In uncertain and evolving situations it’s best to share only what you are certain of. Repeating second hand information only spreads fear and doubt and cases more problems than it solves. […]
To make effective use of your advisory board you have to provide them written material in advance that offers context on your situation and the questions you want to explore with them. […]
If you missed The Nitty Gritty of Setting Up Customer Discovery Meetings by David Telleen-Lawton at The Lean Startup Conference 2015, he shared the down and dirty details of setting up meetings for Customer Discovery. Having set hundreds of B2B and B2C discovery meetings over the years, Telleen-Lawton tells how to [...]
With the 2016 school year getting ready to start in the next six to eight weeks at most colleges and universities I have had several conversations with student entrepreneur organizations about how I might be able to help them. I have developed content and given talks and webinars over the last [...]
There are broadly three categories of challenges a new product must address: it has to be feasible, it has to be desirable and it has to be profitable. Below is a simple checklist to help you evaluate product ideas. […]
We help founders find leads and close deals; our focus is on early customers and early revenue for technology and expertise-enabled products and services. We specialize in complex and orchestrated sales to businesses. […]
A collection of humorous tools that generate buzzword compliant business models. Web Economy Bullshit Generators First there was Dack Ragus' (@dack) "Web Economy Bullshit Generator." He started with sketches ("Kinda like Da Vinci's sketchbook, except for bullshit"): "I made this massive list of potential bullshit terms while sitting on Miami Beach [...]
I came across this presentation from LLKD13 (#LLKD13 / storify) by Patrick Steyaert (@PatrickSteyaert) of Okaloa on Discovery Kanban after following some links off a Kanban discussion group last year. […]
We have been using wikis in our practice since 2004 and recently have starting using realtime shared document edit tools. Would like to compare notes on usage if you are interested. […]
There are a number of forms packages now available for entrepreneurs that provide templates for incorporation, investment term sheets, hiring employees and contractors, etc.. And there are several business model canvas tools that are designed to facilitate useful discussions among founders and advisors (and potential investors) about a new startup. [...]
Dear LinkedIn: I am not looking for a job or other full time employment. I have a business account that I pay for every month so you don’t need to try and make money by showing me ads that I don’t want to see. By the way, I don’t want [...]
Today many change initiatives (and new software sales almost always involve the key elements of a change initiative) rely on interviews and replicating the results from an existing “manual system.” Processes mining tools and techniques will play an important role here. […]
I have been exploring the use of several analysis applications that could access my LinkedIn account, my twitter account, and my GMAIL account. They want to help me leverage private information that requires my account password. So far so good, except that LinkedIn, Twitter, and Gmail don’t appear to have [...]
MyPermissions: Checks for third party application access to your Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Instagram, and Flickr accounts. SocialMention: Allows you to do keyword and phrase search across more than one hundred social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, Digg, Google, etc... HackerFollow: follow comments and posts by [...]
I was rummaging around in Mr. Google's basement--you can get lost done there in a maze of bright and shiny objects if you are not careful--and I came across this quote by Justin Rosenstein in "How is Asana's Beta Going" (I am not using nor contemplating using Asana but it's [...]
From time to time I run into a business card that makes me think. Here's one that I will model as I update my own cards. Also check out some cool business cards from last year. Back:
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 [...]
Just a quick reminder that I will be presenting on "Feed Readers De-Mystified: Tips for Keeping Informed" this Thursday, September 23, 12:00-12:45 PM PDT. If you are not using feeds and alerts to track your competition, stay on top of developments at major customers, and keep abreast of significant developments [...]
I will be giving a short presentation on "Feed Readers De-Mystified--Tips For Keeping Informed" at the September 23 Lunch & Learn Webinar hosted by People on the Go. Cost: No Charge When: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM PDT Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/151449787 I will outline some important ways [...]
Jenna Wortham's "Fraternity of the Wired Works in the Wee Hours" in the New York Times on July 25 highlighted an interesting new trend in co-working: the 10pm to 4am shift. Profiling the "New York Nightowls" (tagline "New York Nightowls is a late night co-working club for professionals") she opens [...]