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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skmurphy
Ogden Lilly at Sunnyvale Bootstrappers Breakfast Tue-Jan-18
Ogden Lilly is attending the Jan-18-2011 Bootstrapper Breakfast® to answer questions on accounting and tax issues for startups.
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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.
New Capabilities We Plan To Develop in 2011
To ensure that conversations and requests for help were productive, Anthony Scampavia kept a question at the top of his whiteboard in his various offices at Cisco for more than a dozen years: What is the problem you are trying to solve? Here are three problems we have identified and capabilities we plan to develop
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Early Adopters Have Already Let Go of the Past
Early adopters have already let go of the past and are looking for near term results that can provide building blocks to better outcomes.
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Always Be Collecting Data
Always be collecting data and perspectives; always be connecting the dots you have gleaned from these data points and perspectives.
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So…What’s Your Story?
What’s your story? Entrepreneurs get asked variations of this question a lot: the most important answer is the one they tell themselves.
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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.
Take Time to Walk Around The Problem
It’s rare for a new initiative to work the first time, at least when I try. I have to “walk around the problem” to look at it from different perspectives.
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Quotes For Entrepreneurs–December 2010
You can follow @skmurphy to get these quotes for entrepreneurs hot off the mojo wire or wait until the end of the month when they are collected on the blog. Enter your E-mail if you would like new blog posts to your inbox.
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The Snow Lay Round About, Deep and Crisp and Even
Luck is like snow, a certain amount falls on everyone. But unlike snow, you can increase your luck.
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Let Men Their Songs Employ
I have been thinking about different kinds of teams and team work. For example a choir has sheet music (“Let Men Their Songs Employ”) that predefines the content and timing of each person’s contribution. In a different way the script for a play outlines the content and sequence of each actor’s part.
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If Money Doesn’t Change Hands, You Can’t Call a User a Customer
Here is another excerpt from my September interview with Gabriel Weinberg. This one focuses on why payment and testimonials are so important to differentiate users from actual customers.
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Quotes On The Limitations of Cleverness
A couple of quotes for entrepreneurs on the limitations of cleverness. Don’t just be clever, be kind and make things of beauty with care.
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Annie Dillard on the Appreciation of Grace and Beauty
An excerpt from “A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard that offers a meditation on grace and beauty.
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Keeping the Ball Rolling With Prospects
Keeping the ball rolling with prospects requires a mix of empathy for their situation and a project management mindset.
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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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Fun Getting More Customers Workshop Today
We have a very fun group of entrepreneurs today in the workshop. Every time we give our workshops, I learn so much from our attendees. Today, I learned about a couple of new tools I am planning to check out: Small business CRM http://batchblue.com/ Demandbase http://www.demandbase.com/ I also was given the idea to use twitter
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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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