Entrepreneurship

Articles, publications, essays, and more

Tell Me What You Are Going to Do Tomorrow!

Entrepreneurship has never been easier: Buy Steve Blank’s book on Customer Development; read all of Eric Ries’ posts; reduce your fundraising presentation to the Business Model Canvas; wear a hoodie and pivot like a lean ninja. Success is guaranteed. Not… Creating value from nothing is just as hard as...

June 29, 2011July 10, 2017

Entrepreneurship

Leaving Your Mark

Last week I witnessed ancient treasures in London. No, not royal family and their wedding antics (London was a mess…). I am talking about old prototypes from past university collaborations of mine. That reminded me of the first mark I left in the world a long time ago… My...

May 11, 2011July 10, 2017

Entrepreneurship

Ignore the Bubble Talk (even if it turns out to be true)!

There is a lot of talk about bubbles these days. Some experts argue strongly that we are in the middle of a huge social media/web2.0 bubble; some argue that the availability of billions of users justifies the sky-high valuations (and even provide tools to work in the Bubble). Personally,...

April 12, 2011July 10, 2017

Entrepreneurship

Get Out There Even if It Hurts!

Over a decade of entrepreneurial activity in “hard” technologies has left me with a deep repertoire of demo horror stories. I have had boxes blow up, catch fire, over-heat and over-cool, human failure, device failure and some that felt like divine failure. You name it, I’ve suffered it. Maybe...

March 29, 2011July 10, 2017

Entrepreneurship

10 Reasons for Entrepreneurs to Stay in School

A little while ago I participated in a HN discussion on Why to stay in College. My recommendation then was to not only stay in college but actually leverage the experience. My opinion remains the same, but I finally got around to writing it up in a bit more detail....

March 14, 2011July 10, 2017

Entrepreneurship , Tech Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship isn’t Self-Employment

Entrepreneurship isn’t about “freedom”, “lifestyle” or “being your own boss”. Entrepreneurship is about creating wealth quickly. The above is a reply that I give very frequently to young entrepreneurs. The question usually relates to raising money, adding partners into their first venture, stepping down as the founding CEO, or...

February 21, 2011July 13, 2017

Entrepreneurship

10 Tips for Student Entrepreneurs

Starting your own company out of university is a tricky business. You tend to have other things on your mind – like getting your degree. Here are some practical tips for university students who want to commercialise their technology. 1. Write Everything Down: Most university ventures are formed around intellectual property...

February 15, 2011July 12, 2017

Entrepreneurship , People

Start-Up Titles are Dangerous

I got a few questions about titles after my last post on hiring. Titles are always tricky, but particularly dangerous in the startup environment. I am not just talking about the rapidly de-valuing titles such as “Founder” (you aren’t one until you have actually created an entity and business), “CEO” (you...

February 7, 2011July 12, 2017

Entrepreneurship

Hiring is Hell

Hiring is really hard! Not just the process of find candidates, but the rate at which hires turn into great employees. Over the last decade I have hired upward of a hundred people into new organisations (start-ups or new departments within a large company). Looking back, 10-20% of those turned out to be great performer,...

January 17, 2011July 12, 2017

Entrepreneurship

A Tale of (Near) Failure

A few voices on the web have recently called for a less glamourous presentation of start-up life. Mention the failures, be candid about the problems – they say. Personally, I found my entrepreneurial ride stressful enough without dwelling on the problems but I guess the goal is to give budding...

January 4, 2011July 12, 2017