What’s the most inspiring story of entrepreneurship that you’ve heard in 2006? My answer does not involve two guys in a garage who sell their company to Google for $1.6 billion. No way...my answer is a woman who runs a soccer-ball factory in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her name is Aziza Mohmmand, and she told me what [...]
It’s been two years since The Art of the Start hit the streets, and I’m ready to write another book. I have some ideas, but I'd like to tap the “wisdom of the crowd” in order to ensure that it appeals to “the long tail” in this “Web 2.0” world. :-) So...I’ve created a wiki [...]
Check out this great article in the San Jose Mercury News entitled “Venture Capitalists Switch to Startups—Many Are Surprised By Type of Work.” My two favorite lines from the story are: “I had no idea of the number of details that I’d have to deal with every day...” “I used to sit and nod and [...]
Pretty soon everyone on the planet will have an iPod. My buddy John Hawbaker of Clarity (part of Plantronics) pointed out this study to me. It’s probably a good thing to read for iPod owners. I have significant hearing loss in one ear (not because of an iPod), and it’s a pain in the ass, [...]
Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell are the co-authors of Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message. Their first book was called Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force. As business advisors and speakers, McConnell and Huba have worked with Starbucks, Microsoft, Whirlpool, Discovery Education, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [...]
For the longest time, the only United Kingdom company that I wished was in the United States was Wagamama because I love noodles. (Alas, it’s finally coming to Boston, but I go to London more often than Boston.) My list of UK-envy companies has doubled because SpinVox gave me an account. This company’s service converts [...]
A blog called “This is going to be BIG!” contains a provocative counterpoint to my VCAT. Basically, the person scored Mike Moritz of Sequoia (ie, the guy who invested in Google) within the framework of my test. This proves that you can always find an example to prove or disprove anything. But as mother used [...]
If you want additional proof that we’re in a bubble, here it is: young people are trying to get into the venture capital business again. I get several emails a week along these lines: I’m about to graduate from college where I majored in economics. I’ve always been interested [what does “always” mean for a [...]
I recently read a great explanation of Digg by Neil Patel of Pronet Advertising. It’s called the Beginner’s Guide to Digg. If you’re a blogger and want to increase page views, you should read it...I learned a lot, anyway. This cool image, by the way, is from Urlyart.
A new organization for technology evangelists has just been formed in Silicon Valley. (Secular evangelism has arrived!) The organization’s first conference is coming up on December 4th. Here is the agenda. Network Meeting Center 5201 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054 408-562-6111 12/4/2006, 11:30 am - 6:00 pm I hope to see you there!
Check out this study by Prof. Kathleen Vohs of the University of Minnesota (Go Gophers!). She tested the hypothesis that thinking about money can create social barriers. Here is a description of what she did: “To examine this idea in a more controlled setting, Vohs, now at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues [...]
Scott Kirsner wrote a great article called “12 Guidelines for Great Panels.” Check it out here. If you read "How to Be a Great Moderator" and "How to Kick Butt on a Panel," you’d have panels down to a science. I have an additional insight regarding panels. Most panels have audiences of 100 to 250 [...]
Woz and I did a one-on one-chat for the Commonwealth Club on November 16, 2006 as part of his iWoz book tour. (Click here to watch a video of it) It was one of the most enjoyable gigs that I’ve ever done. After the event, I compiled this list of the “Top Ten Things I [...]
This is the video recording of the “Funding Your Dream” panel at Garage’s recent “Art of the Start Conference.” The moderator is Mohanjit Jolly, Managing Director - Garage Technology Ventures. The speakers are: Daniel Ahn, Managing Director - Woodside Fund Susan Mason, General Partner - Onset Ventures Chris Moran, General Manager - Applied Ventures Warren [...]
Inspired by The Amateur Gourmet’s truffles-centric adventure, I present to you a “comic” based on a recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona. I was there to speak to the Outlook Leadership conference for convenience-store retailers. This was created with Comic Life from Plasq. While I was there, I asked my hockey buddy, Prof. Steven Strasler, if [...]
Garage is an investor in a discount travel company called cFares. First, here’s some background info about the travel business: A large portion of airfare expenditures flow through the GDS systems (ie: Sabre, Amadeus, and Galileo). “First generation online travel sites” such as Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz rely on available inventory within the GDS supply. [...]
Woz and I are having a “fireside chat” on November 16th. We will discuss iWoz, Apple, and tech entrepreneurship. Here are the logistical details: 6:30 p.m. Santa Clara Marriott Grand Ballroom 2700 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara Standard seating: $15 for Members, $25 for Non-Members Premium seating (seating at the front of the room): $35 [...]
Here’s a video of my interview with Mike Arrington of TechCrunch. The salient question that Mike answers is, ”How do I get my company in TechCrunch?“ The short story is: The “standard answer” is to send an email to [email protected] and take your chances. Thirty pitches come in per day this way. The most effective [...]
Amanda Congdon was one of the first, if not the first, videoblog sensations. As a host of Rocketboom, she had approximately 300,000 viewers in the spring of 2006. She extended her online fame to a television appearance on the CBS television show CSI. (This is the show—which I love—where all the cops are good looking; [...]
Three of my buddies who are patent attorneys disagreed with my diatribe against patents as a key component of a startup’s defensibility. Being the open-minded Guy that I am, I offered to publish their counterpoint so that you can obtain a broader perspective of intellectual property issues for startups. Patent law is currently a sea [...]