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Austin Convention Center, SXSW Interactive. March 2012. Startups are creatures of their environment. Like living organisms they depend heavily on the interactions of their environment for nourishment, growth and even survival. Clearly, not all environments are equal when it comes to growing things – We see deserts, grassy steppes, forests, oceans,
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All startups in 2012 have had front-line exposure to the challenges of growing their business and competing in an ever-changing technical environment. Looking forward to 2013, we anticipate more growth, more challenges, and many new opportunities. As the GM of several online brands; talent, measurement, and mobile platforms are some
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This looks hard. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife) In a recent conversation with a longtime programmer and startup veteran, he lamented how difficult all of the technology involved in startups can get. He finds it frustrating that so many interconnected technologies and details must come together to get
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Feelings count before the numbers ever do in the Startup world. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Startups need the participation of many different people in order to be successful; technical folks, creative folks, marketers, customers, manufacturers, partners, advisors, investors and many others. Beyond the technical and creative aspects of the startup journey,
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Engineers make the world go 'round, for technical product companies. In technical businesses, the management of technology can be complex. Creation of business models, mapping data and software systems to those models and then integrating them across platforms takes a team of dedicated and talented people to do successfully.
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Creating business value is a multifacted process that requires a number of areas of problem solving--of dealing with complexity in various forms. I assert that all companies are dealing with two main areas of such problem solving: Delivery of product, and discovery of what I call 'Market Truth'
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Startups without financing are like small boats in a big ocean. The short answer is “No. Startups these days can usually get going without investors.” The longer, more nuanced answer is “But if you can get funding, it is probably a good idea.” Now, more than ever, startups can start-up
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Steve Blank, entrepreneur, author, and educator. Steve Blank is one of Silicon Valley’s most well known entrepreneurial educators, and one of its most active opinion leaders. He teaches entrepreneurship at both Berkeley and Stanford, spending much of his time these days showing entrepreneurs how to avoid the mistakes that
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Cooperation comes naturally in the West. (Photo credit: Show Us Your Togwotee) Silicon Valley is noted for its remarkable innovation, and is often copied by other global cities and regions in attempts to follow in its success. The fact that most other places have failed to ignite significant growth or
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Ready, Fire, Aim. Now we aim after we fire. It works better. It has long been a truism that to hit a target, you first get “Ready,” then you “Aim,” then you “Fire.” What I have found in the world of startups is that if you shoot first, and aim
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Heed the warning sign. (Photo credit: zigazou76) Speaking with an entrepreneur friend recently, she related a story of working with an inventor who had a promising new technology and was trying to take it to market. She had secured partners who were willing to commit $100m in investment, which was
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Back to Basics. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The most successful businesses are those that master the basic transactions of their market and execute them with reliability and excellence. Identify what the core operations are for your market, and what the constituent parts of those operations are. Then ask yourself if you