Inspired by a discussion by NASH, I thought it would be useful to post the original blue screen of death/Reboot thesis (the survey that preceded the book) here for a fuller discussion Ideas for a new venture start with a moment of blinding insight. Some start as accidents or unintentional mistakes, others take years of wandering effort to gel …Read the Rest
Products
A PG-13 (rated) guide to pitching VC’s for startups
April 8, 2010
I wish I could run this slide deck at my EMBA classes at SP Jain without getting called into the Dean’s office to explain my offensive behavior and my students protesting against my approach to teaching. But VC Dave in Singapore just did. Great slide deck that explains everything you ever needed to know about pitching your ideas to anyone, …Read the Rest
Startup Guide: Lessons from a failed startup
April 7, 2010
Looking through the wreckage of an old folder, found this post for the really early days of Reboot – the original list of lessons from a failed startup that became the book. Here is the list, with one new addition, five years later. Technology is not a competitive advantage. Focus on the business problem not technological elegance or cool factor. …Read the Rest
Startup Guide: Just ship it
April 7, 2010
This week I kept on going back and forth at a client convincing them to ship a product that was already four weeks late. Every day someone would find that one little extra thing that would make the product a winner or fix a crucial defect. While the product was ready and possibly superior to any other prior releases done …Read the Rest
How to win a business plan competition – three
April 4, 2010
The presentation that I am most proud of however is the one that we made together as a team for the first MIT BAP (Business Acceleration Plan) competition. The judges panel included Ken Morse, Bill Aulet and Imran Saeed, all three from MIT E-Labs. Despite earlier failed attempts to impress Ken, this time we managed to get two t-shirts and …Read the Rest
Startup Guide: The product feature grid – describing your product
April 2, 2010
We tried to put a process around describing our customer in my last post. Can we do something similar for products? The tool that I like and use regularly is the product feature grid. No rocket science just basic common sense. Here is what it looks like At the top of the grid we put in five basic elements used …Read the Rest
Startup Guide: Strategy and tactics or Winning for itsy, bitsy, teeny, weenie, little mom and pop tech shops.
April 2, 2010
Here are my hard earned qualifications that allow me to speak on strategy. I have never been rich or famous (infamy is separate classification) or successful. Of the last four of my ventures, three were dismal failures. I have been teaching since a crazy afternoon in 1995, when I was asked to substitute for a peer at FAST ICS who …Read the Rest
Startup Guide: The myth of a unique idea – one
April 2, 2010
How important is it to start off with an idea that no one has ever thought of before. Something absolutely unique, different and able to stand up on its own. A concept that would win you grudging respect from your friends, colleagues, class mates and neighbors. “That is one smart dude” they’d whisper as they bowed their heads and paid …Read the Rest
