A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 30, 2010

A VA can be domestic or international, as long as they have a computer and an email account. The lesson is that before you launch your product, think about the processes you can avoid automating. How about reminder emails? Could a human being run a report once a month and send emails or charge credit cards? The Lesson.

Software Review 284

Software Review Startup Technical Review Hosting 284

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

He never pays attention to all of the feature creep in products and in many ways the more features the less he is able to use the product. My Dad uses email – he still doesn’t understand the ‘forward’ button.&#. They had decided to take a Digg style approach to product development.

Customer 280

Customer Technical Review Software Review Mexico 280

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Install Productive Development Tools. Next, you can integrate a reliable set of development tools to amplify your workforce’s capabilities. There are plenty of effective programming tools that support your developers. At the same time, you may want to host an event or spread the word via email.

Software Development 158

Software Development Software Developers Software Developer 158

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

The application of agile development methodologies which dramatically reduce waste and unlock creativity in product development. See Customer Development Engineering for my first stab at articulating the theory involved) Ferocious customer-centric rapid iteration, as exemplified by the Customer Development process.

Lean 168

Lean San Francisco Startup Continuous Deployment 168

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 5, 2008

They exchange countless emails, and hes being constantly interrupted and being asked to clarify exactly what the spec means. The fourth spec exists only in these emails, which are changing the design in an ad-hoc fashion. Labels: product development 8comments: Vincent van Wylick said. Want to learn more about me?

San Francisco 158

San Francisco Management Software Review Product 158

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

It outlines four major growth strategies: market penetration , market development , product development , and diversification. Building new revenue streams in an untapped channel, like content marketing or email marketing. Product development. During product development, test activities like: R&D.

Marketing 115

Marketing Framework Metrics Channel 115

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 3, 2009

Refreshing to finally see lean and agile thinking emerge in product/business-floors and not only in technology. Critical also, as the lean company/start-up can not be lean by just using lean principles in IT and not in Product Development/Management - a common misinterpretation of the Toyota Production System.

San Francisco 168

San Francisco Product Lean Continuous Deployment 168

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

I learned how to better run a product management process. I learned how to integrate customers into our product development process. I wrote a large check to one of them for a startup with no product and no real plan. But in these years I learned how to sell software – necessity is the mother of all invention.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Hiring Software Review Stock Options 285

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

Own the development methodology - in a traditional product development setup, the VP Engineering or some other full-time manager would be responsible for making sure the engineers wrote adequate specs, interfaced well with QA, and also run the scheduling "trains" for releases. Labels: product development 15comments: mukund said.

CTO 168

CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 168

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 5, 2010

People sent emails saying they used Code Historian just because of the mini-viewer. Some developers wrote in asking how I was able to render it so efficiently. It was always a high point in product reviews. In short, the mini-viewer is a lot more programming effort with a lot more chance for bugs.

Software Review 226

Software Review Metrics Lean Agile 226

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

A company at this stage could also face product development costs from consultants if they decided to outsource product development. However, Praveena has committed to personally get the first version of the product up and launched without outside consultants, so there is no expense here either.

Balance Sheet 126

Balance Sheet Fractional CTO Burn Rate Salary 126

YoungUpstarts

MAY 3, 2017

From product development to market research, many startups are one-person operations in their early days. Too often, you’ll find new business owners spending hours answering emails, returning phone calls, scheduling appointments, and booking travel. Whether they follow through on that knowledge, however, is a different story.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Management Arizona Software Review 113

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 29, 2009

Startups especially can benefit by using technical debt to experiment, invest in process, and increase their product development leverage. The biggest source of waste in new product development is building something that nobody wants. Leverage product development with open source and third parties.

Technical Review 168

Technical Review Software Review San Francisco Lean 168

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 13, 2017

Consider the marketing and product development required to walk through each step. The use of online marketing, email campaigns and other efforts are effective ideas in many industries. Consider where you want your business to be in two, three and five years. Create a step by step plan that walks you through the growth process.

Small Business 157

Small Business Developer Social Media United States 157

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 20, 2009

Luckily, I now have the benefit of a forthcoming book, The Principles of Product Development Flow. Labels: five whys root cause analysis , product development 11comments: Peter Severin said. Its really helped me articulate my thinking on this topic, and includes an entire chapter on the topic of reducing batch size.)

San Francisco 161

San Francisco Software Review Continuous Deployment Development Team Review 161

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 17, 2015

Stage 3: Productizing the Solution to Corporate Problems. In Stage 3 an Innovation Outpost creates a product development group to bring to market the solution(s) (a product or service) to the challenge(s) that led to the establishment of the Outpost in the first place. What solution are we productizing ?

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Incubator Acquisition Business Model 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

This product development diagram had become part of the DNA of Silicon Valley. That’s in stark contrast to the traditional Product Development Model where it’s expected a customer is already there and waiting and it’s simply a matter of [.] familiar with Customer Development you should be.

Product Development 163

Product Development Developer Silicon Valley Product 163

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

The Customer Development Model is designed to minimize the risk of launching a product for a market that does not exist. It encourages a startup to invest in customer discovery and validation in parallel with product development prior to product launch. To Order Outside of the U.S. Now In Print!

Lean 263

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS 263

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 16, 2015

Once the website and product lines have been updated, be sure your customers know. Include social media posts, email campaigns and banner ads on the site itself to call attention to the hard work the company put in and showcase changes for new and existing clients. Use your cleaning efforts as a springboard for seasonal advertising.

Software Review 100

Software Review Technical Review Mobile Security 100

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

Studying an online business analytics masters is one way you can up your numbers game; whether this is the finance, marketing, or product development aspects of your company, the course can supply you with the tools, means, and knowledge to streamline your company operations. Being a Better Leader. Making a Name for Your Business.

Analytics 179

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 179

Up and Running

JANUARY 3, 2019

Success in marketing and product development comes from a deep understanding of your target customer. In marketing and product development, we can solve this problem by doing the right user research ( market research ) to create fictional characters that are highly detailed representations of your target customer base.

Software Review 130

Software Review Product Development Portland Technical Review 130

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

This gets me into trouble, because it conjures up for some the idea that product development is simply a rote mechanical exercise of linear optimization. You just constantly test little micro-changes and follow a hill-climbing algorithm to build your product. Want to learn more about me? Try About the author.

San Francisco 166

San Francisco Lean Technical Review Continuous Deployment 166

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 7, 2008

Finally the day came, we unleashed the landing page, emailed our existing customers, and started advertising online. Depending on the type of product, postings on forums, classifieds and emails could give enough information to help gauge potential response. We finally settled on a $1.99 November 8, 2008 8:44 AM OneDish said.

Demand 167

Demand San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 167

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

On the other hand, if you arrive at a VC pitch without a comprehensive understanding of the industry you’re hoping to compete in, or without a clear path to profitability or a thoughtful product-development road map, you’ll likely leave empty-handed. Keep your emails short and to the point.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 25, 2010

This is the first post that moves into making specific process recommendations for product development. Labels: product development Speed up or slow down? This is the first post that moves into making specific process recommendations for product development. Want to learn more about me? Try About the author.

Software Review 141

Software Review San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 141

ConversionXL

JUNE 14, 2021

ConvertKit’s strategy is geared around building email marketing tools for independent creators, allowing their customers to build and nurture their own audience. Here’s an example invitation email for existing customers: Hi [NAME], You’ve been a loyal customer of [COMPANY] for over two years now! What about churned customers?

Software Review 158

Software Review Audience Differentiation Framework 158

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Their product definition fluctuates wildly – one month, it’s a dessert topping, the next it’s a floor wax. Their product development team is hard at work on a next-generation product platform, which is designed to offer a new suite of products – but this effort is months behind schedule.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 8, 2008

Customer development is a parallel process to product development, which means that you dont have to give up on your dream. Our goal in product development is to find the minimum feature set required to get early customers. This is a common mistake. Want to learn more about me? Try About the author.

Customer Development 168

Customer Development Developer San Francisco Customer 168

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 16, 2021

” That role was a little better for me – there were tactical marketing folks to deal with logos and t-shirt sizes (not to mention email blasts , postcard drops and the dozens of other minutiae which the sales teams called for). No, marketing was not for me.

Marketing 167

Marketing Social Media Database Salary 167

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 4, 2024

Investment in Growth: Allocate funds strategically to areas that promote growth, such as marketing, product development, and talent acquisition. Digital Marketing: Leverage digital platforms such as social media, SEO, and email marketing to reach your target audience. Positive cash flow is essential for business expansion.

Technical Review 146

Technical Review Agile Audience Employee 146

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 10, 2013

Examples include Kawasaki’s rules on presentations such as the 10-20-30 rule (make a 10 slide presentation in 20 minutes with no font smaller than 30 points), qualities of a great product (deep, intelligent, complete, empowering and elegant), and providing a MAP (Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose) rather than money to motivate employees.

Technical Review 145

Technical Review Japan Employee Management 145

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

Once that responsibility has been assigned, have that new person email the whole company with the results of the analysis. Now, everyone is learning together - about your product, process, and team. Each five whys email is a teaching document. This last step is difficult, but I think its very helpful. Try About the author.

Software Review 167

Software Review Technical Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 167

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 4, 2008

Please email me if you are interested. Get in touch: Twitter Email Facebook Linkedin Additional resources Startup LessonsLearned, All Seasons : Every post from the blog, in one 600+ page PDF. I help lead the Engineering Leadership SIG at SDForum and wonder if you would be interested in speaking to our group about lean starups.

San Francisco 155

San Francisco Technical Cofounder Fractional CTO CTO 155

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

You might find your audience is a little off from whom you were targeting or that your audience thinks your product is overpriced. Remaining adaptable and responding appropriately to the feedback with new product developments, updates, or new marketing strategies can only appeal more business. To Round It Up.

Software Review 115

Software Review Management Early Stage Startup 115

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

There is much work that I need to do (the only developer so far) before we have something customers can use. Thoughts on scientific product development Lo, my 5 subscribers, who are you? How to get distribution advantage on the iPhone How to Usability Test your Site for Free The one line split-test, or how to A/B all the tim.

SEM 164

SEM San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 164

Up and Running

MARCH 24, 2021

For example, let’s say that you’re a SaaS company focused on enterprise-level business email management. As a new entrant, or established business looking to grow, instead of attempting to claim current enterprise customers from your competitors, you can develop another market segment. Launch a new product or service.

Software Review 146

Software Review Marketing Campaign Forecast 146

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 18, 2013

A month later, another email update goes out to the investors – the team has decided to pivot based on feedback and they are super excited about the new direction and once they have the product updated to capture the new, bigger opportunity, it’s going be great. The team wants to make a little more progress first.

Burn Rate 153

Burn Rate Equity Software Review Early Stage 153