Do You Really Need a FoundersCard?
Founders Card
FoundersCard is now two years old and has over 5,000 members. So what is it?
FoundersCard lets you receive discounts and deals from a whole bunch of businesses, like 10% off of everything at AT&T, 10% off Groundlink cabs, instant “Silver access” on Virgin Atlantic, 50% off domains at Hover, and a free account at Shoprunner — to name a few. In total, the startup has about 96 companies offering its members benefits, including 44 lifestyle companies, 16 travel companies, and 36 business companies. In addition, members enjoy access to frequent networking events held throughout the year.
Want to be a Reality TV Star while Founding a Startup?
Startup Engine
Start Engine, the small L.A.-based accelerator, is now the focus of a new reality TV show. That’s right, you’ll get all those horrifying startup moments memorialized on video for the world to watch. If this sounds like a cheesy idea, welcome to reality TV. The show, which comes from Cameron Casey, producer of the TechStars reality program on Bloomberg TV, will capture entrepreneurs on video as they participate in the accelerator program.
Besides selling your soul to Hollywood, here’s what you get when you join Start Engine:
- Up to $20K of seed funding.
No Straight Lines: making sense of our non-linear world
Alan Moore
by Alan Moore. Bloodstone 2011
Introduction
In No Straight Lines: making sense of our non-linear world author Alan Moore argues we have arrived at the edge of the adaptive range of our industrial world. At the edge because that world, our world is being overwhelmed by a trilemma of social, organizational and economic complexity. We are in transit from a linear world to a non-linear one. Non-linear because it is for all of us socially, organizationally and economically ambiguous, confusing and worrying. Consequently we are faced with an increasingly pressing and urgent problem, WHAT COMES NEXT? And also we are therefore presented with a design challenge: HOW do we create better societies, more able organizations and, more vibrant and equitable economies relevant to the world we live in today? No Straight Lines presents a new logic/literacy and inspiring plea for a more human centric world that describes an entirely new way for true social, economic and organizational innovation to happen.
Why Pay More for Verizon? Save Your $$$ for Your Business!
Verizon
Okay, so everyone says they love Verizon because they hate AT&T. Well, if you’re a startup founder, you’re better off with a lower-priced carrier.
Here are my four pet peeves about Verizon:
1) Verizon is the MOST expensive carrier. T-mobile is a bargain compared to Verizon. Just compare the prices.
2) Verizon has more coverage, but does it really matter? Most people use their phones primarily at work and home. If another carrier has good coverage in your city, why should you pay more for Verizon?
What’s the best way to prepare in advance for a possible acquisition?
Charles Swan
Question: What should I do ahead of time so that my company is ready should an acquisition offer come through?
Answer by Charles Swan at The Virtual CFO
Preparation! G&A is often overlooked in favor of R&D and Sales and Marketing in developing companies. In order to be acquired, you will need to comply with basic corporate governance requirements (not all inclusive):
Top Ten Lessons from Revenue Bootcamp
Bill Reichert
by Bill Reichert at Garage Technology Ventures
Tips and Techniques for Making Money in the New Economy
Nearly 300 entrepreneurs came together at the Microsoft Conference Center in Mountain View, CA, for a one-day workshop called “Revenue Bootcamp.” The event was billed as a way for entrepreneurs to energize their sales and marketing efforts by getting inside tips and techniques from the most successful practioners and experts, including speakers from Google, Glam Media, Photobucket, Federated Media, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, as well as Chris Anderson from Wired Magazine, Mike Moritz from Sequoia Capital, Paul Graham from Y Combinator, and Guy Kawasaki from Garage Technology Ventures.
How do I deal with a demanding & uncooperative engineer when my whole startup depends on him?
Naomi Kokubo
by Naomi Kokubo, Editor of Founders Space
Good question for Founders Space.
I know this is difficult. I’ve been there before. But you have to take action now. First off, no one is indispensable. You may believe you can’t live without this engineer, but you can. You’ll be able to find someone else who can learn the code and get the job done. My advice is to clearly let this engineer know that his behavior is unacceptable, and he either needs to work with you or you’ll have to find someone to replace him.
What’s the best way to bring on a partner?
Ethan Stone
by Ethan Stone, Stone Business Law
First, a quick but important clarification: I’m not your lawyer and this answer doesn’t establish an lawyer-client relationship. I’m giving a generic answer to a generic question to educate the users of this site.
Second, a warning. I’m going to sketch out some of the key issues to consider. As you’ll see, however, this is not a simple question. The answers depend a lot on your specific situation and preferences. Moreover, getting this wrong can cause huge problems down the line. Mistakes in this area regularly destroy otherwise successful businesses. Accordingly, you should not try to do this yourself if at all possible. You need an experienced lawyer who can help you think through your particular issues and come up with a solution that it going to work for you.
Level-up! your business with Gamification
Mitch Posada
by Mitch Posada
Lured by the possibilities of a stickier site, soon you will you be asked what can Gamification do for your business? But what does that mean and how should you think about it? Here’s my first pass at answering this question.
ga∙mi∙fi∙ca∙tion [gay-muh-fi-kay-shuhn] — Integrating game dynamics into your site, service, community, content or campaign, in order to drive participation. (source: Bunchball)
Think social media headlines not long ago and still today, just type into your search ‘is social media good for your business?”
Maintaining Your Professional Image Online
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
Maintaining a Professional Image Online It is almost mandatory to ‘google’ someone you just met. While it is increasingly difficult to spilt your personal self from your professional self, it is still very important for independent professionals to maintain an appropriate image. You are, after all, representing yourself.
Murdered by Photos
Innocent beings are constantly being killed by online photos. That one photo of you getting your first drink in decades can potentially label you as a Party-Animal or an Alcoholic. Look through all your photos published online and take away those that do not reflect who you really are. If you are working for a brewery, photos of you merry-making are almost essential to your career. But since you are a Creative Person @ Work, you have a fine line to thread.
Winning the Acquisition Game – Five Steps to a Successful Deal
Mark Friedler
by Mark Friedler (view Mark’s Blog)
Many entrepreneurs dream of selling their companies to a large acquirer; it’s one of the most exciting aspects of building a business from the ground up. I had previously built and sold 2 companies and was negotiating the sale of my third business to TimeWarner, the world’s largest media company. I learned a lot in the 6 month process. Several of my consulting clients have recently begun the acquisition process and it made me think of what we should do to best prepare for the journey. So I put together a top 5 list for them and for you. Looking back, here are five steps that would have made the process easier and more profitable. I hope this insight can help entrepreneurs and growth CEOs prepare for a successful exit.
How to be Inspired
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
Creativity is what distinguishes us from our competitors. This is especially true if you are a freelancer in the media/creative industry. What happens when you have been staring at your piece of work with absolutely no spark of inspiration on how to begin, or equally worse, how to complete? Let a Creative Person at Work shares with you on how you may be inspired repeatedly.
Four Key Elements For a Sound Business Model
Eyal Bino
by Eyal Bino of the Worldwide Investor Network
Freemium or Premium models? Direct or indirect sales? Riding a big player or trying to become a player? The decision on a business model is one that determines the success rate of startups looking to enter the global market. But, how should you go about it? Incorporating these key elements before deciding on a business model will increase your chances for success, especially when expanding to new markets.
Can I use Facebook’s TOS & Privacy Policy for my website?
Antone Johnson
by Antone Johnson at Bottom Line Law Group
QUESTION:
I’m creating a social networking site. Is it legal for me to basically copy off Facebook’s terms of service and privacy policies and just amend them for particulars of my own site? Or can Facebook file some sort of complaint against me for that?
ANTONE’S ANSWER:
What’s the best way to protect my innovation from being duplicated?
Naomi Kokubo
by Naomi Kokubo editor of Founders Space
QUESTION:
Is there a way to secure the rights to an innovative plastic card processing program (alternative to cash) targeting a specific target market? So that large banks and financial institutions (other than the one we potentially partner with) cannot duplicate?
ANSWER:
The first thing you can do is file a provisional patent. This is fairly easy to do and will cover you for one year. Within that year you will need to file one or more full patents based on the provisional patent. This is probably your best protection.
How Not to be Shortchanged
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
Ever feel like you are being shortchanged at work? How do you tell your clients who are taking advantage of you? Should you reject the job? What can you do? A Creative-Person-At-Work finds out.
Know your Value
Always know your rate card by heart. How much are you be charging? Based on what kind of units (time-based, percentage-based, project-based, skill-based, etc)? What kinds of discounts are you offering (Full-payment discount, extended project discount, returning client discount, referral discount, etc)? When a client asks you for a quote, you will be able to supply it to him/her immediately and not risk him/her coming back to you with an under-valued amount. Even if you decide to give the client a discount, always let him/her your usual rate and that you are extending a discount based on a specific reason. This gives you the option of reverting back to your usual rate for the next project.
How does a foreign company get help launching a product in the United States?
Soody Tronson
by Soody Tronson, Founder of Soody Tronson Law Group
QUESTION: I am based in Australia & have a business that I am passionate about. I want to find a VC that has experience in taking a product & selling it succesfully via infomercials throughout the U.S. It is difficult to find anyone in Australia that has this experience & not sure as to where to start looking in the U.S.? Your help is greatly appreciated! Glen Pattison
Gearing up for Rainy Days Ahead
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
Grab an umbrella. We are no economist or business people. But since the whole world is speculating and predicting gloomy days ahead, what we can do is to grab that umbrella, buckle our seatbelt and get ready for a wet and bumpy ride ahead. Here are some tips for you to weather the storms.
Diversify
Dr Scholl’s, a leading brand in footcare products has diversified into shoewear. Diversification for established companies like Dr Scholl is often met with more success due to brand spill-over effect. For some, a diversification strategy arises out of opportunities, others arises out of need. While focusing on a particularly product or service will have a stronger impact on brand awareness, in this economic climate, this may be time for you to diversify.
Our Changing Workplace
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
There is no better time to say that we are in an Era of Change. From the comeback of Apple in the 90s to the evolution of Internet led by Facebook, our World is rapidly transforming. Ever year we witness changes that make impacts on the way we live, play and work. Here are ways on how our work will change in the next couple of years. In fact, for some, it already has.
1) Information Technology is still King
What’s the Straight Scoop on Business Plans?
Adam Toren
by Adam Toren, cofounder of YoungEntrepreneur.com
Everyone knows that the first thing you have to do before you start a business is to create a business plan, right? At least that’s what one school of thought tells us. I’ve seen everything from comments on blogs to entire books dedicated to the belief that no business can succeed without a business plan. Some people even get a little heated over the mere suggestion that creating a business plan might not always be absolutely necessary. And these business plan purists do raise a valid point. Without any planning, your chances of success in anything are slim to none.
Publish your work in Digital-format
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
If you want to be a published writer, you don’t have to face rejection from publishers anymore. User-Generated Content is the key product of the internet age and you can join in the bandwagon by publishing your own work.
WHAT
Publish your own work. It doesn’t have to be an epic bestseller because the mode of self-publishing is best suited to limited, niche editions. You can write about anything. Truly anything.
WHERE
1) Createspace
Business Exit Planning
Sara LaForest
by Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica
Can Your Business Survive If You Could No Longer Manage It Tomorrow?
How much time do you spend thinking about business exit planning?
If you’re like many of the small business owners we meet – not much. That’s okay as long as you don’t care about supporting yourself and your family when you retire or leave the business, and if you are not attached to what happens to the business, your employees and your customers after you leave. But in truth, the business professionals and small business owners we meet do care.
Do you know where I can find low cost printer ink?
Naomi Kokubo
by Naomi Kokubo cofounder of Founders Space
Printing snazzy brochures, business plans, operating plans, marketing plans and all those other plans you need for your fund raising efforts chews up a lot of ink. And every time you visit a new potential investor, you have to print more! As a result, one of the biggest items on any entrepreneur’s credit card is printer ink.
Here’s how you can save some money…
It pays to compare prices. Anyone find any others that are cheaper?
Does Your LinkedIn Profile Summary Sound Like a Lame Author’s Bio At the Back of a Book?
Kristina Jaramillo
Many LinkedIn professionals simply copy their bios from their website or the back of their book. And believe me you can tell. For example, I recently spoke to Ted Gee about changing his LinkedIn profile. I told him that his summary read like a back flap of a hard cover book. His exact response was, “You nailed it! That is exactly what I did”.
Why Your LinkedIn Profile Should Not Sound Like an Author’s Biography…
Is niche positioning considered a sustainable competitive advantage?
QUESTION:
I’m wondering if niche positioning is considered a sustainable competitive advantage by the investment community?
ANSWER:
Larry Chaityn
by Larry Chaityn, President, Keiretsu Forum NY
Great question and way to be thinking! The short answer is yes.
When determining the type of product/service there are 4 basic strategic options to consider:
1. Enter an existing market
2. Create a totally new market
3. Resegment an existing market as a low cost entrant
4. Resegment an existing market as a niche player
There are specific strategies with each.
Showing Growth Metrics for Silicon Valley
Chris Maresca
Last December, I was in an interesting meeting where the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) presented a bunch of interesting stats several days before they were due to be released.
The most interesting statistic, however, was one that was generated specifically for this particular meeting and is not part of the regular dataset. It was statistics about company growth in Silicon Valley, and it revealed the lack of companies growing to significant size. For me, it just reinforced my gut feeling that the VC model was broken and that the real target should be lower exits, not monster hits.
Lessons from the Porn Industry
Fanny Tham
by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work
The Porn Industry is a big industry. David Klatell, associate dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism notes, “[Pornography] is an industry where they exaggerate the size of everything.” In a report published by TopTenReviews Jerry Ropelato on 3rd June 2010, the Porn Industry pulls in USD4.9 billion worldwide revenue from internet porn. And that’s online alone. The industry also reaches out to consumers on other platforms such as publishing, photography, DVDs, VODs, satellite television and video games. Exaggeration or not, for an industry that has survived from the Victorian era, there is much we can learn from it.
Lessons the we can learn from the Porn Industry:
Handy Sales Tools For Startups
Here’s a handy little list of sales tools, seasoned with some personal opinions, that I’ve assembled over my sales career. With a bow to all those who have contributed, knowingly or not, to my little body of knowledge.
Elevator Pitch: Much has been written on this topic, by me and others, but I’ll say again: everyone in the company should be able to give a 30 second description of the company’s essential value proposition.
Web Site: It’s an essential tool, but it’s an evolving one. Make it interactive. Make it serve your customer’s needs, not your own. Make sure it can be read, and navigated, on a phone’s browser.
What’s the easiest way to create a logo for my startup?
Nicholas de Wolff
by Nicholas de Wolff, founder of deW Process
1. Recognize first that a logo is a reflective representation of a brand identity. (Say what?) – designing and creating a visually appealing or arresting graphic element will not, in and of itself, do anything for your company, except spend some of your valuable upfront assets, and waste time. Before you even think about developing a logo, be sure that you are firmly clear and codified on what the enterprise plans to become down the road (you do not want to have to change your logo unnecessarily), equally clear on how you wish to present this venture for now, and uniformly in agreement across the whole team as to the language you have set in stone to express the aforementioned vision and position.
Themes of the Future
Chris Maresca
As part of some brainstorming I was doing with a friend raising a new fund, the concept of future trend themes came up. It’s not new, Brad Feld has a whole blog post about this. However, it got me thinking about the way I look at the future and what themes I see.
So, without further ado, here are my themes:
1. Open is the New Black
