Tags: churchill, Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, startup, VC

churchill, Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, startup, VC

Seth Godin posted top 10 list regarding the marketing process. I singled out three:

1. Don’t run out of money. It always takes longer and costs more than you expect to spread your idea. You can budget for it or you can fail.
2. Focusing obsessively on one niche, one feature and one market is almost always a better idea than trying to satisfy everyone.
3. Test, measure and optimize. Figure out what’s working and do it more.

The rest are worth reading as well but I like these three in partucular. Especially, since we’re talking about a process. Ordering them like that makes everything seem as easy as 1-2-3 (or A-B-C if you’re a Jackson’s fan!).

Oh, yes, don’t forget to grab Seth’s wonderful Bootstrapping Bible.

Tags: bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, marketing, seth godin, startup

bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, marketing, seth godin, startup

Take the case of Levi Strauss & Co. This company was lucky, plain and simple. It makes a garment that was the clothing of choice for a generation of free-spending consumers. But instead of recognizing the luck, Levi imagined it was smart branding, or its employment policies or even its ad agency that had somehow enabled it to grow. Once the luck ran out (and it always does) Levi shrank fast. In just six years, sales dropped more than 30%, and every U.S. factory was closed.

The argument that I buy though is that the more you bootstrap, the longer you stay at the roulette. The longer you play, the better your chances to get lucky.

Tags: bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, seth godin, startup, venture capital

bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, seth godin, startup, venture capital

Download: Guy Kawasaki – Art of the Start

Please note that his eleventh point is different in this presentation. At the TiECon, his eleventh point was about bozosities.

Tags: Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, keynote, media, speach, startup, tiecon, VC

Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, keynote, media, speach, startup, tiecon, VC

This time, however, he has a video out. Both instructional and entertaining.

The speach was delivered at TiECon 2006. Another speaker was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead of his keynote, I urge you to watch his appearance on CBC in 1975. It’s a lot more fun.

Tags: Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, keynote, media, speach, startup, tiecon, VC

Entrepreneurship, guy kawasaki, keynote, media, speach, startup, tiecon, VC

I just read

Right at the start of it, he suggests you print out the following text and tape it to the bathroom mirror.

I am a bootstrapper. I have initiative and insight and guts, but not much money. I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger and better-funded competitors. I am fearless. I keep my focus on growing the business—not on politics,career advancement, or other wasteful distractions.

I will leverage my skills to become the key to every department of my company, yet realize
that hiring experts can be the secret to my success. I will be a fervent and intelligent user
of technology, to conserve my two most precious assets: time and money.

I’m in it for the long haul. Building a business that will last separates me from the
opportunist, and is an investment in my brand and my future. Surviving is succeeding, and
each day that goes by makes it easier still for me to reach my goals.

A must-have: download The Bootstrapper’s Bible by Seth Godin.

Tags: bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, seth godin, startup, venture capital

bootstrapping, entrepreneurs, seth godin, startup, venture capital