Interesting. First step is to validate your idea with the market: Set a minimum success criteria for how many customers you want to have on Day 1 to prove that the business is validated with the market. For example, set a goal to get 5 people to pre-pay for jet ski rentals and go to talk to peopl...
Yes, every once in a while the planets align. Some questions to consider: Is there a significant other contributing cash flow to the home budget? Is there a nest egg? 401K or other instrument that can be cashed in if [and only if] all else fails? Define startup? Is it bricks & mortar? High ov...
First, realize that change isn't an overnight process - it can take time to make the case for trying something new to your superiors. Second, try to understand (if possible) what motivations your team lead could have for being "stuck in their ways" - this can provide clues on the types of strateg...
You need to show them that you can solve their problems. The #1 mistake made by most applicants is that they keep talking about themselves: "here are my skills, here's what I've done, etc..." Instead of talking about yourself, talk about them: "You need someone who can jump right in; someone w...
Only do things that move you closer to shipping. I'd also look at ruthlessly cutting scope so you can get your product out the door. Most importantly, focus on making consistent progress every day or week so you can actually ship your product and start getting revenue from it.
There are basically two types of SEO outfits. There are the "chop shops" of the world offering dated solutions like link building, etc and charging a monthly fee for supposed maintenance. Then there are credible experts who understand that the overall experience of the web assets is what catapu...
First of all, you need to get really clear on who your actual customer is, and where they are. Are you actually selling direct to Gen Y (ie, internet, retail stores, etc) or is Gen Y your end user (ie, you're really selling to distributors or directly to corporations, site managers, HR profession...
It depends on a few factors. I would say that it's the investors that value your company, not you. Until there's a (first) funding event, valuation is a theoretical thing. A bit like real estate, your home is worth what the offer comes at. That said, it depends on the potential of the idea, t...
First of all BE VERY CAREFUL about exiting investors while bringing new ones on. You cannot give investors money back out of proceeds raised from new investors. It's illegal (called Ponzi). This is a VERY tough scenario since you are dealing with two substantial issues - 1) building (or rebuild...
It's very important. (first, read this article by Josh Breinlinger - http://acrowdedspace.com/post/47647912203/a-critical-but-ignored-metric-for-marketplaces) The way you achieve success in a marketplace is by driving liquidity for both your supply & demand. Demand-side Liquidity = When users ...