Month: November 2007

Think You Have a Great Name, Think Again!

We have all heard of brands like Google, Cisco, Nike, Starbucks , and Lowe’s. Have you ever wondered how these companies got a great name? You probably haven’t heard of Ansearch , N-TRON, InSport International, Caribou Coffee, and Handy Andy. To me Ansearch sounds more like a search engine than Google, N-TRON seems more like …

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Using Web 2.0 Technology to Enable Strategic Selling: A Sales Executive Forum

I have had two interesting conversations with friends who are frustrated with some of the internal deficiencies within their companies. Both of my friends are accountants, but work for different firms and in different departments. However, they are both part of itinerant work forces and have the same problem. While out of the office, they …

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Planning Will Save a Software Startup Money

One of the best ways to save money is to plan ahead: as simply as possible while being explicit about assumptions, defining what constitutes minimum acceptable forward progress, and identifying what results would justify external investment. For an example see Guy Kawasaki’s blog for Oct-1-2007: Financial Models for Underachievers: Two Years of the Real Numbers …

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Giving Thanks

It’s appropriate on Thanksgiving to think of the things we have to be grateful for. My short list: Health Family Friends Opportunity As an entrepreneur I am interested in getting something new done. But life is what happens while you are making other plans. I can sometimes get so focused on trying to make a …

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Looking for Innovation at a Trade Show

Three tips for attending a trade show and scoping out breakthrough innovations: Start on the perimeter and work you way in to the main floor. All the innovation is in the startups booths on the outside. Before the show spend some time checking out exhibitors’ websites. Especially if you are not familiar with the company …

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Understanding vs. Mastery

“People tend to mistake understanding for mastery. Mastery is the ability to execute under pressure.” Ford Harding “The secret for discovering the ability to focus all of our mental and physical energy on a single task is no secret at all: recall the concentration of a child at play.” Edward Niam “Necessity may be the …

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Crucial Marketing Concepts for Technology Introduction at SF Bay ACM Wrap-up

So last night’s talk at the SF Bay ACM on “Crucial Marketing Concepts for Technology Introduction” was a blast. If you missed it we didn’t hand out slides but we did hand out copies of the short form of the Crucial Marketing Concepts article. It was a very technical audience, almost entirely software engineers and …

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Dutch Business Breakfast at US Market Access Center

I had the opportunity to attend a “Dutch Business Breakfast” that morning. It was organized by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency and held at the US Market Access Center. There were three speakers who addressed the challenges of European firms coming to Silicon Valley, followed by individual presentations by about a dozen Dutch startups. Chris …

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