Got Startup? Don’t make these mistakes

Posted on October 17th, 2006 in Entrepreneur Tips and Tricks | Comments Off

I had the pleasure and honor of hanging w/ Paul Graham a few years ago and love what he writes. Here’s his “18 Mistakes That Kill Startups” :

  1. Single Founder
  2. Bad Location
  3. Marginal Niche
  4. Derivative Idea
  5. Obstinacy
  6. Hiring Bad Programmers
  7. Choosing the Wrong Platform
  8. Slowness in Launching
  9. Launching Too Early
  10. Having No Specific User in Mind
  11. Raising Too Little Money
  12. Spending Too Much
  13. Raising Too Much Money
  14. Poor Investor Management
  15. Sacrificing Users to (Supposed) Profit
  16. Not Wanting to Get Your Hands Dirty
  17. Fights Between Founders
  18. A Half-Hearted Effort

IP Licensing Conference in Hawaii

Posted on October 17th, 2006 in Entrepreneur Tips and Tricks, Presentations | Comments Off

Interested in learning more about successful IP models?

Attend the 2nd Annual Hawaii Intellectual Property Licensing Conference

  • Co-sponsors: High Technology Development Corp., and Intellectual Property & Technology Section of HSBA
  • Date: Friday, October 20, 2006, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
  • Place: Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom, 2nd Floor
  • Online registration at: www.iplicensingconference.com
  • Contact: Patty Low, (808) 947-3101 or promotions@pacificnews.net

This year’s IPL Conference, “Turning New Technologies & Creative Ideas Into Profits”, will focus on practical business models, marketing methods, and licensing resources to assist Hawaii entrepreneurs, business professionals, and investors with selling or licensing technology inventions and creative ideas successfully. Visiting guest speakers include Richard C. Levy, a marketing tour de force who has licensed some 125 inventions generating over a billion dollars in revenues, and Henk B. Rogers, President and CEO of Blue Planet Software, Inc., who has made a huge success with IP licensing in Hawaii.

Hat Tip to Leighton Chong for driving this conference. Yours truly will also be speaking there.

Setting up for a good acquisition

Posted on October 16th, 2006 in Entrepreneur Tips and Tricks, Posts I've read | Comments Off

Preparing for a Successful M&A Exit

Google’s $1.6 billion acquisition of YouTube sprang to life during breakfast at Denny’s just a few short weeks ago – or so the story goes. For this and many other reasons, the YouTube deal is really the exception rather than the rule of M&A today.

There is an old saying: a product well bought is half sold. The most successful software acquisitions are those which are carefully crafted well in advance. Understanding today’s M&A landscape and the new standards involved will help emerging companies ensure a strong exit.

Key points are:

  • Start Early
  • Be Prepared
  • Say “No”
  • Be Patient
  • Know the Buyer Landscape
  • Value Realistically
  • Go Early
  • Look Big
  • Be Ready for Audits
  • Know Your Buyer
  • Meet Deep

How to write an exec summ

Posted on October 3rd, 2006 in Entrepreneur Tips and Tricks | Comments Off

Guy Kawasaki has some pretty good pointers on how to write an exec summ:

The Art of the Executive Summary

Hollow guarantee

Posted on October 3rd, 2006 in Posts I've read | Comments Off

Microsoft exec “guarantees” graphical superiority for 360 titles

Talk about PR BS.

I’ve both an Xbox “Classic” and a 360. And the 360 titles are not “superior” to its own predecessor. While I love the 360 for its Media Center integration, the games are underwhelming. I’ve yet to see a game that really takes advantage of the supposed advanced architecture.

The battle against PS3 will definitely be interesting. I believe one of the keys will be how backwards compatible the PS3 will be w/ the immense base of PS2 software. The 360 is sub-optimal in this area and perhaps is an exposed flank.

We’ll see.

Funny and scary video

Posted on October 3rd, 2006 in Posts I've read | Comments Off

Not sure what’s funnier/scarier, the video, or the fact that I’m guilty of at least 50% of the Nerd’s accomplishments?

Plenty of room for another Google – of video search

Posted on October 3rd, 2006 in Observations | Comments Off

CastTV Will Revolutionize Video Search

Arrington writes some pretty strong words about this one. I’m bummed I couldn’t play with it too. How will a Google-level video search engine change the current paradigm? Talk about the outdated program guide!

I’m just shaking my head

Posted on October 3rd, 2006 in Posts I've read | Comments Off

Demand Media raises $100M for Web site land grab

Demand Media, the company pursuing the audacious strategy of buying up a bunch of generic Web sites that have no staff generating real content of their own — to throw advertising on them — has raised another $100 million.

No wonder why entrepreneurs new to fund-raising think they can raise $1M over lunch.

You know MySpace is big when Cops post a page

Posted on October 2nd, 2006 in Posts I've read | Comments Off

Police Department’s Web Site On MySpace

The Haverhill Police Department hopes to enlist the younger generation to help catch criminals by posting the department’s Web site on the popular MySpace.

Why not?

There’s gold in them thar food trays

Posted on October 2nd, 2006 in Posts I've read | Comments Off

Young Entrepreneur Turns Trash into Cash

Phillip Tapia launched Tray Display Advertising Inc. into a business in 2004 from the basement of his home. Tapia designed and developed a new advertising concept that turned trash into cash. Tapia has agreed to sell advertising space on the tray liners (placemats) , that Wendy’s use to serve all dine-in customers.

My lesson here is that there’s oppty all around you. Just open your eyes.