffic

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

Ever since I started blogging, I intentionally stayed away from keyword research. It just seemed like one of those things that could take up too much of my time. I understood the principles of keyword research but felt that in order to do it effectively, I had a lot of work to do. I opted to take the “lazy” way out. I just wrote. Writing came easy, and I didn’t have to worry about doing too much work before writing.

article thumbnail

Five Reasons for Setting Startup Strategy Early

Startup Professionals Musings

All too many startups are founded simply on the basis of a new and exciting technology invented by an industrious technologist. This is the origin of the “ solution looking for a problem ” and “ if we build it, they will come ” syndromes, which result in surprise and frustration waiting for funding, and waiting for customers that don’t materialize. The right approach is to start by solving a problem causing real pain to a large number of customers willing to pay real money for a solution.

article thumbnail

Technology and my first week home.

deal architect

On October 7 while presenting in Vail, CO, I thought I had an attack of altitude sickness (not unusual me coming from sea level in Florida). The medics disagreed and had me checked into the Swedish Medical Center in Denver.

Denver 264
article thumbnail

Small business and startup issues: choosing the wrong software

crowdSPRING Blog

More than ever, small businesses and startups must execute and bring their software-based products or services to market quickly. As Groupon has demonstrated, there is often (but not always) a huge first-to-market advantage. One risk of moving fast involves selecting software technologies that allow you to bring your products/services to market quickly, but that ultimately may not easily scale to accomodate increasing traffic.

article thumbnail

Hubris Versus Humility: The $15 billion Difference

Steve Blank

Describing your product as “new and “never been done before” instead of “we’re just like those others guys, but better” could cost your company billions. RIM and TiVo are two examples of getting it right and wrong. Research in Motion (RIM). By 1992 Research in Motion (RIM) had been in business for eight years, had 16 employees, sales of about $500,000 a year, and three or four business lines.

article thumbnail

Understanding How The Innovator’s Dilemma Affects You

Both Sides of the Table

One of the most influential books of my career is The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clay Christensen. I cannot recommend it enough for people in the technology or media sectors. Many people bandy about the definitions of “disruptive technology&# or “the innovator’s dilemma&# without ever having read the book and almost universally misunderstand the concepts.

Vesting 376
article thumbnail

Authority Pro Review – A WordPress Premium Theme For Internet Marketers

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

I was given review access to a brand new premium wordpress theme called Authority Pro , so I asked Ilana Wechsler if she’d like to take a look at it, test it and then write a review for readers of Entrepreneurs-Journey. Ilana has quite a bit of experience playing with WordPress so she was eager to test out this theme. Here’s what she had to say about Authority Pro – a premium theme designed specifically for internet marketers… Like most things in life, you get what you pa

article thumbnail

How to Avoid the ‘Peter Principle’ in Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

Most people think that the Peter Principle (employee rises to his level of incompetence) only applies to large organizations. Let me assure you that it is also alive and well within startups. There I see founders and managers who are stalled transplants from large organizations, and technologists trying to run the business. Forty years ago, in a satiric book named “ The Peter Principle ”, Dr.

article thumbnail

The Apple of the eye of the New York Times

deal architect

A couple of weeks ago I highlighted how mainstream media like the New York Times, Fortune etc write overwhelmingly and fawningly about Apple, Google, Facebook and other consumer tech and largely ignore enterprise tech. One exceptional journalist I identified was. Tags: Industry Commentary.

New York 247
article thumbnail

Top Startup Blogs, All Traffic Does Not Convert the Same, Time Tracking Without Timers, and more…

Software By Rob

Top Startup Blogs – A real-time blog ranking tool by Dharmesh Shah based on his blog grader. I must have made a wrong-turn at some point because I think I’m the only blogger in the top 20 who isn’t a millionaire. All Traffic Does Not Convert the Same – Along the lines of my post Nine Levels of Traffic Quality (though he ranks traffic sources in a different order), this is an in-depth look at one marketer’s experience looking at conversion rates from various sources

article thumbnail

Creating Startup Success – Customer Development + Business Model Design

Steve Blank

In previous posts I’ve talked about what the combination of Business Model Design, Customer Development and Agile Methodologies mean to startups and intrapreneurs in large companies; it’s the beginning of entrepreneurship as a science with its own rules and methodologies. Alexander Osterwalder, who authored the Business Model Generation book, put together a slidedeck on his thoughts of what happens when you combine the business model concept to shape and structure your business ideas with the C

article thumbnail

You’re Most Vulnerable in a Deal Right After You’ve Won

Both Sides of the Table

Recently I wrote a blog post about how I hated losing, but I embrace it as a way to learn, improve and increase my win rates. One of the things I learned from my “post-game analysis&# is that you’re most vulnerable right after you’ve won the deal. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but my experience tells me it’s true. At the moment you pop the champagne cork and let down your guard is when you’re easiest to attack.