Friday
The Rules of Starting a Business
Following these rules can get you the number one spot
So you have decided to play out the hand that was dealt to you, and you want to start a business. Good job! After all the excitement winds down, you have to know how to get down to it, and it’s not easy.
Think about it: millions of businesses are started every year, yet only a very small percentage of them actually get to profitability. If you want to place yourself in that small percentage of successful businesses, then you should keep a few things in mind:
• Your product has to solve a problem for a certain group of people: Does your startup offer something that people actually need? Or is it so specific that it’s only going to be used by a small niche of over-qualified users? If your product solves a problem for only a small group of people, then it’s not going to grow into something huge. Keep in mind that you’re going to have to sell something that actually solves a problem for a big number of people. Think big.
• Test actual demand before you launch: Have you done your market research? Is your product offering something people want? If you don’t research these things before you launch, you might find that surprisingly, no one cares about your product.
• You should be able to get up and running both quickly and cheaply: Most startup owners don’t have enough cash or time to get things going big off the gate. You need to start up small, cheaply, and fast. It’s the only way to measure results and change things up as demand shifts.
• Outsource work: You are not going to be able to do everything, face it. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that you’re going to have to pay someone to do the things you can’t do. It’s a big part of growing: accepting what you can do and what you can’t do.
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10 Lessons From A Failed Startup
Comments - Posted 05.27.09
A person once said that the only positive thing about goofing up is how much others are amused by it. That is a bit cruel, obviously. If we reword the sentence and make it become “The one positive thing about making a mistake is that others will be able to learn from it” it becomes more palatable. Less Ambrose Bierce-like, ... continue -
Hannes Walter Talks Fluid Forms
Comments - Posted 05.26.09
We had a chat with Hannes Walter, of Fluid Forms. A must-read for any entrepreneur looking for some inspiration: 1. When did your site officially launch? Beta 2007 Launch 2009 2. What does it offer its visitors? Tell us briefly about your product or service. Fluid Forms enables inspired individuals to integrate their personal touches into real and unique objects such as ... continue -
How To Build A Successful Social Site
Comments - Posted 05.21.09
That is quite a nice question, don’t you think? If you want to find an answer you might not have to look that far into the distance. In actuality, consulting any book on anthropology will give you more than enough food for thought. As we all know, anthropologists propound that the behavior of individuals is dictated by the environment to more ... continue -
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Comments - Posted 05.21.09
A motivational video par excellence. continue -
The Microsoft Future: It Ain’t Pretty
Comments - Posted 05.20.09
Microsoft has a really pretty vision of the future. Computers built into walls, kids interacting with each other in schools half a world away, and phones that look like credit cards (or credit cards that look like phones, either way). Well now, Sarcastic Gamer just released their take on the future of Microsoft's applications, and it's hilarious. Check it out here ... continue -
KillerBlog on Off the Fence
Comments - Posted 05.20.09
Check out this interview, featuring us, in Marshall Finch's blog Off the Fence. Check out the full article here, below is a snippet. How has blogging impacted you professionally? What rewards have you achieved as a result of blogging? All team members, myself included, have noticed that since we’ve been blogging, we don’t find it that hard to stay up to date on current ... continue -
How to Build a Lean Startup
Comments - Posted 05.20.09
Eric Ries, from StartupLessonsLearned, knows his stuff. In fact, he knows so much about startups, that the video below is over an hour long and you'll watch all of it (maybe not, but it's really good and you should watch it). On it, he discusses continuous deployment, rapid split-testing, and root cause analysis (the good ol' five why's). Without further ... continue
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10 Lessons From A Failed Startup
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All entries filed under this archive
Comments - Posted 03.23.09
White Cloud Marketing | Internet Marketing And Social Media View more presentations from Tim Mischuk. continue
Comments - Posted 03.16.09
[caption id="attachment_2879" align="alignright" width="262" caption="You don't need all of those things, just get out there and do it"][/caption] Here are more things that are keeping your from starting up. These are all in your head, they’re mental blocks you set up in order to procrastinate the launch of your own venture. - ...continue
Comments - Posted 02.18.09
We’ve all been told lies in our lives, and it helps us grow. The world of startups is no different, as there are many lies (or myths) that are told about startups. Let’s set the record straight: • Starting up is hard, but exiting the business is easy: think about it. ...continue
Comments - Posted 02.12.09
[caption id="attachment_2574" align="alignright" width="276" caption="Don't be alone, find help"][/caption] Most startups start off with one, maybe two people. It’s hard to be a solo entrepreneur, especially if you’ve spent your whole working life under the corporate structure. There are many ways you can achieve entrepreneurial success, and going at it alone ...continue
Comments - Posted 02.12.09
[caption id="attachment_2568" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Going through these 10 Steps is going to be harder than climbing these"][/caption] Here are some things you should do in order to successful launch an early-stage company: - Determine your main valued-add - Evaluate the market and determine who your customer is and what they want to buy. - ...continue
Comments - Posted 02.11.09
[caption id="attachment_2559" align="alignright" width="206" caption="There's nothing like a good team huddle"][/caption] Startups are teams. There’s no way around it. Every successful startup has had a great team behind it, driving the company to successful innovation. With all that said, there’re some people who still aren’t convinced about how important a team ...continue
Comments - Posted 01.30.09
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="You should read up on Business Plans"][/caption] Running a startup isn’t a game. It’s a business, and as such, you’re going to need a business plan. There are tons of articles telling you how to write one, but what’s better than telling you what NOT to do? ...continue
Comments - Posted 01.29.09
Simply relying on features and word of mouth simply isn't going to cut it. This is a real world and the reality is that customers aren't looking for you. You have to compete for mindshare. Those companies who don't proactively tell their story will find themselves missing from the radar ...continue
Comments - Posted 01.26.09
[caption id="attachment_2341" align="alignright" width="295" caption="Avoid these mistakes at all costs"][/caption] Here's the list: • Spending too much time seeing if an idea works or not. • Miscalculating how big the market is. • Underestimating how much time and money you need to get the project going. • Overprojecting sales volume. • Making cost projections that are ...continue