Overnight Success
The challenge with overnight success in a startup–like many things–is the time needed to integrate many inputs, your own hopes and fears among them.
Startup Stages
In the Beginning…the Founders are the Business
The closing slide in our Idea to Revenue Workshop says In The Beginning…The Founders Are The Business. To Keep The Business Viable, Learn Faster Than the Competition. Successful Entrepreneurship Is a Self-Improvement Project.
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Using the Downturn to Launch Your Consulting Career
The last six weeks or so I have encountered a number of folks who have decided to use the downturn to launch their consulting career. Typically they have been encouraged in this by their former employer who has given them a large check a lot of free time. But some have chafed at cubicle life
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How To Measure Your Lead Generation Effectiveness
Many start-up founders believe that the sales process should be this straightforward: Get the phone to ring (or e-mail inbox or skype or web contact form) Tell your prospect about your offering Take the order Alas it is normally not this simple, especially if you are selling to businesses. We do encounter some startups that
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Getting Your Startup Through the Downturn is a Marathon Not a Sprint
The third form of happiness, which is meaning, is again knowing what your highest strengths are and deploying those in the service of something you believe is larger than you are. There’s no shortcut to that. That’s what life is about. Martin Seligman interview in Edge “Eudaemonia, The Good Life“ Here are three activities to
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Why NDA’s Are Not On the Startup Maturity Checklist
What follows is an e-mail thread converted into a blog entry. I got a suggestion on our contact form related to the Startup Maturity Checklist: Some software companies will require you to sign an NDA before giving a presentation or sharing any other details about the company’s product. You may want to add this to
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Entrepreneurial Focus: Right Layer, Right Problem, Right Time
Entrepreneurial focus means answering three related questions: what are we good at, how can we tell and how do we measure it, who wants it and how do they value it?
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Non-Customers Are Where Important Changes Often Start
There is a risk of complacency for start-ups (and even larger firms) who have achieved a level of security in their first niche. Markets change, consumer needs change, and you need to continue to explore opportunities to sell your offering to new customers–non-customers–even though it’s a much harder sales process than a renewal, upgrade, or
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Please Be Healthy
I sent the following E-Mail after a series of conversations and E-Mail exchanges with a founder struggling with entrepreneurial burnout. I thought it was apropos the current angst in Silicon Valley. Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 3:32 PM Subject: Please be healthy It’s a challenge to maintain work life balance, whether it’s the driven by
User Communities Are Critical For Complex Products
User communities are not just a low cost way to market and support your product, they are essential to complex technology products.
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Herb Reiter Interview on Fostering Static Timing Analysis Adoption
I have followed Herb Reiter‘s consulting career over the last five years or so: there aren’t very many business development consultants who work with EDA firms, fewer who have the mix of semiconductor and design background that Herb accumulated on the way to honing his business development expertise. He is personable, methodical, and always interested
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Financial Modeling for Startups Workshop–Early Bird Ends Tomorrow
Update Tue-Sep-23: Sold Out, No Walk-ins. We will offer it again: you can sign-up to be notified of upcoming workshops We just finished our last rehearsal for next Wednesday’s (Sep-24) “Financial Modeling for Startups” workshop we are doing jointly with Nathan Beckord of Venture Archetypes. I think it will be a good lunch and learn
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Three Tests For Negotiating A Software Deal
Negotiating a software deal, from either side of the table, can be different from many other negotiations that you enter into. I have been surprised over the years at how folks who are successful in other domains can fail one or more of the following tests as they negotiate a software deal. Have You Created
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Entrepreneurial Ideas
Entrepreneurial ideas make a difference only when they are complemented with diligent execution. They are necessary but not sufficient.
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Networking and Referrals
This is a guest post on networking and referrals by Steve Moore of SPMSolutions. Networking and Referrals Networking and referrals continue to be the primary marketing strategy for many community-based small businesses (especially those with limited budgets). In contrast, many technology-oriented small businesses rely more upon on-line forums, social networking sites, user groups, etc. to
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“The Check is NOT in the Mail” this Friday at Bootstrappers Breakfast
Len Sklar offer insights at the next Bootstrappers Breakfast on why the “Check is NOT in the Mail” and answers questions on credit policies.
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Crossing the Chasm Using Cartoon Physics
My younger son and I were walking across the field to soccer practice over the weekend when he told me “Papa, I know why cartoon characters are able to walk across the chasm without falling.” Entire books have been devoted to Crossing the Chasm, but I wanted to make sure we were both talking about
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Entrepreneurs Need Gumption To Succeed
Gumption is the ability to continue to try new things with confidence, in spite of past failures. Entrepreneurs need this to debug problems and build things that don’t exist–yet.
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Financial Modeling for Startups on September 24, 2008
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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What Can I Do to Build Referrals?
Consulting is a referral-driven business. Here are four things you can do today to build referrals.
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