The process of starting a company is messy. It has massive ups and downs, tons of uncertainty and a significant portion of time is spent doing things you don’t know how to do, or don’t like doing. But that’s the Startup Process. Either you embrace it and love it or you get out. Don’t expect […]
How to Have Startup Swagger Without Being a Complete Asshole
You need a sizeable ego to succeed in the world of startups and venture capital. Without that ego propelling you forward it’s going to be hard to wake up every morning, take the risks you need to take, and aggressively go after what you want. You won’t be able to negotiate from a position of […]
Have You Really Identified Your Biggest Competitor?
Every startup has competition. In fact, I can virtually guarantee you that someone is already working on your idea. And you know that you can’t go into an investor pitch and say, “We don’t have any competition.” That’s completely untrue and sends horrible signals to investors. But who is your biggest competitor? Most startups have […]
The Risks and Rewards of Delighting Users (or Attempting To)
Delighting users is incredibly hard. Most startups don’t even try. That results in boring (although occasionally effective and useful) web applications. Some startups try too hard and end up overloading their applications with flashy funkiness that doesn’t add any real value. They might get an A for effort, but they won’t keep users happy through […]
Before You Start-Up Ask Yourself This Question
“Is it REALLY worth building?” Too few entrepreneurs really ask themselves this question before starting up their business. In some cases, entrepreneurs don’t even think to ask themselves the question. Sometimes, entrepreneurs just lie to themselves. Regardless of why entrepreneurs don’t ask the question it’s often a fatal mistake. A lot of people are starting […]
Lying to Yourself is a Leading Cause of Startup Failure
Although I did complete a Psychology degree at university, I’m no psychologist. And I’m no self-help guru either. But the more I think about startups and entrepreneurs, the more I think that one of the leading causes of startup failure is lying. Not lying to other people, but lying to oneself. People lie to themselves […]
Piggyback and Steal: Startups Need to be More Parasitic (In a Good Way!)
In a recent NextMontreal tech podcast (which I participate in on a weekly basis), I used the phrase, “piggyback and steal.” I thought it was reasonably catchy, so I jotted it down for this blog post. Without context it makes no sense, so let me add some. During the podcast I was talking to Frederic […]
The Deadly Power of “Good Enough”
Good Enough is an extremely powerful force that works against startups. It’s easy to identify “problems” with market leaders. Take the recruitment space as an example. How many people look at big job boards like Monster and say, “They’re broken! They suck! They’re useless!” And then what do they do? They launch a startup to […]
Someone Else is Already Working on Your Idea
If you think you have an original idea, think again. There’s a very, very good chance it’s already being worked on. It might not be identical, but it’s likely very close. If no one else is already working on the idea you have, there’s a good chance it’s a bad one. Fundamentally, you should never […]
Anchor Your Startup with Big Honest Vision
“Go big or go home.” I’m (somewhat) ashamed to admit that I’ve uttered those words before. I’ve written them too. But for the wrong reasons. When I launched Standout Jobs I anchored my exuberance in the wrong milestones (such as raising money) and didn’t have the insight or validation needed to really lay claim to […]
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