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Are Business Plans Still Necessary?

Both Sides of the Table

I remember going to an Under the Radar conference in 2006 in the heat of the Web 2.0 Unfortunately this was reinforced by the many conferences that rushed to espouse the benefits of Web 2.0 So, definition: when I talk about a business plan I’m not talking about a 40-page Word document outlining your market approach.

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Why “The Culture of Failure” is Imperative to Startup Communities

Both Sides of the Table

I think the fact that NorCal didn’t have strong industries in financial services, manufacturing, autos, marketing or other traditional industries also made experimentation more acceptable. It’s why I love the idea of the FailCon conference and hope to speak there one day. Maybe the first step is talking openly about it.

Startup 350
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Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010

SoCal CTO

"Authentic" is dead - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , May 3, 2010 It's time to retire the following phrases. Putting customers first. Draw Your Ideas - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 16, 2010 I saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month. Enjoyed this post? Stay Tuned.

Startup 248
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Top 40 Startup Posts for August 2010

SoCal CTO

Paul Graham on trends for the future - Business of Software Blog , August 25, 2010 Paul Graham spoke at last year's Business of Software conference. A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , August 9, 2010 This is Part 3 of the series: 5 lessons from 150 startup pitches.? Kudos to John for an excellent pitch.

Startup 191
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Top 57 Online Startups Meets Technology Meets Product Posts for November 2010

SoCal CTO

Build your own Startup Death Clock - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , November 1, 2010 A few months ago I created a fun device at WPEngine to focus everyone's attention the most important thing. " 34; To which I say "we don't think we can time markets." If nothing changes, when will you run out of money?

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Your Product Needs to be 10x Better than the Competition to Win. Here’s Why:

Both Sides of the Table

He presented the idea at the TED conference in the mid 90′s and was literally boo’d while he was on stage. He wanted to build direct customer relationships to get product feedback but only 2% of customers would ever return their registration cards. Summary notes, as always, provide below. Overture (Goto.com).

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Why The ‘Fail Fast’ Mantra Needs to Fail

Both Sides of the Table

Fail fast = quit and give up easy = spaghetti against the wall = no clear strategy going into your business = no ability / willingness to try and pivot as market conditions change = easy way out = today’s management mantra that will be laughed at in 10 years. Define a market problem that you believe you can solve. Nice logic, hey?

Startup 308