HP produced its first brochure and sent it to a list of about 25 potential customers provided by Fred Terman. Orders soon came in from early customers.
HP’s Early Customers Came From Fred Terman’s Social Network Read More »
Pierre Khawand of People-OnTheGo and I were on a panel at GABA in October of last year on “Communication Today: Blogs, E-mail and More” and we had a great conversation on blogs and wikis. He has invited me to speak on “Wiki Use Case: Managing Team Meetings: Agendas, Minutes and Tasks” at today’s Lunch &
Lunch & Learn: Using Wikis for Projects Read More »
I was an early fan of Steve Blank’s customer development model. This post was written when “Four Steps to the Epiphany” was only available on Cafe Press and documents the early set of principles he espoused.
Steve Blank on Customer Development Process for Startups Read More »
The Idea to Revenue Workshop scheduled for January 19 is now sold out and no walk-ins will be accepted. We had added this in December in response to the overflow demand for the December 6 one and are now considering adding a third. Please contact us and let us know if you are interested or
Idea to Revenue Workshop on Jan-19-08 is Sold Out Read More »
We get asked “Will you sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?” fairly often, to the point that we are proactive, suggesting that a prospect take a look at our Mutual NDA [PDF] and sign it if it would increase their comfort level. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) allows us to have a deeper and more useful discussion. We
Let’s hope the New Year finds us all healthy, surrounded by loved ones, and living up to our potential. A quartet of quotes from Mignon McLaughlin to help kick off 2008 The time to begin most things was ten years ago. Courage can’t see around corners, but goes around them anyway. Every day of our
The 2007 CINA Holiday Mixer had a nice turnout: it was networking followed by a traditional twelve course Chinese lunch.
CINA Holiday Mixer Read More »
To “see the elephant” entrepreneurs must work toward a holistic perspective by integrating advice and conflicting views from a variety of sources.
Seeing The Elephant: The Entrepreneur’s Challenge of Integrating Advice Read More »
2003 reflections on the dotcom crash–the year I started SKMurphy, Inc., and 4 rules of thumb from Richard Wiseman on making you own luck.
Entrepreneurs, Luck, and Silicon Valley Read More »
Entrepreneurs often have to ask an expert for help. Here is some common mistakes to avoid and suggestions for how to make a positive response more likely.
How To Ask An Expert For Help Read More »
CINA Holiday Mixer Set for Sat-Dec-15-2007 I have been invited to emcee this year’s CINA Holiday mixer, it will be held at Fenwick on Saturday December 15, from 10am to 1pm (with lunch included). It should be a lot of fun. The CINACon 2007 Showcase participants in attendance will be asked to answer three questions:
CINA Holiday Mixer Sat-Dec-15 Read More »
Athol Foden was a guest speaker at today’s Bootstrapper Breakfast and he brought his passion for naming and deep knowledge of the issues that around it. One question that came up this morning–and comes up with a lot of very early stage teams–is whether or not to name the company the same as the product
One Name or Two for Product and Company Read More »
Here are 21 great questions for developing new products, the checklist is from “Breakthrough Thinking From Inside the Box” by Coyne, Clifford, and Dye; the commentary is mine.
21 Great Questions for Developing New Products Read More »
I came across a good quote on innovation and invention in a 2004 article in Fortune Magazine by Harold Evans called “What Drives America’s Greatest Innovators“ (emphasis added) [The] defining characteristic of the innovator: a determination to bring a brainwave into the bustle of the marketplace. […] More innovations come from borrowing and combining than
Entrepreneurial Innovation Comes More From Borrowing & Combining Than Invention Read More »
Finding and adding people successfully to your startup team is a key skill and set of processes you need to master for growth.
Finding And Adding People Successfully to Your Startup Team Read More »
To keep our workshops interactive we limit them to a dozen people. We’ve got two seats left in our Thursday December 6th “Idea to Revenue workshop” so we have added a second one Saturday January 19, 2008. This one will be held at the Moorpark Hotel in San Jose. We got a number of requests
We Added a Second Idea to Revenue Workshop on January 19, 2008 Read More »
Three key points about seeking investment.
Three Points About Seeking Investment Read More »
The best feedback from early customers is a story: this post explores four kinds of stories you should listen for and how to take advantage of them.
The Best Feedback From Your Early Customers Is a Story Read More »
Resist the temptation to minimize the time you spend to get feedback from early customers. Focus on depth of insight. This can come only from conversation.
The Best Way To Get Feedback From Early Customers Is a Conversation Read More »
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
Planning Will Save a Software Startup Money Read More »
