Cloud Academy: Test Drive Your Cloud Skills
According to IDC’s prediction, 7 million new cloud related IT jobs will be created by 2015. As cloud is still evolving, there is an overall lack of knowledge, skills and experience in the IT industry. This is intensified by the fact that new cloud features and innovations are introduced weekly by cloud service vendors, especially […]
Finding an Investor Who is in Love with You
I often talk about what I’m looking for when I meet with an entrepreneur. Above all else I’m looking for a genuine passion for what the entrepreneur is doing. It’s even a direct quote in my Twitter bio. Of course passion isn’t enough. You need a set of innate skills that differentiate you from the […]
The Magic of the Irish – Dublin’s Resurgence on the Global Tech Scene
I wrote this on my flight home from f.ounders & web summit in Dublin, Ireland late last year. I think I was too hung over to finish it, hit publish and move on. So here is attempt two now that the alcohol is mostly out of me. The Magic of the Irish. Scenes from my […]
What I Would Look for When Choosing a VC – Knowing What I Know Now?
Picking a VC is hard. You don’t really have much to go on to decide who would make a good fit. Reputation of firm? Of partner? Deals done in your industry? It’s a bit of all of these. I had an enjoyable conversation this morning with a young team straight out of college this morning […]
Understanding the Underbelly of Online Marketing & Why You’ll Lose if You Don’t
Yesterday I wrote a post about “growth hacking” and why I thought it was wrong that people were hating on the term unnecessarily. It’s worth a quick read. My argument is pretty simple. If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a […]
Why Am I So Lucky? Why You Need to Be Sure You’re Not the Sucker
I’m a cynic by nature. And I think it pays to be so. I sometimes wish I were an unbridled, happy-go-lucky, assume-the-best-in-everybody sort of chappy. Sadly, I’m not. You know the old Groucho Marx saying, “I would never join a club that would accept me as a member.” I always loved that line. So whenever […]
Why The Haters are Wrong About Growth Hacking
There’s an article making the rounds in tech circles titled “Growth Hacking is Bull” written by Muhammad Saleem. I’d like to make the case that the article is wrong. I’d strongly encourage you to read it. I actually really enjoyed many of the points Muhammad made about marketing in general and I found myself nodding […]
How Boards Need to Evolve Over Time
I’ve written a few posts about boards recently as part of a series on the subject. I should note that my friend Brad Feld has written a new book on the subject that I would recommend if you want the bible on the topic. I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had […]
The Perils of Founder Fighting
Yesterday I wrote a post about “the politics of startups” in which I asserted that all companies have politics, which in its purest sense is just about understanding human psychology. I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior. Of course it […]
Understanding the Politics of Tech Startups
Many startups these days are started by young, technical or product founders who are in the idealistic phase of their lives and careers. Thus I hear many talk about “radical transparency” when virtually ever experienced operator in my inner circle talks knowingly about that naiveté. It’s not that I don’t love idealism – I was […]
How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle and Avoid Wasting Time
One of the questions I’m most often asked by CEOs is how to hire sales people. I’ve written a lot about recruiting and hiring at startups including my controversial post on whom not to hire and my rapid response to the flame war. I’ve also written extensively on sales and on which sales execs to hire and how to think […]
How to Control Your Board Discussion and Avoid Chaos
Recently I wrote the first post in a series on board meetings, entitled, “Why You’re Not Getting the Most out of Your Board,” which focused on the need to prepare properly, set good objectives and discuss mostly strategic topics. Even if you follow this game plan meticulously your board meeting can be taken off course […]
Why You’re Not Getting the Most out of Your Board
Most board meetings are “update meetings” where management downloads its status to a group of investors. These outside board members spend most of the board meeting trying to reacquaint themselves with the company’s business and critical issues. This is hardly ideal and some simple changes could help management avoid both issues. Put simply, the majority of […]
How to Nail a Group Presentation
Most people suck at presenting to big groups. It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. So I thought I’d write a piece on how not to suck when you give a presentation. 1. Show some […]
How to Avoid a Common Product Mistake Many Teams Make
I’ve been involved with technology product design in one form or another for nearly 25 years and seen one mistake consistently repeated. The single biggest mistake most product teams make is building technology for what they believe the user would want rather than what the actual end-user needs. From the experience in my earliest days […]
