Starting a business is easy
Do you know how easy it is to start a business? I used to fawn over myself for having started businesses in the past. Everyone thinks starting a business is hard. But the truth is that starting a business is not that…
What the People of Wal-Mart actually want
Starting in 2008, Wal-Mart embarked on an ambitious project to improve the shopping experience in their stores. Code-named “Project Impact” the idea was to create a “better” Wal-Mart. First, they sent out surveys. In the surveys, customers identified that they wanted…
What Amy Hoy taught me about starting a business
I first heard about Amy when I saw Twistori. Soon after, I started following her on Twitter. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Amy could teach me a lot about starting a business and building products. Since…
Why people buy software
You want to build software that people will use, and that will make you money. How do you find opportunities? One trick is to listen to the things people say (and think) when they’re struggling. I call these the “inner…
No one wants to buy my sneakers
In product development, it’s a mistake to assume that other people want what we want. Let me tell you a story. I used to own a couple of retail shops; we sold snowboards, skateboards, and clothing. One day I was…
Forget the Valley: bootstrap founders can live wherever they want
When it comes to venture funded startups, the script is clear: you need to move to Silicon Valley. This is the epicentre for meeting the “who’s who” and raising money for your tech company. Jason Calacanis trumpets this on his podcast: “Yes,…
Building a better mousetrap? It had better catch more mice.
If you’re building a better mousetrap, it had better catch more mice. Ultimately, the products we build have to provide value for our customers. This means that if we’re trying to build something better than what exists, it should represent a…
What is real work?
“Hey kids, don’t bother daddy, I’m working.” “But dad, you’re watching YouTube!” It should be obvious, but we’ve all rationalized work activities that aren’t real work. Furthermore, we get caught up doing too many maintenance tasks that don’t earn revenue. What we need…
How to get 1000′s of paying customers
How do you attract 1000′s of paying customers? By having an amazing product: something that solves a problem, and makes life easier. Building an amazing product is about being focused. Avoid multi-tasking. Sweat every single detail: your writing, your design,…
Useful is forever
“Cool wears off. Useful is forever.” – Jason Fried
