In 1995 I did some work for one of the early web startups in Palo Alto. They had delivered a number of database driven websites using a proprietary software technology that they had developed, and had sold the technology to several firms. But they had a problem collecting unpaid bills: they had not been paid […]
Collecting Unpaid Bills Read More »
There were a number of excellent suggestions from last Tuesday’s Bootstrapper Breakfast with Rick Kadet on managing and modeling your cash flow. Rick Kadet opened with some good points about common mistakes founders make in modeling and managing cash flow: They can focus too much on the current bank balance and burn rate and neglect
Tips For Modeling & Managing Cash Flow Read More »
Whether it’s a free phone call or a working session, a workshop, or a longer term engagement we normally send the following four question survey to all of the participants: Please help us improve our engagement and service delivery processes. Please take five minutes and answer the following four questions with one or two items
Simple Client Satisfaction & Process Improvement Survey Read More »
Ben Yoskovitz stresses the importance of starting with a passion for solving a problem, not evangelizing your solution.
Ben Yoskovitz: Start with Passion For Solving a Problem Read More »
It’s easy to tell someone that they are mistaken or wrong. It rarely encourages teamwork or useful dialog.
You Must Be Mistaken Read More »
The 2010 Silicon Valley economy continues to test bootstrapping entrepreneurs cash management skills. Here are tips for surviving a downturn.
Cash Management For Bootstrappers Read More »
Here is my roundup of blog posts about the 2010 Design Automation Conference. You can also follow the #47DAC hashtag on twitter for breaking announcements during the conference. Last year’s roundup is available a DAC 2009 Blog Coverage Roundup. Original intro: If you write a blog post that reviews an event, a day, or DAC
DAC 2010 Blog Coverage Roundup Read More »
Please use my contact form to let me know “What Should I Do To Improve the SKMurphy Blog?” and enter enter your name and E-mail if you are open to answering my questions about your suggestion. Update June 28: Dave Concannon really made my day with this tweet Sean Murphy’s blog is fantastic, check it
How Can I Improve This Blog? Read More »
I check out a few new products every month that I think may be of use in our practice. The following is a true story of a recent experience I had experimenting with a new B2B oriented one that I will call Hotel California. I have changed the name because I signed a license agreement
A Recent Experience As A Beta User Read More »
Originally published June 11, 2010 I mentioned last week that my “Startup Wisdom (2009) E-book” was available. I thought I would provide some more background on my interest in quotes and offer an incentive for my readers to “Suggest a Quote for Entrepreneurs” using my contact form. I have been collecting quotes for more than
Please Suggest a Quote For Entrepreneurs Read More »
Successful innovation results when entrepreneurs manage their own shortcomings, find a problem they care about, and approach it from different angles with small safe-to-fail experiments. Dave Snowden on Culture and Innovation Dave Snowden has a thought provoking post on Culture and Innovation where he identified three necessary, but not sufficient conditions for innovation to take
Innovation Needs Starvation, Pressure, and a New Perspective Read More »
Disruption is caused by the new business models an innovation enables. A disruptive innovation can be hard to spot because competitors can offer a different value proposition, not necessarily a better one.
Distant Early Warning Signs of Market Disruption Read More »
Key take-aways from customer discovery interviews: prospect’s description of their situation, needs, vision for a solution, plan to measure solution impact.
Six Elements to Extract From Customer Discovery Interviews Read More »
I am deprecating my use of Facebook except for a small group of friends and family. On-line communities do not enable person to person trust to scale.
Deprecating Facebook Part Two Read More »
I have decided that deprecating Facebook, migrating off of it as a social network, is the most prudent response to a series of actions by management. Because my decision is based on a lack of trust of the current leadership I will revisit it every six months or so to see if things have changed sufficiently
Deprecating Facebook Read More »
The Startup Wisdom E-Book (2009 Edition) is now available. currently unavailable. It collects contemporary and classic quotes that I believe offer entrepreneurs practical insights and encouragement. It includes commentary on many of the quotes and suggestions for how to apply them. Early reviewers have found it energizing. Like a double espresso, it’s something that you
“Startup Wisdom” E-Book (2009 Edition) Read More »
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On Memorial Day 2010 we commemorate those who died in the service of our country. Richard Fernandez has an outstanding post “Memory and Survival” that highlights the importance of remembering the altruistic sacrifices that not only make our society possible but better than it would be otherwise.
You can follow @skmurphy to get these quotes for entrepreneurs hot off the mojo wire or wait until the end of the month when they are collected on the blog. Enter your E-mail if you would like new blog posts to your inbox.
Quotes for Entrepreneurs — May 2010 Read More »
Cash Flow management and taking into account assets and resources is challenge for all businesses. Rick Kadet of The Brenner Group, Inc will be our guest at the Bootstrapppers Breakfast®, Tuesday, June 15 to discuss “Effective Cash Flow Financial Strategies” for early stage entrepreneurs. Rick will present a short 5-10 introduction to set the stage
