Four Services We Offer That Help Entrepreneurs Bootstrap a Business
We have four service offerings to help entrepreneurs share plans, solicit feedback, and gain perspectives that allow them to prosper. […]
Quotes for Entrepreneurs Collected in September 2019
My September 2019 collection of quotes for entrepreneurs has a focus on courage and performance under pressure, something we all need from time to time. […]
A Self-Assessment: Are You Working on the Right Risks?
Take our self-assessment to verify that your team is working on the right risks. Identify the capabilities you need to develop next. […]
Carl Angotti on “How to Decide How Much to Charge for Your Services”
I interviewed Carl Angotti of Angotti Product Development on the topic of how much to charge for your services. Carl has spoken on this topic regularly and brings more than two decades of independent consulting experience to bear in his answer. […]
On That Day: 9-11 Eighteen Years On
I want to commemorate the 18th anniversary of 9-11 by focusing on people who stayed at their post or rushed in to help. I was inspired by the closing lines of Leonard Cohen’s “On That Day,” a song I heard yesterday for the first time. […]
Competitive Intelligence for Bootstrapping Startups
A summary of my personal experience and our firm’s perspective on what practical steps early stage startups should take for competitive intelligence. […]
Quotes for Entrepreneurs Collected in August 2019
My August 2019 collection of quotes for entrepreneurs has a focus on ambition, awe, and facing the reality of a situation, reflecting the mix of my emotions facing a birthday this month. […]
Getting Oriented to a Subculture or Community of Practice
Birds of a feather flock together: in addition to asking for referrals, entrepreneurs exploring a new market are well advised to ask early prospects what groups or communities they belong to. Here are some techniques we have found useful for getting oriented to a subculture or community of practice. [...]
At Bootstrappers Breakfast We Help Every Entrepreneur Who Attends to Succeed
The venture capital ecosystem evaluates a large number of startups, makes investments in few percent, and counts on one in ten of those to become a huge success. The Bootstrappers Breakfast welcomes any entrepreneur who is bootstrapping a business and strives to help every entrepreneur who attends to succeed. [...]
Benefits of SKMurphy Mastermind for Entrepreneurs
An SKMurphy Mastermind Group is an ongoing series of facilitated conversations among serious entrepreneurs. It enables collaboration on problems and opportunities and fosters joint accountability around effective ongoing action. […]
Is it Prudence or Procrastination?
Is it prudence or procrastination? Some simple tests for determining whether you need to gather more information or act now based on what you already know. […]
Michael Wade: Things I Wish I Knew in My Twenties
I came across a list of 21 “Things I wish I knew in my twenties” by Michael Wade and was impressed by the insights he offered. Here are my top eight. […]
Mastering The Skill of Entrepreneurship
Expertise in a complex skill, like the skill of entrepreneurship, requires mastery of a constellation of techniques and methods. I use an essay by Ursula K. Le Guin “Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?” as a point of departure to explore the “continuous cultivation of a disposition, leading to [...]
Serge Toarca Offers Three Reasons To Bootstrap In a Small Market
Serge Toarca offers three good reasons to consider starting in a smaller market in “Why the hell am I building a product with a tiny market?” I offer another ten. […]
Tim Lombard Launches PCBevo, a Unique Analysis Tool for PCB Layout
An interview with Tim Lombard on a tool he has developed called PCBevo. PCBevo helps design engineers and layout designers track the co-evolution of the design specification and the layout of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). […]
The Phoenix Checklist for Framing a Problem and Its Solution
In “Thinkertoys,” Michael Michalko 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. […]
Some Reflections on My Life Triggered by a Recent Birthday
I had a birthday this week which triggered from reflections on my life. I prepared a short list of lessons learned for my party. I hope you find them helpful. […]
David Jeske: Google’s Perspective on Agile
David Jeske divides the agile principles into high level, individual empowerment, and contract development. He embraces the first two, rejects the third. […]
Scott Berkun: How to Translate Observations and Creative Insight Into a Solution
In “The Dance of the Possible,” Scott Berkun outlines four tests for understanding the real work involved to translate observations and creative insight into a solution. […]
Lessons From Working With Teams Who Speak English as a Second Language
Some thoughts on things we do to make it easier for teams who speak English as a second language to understand us. […]