You waste time and reputation using these methods for B2B customer discovery: surveys, landing pages, and asking for endorsement before product experience.
Pictures Are to Words as Conversations are to Surveys Read More »
I watched the Grey Fox recently as was struck by two pieces of dialog. Richard Farnsworth plays Bill Miner, “the Grey Fox” a train robber and “gentleman bandit.” When asked by another ex-convict to take up robbing banks instead of robbing trains he answers: Bill Miner: “A professional always specializes.” I first heard this
A Professional Always Specializes Read More »
Bootstrappers need to make commitments and meet deadlines to achieve their cash flow objectives. Deadlines and commitments are inextricably linked. Be explicit up front about how long offer is good or how long a customer needs to wait for delivery. Get them to be explicit on payment terms.
Expiration Dates: Deadlines and Commitments 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 »
Networking is good questions, listening, and helping others. Some rules of thumb for networking from Ford Harding’s Rainmaking (pages 44-59).
Ford Harding on Rules of Thumb for Networking Read More »
Kevin Kelly has a great blog post up on “working smart” called “What You Don’t Have To Do.” He defines a capability maturity model for working smart:
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 »
“In high school, popularity is more important than anywhere else, but popularity is not a measure of likability. Popularity is composed of three elements: visibility, recognizability and influence. The people in school who have those three qualities are often that way because they conform to a standard. Meanwhile, the kids who won’t or can’t conform
Entrepreneurs Are Nonconformists 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 »
“Startup Fantasy Camp: throw a group of strangers together for 48-72 hours and have them pretend to be a startup.” Sean Murphy Good ideas can be fleshed out and explored and an accelerated product prototyping experience can be had in a 48-72 hour camp. But I don’t think it’s realistic to expect that you can
Startup Fantasy Camp Read More »
Len Sklar, author “The Check is NOT in the Mail” has spoken several times at Bootstrapper Breakfasts. Here is a recent talk he gave where he stresses the importance of putting payment terms and the consequences on non-payment in writing, communicating them in advance, and ensuring that they are understood. It all seems so obvious
Len Sklar: Be Clear About Payment Terms And Consequences Read More »
Jon Carroll wrote a wonderful column on July 5, 2000 titled “As You Get Older.” The whole thing is worth reading but there is a section that begins “This is your challenge…” that reads like poetry. So I have re-formatted it as blank verse, it contains a number of observations on advice and influence that
The Search for Validation is Baggage, and You Need to Travel Light Read More »
Competition is inevitable, that is why it’s wise to prepare for it and immunize yourself with difficult to copy differentiation where possible. A pure focus on implementing new features as fast as possible in an effort to outrun the competition is unlikely by itself to be enough. Here are some barriers you can erect that
Erecting Barriers to Competition That Are Difficult to Duplicate Read More »
Amazon’s S3 and AWS platforms, and similar on demand storage and computing services, are becoming increasing popular as core infrastructure for software startups. There is a tendency, because the costs are well defined, to base your price on adding a margin to these services. There are three problems with that.
Tangible Costs, Time, and Pricing to Value Read More »
Buster Benson lists “A few rules that I try to live by” on his home page. Here are my top six picks from his list of 17 (the bold wording is Buster’s) with some commentary
Six From “A Few Rules That I Try To Live By” by Buster Benson Read More »
Rehearsal is key to making a successful presentation. If you can do at least two rehearsals of an important presentation it will pay huge dividends.
Tony Schwartz offers “Ten Principles For Living in Fiercely Complex Times” that you can “rely on to make choices that reflect openness, integrity and authenticity.” Here are the top three for me: “Emotions are contagious, so it pays to know what you’re feeling.” Tony Schwartz One of the balancing acts of entrepreneurship is control vs.
Tony Schwartz’s Principles For Fiercely Complex Times Read More »
What situation is your team training for: the key to effective and rapid execution is appropriate shared rehearsal and training.
What Situation Is Your Team Training For? Read More »
This is my first day off in about three weeks. A client has been preparing a proposal and presentation for a significant opportunity that they have been invited to compete for and between that and existing obligations it’s been hectic. It’s more clear than ever that focus needs buffers: letting administrative tasks pile up too
Focus Needs Buffers and Free Time Read More »
Here are a couple of rules of thumb you may find helpful in thinking about price, value, and your prospect’s perception of risk.
Price, Value, and Your Prospect’s Perception of Risk Read More »
