There are several insights for bootstrappers in William Eleazar Barton’s “The Icebergs and the Fog.” It’s a “Safed the Sage” parable published in 1925
William Eleazar Barton: The Parable of the Icebergs and the Fog Read More »
We describe a process to evaluate and leverage current business assets for growth. We also address how to rework or re-configure existing assets to meet new customer requirements and those of potential prospects.
How to Leverage Current Business Assets For Growth Read More »
New startups form in private conversations: here are some ways to make it easy for potential cofounders to find you based on the problem you are working on or customer need you plan to address.
New Startups Form in Private Conversations Read More »
Here is a simple method for taking stock of the business assets you rely on to attract prospects, differentiate your offerings, and deliver value. You should also assess where you need to renew or upgrade an asset.
Taking Stock of Your Business Assets Read More »
Are you looking to build a business? No matter the stage you’re at, there are three kinds of business assets you will need to be successful in the long run.
A Primer on Business Assets for High Technology Startups Read More »
This post on B2B customer development interviews builds on one of my most popular. If you would like help preparing for customer development interviews or reviewing results from recent interviews, contact us. Here are my lessons learned from taking part in interviews where the startup planned to offer a product or service to a business.
40 Tips for B2B Customer Development Interviews Read More »
It’s easy for the product team to to fixate on the core technology that enables a product and lose sight of what’s needed for the “whole product.” This article is the result of an ongoing collaboration with Mary Sorber that started with her metaphor that raw pasta is not enough to create a successful Italian
Mary Sorber: Raw Pasta is Not Enough Read More »
Three reasons I like building WordPress websites: they are cost effective, they are scalable, and they easily support search engine optimization.
Building WordPress Websites Read More »
Take our self-assessment to verify that your team is working on the right risks. Identify the capabilities you need to develop next.
A Self-Assessment: Are You Working on the Right Risks? Read More »
A summary of my personal experience and our firm’s perspective on what practical steps early stage startups should take for competitive intelligence.
Competitive Intelligence for Bootstrapping Startups Read More »
An SKMurphy Mastermind Group is an ongoing series of facilitated conversations among serious entrepreneurs. It enables collaboration on problems and opportunities and fosters joint accountability around effective ongoing action.
Benefits of SKMurphy Mastermind for Entrepreneurs Read More »
Expertise in a complex skill, like the skill of entrepreneurship, requires mastery of a constellation of techniques and methods. I use an essay by Ursula K. Le Guin “Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?” as a point of departure to explore the “continuous cultivation of a disposition, leading to skill in performance.”
Mastering The Skill of Entrepreneurship Read More »
Serge Toarca offers three good reasons to consider starting in a smaller market in “Why the hell am I building a product with a tiny market?” I offer another ten.
Serge Toarca Offers Three Reasons To Bootstrap In a Small Market Read More »
Octavia Butler rejects inspiration, talent, and imagination as essential to creative pursuits and suggests that habits that enable persistence and learning are the essential element.
Octavia Butler: Cultivate Habits That Enable Persistence and Learning Read More »
In “The Dance of the Possible,” Scott Berkun outlines four tests for understanding the real work involved in translating observations and creative insight into a solution.
Scott Berkun: How to Translate Observations and Creative Insight Into a Solution Read More »
Entrepreneurs need to focus on innovation or the first reduction to practice of an idea in a culture because this is the critical precursor to customer value.
Innovation is the first reduction to practice of an idea in a culture Read More »
The following is an edited version of a recent online conversation I had with a team of bootstrappers about how to make their product attract early adopters.
Q: What Makes a Product Attract Early Adopters? Read More »
Paul Tyma defines the Old Man’s Business Model as taking the sure way, even though it may be longer than shortcuts that may not work. Tyma calls it a “trade-off of investment up-front versus brute-force hope.” The “old man” invests up front instead of hoping a quick and dirty approach may work.
Paul Tyma on “The Old Man’s Business Model” Read More »
Entrepreneurs are often quick to characterize prospects who don’t see the benefits of their new shiny technology as laggards. Sometimes that’s the case, but often the product presentation does not present benefits that are either relevant or compelling. Laggards get a lot of bad press in the startup community, but their reasons not to change
Q: Help! I Can Only Find Laggards in My Target Customer Segment Read More »
Finding the right customers is not just a matter of kissing frogs until one turns into a prince, but a methodical search guided by an experimentation perspective where your selection criteria are continually refined and re-evaluated.
