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6 Tips For Startups About Fundraising

September 30, 2009 | 4 Comments

Yesterday, we talked about bootstrapping your startup or small business. What can you do if bootstrapping isn’t a good option for you? You may need to secure outside funding. In future videos, I’ll talk about sources of funding. In this 6 minute video, I offer six tips that I hope will help you obtain funding, regardless of source.

If you’re enjoying these videos, I ask for a small favor in return. Leave a comment with a suggestion or question or retweet this post (or both). And if there are particular topics you’d like to hear about – please let me know in the comments.

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5 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Startup or Small Business

September 29, 2009 | 9 Comments

For nearly a year before we sought outside funding for crowdSPRING, we bootstrapped. In fact, I continued to work full time until December 2007 (maintaining an active law practice) while also working full time on crowdSPRING. I hardly ever slept.

In this 6 minute video, I talk about my experience with bootstrapping and offer 5 suggestions, based on my experience, that will hopefully help you to bootstrap your startup or small business.

If you’re enjoying these videos, I ask for a small favor in return. Leave a comment with a suggestion or question or retweet this post (or both). And if there are particular topics you’d like to hear about – please let me know in the comments.

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Startup Revenue Models

September 28, 2009 | 2 Comments

People get excited about outliers – companies like Twitter and Facebook – who command a lot of attention and have astronomical valuations. 99.999% of startups are nothing like Twitter and Facebook. If you have great idea, focus on building a real business – with a real revenue model. In this 3 minute video, I discuss why.

If you’re interested in more details about building a financial model, I encourage you to read Mike Samson’s post in the crowdSPRING blog – 10 thoughts for small businesses and startups on financial modeling.

If you’re enjoying these videos, I ask for a small favor in return. Leave a comment with a suggestion or question or retweet this post (or both). And if there are particular topics you’d like to hear about – please let me know in the comments.

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Startup Tip: Differentiate Your Product Or Service

September 25, 2009 | 1 Comment

A great idea isn’t enough. To succeed, you must find ways to differentiate your product or service from your competitors. I discuss why in this 4 minute video.

Do you have a comment about this video or a suggestion about how startups can differentiate themselves? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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Startup Tip: Simple Is More Powerful

September 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Many startups believe that they could compete only if they build more features. Twitter, 37signals and others have shown that simple can be more powerful. I explain why in this 3.5 minute video.

What do YOU think?

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Startup Hiring Tip: Do The Job Yourself First

September 23, 2009 | 1 Comment

Startups must be careful when building their team. Hiring too many people might create instability and confusion. Hiring too few may create capacity problems.

Yesterday, I offered five suggestions for startups who want to build a great team. I have one more suggestion – you can hire smartly and better understand what the position will involve if you do the job yourself first. In this four minute video, I explain why.

Do you have other tips to add or your own story to tell? Please do so in the comments…

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How To Build An Awesome Startup Team – 5 Tips

September 22, 2009 | 2 Comments

Most startups fail. Those that succeed have some things in common, including strong teams.

I am very proud of what our small team at crowdSPRING (10 people) has accomplished over the past 16 months. Our community has grown to nearly 50,000 people. Creatives from over 170 countries have helped thousands buyers from over 50 countries with graphic design needs.

In this 4 minutes video, I share 5 tips based on my experience building the team at crowdSPRING. We’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way – here’s your chance to learn from OUR mistakes.

Do you have other tips to add or your own story to tell? Please do so in the comments…

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Find The Right Voice For Your Startup Or Small Business

September 21, 2009 | 1 Comment

Every startup or small business needs to find the right voice to communicate with their customers, potential customers, and community. The right voice can be a key differentiator for your startup or small business. The wrong voice can lead to failure.

Finding the right voice isn’t rocket science – but does require you to think about your audience, the person doing the speaking, and the content of WHAT you’re communicating. In this video, I share some tips about finding that right voice for your business.

Do you have other tips to add or your own story to tell? Please do so in the comments…

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Is Telling The Truth Bragging?

September 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I wrote nearly a year ago about personal brands and reputation - “Personal Brand” – An Exercise In Linguistic Olympics? That post briefly looked at the debates that were then raging about personal brands. For me – it’s all about reputation (as my post made clear).

Last week, I talked with someone about bragging – specifically, whether telling the truth was bragging. The other person suggested that telling the truth is not bragging. I think the answer depends on the source of the statement, the context, and the audience. Even telling the truth can be bragging.

Why should you care? Reputation is important. We constantly engage in conversations – in person and online. And we rarely wonder whether our truthful statements could harm our credibility. They can – especially if others think we’re bragging. Watch the 3 minute video and let me know what you think. Is telling the truth bragging?

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Research Tips For Startups and Small Businesses

September 17, 2009 | 2 Comments

Do you think you have a great idea for a startup or a small business? In this 4 minute video, I share tips based on my own experience with crowdSPRING and my 13 year career as a lawyer (where I did quite a lot of research), about ways you can improve your research and better refine your idea.

Do you have other tips to add or your own story to tell? Please do so in the comments…

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