In “Business for the Right-Brained,” M. C. A. Hogarth taps her experience working day jobs and as an independent artist working artist to offer practical insights on the mindset and organization needed for an artist to succeed in business.
M. C. A. Hogarth on Business for the Right-Brained Read More »
We use a four phase project planning model we call 1-2-4-1 which allocates time to planning, prototyping key challenges, finishing the bulk of the work, and polishing.
Chalk Talk 1-2-4-1 Read More »
A chalk talk on Stewart Brand’s model for how six layers in a building change at different rates from his book “How Buildings Learn.”
Chalk Talk: How Buildings Learn Read More »
On Memorial Day we commemorate those who have died in the service of our country in a day of remembrance. This year I revisit George Kennan’s “Long Telegram” inspired by a recent talk by Konstantin Kisin.
Memorial Day 2022: Revisiting the Long Telegram Read More »
An interview with Adam Starrh on lessons learned building a distribution network to sell California almonds and pistachios in India.
Adam Starrh: have the courage to listen, cultivate mindfulness Read More »
In “Solving for Pattern,” Wendell Berry writes about organic farming principles. Still, he offers a systems perspective applicable to startups and growing businesses that need to develop both staff and technology to thrive.
Seven Insights from “Solving for Pattern” by Wendell Berry Read More »
Brendan McAdams and Sean Murphy discuss cultivating luck in business endeavors and relationships.
Cultivating Luck in Business Endeavors and Relationships Read More »
For startups, regardless of the niche or product being sold, visibility is arguably one of the single most critical challenges faced. You can have the coolest solutions in the world, but if nobody knows it exists, it’s essentially worthless. And this is why visibility is so important. In this video we share our reflections on
Reflections on Serendipity Read More »
The key challenges to getting your first ten customers relate to understanding the customer buying process and managing the startup learning process for need, impact, customer definition and message.
Why is it so hard to get your first ten customers? Read More »
Some thoughts on heroes using Joe Rogan’s admonition to “Be the hero of your own movie. If your life was a movie and it started now, what would the hero do right now?” as a point of departure.
Joe Rogan: Be the Hero of Your Own Movie Read More »
Business leaders today are faced with business challenges and a level of uncertainty that is unprecedented in recent memory. Established approaches and well-tried options no longer work, forcing us to make business decisions in uncertain times. This article collects some useful tips for making better business decisions that I have learned over the last 40
Making Business Decisions in Uncertain Times Read More »
This post on B2B customer development interviews builds on one of my most popular. If you would like help preparing for customer development interviews or reviewing results from recent interviews, contact us. Here are my lessons learned from taking part in interviews where the startup planned to offer a product or service to a business.
40 Tips for B2B Customer Development Interviews Read More »
A collection of practical suggestions for getting work done curated from a roundtable conversation among entrepreneurs at an Oct-25-2019 Bootstrappers Breakfast.
Getting Work Done: Leveraging Calendars, Task Lists, and Project Plans Read More »
In uncertain and evolving situations it’s best to share only what you are certain of. Repeating second hand information only spreads fear and doubt and causes more problems than it solves.
Only Share What You Are Certain Of In Uncertain and Evolving Situations Read More »
In “Thinkertoys,” Michael Michalko (@MichaelMichalko) describes “The Phoenix Checklist” as a rich set of questions developed by the CIA designed to help agents look at a challenge from many different angles.
The Phoenix Checklist for Framing a Problem and Its Solution Read More »
Some thoughts on things we do to make it easier for teams who speak English as a second language to understand us.
Lessons From Working With Teams Who Speak English as a Second Language Read More »
Paul Tyma defines the Old Man’s Business Model as taking the sure way, even though it may be longer than shortcuts that may not work. Tyma calls it a “trade-off of investment up-front versus brute-force hope.” The “old man” invests up front instead of hoping a quick and dirty approach may work.
Paul Tyma on “The Old Man’s Business Model” Read More »
Jason Roberts 2010 “Luck Surface Area” model explains the need for entrepreneurs to combine time spent doing and developing expertise with time spent communicating with others. It’s a very useful and actionable insight. Unfortunately, the diagram he chose to illustrate the model assumes that entrepreneurs have an unlimited amount of time to do both. I
Increase Your Luck Surface Area To Get More Customers Read More »
Neuromancer, William Gibson’s first novel, was published in 1984. It helped to establish the cyberpunk genre of science fiction: a dark future where computing, communication, and artificial intelligence technologies were dominant, complemented by significant medical advances, large inhabited satellites in Earth orbit, and considerable drug use. I recently re-read it and was struck by how things
Revisiting Neuromancer After Three Decades Read More »
Attention-selling business models have incentives for fostering unhealthy addictive behavior. They are refining online interactions into the equivalent of digital heroin: experiences that are highly pleasurable, highly addictive, and in the long run seriously harmful. My goal is to offer several perspectives on certain business models that encourage a “race to the bottom” and provide
Superstimulus: Refining Online Interactions into Digital Heroin Read More »
