Most entrepreneurs we talk to these days is asking “how can I bring more customers into my business?” There are no quick or easy answers here. Just some encouragement to try a new technique or two. You will need to develop a multi-pronged approach for your business. Sometime it takes thinking of creative ways to […]
20 Ways To Generate Leads Read More »
Athol Foden of Brighter Naming is our guest speaker Friday May 8 for the Bootstrapper Breakfast™ at 7:30am at the Omega Restaurant in Milpitas. Athol has over 16 years of experience helping clients name companies, products, services, and taglines. Athol’s opening remarks will be followed by a question and answer session on developing the right
Athol Foden at Friday May 8 Bootstrapper Breakfast in Milpitas Read More »
It’s been a year since I started using Twitter to post quotes for entrepreneurs. I realize now that using Twitter, while encouraging me to collect more new quotes, forces me to focus on ones that will fit into a 140 character limit. I am thinking of re-titling this “Pithy Quotes For Entrepreneurs” where pithy means
Quotes for Entrepreneurs – April 2009 Read More »
I ran into an entrepreneur last night after the IEEE-CNSV “Service Economy” event who had been to a Bootstrapper Breakfast but had had to shut down his business. He asked me “I don’t have much to say right now but I get a lot out of the breakfasts, can I still come?”I said “Certainly. Not
Bootstrapper Breakfast This Friday Read More »
One formulation of Conway’s Law is that communication problems in an organization will manifest in their finished products: communication channels matter.
Conway’s Law: the Co-Evolution of Business Organization and Product Design Read More »
Key takeaways from “Eight Rules for Prototyping” by John Hanks and Todd Dobberstein. A prototype is used both to assess technical feasibility and to provide a demonstration to a customer to get feedback. Customer development is a sequence of prototypes.
Customer Development is a Sequence of Prototypes Read More »
Some output formats to consider your application, they each have different properties and affordances and are not easily substituted for each other : Screen E-Mail Projector Print Fax Screen Most common way that users will interact in everyday use. This is how many prospects will view the product. E-mail output options Simple hypertext (e.g. URLs
Five Output Formats to Support Read More »
Building on yesterday’s “A Too Common Conversation of Late” here are some additional suggestions and advice for the newly unemployed. The loss of structure can be crippling. Get active and stay active. Unplug your television and visit the library. Make a list and read 5-10 books a month. Reconnect with old friends at least once
What To Do After the Layoff Fairy Taps You on the Shoulder Read More »
Layoffs continue to encourage old friends and co-workers to reconnect and many to consider–somewhat involuntarily–an entrepreneurial phase for their next career move. I spoke to three people today who had been laid off in the last month or so. Here is the summary of some key suggestions the three conversations: If you are considering joining
A Too Common Conversation of Late Read More »
We live in uncertain times, both in terms of the economic and technology transitions that are underway. I offer two rules that I use to navigate by.
I came across a very thought provoking approach to customer development, or at least offering consulting services for customer development (a subject at least of personal interest to me). Juan Paredes’ “Spanish Method” is outlined in his “First Iteration of a New Minimum Viable Service“: I don’t price by project or by hour. I price
Spanish Method: Pay For Customer Development Per Iteration Read More »
We have done three other events like this in conjunction with sponsoring organizations like Innovation Denmark, SDForum, or Startup Epicenter. Participants have told us that they had three benefits. In reviewing another firm’s website and providing concrete feedback, they developed new perspectives on how prospects and other visitors might assess their own site. There are
3 Reasons to Attend a Website Peer Review Read More »
Joshua Schacter’s “On URL Shorteners” is a great examination of the likely outcomes from the proliferation and use of URL shorteners. There are three other parties in the ecosystem of a link: the publisher (the site the link points to), the transit (places where that shortened link is used, such as Twitter or TypePad), and
Joshua Schacter: URL Shorteners Considered Harmful Read More »
We had a great “Getting More Customers” workshop yesterday. It was our first time using the Pacific Business Centers location in Palo Alto and it worked out well. We used their boardroom and it made for a comfortable setting. This was the first time we’ve used a large flat screen TV monitor instead of an
Comments from Mar-31 Getting More Customers Read More »
You can follow @skmurphy to get these quotes for entrepreneurs hot off the mojo wire or wait until the end of the month when they are collected on the blog. Enter your E-mail if you would like new blog posts to your inbox.
Quotes for Entrepreneurs – March 2009 Read More »
Update Mon-Mar-30: Sold Out. Sorry No Walk-ins (Register to be notified of upcoming events) Theresa blogged about this in more detail in February “Getting More Customers – A 90-day Plan” Tuesday, March 31, 2008 8:15 AM – 1:00 PM (Lunch Included) Pacific Business Center 2225 East Bayshore Road Palo Alto CA 94303 650-320-7600 Click here
One Seat Left for Tue-Mar-31 Getting More Customers Read More »
You are not alone. We talk to firms every day that are challenged by the current economic environment. Let me suggest a couple of things you can do: Come to a Bootstrappers Breakfast™ and compare notes with other bootstrapping entrepreneurs for the price of your breakfast. We host four a month, the next one is
If Revenue is Drying Up Read More »
We are clearly in a recession that will test many startups in Silicon Valley and the rest of the United States. Those with determination and a willingness to embrace creative improvisation are more likely to survive.
Startups Need Sisu and Creative Improvisation To Survive Recession Read More »
Steve Blank’s “Four Steps to the Epiphany” was a source inspiration in founding SKMurphy, and I was delighted to see that Steve has started blogging and it seems clear to me that he is using his blog to develop a companion volume. This one is more personal and uses specific experiences from his life to
Steve Blank on Leaving the BatCave to Learn from Customers Read More »
Daniel Nenni has a thought provoking first post on his new blog “The Mathematics of EDA.” He suggests that many EDA markets segments are “winner take all” in the manner of a poker pot, and that DAC is in need of reform to continue to be a good deal for larger EDA companies. He offers
Why Conferences Persist: DAC Will Be Here in 2020 Read More »
