Teaching Startup — Education and Evolution for Entrepreneurs

The Myth of Startup Sales Targets

Every entrepreneur comes up with simple sales targets soon after figuring out their most basic price point. We can’t help it, it’s what we do. But when it comes time for real sales projections, the math gets murkier. And we’re usually still just throwing random numbers at a wall and hoping they stick.

Startup, Sales 03/21/2019

Why Startups Fall Apart at 50 Employees

Ask anyone who’s been there more than once, and they’ll tell you. Right at about 50 employees is where young companies start to go off the rails. So what should we do when it happens?

Startup, CEO 03/19/2019

Five Minutes To Make Your Business Make More Money

Let's talk about how we use data to make a better product, raise our margins, and generate more revenue.

Startup, Product 03/14/2019

Should You Build a Minimum Viable Product?

Last week, I got a bunch of questions via my website from “Devin,” a smart young entrepreneur in the healthcare technology space. His MVP, a mobile app, was about six months from completion before he realized he needed to do more work around his business concept. Now his MVP is about a year out, and he’s frustrated because he wants to reach out to his target market to gauge interest in his solution.

Startup, Product 03/11/2019

The First Signs Your Startup Is Headed For a Sudden Shutdown

You know how startups can one day just suddenly implode, leaving a well-meaning but ultimately hollow note on their website thanking everyone for the incredible journey? It hurts every time I see that. Because you can prevent it. Not all the time. But you can see it coming. All the time.

Startup, CEO 03/07/2019

Your Startup Needs a Product Engineer Immediately

The role of “product” within almost all industries is trending toward less emphasis on product management and product marketing, and more towards using technology and data to determine everything from what we’re building to how we’re selling it.

Startup, Product 03/05/2019

I Have To Fire This Guy, Right?

Firing an employee, especially at the startup level, is hands-down the toughest responsibility a founder or executive has to take on. I know this sounds like an elitist problem — oh, it must be real rough to have to ruin someone’s life. It is. Unless you’re an a-hole.

Startup, CEO 02/28/2019

A Checklist To Explode Startup Sales Growth

When I see a working product not selling, it’s usually because the value premise was off from the beginning. What it almost always comes down to is: Does the product have a traceable direct value for the customer?

Startup, Sales 02/26/2019

How To Deliver Software Without Deadlines

Let’s talk about how we deliver software when it’s ready, instead of when it’s due. This is how I’m transitioning from promising and missing dates to delivering continuous innovation, both across my org and to my customers.

Tech, Startup 02/21/2019

You Need $250,000 To Start a Company

The harsh economics of startup are often easily overlooked. So let’s talk about what it really costs an entrepreneur to get a startup off the ground. It’s about 250 grand.

Startup, CEO 02/18/2019

Quitting College For a Startup

Last week, I had an email exchange that came through my website from a college student who sort of lucked into a startup founded by one of his friends. He had jumped in at the beginning, and now he's at a crossroads.

Startup, Education 02/15/2019

Don’t Be Evil, But Don’t Be Saint Entrepreneur Either

I live by the entrepreneur’s motto: “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission. But it actually matters what you’re going to ask permission or beg forgiveness for.”

Startup, CEO 02/12/2019

Why Entrepreneurs Stop Innovating

At some point, every entrepreneur stops innovating. Let’s talk about how to put that off for as long as possible.

Startup, CEO 02/08/2019

Before You Launch Your Minimum Viable Product, Do This

Your MVP is your first impression, both for your startup and for you as an entrepreneur. Here's a high-level checklist I use to give my MVP its best chance, with some real-world examples thrown in.

Startup, Product 02/05/2019

Instead of Learn To Code, Learn To Hack Sh** Together

Should you learn to code? I used to always answer with an emphatic yes. Now I’m like 80/20 no. The catch is, and always will be: Time. Here's how to get around that.

Tech, Startup02/01/2019

The Myth of Minimum Viable Product

An MVP is indeed meant to be the quickest version of the product you can put out to market. But when I use the word “quickest” here, that reduction in time to market is achieved by a reduction in feature set, not a reduction in quality. Lately, I’m seeing the pendulum swing away from quality too often.

Startup, Product 01/09/2019

Three Stories Every Entrepreneur Should Know

What would you say your company does? It seems like a simple question that should have a simple answer, but that’s rarely the case.

Startup, CEO 01/02/2019

The End of Software Development Deadlines

Building software under a deadline is a recipe for disaster, right? So why are we still doing it? It’s not gonna be too long before we look back and laugh at when we used to put delivery dates on tech.

Tech, Startup01/29/2019

Who the Hell Is Running My Startup?

Leadership flaws can start tearing at the seams of a startup right at the first signs of success. If we don’t have leadership that works, we can’t make critical decisions, we can’t move forward, chaos ensues, and the whole operation begins to crumble from the top down.

Startup, CEO 01/24/2019

How To Have 10 Amazing Ideas Before Breakfast (and how to act on them)

When you’ve been an entrepreneur for as long as I have, you have a million ideas. Granted, a lot of these are trash. You can’t get to the great ideas until you sift through all the crap ones.

Startup, CEO 01/22/2019

When Should I Hire a Developer for My Startup?

There a like a million things you need to do before you start spending money on that freelancer or offshore team. Wait. Five. There are actually five things you need to do before you hire a developer.

Startup, CEO 01/16/2019

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