Panel sessions Feb 22, 2012 on Innovator’s DNA Skill #1 Associating. Terry Frazier of Cognovis, Steve Hogan of Tech-Rx, and Sean Murphy of SKMurphy. Part of the Book Club For Business Impact covered lessons learned applying a number of techniques for associating from chapter 2 of the “Innovator’s DNA” by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton […]
Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Associating Skill Read More »
Steve Hogan and Sean Murphy walk through a five part webinar series on “The Innovator’s DNA” by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen,and Clayton Christensen. Sean thinks it’s the best book on innovation and entrepreneurship for 2011 and useful for any team that is trying to innovate. Each webinar will be in a roundtable format and include
Webinar Replay: Innovator’s DNA Series Overview Read More »
Seven movies to watch to renew your sense of wonder with interstellar travel, alternate universes, and our first steps into space.
Movies to Renew Your Sense of Wonder Read More »
It’s OK to ask a B2B prospect if they would use your product during customer discovery. Just don’t to stop at “Yes” and assume validation or a likely sale.
It’s OK To Ask “Would You Use This?” in Customer Discovery Read More »
Q: I struggle with the value proposition for our product. Either I am too abstract “we offer a positive return on time invested” or too vague “help increase your ability to manage critical challenges.” Do you have any suggestions for how to frame or formulate a value proposition? Here a few questions that a value
Crafting a Value Proposition Read More »
Entrepreneurial passion has to be based on a desire to create value, to be of service to a set of target customers. There may be many things you are interested in learning and room enough in your life for several hobbies, but pursuing a passion without regard to your ability to provide value in a
Entrepreneurial Passion: Good Servant, Poor Master Read More »
Creating value for others is the core of the entrepreneurial mindset. It enables the exchange of value that fuels entrepreneur’s efforts to bring new ideas and products to market. Dan Sullivan: Entrepreneurs Make Two Decisions In “The Great Crossover,” Dan Sullivan offers the following insight on entrepreneurial mindset: Successful entrepreneurs differ from other people–not in their
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Create Value For Others Read More »
The practical and spiritual aspects of entrepreneurship as a calling are well documented in “The Call of the Entrepreneur.”
Entrepreneurship As A Calling Read More »
Q: What are logos good for? An image is processed by a different part of the brain than a word or phrase, making it both memorable and evocative in ways that are distinct from the name of your company. Having a logo for your company or product makes it more memorable and allows you to
Why You Need A Logo Read More »
These are excerpts from Episode 9 of Outlier on Air: Tristan Kromer, A Lean Approach to Business. They are in the same sequence the took place in the interview but a number of stories and asides have been omitted to focus on what I felt were some extremely valuable insights from Tristan Kromer on clarifying and testing
Tristan Kromer on Testing Customer and Value Hypotheses Read More »
Map the customer buying process, needs, and situation before you invest time sending a detailed proposal. A quick request can mean you are column fodder. Q: We are still trying to close our first paying customer. We have a website up and have talked to a number of people. More or less out of the blue
Map Customer Buying Process Before Sending a Proposal Read More »
Successful entrepreneurs are fueled by a passion to change the world tempered by prudent risk taking. Many risks have to be managed on an ongoing basis.
Entrepreneurs Blend Passion and Prudent Risk Taking Read More »
For customer interviews we have a rule of thumb that if an hour or research saves a minute early in the conversation it’s a good investment. When you look at the list of questions you have prepared to learn about the prospect’s business and their needs, it’s easy to say to yourself, “I am really
Customer Interviews: Spend an Hour to Save a Minute Read More »
In a candid discussion about the challenges of managing your own expectations for a minimum viable product (MVP), Tristan Kromer observed, “It’s psychologically hard to enthusiastically proceed with skepticism.” And that is the challenge, we have to be enthusiastic about our product ideas to persevere to complete them and tell others about them, but we have to
Minimum Viable Product: Enthusiastically Proceed Skeptically Read More »
While truly new markets have no history, their business model parameters can be estimated by what they replace or substitute for.
Q: How Do I Calculate Business Model Parameters For A Novel Product? Read More »
I like this 2009 video by Grasshopper “Entrepreneurs Can Change The World” that portrays the entrepreneur as a change agent and celebrates the freedom and economic opportunities that America has traditionally offered immigrants.
An Entrepreneur Is A Change Agent Read More »
Successful bootstrappers are open to possibilities, including mistakes. Their focus and perseverance to explore many options but say yes to only a few.
Few Against Many Requires Focus and Perseverance Read More »
It’s not a mistake to accept venture capital if your business merits and requires it for growth. Don’t get distracted seeking it until then. “The seductive narrative of Silicon Valley stars a genius-hero who goes on a journey, overcomes myriad obstacles, has a flash of insight and is rewarded by wise and benevolent investors with
Don’t Get Distracted Raising Venture Capital Read More »
I found Janet Iwasa‘s Ted Talk on “how animations can help scientists test a hypothesis” to be extremely thought provoking. It’s worth considering how to animate your hypothesis to explore it’s viability and implications.
Janet Iwasa: Animate Your Hypothesis to Explore Its Viability and Implications Read More »
Identify what is unlikely to change: e.g. problem area, type of customer. Build on experience. Join communities that focus on these.
