Three Good Books for Consultants
Here are three good books for consultants that I routinely recommend: “Trusted Advisor”, “Secrets of Consulting”, and “Rainmaking.”
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Books
Slides from “Limits of I’ll Know It When I See It” Talk at SFBay ACM
Here is the outline and slides from my talk at SFBay ACM on “Limits of I’ll Know it When I see it” about the fundamentals in applying expertise effectively.
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Pitching Hacks Has $20 Worth of Advice for Bootstrappers As Well
Although it’s aimed at startup entrepreneurs who are seeking investment, the Pitching Hacks e-book from the Venture Hacks team has $20* of advice for bootstrappers as well. Investors don’t invest in businesses. They invest in stories about businesses. If you want to raise money on favorable terms, you need multiple investment offers. How do you
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William Feather on “Dead Business”
William Feather’s “Dead Business” details the stark differences between a going concern and all the agreements and understandings that have been reached to make it viable, and a bankrupt one.
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Drucker on Profit and Business Purpose
After thinking some more about yesterday’s post on entrepreneurial motivation I thought I would re-read some Peter Drucker, his clarity and prescience continue to impress me.
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Daniel Pink’s “Free Agent Nation” Worth Revisiting
In April of 2001, as the euphoria from 1999 started to fall to earth again (by October it would be accessible only by Deep Submersible Rescue Vehicle) Daniel Pink wrote “Land of the Free” in Fast Company that was a teaser for “Free Agent Nation” as a hardback in May of 2001 and paperback in
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Customer Development for a Consulting Practice in a Downturn
What follows are some real questions I have answered either face to face or in e-mail over the last 90 days in response to the current downturn in Silicon Valley. Customer Development for a Consultants in a Downturn Q: I just completed my first two years of consulting–which were spectacular–after 20+ years of full time
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Ten Key Books for Busy High-Tech Execs @IEEE-SCV-TMC Nov-6-2008
Sean is speaking Thursday November 6 at the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the IEEE Technological Management Council on “Ten Business Books in One Hour for the Busy High-Tech Executive.” Location: Ramada Inn, 1217 Wildwood Ave, Sunnyvale CA 94089 (See Meeting Map) Time & Date: 6-9pm (Dinner included) on Thursday November 6, 2008 Cost &
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Jerome K. Jerome on Work
A passage from chapter 15 of Jerome K. Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat” captures the risk that an attitude of perfectionism toward work can hinder startup founders.
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Steve Blank on Customer Development Process for Startups
I was an early fan of Steve Blank’s customer development model. This post was written when “Four Steps to the Epiphany” was only available on Cafe Press and documents the early set of principles he espoused.
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Entrepreneurs, Luck, and Silicon Valley
2003 reflections on the dotcom crash–the year I started SKMurphy, Inc., and 4 rules of thumb from Richard Wiseman on making you own luck.
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How To Ask An Expert For Help
Entrepreneurs often have to ask an expert for help. Here is some great advice by Andrea R. Nierenberg in the “Ask the Expert” column of this month’s New York Enterprise report. Q: Like most small business owners, I find there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all I want to do. Plus there is another,
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Entrepreneurial Innovation Comes More From Borrowing & Combining Than Invention
I came across a good quote on innovation and invention in a 2004 article in Fortune Magazine by Harold Evans called “What Drives America’s Greatest Innovators“ (emphasis added) [The] defining characteristic of the innovator: a determination to bring a brainwave into the bustle of the marketplace. […] More innovations come from borrowing and combining than
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Understand, Believe, and Act
A useful basic sales model start with understanding the process that your prospects go through to make a purchase: understand believe act.
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Jerry Weissman On Persuasion: Getting From Point A to Point B In Your Presentation
Jerry Weissman’s model for a successful presentation takes the audience on a journey from Point A to Point B: from uninformed and skeptical to persuaded and ready to act.
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Nuts, Bolts and Jolts by Richard Moran
“Nuts, Bolts, and Jolts” by Richard Moran offers a well organized collection of business advice organized as bullet-length prescriptions.
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Seth Godin’s Book “The Dip” Save Your Money
There are some good insights in Seth Godin’s The Dip, his slim new volume devoted to excellence, perseverance, and organized abandonment. Seth Godin’s Book “The Dip” Save Your Money Godin doesn’t say “organized abandonment” which is a concept developed by Peter Drucker, but “quitting.” Godin offer’s three checks to perform before you quit and backs into
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Crossing the Chasm – Look for a Niche in a Lot of Pain
Crossing the chasm between risk tolerant early adopters and risk averse early majority? Look niche markets of early majority prospects who are in a lot of pain.
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Questions That Sell By Paul Cherry
I had promised to check out and report back on “Questions That Sell: The Powerful Process For Discovering What Your Customers Really Want” by Paul Cherry, which was recommended by Jennifer Vessels at Next Step’s workshop “How to Sell the Real Value of Your Solution” on Thursday, November 7, 2006. This is a good book,
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Kierkegaard on the Art of Helping Others to Understand
An excerpt from Soren Kierkegaard writing on helping others to understand. The key is to start from a deep understanding of the other person’s world view. This echoes Steven Covey’s fifth habit: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
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