It’s human nature to seek out the opinion of others. And soliciting feedback can be extremely valuable in the process of vetting and developing your startup idea. But be careful how you react to everyone’s opinions. When asking people for their opinion on your new startup idea, you’ll get a variety of answers: Brilliant! Why […]
Moving to San Francisco
The weather is beautiful The people there complain about the fog, but that’s just silliness. Come visit Montreal in February. Then talk to me about fog. The city is nice They’ve got the ocean, mountains and a vibrant city. The earthquake thing isn’t great, but get a sturdy a desk to hide under and you […]
Can You Build a Startup Ecosystem Outside the Valley?
San Francisco is an incredible place for startups. There are so many positive factors to encourage entrepreneurs and help them along the way. It was an eye-opener. More than anything, everyone’s openness, availability and participation makes the difference. In order for startups to succeed, you need lots of different people: New entrepreneurs Veteran entrepreneurs Angel […]
9 Lessons Learned From Founders At Work
Founders at Work is a great book for anyone working on a startup or thinking about doing so. It’s a collection of interviews done by Jessica Livingston, a partner at Y Combinator. There are many fascinating things about the book, particularly the diversity of entrepreneurs she speaks to, from veterans of the computer world (Steve […]
How Are Companies in Silicon Valley Hiring?
The job market is hot. This is especially true in Silicon Valley where every company – big and small – is looking to hire top talent. How do they do it? Fred Ngo, co-Founder of Standout Jobs acted as roving reporter at the TechCrunch 9 Party asking people for their best hiring stories and biggest […]
A Glimpse Into The Suffering of Venture Capitalists
Last week I attended Always On at Stanford University, a great conference on Web and technology. There was a broad mix of attendees: venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, technologists, media, etc. I met a number interesting companies, including goChongo and ThinkFree. I also watched a great panel discussion on venture capital with Roger McNamee (Elevation), Erik Straser […]
3 Tips To Startup Success
When starting a business, you’re going to make mistakes. Even if you’ve done it a handful of times (successfully or not), mistakes are common. Of course, you will learn a ton from the mistakes you make; but there are plenty of new mistakes left to make. Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. Far from […]
How-To Start a Company and Family at the Same Time
Work-life balance is a topic of constant debate. Can you achieve it? Does it exist? What’s it all mean? Wendy Piersall is asking those very questions. This time she’s asking dads for their input. Certainly, this is a topic of much debate and difficulty for moms. But dads get less attention. It’s assumed that dads […]
Starting a Business is One Massive Learning Experience
There’s nothing like starting a business to put your proverbial feet to the fire. Over the past 10 years as a Web and software entrepreneur I’ve learned an incredible amount. There have been times where my learning ebbed, and looking back, those were some of the most frustrating and depressing times. Adam Kayce (from the […]
What’s the Motivation to Start a Startup?
Starting a company is hard. Even uber-successful entrepreneurs like Marc Andreessen will tell you so. And no matter what you think you know about starting a business, you’ll be proven wrong time and time again. Austin Hill beat me to my own post on the rollercoaster ride of startups, but his point is a key […]
Founding Partner at 