The first Friday in July falls on the 4th so we are going to hold our “First Friday Palo Alto Bootstrapper Breakfast” at 8am at Hobees. We are meeting on July 4 (we have done it twice in the last 7 years) but we are pushing the start time back to 8am if you want to […]
Join Us For An Independence Day 2014 Bootstrapper Breakfast In Palo Alto Read More »
Q: I have worked on large enterprise software systems but am now struggling working at a startup creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). I am a big believer in BDD and TDD, so I’ve developed an automated testing suite for the MVP that has high coverage and great specifications describing and asserting its behaviors in
Q: How Much Effort Should I Invest in Automated Testing For An MVP? Read More »
Shared trust and integrity form the basis for the key resource in a bootstrapping startup: morale. Founders must foster actions and behaviors that build trust in the early days if they hope to create a startup with a culture that will enable it to prosper.
Ten Principles for Trust and Integrity from Adventures in Missions Read More »
Matt Oscamou, the founder of Frontier Bites, talked about lessons learned getting a food startup off the ground at the April 15 Bootstrapper Breakfast in Sunnyvale. Here is a short recording of his introduction, the benefits the Bootstrapper Breakfast® has offered him, and how he came to bootstrap Frontier Bites with his brother and persevere
Matt Oscamou of Frontier Bites on the value of the Bootstrapper Breakfast Read More »
You can follow @skmurphy to get these hot off the mojo wire or wait until these quotes for entrepreneurs 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–June 2014 Read More »
Start-Up Black Ops Jonathan Wang penned the Start-Up Black Ops creed, a website started on the belief: “Every entrepreneur will, at some point along their journey, find themselves at the bottom of a big, dark pit–seemingly alone, surrounded by nothing, and without a way out. That is the unavoidable norm when it comes to starting and running
Four Principles From Jonathan Wang’s “Start-Up Black Ops Creed” Read More »
Comparing notes and making commitments to a group of peers can enable you to see things you might otherwise overlook and to persevere on tasks where you may have previously faltered. Active participation in a mastermind group one of the best ways to reach your goals.
A Mastermind Group Can Help Entrepreneurs Achieve Their Goals Read More »
You can follow @skmurphy to get these hot off the mojo wire or wait until these quotes for entrepreneurs 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–May 2014 Read More »
On Memorial Day we commemorate those who have died in the service of our country. It’s a day of remembrance more than one of celebration. I offer some quotes on death, heroism, and the stories we tell for you to meditate on.
Steve Hodas packs a lot of insight packed into this 15 minute talk from the Lean Startup 2013 conference. A recent conversation reminded me how much I enjoyed this talk and the savvy approach Hodas outlines for enterprise or large organizations who want to encourage innovation by partnering with startups and re-invigorating intrapreneurs and internal
Steve Hodas’ Lean Startup 2013 Talk Offers Recipe for Re-Invigorating Intrapreneurs Read More »
Brian Fuller had an interesting blog post on why you should circle the chairs in a meeting to increase audience participation at “Industry events need to get more social.” Panels and speeches at events are the live equivalent of newspaper publishing: We talk, you listen. Newspapers and magazines have been pounded for the better part
Instead of looking left and right for potential competition, I would walk around the table and look at the situation from your prospect’s perspective.
Q: How Much Attention Should I Pay To Potential Competition? Read More »
Don’t do a big launch before you have completed customer discovery or you are running a very expensive test of your key customer and market hypotheses.
Q: Can We Launch First and Ask Customer Discovery Questions Later? Read More »
A collection of quotes of interest and use to entrepreneurs: these quotes for entrepreneurs were identified in April 2014.
Quotes For Entrepreneurs–April 2014 Read More »
I had a nice time at last night’s Cofounder Club. Dea Wilson, founder of Lifograph, invited me to talk about “Giving a Killer Demo.” We had a lively discussion upstairs at Procopio: starting with some introductions and then short demos by the attendees, then I gave a formal recap of the Great Demo methodology and how to apply
Recap of “How To Give a Great Demo” at CoFounders Club Wed-Apr-16-2014 Read More »
You can follow @skmurphy to get these hot off the mojo wire or wait until these quotes for entrepreneurs 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–March 2014 Read More »
One of the hallmarks for success in a business-to-business market is the ability to form personal relationships as well as professional business relationships. Both require building trust. I am always dismayed when I read advice that advocates bait and switch or other forms of con games that erode trust and make it difficult for any
Building a Business Requires Building Trust Read More »
After every Great Demo! workshop we contact the attendees with a short E-Mail that reads in part: I want to check-in to see how you have been doing using the ideas and skills we covered in our Great Demo! Workshop three months ago. Specifically, I’d like to hear: What have been the results so far?
Great Demo Workshop Attendee: “Holy Crap! My Demos Have Too Much Detail” Read More »
Whether you are a software startup or a consultant you have to convince prospects that you have the expertise to solve their problems by what you say, what you write, and what others say about you. This three hour workshop will outline a mix of proven marketing techniques for generating leads for your business. Attendees will
Learn How to Market Your Expertise March 25 in Sunnyvale Read More »
Looking for advice on lead generation or closing deals? Consider scheduling “office hours” to walk around your current sales process or a particular opportunity you are trying to close. SKMurphy functions as a startup advisor to help you understand the process of building a business. We understand the challenges of selecting an advisor–and advising entrepreneurs–and have blogged
Office Hours: Schedule Time To Walk Around Your MVP Read More »
