Zero Sum vs. Quid Pro Quo
The essence of entrepreneurship is a free exchange of value–what the Romans called “quid pro quo”–that leaves all parties better off: no one loses.
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Rules of Thumb
Uncertain Times Are The End of an Illusion
Uncertain times may look like a crisis but in reality they mark the end of an illusion that we can predict the future.
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To See Ourselves As Others See Us
To See Ourselves As Others See Us And would some Power the small gift give us To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us, Robert Burns “To a Louse“ It can be very difficult to understand how we appear to others. When I was rehearsing the “2011 New
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Drifting 2
Jeroen Bakker sent in a great list of suggestions as a follow up to last week’s “Drifting” post.
Applying Akin’s Laws of Spacecraft Design To Startups
David L. Akin is the Director, SpaceSystems Laboratory at the University of Maryland. He is also the author of “Akin’s Laws of Spacecraft Design.” He lists more than 40 laws, here are ten that I thought were directly applicable to software entrepreneurship, but the whole list is very funny and worth reading.
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Always Be Collecting Data
Always be collecting data and perspectives; always be connecting the dots you ave gleaned from these data points and perspectives.
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Drifting
It’s useful to think very deeply about a situation but beyond a certain level of effort or length of time you need to do some drifting and recharge. I think you need a mental circuit breaker for detecting an impasse and triggering activities that can lead to a change in perspective.
Virtual and On-Line Are As Superfluous As Horseless and Electric
Virtual and On-Line Are As Superfluous As Horseless and Electric I think “virtual team” is rapidly becoming redundant: just as “horseless carriage” became car I think “virtual team” will become just team. Most project teams will have a virtual component (e.g. on-line workspace, chat histories) and geographically remote members, if only to involve suppliers, partners,
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Customer Development Requires a Willingness to Be Surprised
Customer Development requires an openness to new ideas from prospects and a willingness to revisit assumptions and to be surprised.
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Quick Thoughts on Selling For Software Engineers
Some quick thoughts on selling for software engineers. Sell results, not method. Land and Expand. Get clarity on the customer’s view of the problem. Listen.
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Deformation Professionelle Of The Software Entrepreneur
Deformation professionelle is a French phrase that encapsulates the perspective that your view of reality is shaped by your profession.
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Orienting, Observing, Doing Homework, and Paying Dues
Paying dues–putting the time in not only to understand but master a problem or situation–is a critical element of success in many circumstances.
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Building and Managing a Learning Process
If you accept the premise that we are living in an age of accelerating change, then you have to build and manage a learning process for your startup.
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What Are You Doing to Obsolete Your Product?
A story from my interview process at Cisco. I asked “what are you doing to obsolete your product?”
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Keeping Your Customers’ Trust
Earning and keeping your customers’ trust is essential to your success as a startup. Gerald Weinberg’s “Secrets of Consulting” offers “11 Laws of Trust” as a guideline for establishing and maintaining successful business relationships.
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Advising Entrepreneurs
I spend a fair amount of time advising entrepreneurs, both informally when solicited and formally when I have been retained–and sometimes even when I have not been asked for advice. Here are some key principles I follow.
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Three Tips for Small Talk and Casual Conversation
Here are three tips for small talk and casual conversation: relax, be genuinely curious, be forthcoming about yourself, don’t just ask questions. Three Tips for Small Talk and Casual Conversation “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.” Wilson Mizner One of the more challenging aspects of entrepreneurship
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Some Things Change, Others Remain Constant
Some things change, others remain constant. It’s hard to see the patterns when you are enmeshed in them. You have to pause and reflect.
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Good Decision, Bad Outcome
“Good decision, bad outcome” is a a reminder to judge the quality of a decision by your process and state of information at the time you decided.
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Entrepreneurs Sign The Front Of A Paycheck
Entrepreneurs sign the front of a paycheck. They take prudent risks and create functional businesses that provide value to customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and partners.
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