Quit trying to attract a crowd and just help people
Note: this post was originally published on Medium. I recently had a great chat with Hiten Shah on my podcast, Product People. At one point, Hiten brought up an idea I’ve been hearing a lot lately: One of the key things we’re learning…
Why it’s not enough to build a product that people want
I recently interviewed Rob Walling for the Product People podcast. Rob’s story Rob is the man behind products like HitTail, DotNetInvoice, and Drip. But he also helped start a movement of micropreneurs: solo-founders, who launch their own products. These small startups don’t…
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…
You only win once – Rodney Mullen
Amazing. In this Ted Talk, skateboarding icon Rodney Mullen distills many of his life lessons. Many are applicable to the tech community: On winning I had won 35 out of 36 contests over 11 years. Winning isn’t the word: I won…
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,…
Most successful founders are in their mid-30′s, married with children
The Kauffman Foundation surveyed 550 successful entrepreneurs across multiple sectors, determined by profitability and being named a “high-valued” business by their peers. Their data suggests that most successful founders are in their mid-30s and married with children: “Founders tended to be middle-aged—40…
Customers don’t care about your solutions
“Customers don’t care about your solution. They care about their problems.” ~ Dave McClure This is literally the most important thing I’ve read all month. (Photo via Mike Bridge)
Is college the best way to get career skills?
I was looking at the programs being offered by the community college today and the course description for Computer Information Systems Diploma caught my eye. The college had linked to news articles (like this), exclaiming: “If you can code, you can get work.”…
How changing your market can save your product
The other day, I was picking my daughter up from a birthday party. The father of my daughter’s friend is an arborist. Essentially, he makes his living pruning and caring for trees. He’s owned his own business for 12 years….
