joshuago’s business Bookmarks

Money creates a sort of friction. Sometimes, you want friction. Commitment slows things down in the short run, but ultimately aligns interests.

My question is for those that do web development for a similar audience; where do you look for potential clients, RFPs etc?

In order to succeed at one of these leapfrog projects, you have to focus on the core business strategy. We have been lucky enough to work with customers who understood this to the bone: first, do no harm to your existing users. Next, quickly eliminate needless costs. Then, and only then, start dipping into that well of pent-up feature demand. Without a deep commitment to this set of values, such a project is likely to suffer from cost overruns, angry users, and lost revenue. In other words, the 75% scenario for corporate IT investments.

You can build a great startup in any of the dozen to two dozen startup hotbeds around the world. Pick a place you want to live and work and possibly raise a family. And then get busy.

A horror story about one company's ordeals with the city of Los Angeles. LA classified them in a lower tax bracket in 1994 and then arbitrarily bumped them up in 2007, ignoring its own ruling. Explains why business is fleeing LA and why one would think twice about establishing a business in Los Angeles.

You must design something that people want (market research), in a way that they can understand (usability) and make sure they can find it (market communication and public relations).

Marc Andreessen argues that market is the most important factor to a startup's success.

To completely misread the intended purpose of the article: a good inspiring read to motivate yourself to build a good personal and professional network. The oil fixer relies on his contacts all over the world. "Of course you offered the advice pro bono, but you used that to build your network."

Spending real money on things that don’t exist still sounds “fringe-y and aberrant” to many American consumers. Yet it has been going on for years in elaborate games like World of Warcraft or Everquest, as players buy tools, weapons and the like for digital characters.

The media loves fear-mongering, as they ultimately sell more of their “stuff” by fueling the recession hype. In the meanwhile though, most of us still get our morning espresso, buy iPods and People Magazine, go out for lunch, and rent a few videos a week. Some are clearly hit harder than others, but it’s not as though all spending has stopped. We all know this, and it’s not the only reason that we need to market our businesses more aggressively.