1 Idea Stage

Saras Sarasvathy’s Effectual Reasoning Model for Expert Entrepreneurs

1 Idea Stage, 4 Finding your Niche, Customer Development, Favorites, skmurphy, Startups / By /

Update Feb-24-2011: Since I first wrote this in 2010 the Effectuation.Org site has been considerably upgraded and contains a lot more information on research on entrepreneurship by Saras Sarasvathy. Recapping ideas, papers, and books that had changed my life yesterday reminded me of Saras Sarasvathy’s Effectual Reasoning Model from her 2001 paper “What Makes Entrepreneurs […]

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Early Bird for Jan-2010 “Idea to Revenue” Ends Next Week

1 Idea Stage, 2 Open for Business Stage, Events, skmurphy / By /

Just a quick reminder, the early bird rate ends next week for our Jan 12, 2010 Idea to Revenue workshop in Redwood Shores, CA. If you are in formation or the early days of your startup this is a good opportunity to spend four hours on your business with your team members. We help you

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4 Steps to Prepare for a Startup While You are Still Employed

1 Idea Stage, skmurphy / By /

Someone with the label selfemploy posted the following question (note the fact that he is in Bangalore appears later in the thread, I have included it in the body of the question) on Hacker News earlier this month. As the recession continues to affect not only in Silicon Valley but  many engineers around the world

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8 Tips for Evaluating Funding Alternatives

1 Idea Stage, Funding, Rules of Thumb, skmurphy / By /

Many entrepreneurs planning their first software startup get stuck on funding and ownership issues. Here are some simple rules of thumb that may help you reframe an issue: Revenue, especially break even revenue, is never dilutive of your ownership. The right co-founders, while dilutive, substantially increase your chances of success: they give you a smaller

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Time is the Limiting Resource for Bootstrappers, Not Money

1 Idea Stage, 2 Open for Business Stage, skmurphy / By /

I think a bootstrapper’s true scarce resource is time. Determining how to be most effective with how you spend your time is more important than spending too many cycles on trying to save nickels. As a side effect of cutting out ineffective activities you will tend to cut unnecessary expenses. “Lost wealth may be replaced

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Sign-up for Software Startup Checklist Seminar at Silicon Valley Code Camp

1 Idea Stage, 2 Open for Business Stage, 3 Early Customer Stage, Events, skmurphy / By /

With Athol Foden‘s encouragement I have submitted the following session (links added) for this year’s Silicon Valley Code Camp: Software Startup Maturity Checklist This session is for both aspiring and active entrepreneurs. We will walk through a 36 point checklist that covers Product Development, Customer Development, and Business Operations. You will leave with a better

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The Limits of “I Will Know It When I See It”

1 Idea Stage, 4 Finding your Niche, Rules of Thumb, skmurphy / By /

Both engineering and entrepreneurship alternate exploration and verification cycles to develop a solution that satisfies a customer’s need. Both of these rely on the scientific method of “observation, hypothesis formation, prediction, and experimentation” to develop and validate testable theories, engineering solutions, and profitable products. Both require that a new configuration or an opportunity be recognized

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Athol Foden at Friday May 8 Bootstrapper Breakfast in Milpitas

1 Idea Stage, 2 Open for Business Stage, Events, skmurphy / By /

Athol Foden  of Brighter Naming is our guest speaker Friday May 8 for the Bootstrapper Breakfast™ at 7:30am at the Omega Restaurant in Milpitas. Athol has over 16 years of experience helping clients name companies, products, services, and taglines. Athol’s opening remarks will be followed by a question and answer session on developing the right

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Financial Modeling for Startups on September 24, 2008

1 Idea Stage, Events, Funding, skmurphy, Workshop / By /

SOLD OUT — NO WALK-IN ACCEPTED Getting a handle on your financial roadmap is a key element of any startup’s success. A solid financial model will help you: i) gain insight into your business; ii) set a common direction for management; and iii) secure angel or venture capital investment. Wed Sept. 24 11:30-1:30pm Plug &

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Paul Graham’s Six Principles for Making New Things

1 Idea Stage, 2 Open for Business Stage, 3 Early Customer Stage, Customer Development, Rules of Thumb, skmurphy / By /

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.

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