191–200 of 256 posts
Invest in your employees' job satisfaction. Keep growing them, and make them want to stay. There is really very little value that doesn't stem from seasoned human capital.
These are more enterprisy: If you sell through a channel, that channel is your customer, not the end user. They have needs and actually those needs (not desires, needs) are more important than the end users' -- if your channel doesn't sell the product it doesn't matter how much you've worked to add that end-user feature. Have the entire exec team go on a sales call once a quarter (not all together on the same call!).…
A friend founded a startup which licensed software to the first generation iPhone. He still has a copy of the voicemail: "Hi. This is Steve Jobs...from Apple..."
Here's 30 years of experience for you: 1. Few business problems can't be solved by more sales. 2. Cut expenses when the storm is approaching, not when you're soaking wet. 3. You can't eat assets or inventory. Don't get emotional about what you own, only about your cash balances. 4. Banks are your friend only when you don't need them. Corollary: One bank for borrowing, one for cash balance accounts. 5. 70 completed ca…
>7. Hire and retain "T-shaped" people. In difficult times those employees execute across multiple domains. As in people who have broad knowledge but also specific expertise?
Basically, but more like "capable in many areas but an expert in one (or two)".
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> You’re chances of success are 10x higher trying to build technology for tanning salons Except tanning salons (or hairstylists or dog walkers or plumbers) usually a) dont have cash to spend b) Dont see their problems as software related c) are in many cases hostile to software, due to geniune bad software I remember some time ago when I used to hang out in bootstrapped.fm, every week a person would come in and say "…
Don't build software for salons; start your own salon that uses software you create, and make that your competitive advantage. Don't know how to cut hair? Then you probably don't know what software would help in that business anyway. Find a business you can do yourself, and help yourself using your technical skills. This is also why this (very good) advice is not so easy to follow in real life. You need multiple skil…
If you're not as well placed as the incumbents at the core product (salon, sure), software will not save you.
If you're better placed than the incumbents at the core product, software doesn't matter.
If you're (roughly) equally placed as the incumbents at the core product, software can help you, but it will likely take a while to realize any competitive advantage.
And, I say placed, because there are a lot of factors at play. There's the quality of the service/product (itself a huge set of variables), pricing, location, and availability, to name a few. None of those will custom software directly help you with.
At first, it feels natural to loop in people who are both trusted and technically skilled. Plus, talented people tend to enjoy being friends with one another.
It will feel serendipitous when - one day - you need an experienced React engineer and your roommate happens to love React.
If you care about being friends in 5 years, your optimal path is to ask your friend “who else do you know that may be interested in this role” and not “want to work on this with me?”
These are more enterprisy: If you sell through a channel, that channel is your customer, not the end user. They have needs and actually those needs (not desires, needs) are more important than the end users' -- if your channel doesn't sell the product it doesn't matter how much you've worked to add that end-user feature. Have the entire exec team go on a sales call once a quarter (not all together on the same call!).…
You strike me as a genius, Gumby. I literally said "oh my god" out loud while reading the free pilots paragraph
In 10+ years of startup experience on the science and engineering side. Sales fixes everything and is the hardest thing. If sales can execute then there is no problem. It seems obvious but it's really not and people make the business about the mission and product - that stuff is secondary seriously secondary. As a founder and early employee - you need to know if you can execute on sales or not and make it clear to bo…
Strongly disagree. There is a consistent overlap between strong technical folks and skills/personalities that make it more difficult to learn to sell, but you can absolutely learn it.
Apply your technical skills to a non-technical business. Dont start a tech startup in a tech hub. Run a business completely unrelated to tech and use your skills to improve that business, theres SO much low hanging fruit out there. The venn diagram of tech skills and a non-tech business is where the opportunities are. This applies to many other unrelated skills.
I keep peddling this idea, but if tech wages came back to reality it would be affordable for small to mid sized companies to hire software developers to truly empower their specific businesses with software. The reason for that is the same reason your idea works, most businesses outside the tech bubble stand to gain a lot form software. Currently they have no way to act on it except to hobble together a ruby goldberg…
Most mid-sized companies don't have the skills to manage and deploy software developers that can solve their problems. Those skills tend to be expensive, and the software project, historically, has a high chance of failure.
So, yeah, the high price of tech wages seems to be correct.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> You’re chances of success are 10x higher trying to build technology for tanning salons Except tanning salons (or hairstylists or dog walkers or plumbers) usually a) dont have cash to spend b) Dont see their problems as software related c) are in many cases hostile to software, due to geniune bad software I remember some time ago when I used to hang out in bootstrapped.fm, every week a person would come in and say "…
Don't build software for salons; start your own salon that uses software you create, and make that your competitive advantage. Don't know how to cut hair? Then you probably don't know what software would help in that business anyway. Find a business you can do yourself, and help yourself using your technical skills. This is also why this (very good) advice is not so easy to follow in real life. You need multiple skil…
Guy owned two carwashes in Cary, NC. Thought technology could enable mobile carwashing. Got connected with the right technology people ...
Here's 30 years of experience for you: 1. Few business problems can't be solved by more sales. 2. Cut expenses when the storm is approaching, not when you're soaking wet. 3. You can't eat assets or inventory. Don't get emotional about what you own, only about your cash balances. 4. Banks are your friend only when you don't need them. Corollary: One bank for borrowing, one for cash balance accounts. 5. 70 completed ca…
11. Get a prenup. No, really, do get one. While true, unfortunately in many (blue-leaning) states, they're starting to become at the judge's discretion. Absolutely sickening to be honest.
One of the reasons for me to consider leaving California.