April 2012
8 posts
3 tags
MissTravel: Who says money can't buy love?
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the #1 Travel Dating Site: MissTravel.
There’s something weird with this concept, of course (read the funny Youtube top comments below, you’ll get what I mean). But this post isn’t about morality, it’s about business, creativity and execution. I can’t stop telling myself these guys are awesome.
The Dating Industry
Look, the...
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Look Strong when Weak and Look Weak when Strong
It’s always important to give your team the perception of confidence, even when you aren’t. Its not always easy to do, but the risk of bringing the team’s morale down is far too risky. If you find that you need to vent or need moral support, make sure you have a co-founder. Sharing the burden, pressures and roller-coaster of emotions will be vital. It is not your team’s job to share it with you....
What makes a good web app?
1. It’s all about idea & execution
The first thing I want to say is that when coming up with an app (no matter the platform) is it can’t just be a good idea. You need to execute properly as well. I’ve heard developers say things like “I could have made Facebook [or Twitter or YouTube].” And maybe it’s true that they could have developed similar functionality. Hey, I have developed sites...
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“Pressure is what you live for… if you are going to be successful in life,...”
– Jack Nicklaus
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When Gmail is Down, it's like the Apocalipse
==> Temporary Error (500) Numeric Code: 93
335 posts in less than an hour on the Google Group from people reporting this issue. when Gmail is down, it really looks like it’s the Apocalipse!
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs...”
– Steve Jobs
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Cold Shower in the morning!
TNW co-founder Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten believes that it’s never wise to get too comfortable — this is especially true for entrepreneurs and really anyone working in the startup space. Because of this, he’s been taking cold showers every morning…Yes it sounds crazy, and no I don’t do it often, but it’s honestly quite energizing.
In his own words, here’s why he does it:
There are several...
March 2012
4 posts
“Head of Product responsibilities: (1) set up product strategy and vision, (2)...”
– Michael Karnjanaprakorn, co-founder & CEO of Skillshare
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“We know we have to build up the supply side first in any given area before going...”
– Aaron Harris, co-founder and CEO of Tutorpsree
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“Customer reviews allow people to learn about a product from the experience of...”
– In Designing For The Social Web.
February 2012
1 post
2 tags
Startups: What are the reasons to open a startup...
This question is very specifically about starting “very locally and expanding gradually, city by city” and that has an equally specific answer: The main types of business that you are seeing this type of city-by-city rollout, right now, is in collaborative consumption (e.g. AirBnB; TaskRabbit, etc.) and group buying (e.g. Groupon). In both cases - and, in addition to Paul...
January 2012
11 posts
“It’s surprising how much you become consumed by your startup, in that you...”
1 tag
“If you have a great solution to a real problem, what are you waiting for? Any...”
– Michael Flaxman, Co-founder & CEO, priceonomics.com on Quora.
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To the user, the interface is the product
“Your startup needs to sell experiences, not features”
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The ideal web technology start-up team? [on Quora]
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“Interface design isn’t only about making a device or application look...”
– Designing for Interaction by Dan Saffer
“Starting a company requires you to become oddly unemotional. That means dumping...”
– Max (via brycedotvc)
December 2011
10 posts
4 tags
[Quora] How to Find a 'Rockstar' Developer?
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The Difference Between A Failure And A Mistake
A failure is a project that doesn’t work, an initiative that teaches you something at the same time the outcome doesn’t move you directly closer to your goal.
A mistake is either a failure repeated, doing something for the second time when you should have known better, or a misguided attempt (because of carelessness, selfishness or hubris) that hindsight reminds you is worth...
3 tags
WatchPimp Your AngelList Profile.
1 tag
The Valley Vs. The Alley: Infographic →
Techni.com recently published a G+ infographic that provides an interesting look at how the NY tech community, Silicon Alley, stacks up against Silicon Valley in terms of startup culture. You can find the chart below. Techni.com
“As the consumer tech market becomes more crowded, differentiated brand &...”
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“The idea for Skillshare didn’t happen overnight. It took 5+ years of climbing...”
– Skillshare co-founder and CEO Michael Karnjanaprakorn.
November 2011
15 posts
3 tags
Watch
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Designers vs Developers
2 tags
Killing The User Experience With Too Many Features
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The "X for Y" Analogy
“If your company is ever used as the subject of the “X for Y” analogy, that’s success. AirBnB used to be the eBay for vacation rental. Now other companies are the Airbnb of things.” – far33d, Hacker News
3 tags
Finding A Technical Cofounder
Cheat Sheet
Don’t spend your time looking for a technical co-founder, it’s not an efficient use of your time. Instead, either:
1. Learn to code
Step needing to rely on others for execution
Meet technical people
Managing technical people becomes way easier
2. Get an external team
Don’t offer equity
Weekly useful versions of the product
Pay weekly or hourly
A successful...
3 tags
“Some men see things as they are and ask why.
Others dream things that never...”
– George Bernard Shaw
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Watch
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“Creating truly great products requires an entire product team to place the needs...”
– Pabini Gabriel-Petit
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More Startups - More Jobs
“StartupVisa.com was created by Eric Ries, Dave McClure, Shervin Pishevar, Brad Feld, Paul Kedrosky, Manu Kumar, & Fred Wilson to raise awareness and change policy re: the EB-5 visa, which enables investors from other countries to get a visa in exchange for starting a business in the US with $1M in capital (or $500K for economically targeted areas) & the creation of at least 10 US...
1 tag
Watch
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“I have always observed that good design can normally only emerge if there is a...”
– Dieter Rams, Braun’s designer and Apple’s inspiration.
October 2011
8 posts
4 tags
Use Their Doubt To Fuel Your Motivation To Make It...