Q: Should I Tap My 401K To Bootstrap?
Q: Should I tap my 401K to bootstrap my startup? A: No, and read Barry Moltz’s “You Have to Be a Little Crazy” on the risks of money from friends and family.
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1 Idea Stage
Good and Bad Reasons to Pivot
Much has been written about a startup making a pivot in direction after Eric Ries first coined the term in a 2009 blog post “Pivot don’t Jump to a New Vision.” The word pivot has attracted almost as much wordplay as the word lean. What follows is a short list of good and bad reasons to
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Resources for Student Entrepreneur Organizations
With the 2016 school year getting ready to start in the next six to eight weeks at most colleges and universities I have had several conversations with student entrepreneur organizations about how I might be able to help them. I have developed content and given talks and webinars over the last five years that may provide
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Jonathan Bendor: Use Rubrics To Guide Innovation
An interesting interview from May 1, 2015 with Jonathan Bendor, a Stanford professor, who suggests that firms use rubrics to guide innovation so that criticism becomes less personal and more consistent and constructive. What follows is an edited transcript with some additional commentary.
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A Serious Conversation Can Change Your Life
Theodore Zeldin gave a series of six lectures on conversation that were collected in slim book called “Conversation: How Talk Can Change Our Lives.” I found it offered a number of insights on what is needed for a serious conversation. And since serious conversation is one of the primary tools for early market exploration and
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Nature, Technology and Magic
What seems natural, artificial, or supernatural is a function of familiarity. Nature is the background or context for innovation. The challenge is that we live in a world and culture formed by millennia of innovation so that some incredibly advanced technologies seem natural. The difference between technology and magic is not that one works more
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3D Printing: The Next Best Thing But Not Yet
3D printing is overhyped and its implications are not well understood. It will be twenty plus years before there is a 3D printer in most homes due to limitations of the cost of the machine, material, obtaining software and learning how to use the software. Other fundamentally problem that prevent 3D printers being adapted by the
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See What’s Missing: Careful Observation Key To Success
Many a successful has been started based on careful observation, in particular seeing what’s missing. This post uses excerpts from The Verger by W. Somerset Maugham to highlight some practical truths of entrepreneurship.
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When Exploring, Keep a Log
In new situations, keep a journal of your experiences. This helps you organize your thoughts and remember observations clearly. When exploring, keep a log. This strategy is useful if you are starting a new job, a new project, forming a startup or launching a new product in an unfamiliar market.
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Q: How Do I Interest People In My Product?
Q: We have a product for bloggers but I am having a lot of trouble getting leads. I have met bloggers from popular media companies at events, I have cold called them, e-mailed them, and e-mailed to on-line groups that I am a member of. None of this has worked. How do I interest people
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Entrepreneurs Exploit Errors in Conventional Wisdom
Four excerpts on how entrepreneurs exploit errors in conventional wisdom. The first two are from a Feb-8-2001 public forum that was part of BusinessWeek’s “Captains of Industry” series, where Oracle Corp. CEO Lawrence J. Ellison sat down with Editor-in-Chief Stephen B. Shepard. The last two are from Peter Thiel’s CS183 class lecture on secrets.
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5 Ways To Start Customer Discovery Interviews
Customer discovery interviews are essential to testing key B2B product hypotheses and understanding your target customers’ needs. Broadly there are five ways that you can reach out to potential customers for a discovery conversation. All of them assume that you have a clear picture of who your target is and a few key questions that
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Experimenting Skill
Michael Fern, Edith Harbaugh, Steve Hogan, and Sean Murphy discuss the Innovator’s DNA experimenting skill.
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Networking Skill
Tristan Kromer joins Steve Hogan and Sean Murphy to discuss the Innovator’s DNA networking skill, an essential capability entrepreneurs need to develop to foster innovation.
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Observing Skill
Jeff Allison, former VP of Engineering at Cisco Systems joins us to discuss the Innovator’s DNA observing skill.
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Questioning Skill
Sarah Gray, Ethan Thorman, and Mark Cook join Steve Hogan and Sean Murphy to discuss the Innovator’s DNA Questioning skill, offering lessons learned asking questions to foster innovation.
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Associating Skill
Panel sessions Feb 22, 2012 on Innovator’s DNA Skill #1 Associating. Terry Frazier of Cognovis, Steve Hogan of Tech-Rx, and Sean Murphy of SKMurphy. Part of the Book Club For Business Impact covered lessons learned applying a number of techniques for associating from chapter 2 of the “Innovator’s DNA” by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton
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Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Series Overview
Steve Hogan and Sean Murphy walk through a five part webinar series on “The Innovator’s DNA” by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen,and Clayton Christensen. Sean thinks it’s the best book on innovation and entrepreneurship for 2011 and useful for any team that is trying to innovate. Each webinar will be in a roundtable format and include
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Movies to Renew Your Sense of Wonder
I caught Interstellar over the weekend and was mesmerized for the entire three hour runtime. Coop the astronaut/farmer falls goes exploring and falls down a series of rabbit holes that take him far from home. It’s a movie that celebrates exploration and continually triggered my sense of wonder if only because none of the protagonists are
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It’s OK To Ask “Would You Use This?” in Customer Discovery
It’s OK to ask a B2B prospect if they would use your product during customer discovery. Just don’t to stop at “Yes” and assume validation or a likely sale.
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