A lot of companies still talk about being in stealth mode and aiming for a big hoorah type launch. It doesn’t usually work. Worse still, startups that are in stealth mode rarely talk to customers, prospects, users, partners or anyone else before their big reveal, which means they have little to no validation for what […]
The Two or Three Things You Need to Raise Capital
Yesterday I chatted with an entrepreneur that was looking for advice on raising capital. I’ve written quite a bit about fundraising in the past, but it’s a hard topic and a challenging thing for people to get through. Most people have never raised funding before, and even with all the advice out there it’s still […]
I have 1 year of savings, so I’m giving this startup thing a try…
Making the jump from a day job to starting a company is a scary one. I don’t believe there’s a ton of real risk —after all, you’re probably highly employable (particularly if you’re a developer)— but it’s still a big leap. And often, people do it after they’ve saved up about a year’s worth of […]
Quiet and Boring: How to Build a Successful Startup
A few days ago, Indeed (a job aggregator site) announced that they had been acquired by a Japanese company called Recruit Co Ltd. One story I saw pegged the acquisition close to a billion dollars. I’ve heard through the grapevine about some very happy investors. Indeed is a very successful company. And while you’ve probably […]
Check out a Sneak Peek of Lean Analytics Book
In July I announced that I was writing a book on Lean Analytics with Alistair Croll. Today I’m very excited to be sharing a sneak peek of that book with you. Download the Lean Analytics book sneak peek! (pdf) The sneak peek contains the first few chapters of the book. Hopefully it shows you the […]
The Hubbub Over Acquihires
An acquihire (acquisition + hiring) is when a startup exits to a company that’s primarily interested in the founders and employees, and not the technology, product or anything else. Acquihires are most common with small startups that don’t get the traction they need to make it on their own or raise the necessary capital to […]
Doing a Lean Startup Conference Workshop on December 4th in San Francisco
The Lean Startup Conference is the top Lean Startup event, hosted by Eric Ries and Sarah Milstein. The event is on December 3rd and 4th, with a week of activities planned beforehand as well. It’s going to be a great event. And I’m very excited that Alistair Croll and I will be doing a half-day […]
Don’t Squeeze Your Product Managers Into Uselessness
Product managers are important. They won’t be the first hire in a startup –since the CEO is very product-focused, particularly early on– but at some point in time, CEOs need product managers to help out. When that happens, product managers have to be very careful about not getting squeezed between the CEO and the development […]
A Holistic View of Products and Product Management
My definition of “product” is broader than most. I think of product as everything and anything a company outputs that touches customers. Your product isn’t just the physical item you deliver to customers, or the software that your customers use. It’s the entire experience your customers have with your company. Product = Customer Experience This […]
Don’t Fuck Around With Employee Loyalty
To employers: Don’t assume employee loyalty is a given. It’s not a right. You have to work on a continuous basis to earn the trust and loyalty of employees. And there are other companies out there –doing it right– that are competing for your people. To employees: Don’t go into a job assuming the worst, […]