Let’s say you have a really big idea, one that is a system aimed at a consequential enterprise-level problem and requires far more capital than a standalone product or app. Chances are that you know the lingo of the target market, that you have …
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55 articles in category Essays
This essay is written around the time of New Year’s Day, and much of the brainpower among entrepreneurs is naturally drawn toward planning the next twelve months. For companies that have begun to scale and have some ability to quantify progress, using Google’s OKR’s – …
Read more →A current news report from Austin caught my attention for this essay. A two-year-old company founded by a serial entrepreneur and with only 21 employees was sold to a major financial institution. One should always launch a startup with the intention of running a …
Read more →For those of you who have missed these essays for a few weeks, please know that family health issues have taken priority. All is well now. I have written often in this forum that time is the one thing no one can recover, and …
Read more →The proverbial “chasm” in technology startups was first crossed in the 1991 book by Geoffrey A. Moore. Of late I have seen a number of proposed ventures where their very first step is a leap into an abyss. Concepts by intelligent and capable teams …
Read more →This blog is devoted to startups, but sometimes the best decision one can make is NOT to attempt a startup. Allow me to list some of the necessary and sufficient conditions that make it possible for you as a founder to have a chance at …
Read more →Sometimes I find really good startup concepts hidden behind the curtains of sloppy presentations. Not that every deck or one-pager requires professional graphic design, but a modicum of consistency in a clearly branded layout is a nice start. Grammar and structure need always to …
Read more →There have been millions of words written and probably millions of classes taught on how to pitch a startup idea. But, with each new batch of presentations I see, it is obvious that we have no universal standard of excellence. Every crop requires coaching, …
Read more →The net takeaway of a recent seminar I attended was that if you are an angel investor in a company that doesn’t subsequently land a VC round, your chances of earning a return are mighty small. This was a very carefully examined topic with …
Read more →I’ve long ago lost count of the number of times entrepreneurs have told me they don’t want to look for outside capital and risk losing control. The whole school of lean startups reinforces that way of thinking. But, you may recall my previous writings …
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