Don’t. That’s my first reaction when I think about how to pitch a startup to a complete stranger. But that’s not the entire story. I get pitched a fair amount from people with startups or startup ideas. Oftentimes they’re interested in learning about how to raise financing. I try my best to read all the […]
Startup D.O.A
How often have you seen startups go down the following road? A couple people come up with an idea. They’re excited. Really, really excited. They get nervous about competition or people stealing their plans. So they get very hush hush. They start building something. This usually involves locking themselves in a small, dark room with […]
Startup CEOs Need To Do Sales
Doing sales isn’t typically one of the favorite things of most startup CEOs (and by extension, startup founding teams). Certainly they want sales (because sales = $$), but they don’t want to actually do the sales. This is a huge problem for startups. Startup CEOs need to be very close to their prospects and customers […]
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 […]
How To Write Great Surveys with Actionable Data Results
Writing a great survey isn’t easy. At first it might seem straightforward, but after banging out a few questions with your favorite survey tool (I use Wufoo most of the time), you start to see the complexity and intricacies involved. More and more startups are creating surveys as a means of collecting data from early […]
Lack of Market Focus Can Kill Your Startup
Too many startups lack market focus. They don’t really understand their target customer and what that customer wants. And that lack of focus kills startups. It’s easy to look at and define a big market as a single entity – a giant, amoeba-like blob where everything and everyone in it is basically the same. This […]
A Great Case Study of Customer Development + Pirate Metrics + Lean Startup
This is a brilliant case study of someone using Customer Development, Pirate Metrics and Lean Startup principles to develop their startup. If you’re not familiar with these three concepts, here are the 3 links you need: Steve Blank’s blog on Customer Development Startup Metrics for Pirates: AARRR! by Dave McClure Startup Lessons Learned by Eric […]
Talking to Customers Must be Part of Your Startup Culture
Customers. Love ’em or hate ’em, we all need them. They’re not always right, they’re often elusive but they’re the lifeblood of any successful company. And that’s true for a business-to-consumer play (B2C) as much as it’s true for business-to-business (B2B) organizations. One of the risks in dealing with customers is only speaking to a […]
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