I agree with Brad Feld: Most people flake. If you’re not a flake, you are far more likely be trusted, promoted, and funded. If you execute on the steps below, you’re well on your way to being a top quartile performer. I gave a presentation to Womensphere a few months ago on the most valuable...
[Continue Reading]A checklist for writing code
Ever since I studied Total Quality Management in college, I’ve been a bit obsessed with documenting processes. I was particularly influenced by Dr. Atul Gawande’s “Checklist Manifesto”, which underlined for me the value of collecting, documenting, analyzing, and continually re-optimizing best practices. I wrote a while ago a 3-part series on communications: How to Write...
[Continue Reading]How to create competitive market maps with MarketMap.me
At least ¼ of the investment proposals I get have a “market map” of some sort: a graphic analysis of the competitive landscape. I think competitive analysis is critical. Any useful startups is trying to perform some useful job for a client, and you have to understand what people are currently using to get that...
[Continue Reading]Ten experiments to test your new business hypothesis
You know that a new idea has gained dominance when it becomes practically a cliché. That is what I’ve seen happen with the “Lean Startup” philosophy of viewing your startup as a scientific experiment in search of a business model. This started as a new idea, then became popularized, and now people view it as...
[Continue Reading]Feedback is a gift; should you ask for it?
It’s rare to find someone who is insightful about you and your business … and rarer to find someone confident enough in their relationship with you to give you honest feedback. I treasure these people, and have paid a coach to do this for me personally. When you’re meeting with your board, I strongly recommend...
[Continue Reading]Please don’t pitch a venture capitalist without this checklist
I’m surprised at how many funding pitches I get which lack some of the basic information which investors require before funding. I think this stems from two causes: 1) Lack of basic knowledge of the information investors require. But I would hope that a reasonably competent founder could easily educate herself about what information an...
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