I gave a briefing to the San Bruno Rotary on Thought Leadership on Aug-6-2014. Here is the audio for the core of the talk (I have cut the introduction and about ten minutes of Q&A) Or download from http://traffic.libsyn.com/skmurphy/ThoughtLeadership140806c.mp3 Here is my handout from the talk.
Thought Leadership: A Briefing For San Bruno Rotary Read More »
The prisoners dilemma thought experiment that posits a single isolated transaction as the entire relationship does not offer a good model for business and dealing with prospects, customers, partners, suppliers, employees, or really anyone. Q: Is the Prisoners Dilemma A Good Model for Doing Business? Q: I am currently working on a degree in Computer
Q: Is the Prisoners Dilemma A Good Model for Doing Business? Read More »
Customer development surveys always sucks for B2B: have a conversation instead.
Customer Development Surveys Always Suck For B2B Read More »
Both for personal or business growth, an entrepreneur has to cultivate patience and consider long term effects, not just a transaction’s immediate benefits.
Planting Trees: Finite and Infinite Entrepreneurship Read More »
Elizabeth Denzig published an interview with Sidney Brenner in February or 2014 in “King’s Review” entitled “How Academia and Publishing are Destroying Scientific Innovation: A Conversation with Sydney Brenner” I think there are a number of lessons–or in several cases cautions–for selling to scientists.
Sidney Brenner: The Trouble with American Science Read More »
Identify what is unlikely to change: e.g. problem area, type of customer. Build on experience. Join communities that focus on these.
You can follow @skmurphy to get these quotes for entrepreneurs hot off the mojo wire or wait until they are collected in a blog post at the end of each month. Enter your E-mail address if you would like have new blog posts sent to you.
Quotes For Entrepreneurs–July 2014 Read More »
It’s hard work not passive income that allows you to find your life purpose. I make a distinction between wanting to move beyond running a services business where you bill by the hour to either selling results or selling a product and entrepreneurs attracted to the passive income fantasies of the “Four Hour Work Week.”
Michael Ellsberg: Four Reasons Why Passive Income Is a Destructive Fantasy Read More »
In the last eight years I have moderated several hundred Bootstrappers Breakfasts. After doing a hundred or so and working with many clients who were bootstrapping I came up with a checklist for common mistakes bootstrappers and bootstrapping teams make in their first year or so.
Ten Mistakes Early Stage Bootstrappers Often Make Read More »
Cultivating mindfulness requires you to maintain situational awareness and realize when your reflexes may trigger a reaction that is not as thoughtful as the situation requires.
Cultivating Mindfulness Read More »
Things I have learned from my children: “fall down seven times, stand up eight”, athletic ability flows from practice, and patience.
Things I Have Learned From My Children Read More »
SKMurphy’s Startup Stages: Idea, Open for Business, Early Customers, Finding Your Niche, and Scaling Up also map to Survive, Explore, Focus, Refine, and Grow.
Startup Stages: Survive, Explore, Focus, Refine, Grow Read More »
Matt Wensing On Making the Transition to Growth Stormpulse has gone from an idea bootstrapped on founder savings and credit cards, to a project funded by friends and family rounds, to a small business strengthened by angel money, to a company that’s raised “meaningful” capital (our last round was just over $2 million). Here’s what
Matt Wensing On Making the Transition to Growth Read More »
Manage interruptions by writing down enough context to continue later: organized notes must detail status and next steps. Brad Pierce: Preserve Context in Writing to Manage Interruptions On longer time scales, when you must drop something for a while, it’s important, before doing so, to leave behind enough context for yourself to swap it back
Brad Pierce: Preserve Context in Writing to Manage Interruptions Read More »
A collection of humorous tools that generate buzzword compliant business models. Web Economy Bullshit Generators First there was Dack Ragus‘ (@dack) “Web Economy Bullshit Generator.” He started with sketches (“Kinda like Da Vinci’s sketchbook, except for bullshit”): “I made this massive list of potential bullshit terms while sitting on Miami Beach in January, 2000. Add a
Tools for Buzzword Compliant Business Models Read More »
If you have demonstrated domain knowledge and expertise, a plan for having a significant impact on a customer problem, and are in the process of exploring the early market for your offering or trying to build on a handful of early customers, we can help find leads and close deals. The majority of our clients
We Help Teams of Experts Find Leads and Close Deals Read More »
Three interesting answers from Tristan Kromer’s interview with the folks at Startup Commons Startup Commons: What’s the best way to get started? Tristan Kromer: Find someone you really want to help. Someone in pain. That’s your vision. Helping someone and solving a real problem. Find team members with complementary skill sets who are able to challenge
Tristan Kromer: You Can Tell a Good Advisor by Their Questions Read More »
I have started to reserve Sundays to write on spirituality, charity, and a higher moral purpose to our life as entrepreneurs. I was struck by the quote that Stephenson puts in Juanita’s mouth in Snow Crash and have concluded that he is performing a similar ministry in his science fiction writing. There is a sense
Neal Stephenson on Christianity, Grace, Sincerity, and Seeing Things as They Are Read More »
Product-market fit is not a ratchet: competitive response, new entrants, changes in technology and customer preference require ongoing customer development. You will need to continue to do customer development–and customer discovery for that matter–even after you have a first prototype, an MVP, early customers, and an established niche. Markets and competitors don’t stand still, no
Q: We Already Have a Prototype, Can We Still Do Customer Development? Read More »
John Gardner outlines how leaders detect and act on weak signals of the future by looking beyond the horizon and planning for renewal.
John Gardner: Leaders Detect and Act on the Weak Signals of the Future Read More »
