It’s starting to become clear that beyond just storm clouds, we are in for a recession in Silicon Valley. Which I suppose means that the next bubble will be delayed a few more years. We started our business in mid-2003, helping several small consulting and software firms who were struggling to recover from Silicon Valley’s […]
Recession Requires A Focus on Revenue Read More »
I first met Debra Willrett, founder of Expert Software Consulting, at the IEEE Consultants Network for Silicon Valley (CNSV) when she gave a great talk on the new CNSV website in February of 2006. When Francis and I learned that she was the inventor of the Macintosh application MacProject, an application that has defined a
Founder Story: Debra Willrett on Inventing MacProject Read More »
I got Bernard Golden‘s April Navica Open Source Newsletter today, provocatively titled “Everything I Said Last Month was Wrong, and I’m a Lousy Prophet, Too” which contains some good advice for startups as they work with industry analysts (emphasis added): I had my eyes opened about analyst firms this month. Even though I had a
Bernard Golden: Some Industry Analysts Offer Anecdote Dressed Up as Science Read More »
Adapted from a presentation on “Now What? Your Post Launch Growth Plan” at the KASE Entrepreneur Seminar on October 16, 2007.
“Now What? Your Post Launch Growth Plan” Podcast and Transcript Read More »
Spent the day at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus attending Dealmaker Media‘s Under the Radar Conference on “The Business of Web Apps: Where the Web Goes to Work.” A company that would seem to have a lot to lose from the success of web-based applications with an Office 2.0 focus has taken Michael Corleone’s advice to
Under the Radar: The Business of Web Apps Recap Read More »
David Packard suggested 7 objectives for HP managers at the “Sonoma Meeting” in his book, “The HP Way” that also apply to startups.
HP Way: Seven Objectives For Your Startup Read More »
Here is a short collection of quotes on courage that I think are especially useful for entrepreneurs, who need the “courage to continue” to succeed.
Looks like we will be in good company. Whether you are considering leaving you day job for a startup, you are consulting while you develop a product, you are open for business and looking for early customers, looking for smarter customers, or you’ve found your niche and you are looking to scale up, drop by.
We’ll be at SDWest Booth 318 Read More »
Rob Hof notes–hat tip to Ross Mayfield–tonight in “Jotspot Returns as Google Sites: Wiki Style Collaboration” (emphasis added): Ever since Google bought the wiki-based online application startup Jotspot in late 2006, people have been wondering if it had disappeared forever inside the bowels of the search giant. Tonight, Google’s launching Google Sites, using Jotspot’s technology
Jotspot Emerges From The Bowels of Google Read More »
Peter Cohan makes the following points in his Great Demo! Seminar C level execs think in terms of dollars (budget) Managers think in terms of people and full time equivalents (FTE). Individual contributors think in terms of time spent vs. time saved So it pays to express the benefits of your application accordingly. There may
Express ROI In Terms Your Prospect Will Understand Read More »
Don Reinertsen, co-author (with Preston Smith) of “Developing Products in Half the Time” and “Managing the Design Factory: The Product Developers Toolkit” has a great article about managing products “Priorities: Last Refuge of the Innumerate” Priorities: Last Refuge of the Innumerate What is our highest product development priority, cycle time or unit manufacturing cost? To even
Don Reinertsen: Priorities Are The Last Refuge of the Innumerate Read More »
As entrepreneurs we pursue our dreams of improving the world. Sometimes I think our dreams can pursue us, that a vision of a better world can have the same effect as what the Scots call a geas. An obligation to use our talents in certain ways that unlocks their power if obeyed and punishes if
While We Pursue Our Dreams, They Can Pursue Us Read More »
I was invited to take part in the Mission College Business Department Advisory Committee for 2008 last Tuesday; it was a very interesting experience. There was a cross section of folks from education and business, both large and small. I was impressed by the diversity of perspectives and everyone’s commitment to assisting the college. Community
Mission College Business Department Advisory Committee Read More »
Burn your boats but not your bridges: commit to your startup but don’t do anything that damages relationships or would not allow you to build on prior shared successes with others.
Burn Your Boats But Not Your Bridges Read More »
This article compares Paul Graham’s “Six Principles for Making New Things” with Bob Bemer’s “Do Something Small But Useful Now”, Gary Hamel’s Innovation Hacker, and Peter Drucker’s list of seven places to search systematically for opportunities.
Paul Graham’s Six Principles for Making New Things Read More »
Successful entrepreneurship is an ongoing self-improvement project. Some days you are the potter, some days you are the clay.
Some Days You’re The Potter, Some Days You’re The Clay Read More »
I originally wrote this on Wednesday November 28, 2007 in response to a set of questions posed by Mike Masnick to the Techdirt Insight Community. I had applied and been accepted into the community after it was announced at the 2006 Office 2.0 conference (I blogged about in “Born With a Face Made for Podcasting“).
Improving The Techdirt Insight Community Read More »
I will be speaking next Monday at the SDForum Marketing SIG on “Leveraging Your Social Network to Find Early Customers.” Social navigation is networking with a goal. Entrepreneurs will spend social capital navigating their way to getting trusted feedback and early sales. Like Google and web assisted selling tools, social network tools can improve the
Leveraging Your Social Network to Find Early Customers Monday Feb 11 at SDForum Read More »
Three features for a webinar or conference call: let someone raise their hand and speak; break a larger group into small groups and then reconvene; automatically manage the “queue for the microphone” during the Q&A segment.
Three Features For A Webinar Or Conference Call Read More »
In response to requests from prior workshop attendees we’ve added an afternoon session to the March 8 Great Demo! workshop that will address advanced topics. You are welcome to attend if you have attended an earlier Great Demo! workshop, or you can register for both the morning and afternoon sessions on March 8. Lunch is
Advanced Topics Session Added To The March 8 Great Demo! Workshop Read More »
