Three important concepts for startups

Eric Ries and Steve Blank are two successful serial entrepreneurs and fantastic thought leaders. If you are at all interested in improving you start-ups chances for success check these out:

1. Retooling Early Stage Development - Steve Blank (Stanford audio podcast)
2. Evangelizing for the Lean Startup - Eric Ries (itunes podcast - search itunes Stanford Technology Ventures Program)
3. Minimum Viable Product - Eric Ries (blog post here)
   

I recommend consuming these multiple times and then searching their blogs as well. A ton of great content here. Enjoy.

Do Something

Here are two great quotes:

1. "Luck favors the man in motion" - unknown author.
2. "Luck is a big part of many successes, so (a) don't get too bummed out when you see a bozo succeed; and (b) luck favors the people who try stuff, not simply think and analyze. As the Chinese say, "One must wait for a long time with your mouth open before a Peking duck flies in your mouth." - Guy Kawasaki (You can find his article here. Its worth reading.)
   

Action point: Don't just think and analyze - DO SOMETHING!

Business Idea: Goal Post

I have a backlog of business ideas that is 4 pages long. I have decided this maybe a good place to post these ideas. I encourage feedback, assistance if I do a feasibility analysis prior to launching on of these ideas, or if you like an idea go a head and run with it yourself. I would just appreciate it if you let me know if you choose to execute one of my ideas into a profitable business. I won't ask for equity. I'd just like the satisfaction of knowing one of my ideas was profitable.

So here is an idea:

GOAL POST
Several years ago I thought of creating a web application and widget that would allow users to create and post their goals on the web. Then users would provide updates on how they are doing. Other users (personal contacts or other goal minded people) can follow up with you, compete with you, join in your goal, or anything else ... The widget would show your current goal(s) and chart your success. Overtime, you can gain higher status from none-action to doer. One hurdle would be the integrity of the goals because it is all user generated and recorded. If a person were to falsify goal achievement it would be misleading. Users can also share tips with other that may help them achieve their goals. This could act as a benchmarking tool to share best practices and would provide encouragement to others that are working on similar goals showing that what the user has set out to achieve has been done my X number of people.

Revenue model would mainly be advertising revenue. Advertisers trying to sell to specific demographics working on business, sports, school, personal, spiritual, financial, or other goals.

The websites success would be largely dependent on growing a large user base (as it is a positive network externality), developing channel partnerships, and an easy to use site layout.

What do you think?

The Power of Entrepreneurs

I resonate with Scott Cooks message in the following clip.

Great entrepreneurial ventures usually are the ones motivated not only by economic reasons but on the sincere desire to improve the world in which we live. Thanks Scott for communicating a great ability and privilege entrepreneurs have to make a difference with their ideas. Now the tough part: Execution!

Population Growth

The associated press reported recently that, “The world’s population will reach 7 billion in 2012, just 13 years after hitting 6 billion, according to a new Census Bureau projection. By comparison, it took thousands of years of human history before the population hit 1 billion in 1800, and it took 130 years to reach the 2 billion mark.”

-found in The Week July 4-11 2008, Vol. 8 - Issue 368/369, pg. 20.