joshuago’s business Bookmarks

Having to think through and answer these questions forces you to identify what you need to do today to seek profits and growth.

A really useful thread on Hacker News for non-programmers who want to be involved in an early-stage startup.

The big three tend to believe that their brand will carry them through the digital era and they refuse to believe that powerhouses in the worldwide Print industry have fallen prey to the smaller, nimble highly technology savvy digital companies which is what will happen in India if they fail to wake up from their slumber. While these large media companies continue to invest in their digital businesses heavily the results are shoddy. Even the true Internet players from the early days of the Internet era in India like Rediff and Sify continue to underwhelm the market with poor product offerings and declining ad sales.

TheFunded has produced founder-friendly versions of every legal document necessary to launch a new startup. These documents were carefully written from scratch to keep founders in control of the companies that they create.

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).