Kenopsia is a neologism coined by John Koenig for “the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet” like the “bare ruined choirs” of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73. What follows is one of my “Spiritual Sundays” posts. It’s a meditation on loss and impermanence.
Kenopsia: Bare Ruined Choirs Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Read More »
Dr. Donald Barnhart of Optica Software walks through the new bidirectional interface between Optica and BeamWise that allows Optica users to create 3D mechanical models, assembly drawings, and costed bill of materials for their designs.
Demo of BeamWise Integration with Optica Software Read More »
SKMurphy March/April 2016 Newsletter This blog post summarizes our March/April 2016 newsletter, you can subscribe to the monthly SKMurphy newsletter using the form at the right Lead Generation Before you can close a deal you need the phone to ring–you need leads. This issue we look at lead generation. Special Offer if you are in Silicon Valley:
Newsletter: Lead Generation Read More »
Recently, we worked with a startup on team building as they wrangled with the rapid growth of their business. They needed to bring on new team members and wanted them to be productive and effective as quickly as possible. Working with the leadership team we reviewed Bruce Tuckman’s four stages of team development.
Team Building: Rapid Ramp Read More »
IVALA‘s canine echocardiography simulator let’s you view a CT canine heart in any plane using your keyboard or the sensors from within your mobile phone. This is part of IVALA’s 3D Veterinary Learning Lab and their mission to “harness the power of the latest in 3D visualization technology to build confidence in clinical understanding and practice.”
IVALA Demos Echocardiography Simulator Read More »
Trying to take on established competitors using their same business model and value proposition is called “attacking a walled city.” It’s important to understand what your customer is actually paying for and find some way to offer a different value proposition.
Be Wary of Attacking a Walled City Read More »
StartupLJackson was the alter ego of Parker Thompson (@pt) who tweeted insights for entrepreneurs from 2011-2016. Here are my pick for his seven best with some additional commentary.
Seven Best Insights From StartupLJackson on Startups Read More »
A common mistake technical entrepreneurs can make is to focus on what’s easy to build, and enter a market with dozens of competitors without thought to differentiation. Or to hope that by making it “free” they can make money by selling ads.
Q: A Google Search Finds Dozens of Competitors, What Now? Read More »
I have learned the hard way whenever I wish for smarter prospects it means I need to improve my presentation, demo, or proposal: whatever it is that I have offered them that they didn’t understand, or believe, or decide to act on.
If You Need Smarter Prospects, You Need a Better Message Read More »
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 to have new blog posts sent to you.
Quotes For Entrepreneurs–-March 2016 Read More »
Someone recently sent an E-mail began “At the risk of sounding like an infomercial…” to a list several thousand subscribers that I am a member of and I was moved to write down a list of phrases to think twice before saying (or writing).
Think Twice Before Saying Read More »
In 2006 Eben Moglen gave the keynote address at the Plone Conference 2006 that traced the evolution of economies from steel to software to collaboration. Here are some key excerpts with commentary.
Eben Moglen: Steel to Software to Collaboration Read More »
I found “101 Things I Learned in Engineering School” by John Kuprenas and Matthew Frederick very useful. It’s a great book full of very clear illustrations and examples for most of its 101 two-page chapters. Here are ten more rules of thumb for entrepreneurs from the second half of the book.
Ten More From “101 Things I Learned In Engineering School” Read More »
P.T. Barnum wrote “The Art of Money Getting: The Golden Rules for Making Money” in 1880 at the age of 70 when he was already an accomplished businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author–after his hugely successful 1855 autobiography “The Life of P.T. Barnum: Written By Himself.” Barnum’s 21 golden rules for making money was a codification of
P. T. Barnum’s Golden Rules For Making Money Read More »
You can only capture a share of the value that you create if you want to create a sustainable business. While you need to assess the likely return on investment from your efforts and your probability of success, you also need to look at any deal from the other side of the table. It’s as
Q: How Can I Maximize ROI and Minimize Risk? Read More »
Each interaction with a business prospect or a customer has to promise an exchange of value: their time or money for at least the strong possibility of benefit. Many of the startup fantasy camp customer development training models neglect this and teach beginning entrepreneurs to rely on the kindness of strangers. This may work in
Q: How Do We Get A Business Prospect To Talk To Us? Read More »
You may have been the smartest person in the room for a long time, but getting into a room with a customer changes that because a key knowledge domain of interest is the customer’s situation and needs. Here are some suggestions for how to keep learning instead of acting like the smartest person in the
When You Are No Longer The Smartest Person In The Room Read More »
A recent question from an office hours session on how to handle a prospect asking you to critique a competitor when both of you have new offerings in a new application area.
Q: How To Critique a Competitor? Read More »
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 to have new blog posts sent to you. Leap Year: What Are You Going To Do
Quotes for Entrepreneurs–February 2016 Read More »
Derek Sivers promises that his slim book “Anything You Want” is a one hour read that summarizes 10 years of his entrepreneurial experience into 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur. It’s a practical book that’s well organized and easy to read. It took me much longer than an hour to actually absorb the
Anything You Want By Derek Sivers Read More »
