Sat.Mar 14, 2015 - Fri.Mar 20, 2015

article thumbnail

Is This Ex-Googler’s Pre-Product Approach the Fast Track to Product-Market Fit?

View from Seed

'If you’re in the tech startup industry today, you get the sense that every one of your peers wants to take on the entire world. Founders laud their own “end-to-end” thinking. Engineers and even marketers proudly claim to be “full stack.” Startups launched around seemingly mundane, insular problems glow about their abilities to change the world.

Product 263
article thumbnail

Don’t Let Too Many Features Ruin Your Next Product

Startup Professionals Musings

'“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more new business solutions than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “t

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

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

article thumbnail

5 Tools To Button Up Your Business

YoungUpstarts

'by Max Yoder, co-founder and CEO of Lesson.ly. Small businesses are always looking for improvements to help their businesses run effectively while maintaining a positive reputation in the community. Businesses want to appear as though they aren’t brand new and have a firm foundation, especially when it comes to new employees, or consumers looking for a new product.

article thumbnail

How To Get Things Better And Cheaper

Mike Michalowicz

'In a few rare moments of downtime, I was flipping through TV channels when I happened on Suze Orman. I paused to watch a bit, and her words were profound. She said that financial freedom today achieved by getting more pleasure out of what you save rather than what you spend. While Suze was talking about personal finances, I immediately thought that the same principle holds true for businesses as well.

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

Tools, Tips, and Tricks to Improve Business Writing

Up and Running

'Of the many courses I took in college, business writing was the most challenging. Students whose plans involve business careers are not interested in abstract rules, referencing standards, confusing legal language, and other materials presented in those classes. After a term spent editing and writing different documents, my classmates and I ended up even more confused.

Email 87
article thumbnail

Will Your Business Innovation Disrupt The Market?

Startup Professionals Musings

'Every entrepreneur with a new technology tells me that his innovation will be industry-disrupting, meaning that it will render the existing technology obsolete, and create a new market. Yet truly disruptive innovations, like the smartphone from Apple and the rise of the Internet, are very rare, and are generally unpredicted. So why would any investor ever believe any of these claims?

Marketing 210

More Trending

article thumbnail

Plex Systems: Celebrating Makers

deal architect

'During a plant tour on Wednesday, I was asked if most vendors organized such visits for analysts. I had to confess I have been to data centers, call centers, R&D labs but not to many factory visits. Most ERP vendors.

Cloud 286
article thumbnail

Some Perspective on Twitter vs. Meerkat

Both Sides of the Table

'*. I love Twitter. I’m loving Meerkat so far. It’s brand new but the enthusiasm we’ve seen for such an early product is truly awesome. I ran a VC AMA (ask me anything) last Monday on Meerkat and had > 1,000 simultaneous people asking me questions. The energy was election so I’m going to do it again this coming week. You may have read that Twitter has now made it harder for Meerkat to operate.

SMS 266
article thumbnail

8 Signs Of Change That Good Entrepreneurs See First

Startup Professionals Musings

'When the economy tanks as it did in the last recession, that’s a strong signal that things have to change, and it’s hard to miss. But most of us in business have to deal most of the time with weak signals, or change that is happening in a far more subtle way. These changes can be cultural, like the increasing need to be social, spawning Facebook and a hundred others, or technological, like the explosion of mobile devices around the world.

article thumbnail

How To Build A Killer Sales Attitude When You Feel Like Quitting

YoungUpstarts

'by Dr. Alan Zimmerman, author of “ The Payoff Principle: Discover the 3 Secrets for Getting What You Want Out of Life and Work “ Life in sales isn’t fair. You know that. Some salespeople have more than their share of difficulties, and some salespeople get more breaks than they deserve. What fascinates me is how salespeople respond to their difficulties.

Sales 137
article thumbnail

Bruce J. Rogow on SAP Nation

deal architect

'Bruce J. Rogow is the closest to a Yoda in the IT Industry. With his background at Nolan, Norton, then Gartner, now as principal at IT Odyssey (where he crisscrosses the country in his car visiting CIOs and cataloging their.

270
270
article thumbnail

Fellow VCs: Here’s Where to Invest $1B+

Genuine VC

'A couple weeks ago my colleague Dimitri Dadiomov published a post on NextView’s “View From Seed” blog which answered the question “Should we take Harvard MBAs Seriously as Startup Founders?” The (obvious) answer of “yes” he supported with comprehensive research about the entrepreneurial activity coming out of Harvard’s business school. We knew that it was formidable, but the sheer number of founders, companies founded, dollars raised, and (early) exits from HBS founders over the past six years

Cofounder 208
article thumbnail

10 Indications That Your Startup Role Is Killing You

Startup Professionals Musings

'If an entrepreneur doesn’t find themselves in over their head at least 20% of the time, they are probably not pushing the limits, not taking enough risk, and probably not working on an idea that’s worth doing. The challenge in to know when and how to ask for help, and not let bravado and ego mask anxieties. The best people know when they don’t know, and know how to find the right help.

Burn Rate 217
article thumbnail

Marketers Focus More Attention on Mobile Gaming

YoungUpstarts

'by Jessica Oaks. Video games used to come with a stigma. The idea that rather than getting out, being active and interacting with others, gamers stayed locked away in their basements, engaging only in virtual relationships and developing a Vitamin D deficiency. Those stereotypes have quickly been shattering, however, with the emergence and immense popularity of mobile gaming.

Mobile 136
article thumbnail

Whither technology journalism?

deal architect

'I write this as hundreds of media folk are in Austin at SXSW probably dissecting what happened to GigaOm. My perspective is more as media consumer – a voracious one who scrounges hundreds of articles for my blogs and my.

article thumbnail

You have great, BtoB content. Now what?

Rembrandt Communications

'It’s time to turn all of that copy into sales via content strategy! What’s your BtoB Content Strategy, Anyway? News flash. It’s 2015 and time to use your BtoB content to get the best results possible. Sure, you have great blogs, expert insights, social-media posts, articles, newsletters, and more. You have pages and pages of […]. The post You have great, BtoB content.

PPC 136
article thumbnail

5 ways to validate your startup ideas with $100

The Next Web

'Sean Kim is the creator of The Growth List, helping you create a business around your lifestyle. This post originally appeared on his blog. There is a misconception that is spread around the media that in order to win big, we need to risk big. That the most successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders of the world risked everything to get to where they are, is simply not true.

Startup 124
article thumbnail

8 Tips On Intercultural Communication And International Etiquette To Create Successful Business Relationships In Asia

YoungUpstarts

'By Sharon Schweitzer, J.D., author of “ Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Guide to Building Trust, Inspiring Respect, and Creating Long-Lasting Business Relationships “ To succeed in the global economy, business leaders have to be culturally in tune with their Asian counterparts. Why? Because only then can they create lasting relationships that make prosperity and profitability possible.

Asia 180
article thumbnail

One Microsoft evolves

deal architect

'In the last couple of years, I have posted a few entries on how Microsoft has been leveraging its wide portfolio of assets – to win Delta business, and here, here and here Headed to its annual Convergence event in.

Portfolio 190
article thumbnail

Three Startup Books To Buy Today

Feld Thoughts

'As a huge reader, I love the recent plethora of startup / entrepreneurship books. I’m involved in three new ones – one that I’ve co-authored, one that FG Press has published, and one where I’m part of a Kickstarter campaign. I encourage you to grab each of them. The first is Startup Opportunities: Know When To Quit Your Day Job.

Startup 124
article thumbnail

My Kickstarter campaign is live -- I hope you'll be a part of it.

Startup Lessons Learned

'Since I published The Lean Startup, I have been compiling stories about the challenges and rewards of adopting the methodology. Sometimes I would interview people and take notes, and they’d ask me what I was writing and where the story might appear. “I don’t know,” I’d say. I really didn’t. Writing a book is painful, and I wasn''t sure I ever would do it again.

Campaign 124
article thumbnail

Are You Living For The Weekends? Tactics to Help You Turn TGIF into TGIM

YoungUpstarts

'by Peter K. Studner, author of “ Super Job Search IV: The Complete Manual for Job Seekers and Career Changers “. Are you a TGIF person? Do you slog unenthusiastically through the workweek, counting the days and hours until the weekend begins? If so, was it always this way? Or was there a time when you were excited about your career and (even if you’d never admit it now) looked forward to seeing what each new workweek brought?

article thumbnail

The Ultimate Instagram Guide for Hair Salons

Up and Running

'Instagram is another great tool to add to your kit. Successful hair salons have to stay on top of trends, so it’s no surprise that salon owners and stylists are also embracing the hottest social media trend: Instagram. Instagram is the newest social media kid on the block, and its popularity is skyrocketing. According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, Instagram was the fastest growing social media network in 2014.

article thumbnail

If I’m A CEO And Have An Anxiety Attack, What Should I Do?

Feld Thoughts

'I recently received a long email from a CEO, who I don’t know, about an anxiety attack he had. At the end, was a pertinent question that I don’t think I’ve ever addressed before. “What is my responsibility to openly communicate this important matter to the Board? And how do I balance what I feel is a need for material disclosure with a desire for privacy around my personal health information?

Restful 120
article thumbnail

The two reasons early stage investors should be active investors

The Equity Kicker

'I’m on a panel at an investor conference tomorrow discussing the merits of active investing, which will be a debate about how much investors should do above and beyond the provision of cash. I’m writing this post to get my thoughts straight. As you probably know, Forward Partners bundles help from our startup team, our proven methodologies and office space with our cash investment so I will be talking my own book tomorrow and hence here.

article thumbnail

9 Best Practices For Consultants To Improve Their Client Relationships

YoungUpstarts

'by Sona Jepsen , vice president of consultant relations at Fidelity National Information Services. Have you ever noticed how much a consultant’s life is like a never-ending episode of “The Bachelor”? You put your best foot forward to woo your clients, promise them the moon in the form of a huge ROI, and hope each whirlwind romance ends with a big consulting contract proposal.

Hiring 156
article thumbnail

How to Use Patreon to Start a Business from Home

Up and Running

'Thanks to Patreon, CEO Jack Conte doesn just run the business, he also uses it to pursue his own hobby! Finding information online on how to make money from your hobbies, or on how to start a business from home , often leads you to the same solutions: start a service business, offer your skills as a consultant, sell things on Ebay, blah, blah, blah.

article thumbnail

AppDirect Is Hiring After Closing a $50 Million Financing

Feld Thoughts

'Earlier this year, we took part in a $50 million Series D investment round in AppDirect. Headquartered in San Francisco, AppDirect makes it easy for businesses to find, buy, manage, and monitor cloud services from a central location. They also give providers and developers an easy way to distribute, sell, and market cloud services. That last part is particularly interesting from our perspective.

Finance 120
article thumbnail

How This Young, Female and Latina Investor Broke Into a Middle-Aged, Male and White Industry

Hunter Walker

'Ana Diaz-Hernandez is part of the investing team at Kapor Capital. Mitch Kapor and Freada Klein have been substantial influences in my career and that of my wife’s as well (Mitch was an original investor and Board chair of Linden Lab, where I worked, and my wife was ED of Level Playing Field Institute which Freada founded). Kapor Capital has some double bottom line principles they apply to investing and more generally, have been meaningful supporters of diversity in technology.

article thumbnail

4 Yoga Principles That Will Make You Unstoppable In Business

YoungUpstarts

'by Paresh Shah , founder and CEO of Glimpulse. Most people associate yoga with sweaty spandex-clad people who greet the day in downward dog and spend hours twisting their bodies into pretzels. But yoga isn’t just a fitness fad; it’s an ancient practice dating back thousands of years that’s known to deliver a host of incredible benefits. Not only is yoga good for the mind, body, and spirit, but it can also be a valuable tool for enhancing your business.

Hosting 147
article thumbnail

Why My Crowdfunding Campaign Failed

Up and Running

'Crowdfunding has a reputation as an accessible way to secure funding for startups and small businesses. It’s quick and easy; just throw up your video, backers start investing their money, and you’re set. Anyone can do it, right? The truth is, it’s far from that simple. For every story of someone whose project went viral and exceeded its goal in the first few hours, there are several from earnest entrepreneurs whose crowdfunding efforts missed the mark.

Campaign 111
article thumbnail

Mexican Food and Entrepreneurship for Lunch in Dubai

Feld Thoughts

'Amy and I are spending the week in Dubai on the annual Wellesley Art Trip. I’ve been doing some of the art stuff, visited one of our LPs, and have been getting together with local entrepreneurs and investors. Yesterday, I had a magnificent two and a half hour lunch with three guys from BECO Capital – Dany Farha, Amir Farha, and Sorusch Amiri.

article thumbnail

UK and Germany driving growth in European venture

The Equity Kicker

'I’m sure there are lots of reasons for this, but an important one is political support. The UK government has done a great job of supporting the UK startup ecosystem over the last few years, most notably through tax incentives for investors.

Germany 104
article thumbnail

Is Your Company A Patriarchy? Seven Warning Signs To Watch For

YoungUpstarts

'by Dan Prosser, author of “ Thirteeners: Why Only 13 Percent of Companies Successfully Execute Their Strategy – and How Yours Can Be One of Them “. It sounds like a notion that should have gone the way of the gold watch, three-martini lunches, and the secretarial pool, but the truth is, patriarchy is alive and well inside of today’s companies.

article thumbnail

One Page Business Pitch Template Download [FREE]

Up and Running

'Before you write your business plan , you should spend some time experimenting with your business idea and gathering your core assumptions onto a one page business pitch. That’s why we created our one page business pitch template. Using the free template, you can quickly create a simple, shareable, and impressive overview of your business. With detailed instructions for each section, you won’t need a business degree or special training to complete your pitch.

article thumbnail

Waking Up On The Other Side Of The World

Feld Thoughts

'Amy and I are spending the week in Dubai together. Today was our first day here and it reminded me of a great quote by Cayce Pollard in William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition. “Jet lag is your soul catching up with you.” That perfectly describes today. So, I’ll leave you with a bird’s eye view of Dubai starting from the Burj Khalifa, which is pretty epic at multiple levels.

114
114