This post on customer development interviews is one of my most popular. If you would like help preparing for customer development interviews or reviewing results from recent interviews please sign up for a no cost no obligation office hours session and I will be happy to help you rehearse or de-brief. Here are my lessons learned from taking […]
Tips for B2B Customer Development Interviews Read More »
A bootstrapper needs four attributes to succeed: purpose, patience, politeness, and prudent risk taking. These are markers for strength not weakness.
Purpose, Patience, Politeness, and Prudent Risk Taking Read More »
There are many useful ways to measure customer commitment to your product. Here is a rubric to help you assess each of your customers.
Gauging Customer Commitment Read More »
Three variations on the idea that “successful entrepreneurship is an ongoing self-improvement” project, program, or process.
Successful Entrepreneurship Is Ongoing Self-Improvement Read More »
Refine and curate your thoughts by reworking the first draft of your answers in an email or in response to a question from a customer or an audience member at a talk.
Refine and Curate Your Thoughts as FAQs, Articles, and Talks Read More »
Successful general purpose toolkits evolve from successful simple point tools. Focus, start small, and evolve into a broad platform.
The Risk of General Purpose Toolkits as a First Product Read More »
Here are some barriers to competition that you can erect that are often difficult to duplicate, or at least duplicate rapidly.
Erecting Barriers to Competition That Are Difficult to Duplicate Read More »
Pay attention to self-description: the story you tell yourself and about yourself. Cultivate productive habits that don’t require conscious decisions. “It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy books and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise
Narrative Rationality: Be Mindful Of Your Self-Description Read More »
Successful entrepreneurs answer “Why your startup matters?” by pointing to problems solved for customers and jobs created. Profit is a means to creating future value and funding is a means to creating profit.
Why Your Startup Matters Has Little to Do With Funding Read More »
Summary of a very insightful talk on leadership lessons learned by Mr. B.V. Jagadeesh entitled “Lessons Learned Starting, Leading, and Succeeding at Multiple Startups.”
B.V. Jagadeesh on “Startup Leadership Lessons Learned” Read More »
George Grellas left a great short essay on leadership in a comment on Hacker News. Writing in response to “Wash the Dishes When Nobody Else Will” This is reposted with his permission (re-formatted from a single block of text).
George Grellas on Leadership Read More »
Tristan Kromer suggests that there are many viable models for a business, all have advantages and drawbacks. Services are easy to start but hard to scale. Despite surface appearance, a software business still inventory of people, key assets in the form of ideas, and a manufacturing process in the form of software release.
Tristan Kromer on Businesses Models Read More »
To many of the current incubators seem focused on “on hit wonder” startups designed to be acquired quickly. Apps are the new pop songs and the incubators are the music labels, stoking the star maker machinery.
Stoking the Star Maker Machinery Behind The Popular App Read More »
John Cook observes that connecting technical know-how with customer needs requires skills outside of mathematics.
Connecting Technical Know-How With Customer Needs Read More »
A guest post by Edith Harbaugh that offers a number of practical tips and suggestions for managing email conversations with customers.
Managing Email Conversations With Customers Read More »
Mark Duncan and I collaborated on a four page article “An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sales” that has been added to the Chicago MBA Coursepack
Our “Entrepreneur’s Guide To Sales” Added To Chicago MBA Coursepack Read More »
Intelligently reacting to new competitors requires you to give them the benefit of the doubt but if your prospects or customers are not asking about them then focus on what they are asking you.
Evaluating and Reacting to New Competitors Read More »
Federated entrepreneurship groups in different cities should following their own paths that leverage unique local strengths and advantages.
Federated Entrepreneurship 3: Play Your Own Game Read More »
For my first post of 2011 I commit to traveling hopefully. I was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s observation “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor.”
Traveling Hopefully Read More »
Keeping the ball rolling with prospects requires a mix of empathy for their situation and a project management mindset.
Keeping the Ball Rolling With Prospects Read More »
