You would want to hinge the purchase on a key feature that gives you a competitive advantage - and that is not fully incorporated in the trial version. I have advised SAAS Product Managers and your dilemma is certainly a shared one - getting customers to pick a) paid over free/basic/trial and b...
Few suggestions: - When you say your customers like your product, how do you know that. - I would recommend asking customers specific questions that correspond to the strengths and features of your product, e.g. 'Are you concerned with your on-premise costs of HW maintenance ?' while you're addr...
It really depends on what you're building here. If you can do any part of your product manually, I would suggest doing that in the first version. The absolute fastest way is to hire a contractor to get it done, but that can be expensive. If your first prototype can't be built with a prototyping...
A couple of quick notes to add on top of some good answers: 1. Have you done any blogging / writing around the concept? If so make sure you have google analytics on your site and you have demographics functionality turned on. You will get some good high level demographic info on who is interes...
This isn't very unusual or creative, but really go down every path you can to connect with someone who works there. It's the best way to get your resume past the initial gatekeepers. Some ideas: - Are you connected to anyone at the Startup on LinkedIn - invite them out to coffee -Does any alum...
If your looking for financing and not wanting to give up equity you could try to get venture debt. Check out Hercules http://www.htgc.com/ and their competitors these companies can provide big loans. Be ready to provide a lot of info on your company and your financial health. Be aware these...
A high level / quick answer - write your idea out, understand what the plan is. What will your company do? How will you make money? What will be your approximate costs? The plan will change over time but have clear view. - create a corporate entity like a llc to protect yourself (check wit...
Your strategy should encompass at least four components: (A) Complete Visual/verbal/social/technical audit to find/create needed assets for transition: know which assets need to be retired or replaced and what transitional assets are needed to bridge the gap. Prioritize: not everything always n...
Disclaimer: I'm not an intellectual property attorney - and I am not attempting to, nor qualified to give legal advice. That said - here is what I know on the subject. Copyright was once explained to me as a bundle of sticks, where each stick was a different right. Two sticks that might be imp...
The best time to raise capital for a startup is when you have a clear idea of what you want to do and a clear idea of how much money you need to get to a milestone that will set a higher value for your company. In general its better to bootstrap and do friends and family as long as you can, becau...