Startups face huge risks when looking for channel partners. Often startups go after massive corporations as partners (because those companies have the sales channels and resources), which makes the relationships highly inequitable. But one of the benefits of partnerships is securing early relationships with potential acquirers. Many companies are ultimately acquired by partners. It only […]
An Introduction to Pitching Investors
Kudos to the students at McGill University for putting on some great events. I’m a big fan and advocate of anything that bridges the gap between students and startups. I was invited to speak along with Daniel Drouet at an event entitled, “The Perfect Pitch”. I’m not sure such a thing exists, but I was […]
Foursquare and Pavlov’s Dog
I’m a big fan of Foursquare. It’s not because of the game or even the possibility of getting deals at nearby locations when I check-in. What’s fascinating about Foursquare, and in my opinion, at the heart of its success to-date, is the fact that it has created a new, automatic user behavior. Remember Pavlov’s dog? […]
10 Startup To-Dos: Things You Should Really Think About When Starting a Company
I did a quick presentation at the Montreal.rb meeting about startup to-dos — things you should really think about before starting companies. It’s great to see more and more developers and tech folks interested in starting companies. In places like Silicon Valley it’s often tech people who launch startups. We need more startups in Montreal […]
How To Build a Start-Up Nation
There’s been no shortage of debate and discussion about how to replicate the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem (or whether it’s even possible, worthwhile or applicable to other places). I wrote about it way back when in 2007 and certainly a lot has changed and improved in a few years. But when you read a book […]
Startups Face Huge Risk with Channel Partner Strategy
Every so often I read a blog post and say, “I wish I had written that!” That was absolutely the case with Mark Suster’s post, The Fallacy of Channels: Startups Beware. Mark hits the nail right on the head with respect to the risk (and usually the abject failure) for startups using a channel partner […]
Startup Cultures are not an Automatic Success
People assume that startups have a certain type of culture. It’s fast-paced. Lots of caffeine is involved. Personal hygiene is optional. And the culture is automatically ingrained from day one. But none of those things are (necessarily) true. Too many startups – and specifically startup founders – ignore their internal culture or don’t maintain a […]
Good Business Bad Business
Not all business is created equal. Not all revenue is created equal either. Everything has a cost. Bad business and revenue can cost more than they’re worth to acquire. You need to have clear definitions of good business and bad business for your own company. The definitions can change over time (almost everything does evolve) […]
7 Key Points for Brainstorming Startup Ideas
One of my favorite exercises is brainstorming startup ideas with other entrepreneurs. You can gain a lot of value from a fresh perspective. When “pitched an idea” for brainstorming or feedback I tend to go through the same 7 key points and questions each time. That tends to spur strong discussion, new ideas and new […]
Startup Children: Introducing Talker
One indication of a strengthening startup ecosystem is when past founders start new companies. Even if those previous companies weren’t successful (although that certainly helps!), it’s a good sign when entrepreneurs keep trying. Another good sign is when startup employees decide to make the leap into startup founders. In fact, I think this is even […]
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