The Philadelphia Startup Leaders Manifesto is a great example of why federated entrepreneurship is a good model for a startup ecosystem. I have reproduced it here with some observations on our startup stages model, the Bootstrapper Breakfasts®, and Silicon Valley.
Some excerpts from “Civilization and Its Enemies” by Lee Harris, with commentary on the implications of 9-11 for Silicon Valley. We Have An Enemy “It is the enemy who defines us as his enemy, and in making this definition he changes us, and changes us whether we like it or not. We cannot be the same …
The next few weeks and perhaps the next few years are going to be awful. Keep counting your blessings anyway, remain kind, and continue to make a difference. Peggy Noonan wrote My Brothers and Sisters on March 8, 2002 in the Wall Street Journal. She subtitled it “A report from New York, six months on” …
Michael S. Malone wrote “Second Sight” for the Dec-3-2001 issue of Forbes ASAP (a great quarterly magazine put out by Forbes and edited by Malone that no longer seems to be available on-line). It’s also collected in his book “The Valley of Heart’s Delight: A Silicon Valley Notebook 1963-2001” as Chapter 3. It’s a meditation …
Second Sight: A Meditation on Silicon Valley and 9-11 Read More »
I gave a briefing to the San Bruno Rotary on Thought Leadership on Aug-6-2014. Here is the audio for the core of the talk (I have cut the introduction and about ten minutes of Q&A) Or download from http://traffic.libsyn.com/skmurphy/ThoughtLeadership140806c.mp3 Here is my handout from the talk.
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.
I will be a mentor at the B2B Startup Weekend June 6-8 in San Francisco.
IEEE-CNSV Panel Explores Engineering in Japan vs Silicon Valley Mon-Mar-3 I am helping to moderate a panel 7pm Mon-Mar-3 at IEEE-CNSV on “Innovation: Work and Life of the Engineer in Japan and Silicon Valley” The event takes place at Agilent Technologies, Inc. in the Aristotle Room, Bldg. 5 located at 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa …
IEEE-CNSV Panel Explores Engineering in Japan vs Silicon Valley Mon-Mar-3 Read More »
Discerning the future is hard work, we travel facing backward into the past so that it seems to sneak up from behind us. Some insights on discerning the future using Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” as a point of departure.
SKMurphy Mastermind groups have a unique high-technology focus and are limited to eight qualified members. We guide a small group of peers to brainstorm and critique your critical business issues. Our use of ‘workout buddies’ provides a level of feedback and joint accountability that will help you to become more effective. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to …
Two Mastermind Open House Events in November and December Read More »
We are reprising our “Working for Equity” CEO Panel for the fourth year at the 2013 Silicon Valley Code Camp. Here is the current write-up, we will be adding panelists’ bios in a few days. Many of us in Silicon Valley seek either to found or to be an early employee at a technology startup. …
Working For Equity CEO Panel Returns to Silicon Valley Code Camp 2013 Read More »
A long term viable business model embraces ebb and flow: it organizes the abandonment of failed and obsolete products to enable an investment strategy for new growth that emphasizes experimentation in anticipation of a high rate of early small failures.
Evelyn Rodriguez envisions a Silicon Valley renaissance that blends a love of art, culture, place, and the divine spark alive and innate within us. Evelyn Rodriguez Envisions a Silicon Valley Renaissance of Art & Culture Among my other pursuits, I envision a Silicon Valley renaissance that brings a love of art, culture, place, and the …
Evelyn Rodriguez Envisions a Silicon Valley Renaissance of Art & Culture Read More »
Two excerpts from E. B. White‘s 1949 essay, “Here Is New York,” that I thought were also applicable to life in Silicon Valley
Don’t congratulate people for raising money. That was never the goal. The goal is building a successful and meaningful business. When people raise money, instead of congratulating them, wish them luck. Their work is just getting started. Congratulating people for financing perpetuates a problem that has plagued the startup world. The problem is that that …
VCs and angels may talk about changing the world, but their business model rests on a more prosaic calculation: Buy low, sell high. They invest in companies they think will become more valuable, so they can sell their stake for a sizable profit. From the time that VCs invest in a company, they have five …
Some Good Friday thoughts by Michael Malone on success in Silicon Valley and the need to contemplate your life from time to time.
Saturday March 24, 9-11am Ground Floor Silicon Valley, located at 2030 Duane Avenue, Santa Clara, We are launching new Mastermind groups in response to several requests from entrepreneurs who wanted to form an advisory board of peers with a deeper understanding of each other’s businesses and shared accountability. Come to the meeting and see if …
Here is a list of tools for finding a physical workspace: this covers desks, cubicles, offices, and meeting rooms you can rent by the hour, day, or month.
Align your startup with a higher purpose to sustain motivation. Avoid “entrepreneurial lifestyle” and startup mythology: build a going concern.
