We recently helped a client frame the exploration of an opportunity for acquiring a small software firm. Here are some questions to consider if you are contemplating the sale or acquisition of small software company.
Q: How To Evaluate Acquiring a Small Software Firm Read More »
The checklist for successful products has three broad categories of challenges a new product must address: it has to be feasible, it has to be desirable and it has to be profitable.
Checklist for Successful Products Read More »
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
Q: How Do I Interest People In My Product? Read More »
Q: I’m just about to get out of the building to validate hypotheses and start learning, but I have a problem with the business model canvas. I have been advised to develop detailed hypotheses before starting customer discovery. This is my startup and I have no idea how to fill in the business model canvas
Serious Problems With Business Model Canvas For Startups Read More »
A minimum viable product (MVP) for business must inspire trust. If prospects understand your promise they don’t believe you, they won’t buy.
Q: Is It Waste To Build A B2B MVP That Inspires Trust? Read More »
Critical tasks in a startup include conversations with prospects and customers, planning, retrospectives, recruiting, and focused execution.
Q: What Are Critical Tasks In A Startup? Read More »
I have not yet internalized the lessons from Daniel Cook‘s “Laws of Productivity: 8 Productivity Experiments You Don’t Need to Repeat” [PDF] so I find myself working–and now blogging–on a holiday. Here are my key takeaways from Cook’s roundup on knowledge work productivity and some additional thoughts on why they are so hard to put
Labor Day 2014: Knowledge Work Productivity Read More »
Map the customer buying process, needs, and situation before you invest time sending a detailed proposal. A quick request can mean you are column fodder. Q: We are still trying to close our first paying customer. We have a website up and have talked to a number of people. More or less out of the blue
Map Customer Buying Process Before Sending a Proposal Read More »
Nadia James posted a daily checklist for aligning efforts with goals for your business. It’s a good one, here are suggestions for how to operationalize it.
Nadia James’ Daily Checklist for Aligning Efforts With Goals Read More »
Ten Mistakes Early Stage Bootstrappers Often Make: In the last eight years I have moderated several hundred Bootstrappers Breakfasts. After doing a hundred or so and working with many clients who were bootstrapping I came up with a checklist for common mistakes bootstrappers and bootstrapping teams make in their first year or so.
Ten Mistakes Early Stage Bootstrappers Often Make Read More »
John Gardner outlines how leaders detect and act on weak signals of the future by looking beyond the horizon and planning for renewal.
John Gardner: Leaders Detect and Act on the Weak Signals of the Future Read More »
We work with several teams who have launched or are launching an application that makes a team or group more productive. Here are a couple of suggestions for things to consider. Be compatible with the status quo if at all possible Collaboration or workflow applications that require at least two people to adopt in order
A Simple Checklist for Introducing a Collaboration Application Read More »
My resolutions for 2014 are for habits, systems and capabilities: think marathon not sprint; reduce variation; formalize rules of thumb; play our own game.
Pete Tormey and I did a short podcast on a delegation checklist. We wanted to help bootstrapping entrepreneurs decide what tasks it made the most sense to delegate in an early stage startup.
Podcast with Pete Tormey: Bootstrapper’s Delegation Checklist Read More »
Tips for Choosing a Logo We get a number of questions about logos, here are three tips for designing or choosing a logo when you are bootstrapping or just getting started: Text Treatments: text logos are simple, the company name is always right there. Most high tech logos are text treatments, they are clear and
Tips for Choosing a Logo Read More »
We recently advised a client on a possible acquisition of a small service business and developed this due diligence checklist.
Due Diligence Checklist For Evaluating A Service Business for Acquisition Read More »
Here are five tests entrepreneurs should run before they settle on a “we’ll run ads” business model for their startup.
Five Tests For Your “We’ll Run Ads” Business Model Read More »
A suggested checklist for your end of year planning efforts. Gather what has worked and define what new experiments to run in the coming year
2012 Checklist for End of Year Planning Read More »
When you are trying to choose from a range of opportunities, a key step is to consider what’s changed that makes this a compelling opportunity for you.
Consider What’s Changed And What You Bring To An Opportunity Read More »
To grow the business founders must assess the task relevant maturity of each employee’s experience with a particular task to manage them effectively.
The Business is Everyone’s Business (Part 2) Read More »
