Entrepreneurship
Being a founder 7 - Patience isn’t a virtue–it’s a requirement
One of the biggest draws for entrepreneurs to the Web is its quick turnaround; you can go from idea to prototype in just a few weeks, or faster. And if the idea doesn’t work out, you can pursue a new one the next day. There are few industries that provide as much instant gratification.
But, however [...]
Being a founder 6 - Successful interviews with the press
I just got finished being interviewed about Intermz by Tina Reed of Ann Arbor News. It went really well. Here are some tips on how to handle getting interviewed.
Handling Nervousness
I don’t typically get nervous before these kinds of things (I usually get the adrenaline rush afterward), but I did get a little nervous before this [...]
Being a founder 5 - Importance of the newsletter
Just a quick one to talk about why you should set up an email newsletter system–and how to use it effectively.
Why
A newsletter is your way to broadcast a message about your product or service to a crowd that has already identified themselves as interested parties. There are three primary reasons to REGULARLY send a newsletter [...]
Being a founder 4 - Go to entrepreneurship events like Startup Weekend
I mentioned Startup Weekend in a couple of posts in this series, but I never really got into the details of how it actually worked for us. I promised an honest, nitty-gritty blog about starting up, so here are the details about how events like Startup Weekend can really change the course of your dream. [...]
Being a founder 3 - The pitch and the hunt
Prevailing startup philosophy is that the pitch is perhaps the most important tool you can have as an entrepreneur. It is responsible for generating interest and seeding adoption. Guy Kawasaki asks, How can you tell if an entrepreneur is pitching? His lips are moving.
I could not agree more. (Besides, who would disagree with Guy?)
However, what [...]
Being a founder 2 - Defining your target audience
One of the most oft repeated rules about starting a business is that you need to define your target audience–your customer–and that you need to define them very specifically. Instead of “people who need flashlights,” you might target “emergency workers who need portable, bright, durable flashlights.”
But what if, like many web services, your audience is [...]
Being a founder 1 - From one to many
How Intermz.com went from a one-person dream to an eight-person mission.
Blogging about being a web-startup founder
At an Intermz member’s suggestion, I’m going to start blogging about what it’s like being a web-startup founder–from the very first days to wherever we end up. I’ll share with you some of our stories of trials and tribulations and hopefully help you, the next Bill Gates, get your dream off the ground.
So check back [...]
Pitching Intermz.com at Ann Arbor Startup Weekend
This coming weekend (June 20-22), my wife and I will be attending the Ann Arbor Startup Weekend event where we will be pitching Intermz.com to a group of entrepreneurs in hopes of building a team to build it out.
The format:
06/20 - Participants pitch ideas and vote for which ones to pursue; teams created
06/21 - Design, [...]
Fighting the Feeling of Futility
Yaro Stark, author of noted entrepreneurship blog Entrepreneur’s Journey, recently wrote a poignant article on the importance of sticking to your work even if it doesn’t seem to be amounting to much. I get this feeling a lot, especially during these early stages of Intermz. Not as many people are using it as I had [...]
