Blog
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The two critical steps most startups miss
Read more: The two critical steps most startups missI’ve been helping build startups (or building startups myself) for most of my career. The first was just a few years into my career, and one of the most recent was an a16z-backed startup. At IDEO, I built…
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Why it’s so easy to fall into the assumptions trap as a founder
Read more: Why it’s so easy to fall into the assumptions trap as a founderWe’ve all heard the joke about what happens when you assume. If you haven’t heard it, consider yourself lucky… Actually, your luck just ran out because I’m going to explain it anyway. To assume is to make an…
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The Eight Circles of a Great Startup
Read more: The Eight Circles of a Great StartupOr “Entrepreneurship Is A Team Sport” I’ve founded six companies and helped manage, create, and advise many more. When I decided to be an entrepreneur in my twenties, I was truly excited at the prospect as a creative…
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The First 90 Days: Leveraging Category Design for Startup Success
Read more: The First 90 Days: Leveraging Category Design for Startup SuccessWhether you are at the beginning of your startup journey or pivoting, doing the groundwork is key. Using category design methodologies in the first 60-90 days of that new journey is the best and fastest path to success.
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The Trap of Trappings
Read more: The Trap of TrappingsIf you have been involved in an early stage company, you know that time is a scarcest resource. There is urgency and a need to move quickly before competitors encroach, talent leaves, investors waver and customers tire. I…
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Navigating The Sea of Product-Market Fit
Read more: Navigating The Sea of Product-Market FitAny market is like an ocean: It’s big and beyond your ability to control. It’s always changing. It doesn’t care how smart you are or how you want it to behave. And it always wins. So how do…
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Is It Time to Redefine Startup Marketing?
Read more: Is It Time to Redefine Startup Marketing?By embracing marketing as a strategic business function, startups can steer clear of the pitfalls associated with a purely tactical, ad-hoc approach to marketing and sales.
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The Startup Pivot: Balancing Agility with Vision and Scope
Read more: The Startup Pivot: Balancing Agility with Vision and ScopeOne of my favorite aspects of startups is their agility and the ability to pivot rapidly, free from burdensome bureaucracy, swiftly addressing market needs. There’s a unique thrill when everything clicks in a startup environment. The intense effort…
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Designing the right thing before designing the thing right
Read more: Designing the right thing before designing the thing rightThe wrong thing is something that doesn’t sufficiently solve a big enough problem for a big enough group of people who are willing and able to pay for it. A lot of founders focus on the thing part…