Shoestring Advice for Technology Startups

You might be a startup if…#13

James Naylor — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:32:50 +0000

If the only thing you DVR is Dragon's Den or Shark Tank, you might be a startup. Inpsired by Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck if". "This article may not be reproduced in whole or part without including the name of the author (James Naylor) and an acknowledgement of the fact the...»

How to Decide Whether You Should Establish a Startup Company

James Naylor — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:52:42 +0000

Although this blog, Shoestring Advice for Technology Startups, is geared to the hi-tech startup audience, this particular blog posting applies to anyone considering entrepreneurialism and establishing a startup. The first reality to understand is that it is as hard and as tough as people say it is to build a successful company from the napkin...»

Elements Of A Good Pitch Deck

James Naylor — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:38:23 +0000

One of our partner clients recently sent us this link Elements Of A Good Pitch Deck . We liked it and feel it's worth sharing. For your convenience I'm including most of the article here. I did make a couple / few changes, as I didn't agree with everything, but it's mostly intact. "For an entrepreneur, life’s a...»

You might be a startup if…#12

James Naylor — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:33:01 +0000

If you only do 2 things, work and network, you might be a startup. Inpsired by Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck if". "This article may not be reproduced in whole or part without including the name of the author (James Naylor) and an acknowledgement of the fact the article was...»

The Business Plan Is A Tool Not The End Result

James Naylor — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:55:58 +0000

A common mistake made by startups is to believe they have to write a 30 page business plan before doing anything (see blog postings Should you write a business plan – Part 1? and Should you write a business plan – Part 2?). And with so much invested in a plan like this, there’s a...»

You might be a startup if…#11

James Naylor — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:18:35 +0000

If you can no longer read the characters on your laptop's keyboard, you might be a startup. Inpsired by Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck if". "This article may not be reproduced in whole or part without including the name of the author (James Naylor) and an acknowledgement of the fact...»

7 Success Tips Startups Should Not Follow

James Naylor — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:01:05 +0000

Recently I received a link to an article suggesting I should re-blog it in our blog Shoestring Advice for Technology Startups. I’m not going to re-blog it or link to it as it frustrated me! It was typical of information being regurgitated on the internet that really isn’t helpful to startups. In fact I would...»

Productizing Your Idea

James Naylor — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:29:57 +0000

In their raw form, few ideas can make money. That is to say, an idea typically requires a lot of supporting functionality to make it attractive enough to people to want to use it, let alone pay for it. This process of taking an idea and turning it into a business starts with productization, aka...»

How To Define The MVP (Minimal Viable Product)

James Naylor — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:22:32 +0000

First of all, what does MVP stand for? MVP means "minimum viable product". It's usually defined as the first version of a product release that exhibits the minimum functionality the target customer is willing to pay for. The MVP is aimed at the early adopter, NOT THE MAINSTREAM customer. At KENOVA we also refer to...»

Valentine’s Day Could Be The Startups Most Important Day of The Year

James Naylor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:40:50 +0000

As a startup you have the unenviable distinction of having to be the master of all the “trades” required to build a startup. And unless you’ve built a startup before or you have a mentor or coach, you’re probably running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to do everything yourself at...»