Most entrepreneurs following the Lean Startup Methodology or the Customer development methodology will tell you that it never really works in a linear, sequential fashion, neither does it follow the prescribed set of steps. The primary reasons are either because you end up getting some feedback or learning during the entire process that changes your… Continue reading Problem Development Learning for Your Startup
Category: Archives
Understanding the Mechanics of Partnering with “Big Companies”
As exciting as it sounds, when a business development or partner sales representative from a large company in your domain calls you, it tends to, in most cases, generate more work than get customers in the short term for a startup. The first part of partnering with a large company is to understand when you… Continue reading Understanding the Mechanics of Partnering with “Big Companies”
10 Things from Running 10 Demo Days about #Startup Pitches
Ahh, the demo day. The arbitrary day the accelerator decides it is time to throw its babies to the world of investors. The number of accelerator directors I have asked the question “why is your program 3 or 4 months” is probably in the 50’s and the number of times I have not heard a… Continue reading 10 Things from Running 10 Demo Days about #Startup Pitches
3 Techniques to Support “Word of Mouth” Marketing
I mentioned that many enterprise customers are loathe to talk about the products and solutions they use unless they have approval from their corporate PR team. In many cases they consider early stage startup products as a “competitive differentiation”. Still, there are many companies (such as #Slack, Cloudera) that have done a great job in getting many… Continue reading 3 Techniques to Support “Word of Mouth” Marketing
Hiring Your Best Friend as a First Employee – Pros and Cons
Many startups have co founders who are best friends. I have heard of many cases when that has worked out well and a few cases when it did not. I would say in more cases than not, it has worked out (anecdotal). Hiring your best friend as the first employee has different connotations for your… Continue reading Hiring Your Best Friend as a First Employee – Pros and Cons
Starting With an Smb Focus vs. Enterprise SaaS Companies
In the initial days of your SaaS startup, when you are doing user development, you may find that your product will help both SMB (Small Medium Business) users as well at Enterprise users. There’s a tendency to then focus more on the “customer” development than the user. Assuming you have spent enough time on the user, there is a… Continue reading Starting With an Smb Focus vs. Enterprise SaaS Companies
The Power of the “To Dont” List and Why You Should Keep One
I tend to get distracted easily. I have the shiny new object syndrome disease. I tend to take time to understand what made me master a task or a skill and so I tend to make a lot of mistakes. Which is why I have a tool in my box called the “To Dont” list. It is… Continue reading The Power of the “To Dont” List and Why You Should Keep One
Book Review: “Average is Over”; about the Future of Successful People
I tend to read about 1-2 books a month. Largely on my kindle and sometimes audio books. I was referred to Tyler Cowen’s book “Average is over” by a friend who reads more extensively than I do. She wishes that I dont give her unnecessary attention. It is about $10 on Amazon Kindle. If you… Continue reading Book Review: “Average is Over”; about the Future of Successful People
Hockey Stick and the Long Tail are the Same Data
Ever Notice That the Hockey Stick and the Long Tail are the Same Data Looked Inversely? Most every entrepreneur “wants” to show the growth chart as a “hockey stick”. They also in the initial days show their revenue adoption as a “long tail”. Take the same data and pivot the table to show they are… Continue reading Hockey Stick and the Long Tail are the Same Data
How Do People Get Jobs at “Hot Startups”?
This is a question I get asked every week. There’s not a week without an email or a LinkedIn message from a person who’d like some career advice and an introduction to a “hot” startup that’s hiring. Most of the folks I know, understand that their “large” company is not growing as fast and providing… Continue reading How Do People Get Jobs at “Hot Startups”?