Startups die for lots of reasons. Of course the end game usually involves running out of money – until that point in time, you can still fight on (although it might not be worth it.) But at the root of many startup deaths is indecision, especially for first-time entrepreneurs and CEOs. First-time entrepreneurs don’t have […]
Take the Mystery out of Software Pricing
Pricing software isn’t a pure science. Far from it. But Neil Davidson does an awesome job of demystifying product and software pricing in his book, Don’t Just Roll the Dice – A usefully short guide to software pricing. The book is very short, and he’s made it available for free as a downloadable e-book. Just […]
Why are Customer Development and Lean Startup Principles So Popular?
Customer Development is hot. Lean Startups too. Customer Development is gaining momentum thanks to Steve Blank’s book – The Four Steps to the Epiphany and the uptake of its principles by many startups. The Lean Startup model has emerged as a favorite amongst startups thanks to the work of Eric Ries. Why have both of […]
What are the Social Media Roadblocks for Companies?
Seth Godin hits the nail on the head in reference to using the Web and social media for your business: The problem is no longer budget. The problem is no longer access to tools. The problem is the will to get good at it. There also remains a very pervasive fear within companies (especially at […]
Firing People Quickly is the Best Way
Firing people is extremely difficult, especially if you’ve never done it before. But it’s made infinitely harder and causes significantly more damage if you delay it. When you know someone isn’t working out (for whatever reason), you need to let them go. For startups it’s a very difficult pill to swallow. Each person on a […]
The Instigator Blog Bookstore
Now that I’ve committed myself to reading more regularly and posting reviews and thoughts (from the books I read) on this blog, I thought it would be worthwhile to collect all the books in one place. So I’ve launched a very simple Instigator Blog Bookstore. It’s powered by Amazon. I’ve also added a permanent link […]
Where’s the WOW! in Retail Stores?
Most retail experiences suck. They just do. It’s rare that I go into a store and leave feeling amazed. I might be happy with what I bought, but beyond that, the experience is usually “Meh.” And some retail experiences are so bad that you leave the store angry, even if you did buy something that […]
Don’t Try to Get Funding Before You Know How It’s Done
If you don’t know how the process works to raise capital and get funding from angel investors or venture capital investors, you will never succeed at raising capital. What this means is that if you feel like raising angel investment or venture investment is critical for the success of your business, you need to go […]
The Future of Recruiting is Trust Agents
I’m currently in the middle of reading Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Combined with reading Inbound Marketing I can’t help but think more about how inbound marketing and trust are related to recruiting. The reality is that the future of recruiting is trust agents. Trust agents are experts at relationship building, personal […]
Speaking at Startup School – Please Join Me
I’ve been invited by Steli Efti (here’s his blog) to speak in Startup School’s Founder Interview Series. Startup School was recently launched, and here’s how Steli describes it: The goal of this Supercool School is to empower entrepreneurs globally to connect and educate each other about starting and running a successful startup business. Teachers and […]
Founding Partner at 