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 remain 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 online forums, social networking sites, user groups, etc., to reach potential
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Why Did You Start Your Business?
Last week I attended Marketing Strategies in a Down Economy by Steve Moore. Steve stressed the importance of why you are different than your competition. One key differential can just be the reason why you started your business: what is the passion you bring to this business? Following that meeting, I updated our website home
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5 Mistakes CEOs Make In Demos
I am always surprised by how many basic mistakes CEOs make when giving demos. Learn to avoid them at Cohan’s Great Demo workshop. Starting the demo with your company history … who cares? Too many bullets on one slide. See Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint “Why I should care about your product” is left
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Welcome Your Feedback on New Startup Stages Section
We’ve recently expanded the website to add a Startup Stages area that organizes the content based five distinct stages of evolution for a startup. It’s designed to offer you a perspective on content that’s directly relevant to your needs based on the logical next steps to build on what you have achieved. It’s an effort
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90-day Plan for Blogging from “Getting More Customers” Workshop
One of the strategies we cover in our Getting More Customers workshops is blogging. Below is a 90-plan developed by a workshop attendee last year, anonymized and presented with permission. Actual implementation took more than 90 days but he has been blogging for a little less than a year and has 60 blog posts that
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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
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
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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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Sleep is a Necessary Part of the Workday
Sleep is a necessary part of the workday, if you find that under pressure and cut back below 6 hours a night you need to make correct course.
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“Better” is the Enemy of “Good Enough”
Better is the enemy of good enough–This phrase is attributed to Sergey Gorshkov, the commander in chief of the Soviet Navy from 1956 to 1985, who managed it’s dramatic expansion during the Cold War. Perfectionists get this wrong, siding with “Better.” Entrepreneurs who prosper, for the most part, side with “Good Enough” and keep improving.
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Quotes for Entrepreneurs – July 2008
Continuing my twitter experiment from April, May, and June more quotes about the challenges of entrepreneurship. I collect these quotes for entrepreneurs into a blog post at the end of the month. Enter your E-mail if you would like new blog posts to your inbox.
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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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DIY Marketing Leads Fall Workshop Schedule
Getting More Customers (a Do-It-Yourself marketing and self-promotion workshop) leads SKMurphy’s fall workshop schedule. SKMurphy workshop combine lecture, written exercises, and interaction with a roomful of entrepreneurs. We guide you through your one-page plan and provide time dedicated to your business. You leave with a one-page action plan that’s based on sound principles, reflection, and
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Opportunities for EDA Startups in Cadence’s Acquisition of Mentor
I researched an opinion piece for SCDSource about three weeks ago that is up on the site today at “How Cadence’s Mentor buy would impact EDA startups.” I start from the following premise: I believe that the merger will be consummated, but that Cadence will not remain as one of the top three players in
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What Happens When 70 EDA Blogs Become 500 in 2011
I just added Cadence to the list of companies with blogs on my May 28 post “Bloggers Covering Design Automation.” I didn’t see any announcement but they appear to have re-designed their website in the last three or four weeks and now highlight a community of bloggers on their home page. My simple projection is
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Notes from July 19 IEEE Cloud Computing Event
Here are my notes from the July 19 2008 IEEE Cloud Computing Event at Stanford; in retrospect it’s clear the cloud was the substrate for SaaS.
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Fall Workshop Schedule Announced
SKMurphy Fall 2008 Workshop Schedule includes “Getting More Customers” and “Engineering Your Sales Process.”
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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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IEEE/NATEA Event on Cloud Computing July 19 at Stanford
I have become convinced that “software above the level of the device” whether it’s called Grid, Farm, Cluster, Multi-Core, ManyCore, or Cloud Computing represents a significant opportunity for application development by start-ups. The IEEE Stanford (Student Chapter), IEEE Computer Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter), and NATEA are jointly sponsoring an event this Saturday that offers
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