Whats the biggest business mistake you ever made?

Answered by Michael Garrity Posted in Lessons

Wow, hard to chose, I've made so many. Most of the big ones come from making decisions based on ego and on trying to take the short cuts on naturally tedious or difficult t... (more)

What advice do you have for someone demoing their product?

Answered by Amber MacArthur Posted in Lessons

Live demos can be dangerous, so I would suggest that you rehearse as much as you can and always have a back-up plan. If something goes wrong make a joke and move on ;). (more)

If I record a podcast, is it OK for me to take shots at competitors?

Answered by Amber MacArthur Posted in Lessons

That depends...do you ever need to work with these competitors? (more)

I want to be an Entrepreneur, should I study the MBA?

Answered by Tim Berry Posted in Lessons

I've posted a lot on this topic on my blog: http://timberry.bplans.com/2011/03/whats-an-entrepreneurs-mba-degree-really-worth.html http://timberry.bplans.com/2010/09/mba-... (more)

I have strong writing skills, but am not great at public speaking. I want to improve this so I can become a community manager. How can I brush up on my communication skills?

Answered by Amber MacArthur Posted in Lessons Marketing

First of all, I don't believe that great speakers are natural-born speakers. In other words, it's all about speaking A LOT. I've been speaking professionally for five yea... (more)

If you could go back and start over again, what would you do differently?

Answered by Victoria Ransom Posted in Lessons

I would have tried to become a technology entrepreneur sooner. I would have loved to have been in college, out here on the West Coast, taking part in the great innovative e... (more)

How do people discover your business?

Answered by Gary Levitt Posted in Lessons

Word of mouth generally. We try to provide strong customer service the fuels a lot of the viral spread. Blogs help too! (more)

Tips for how to stay focused and motivated when working a guillotine job and trying to get a startup off the ground? How do you find the time?

Answered by Benjamin Yoskovitz Posted in Lessons

Quit your job. If that's not possible, I understand but that's the simplest answer. When you want to knock down a wall quickly you get a sledgehammer not a fork. The fastes... (more)

are you born entrepreneur? or can you learn to become one?

Answered by Corey Kossack Posted in Lessons

You can learn, but, the hardest thing for most people to adapt to is the lifestyle. Being an entrepreneur takes a level of dedication and risk that most peopke aren't comfo... (more)

How did you market GetSatisfaction when you first started it?

Answered by Lane Becker Posted in Marketing Lessons

Our marketing rule when we launched Get Satisfaction was simple: Great philosophy, great product, and great parties. Though that might sound facetious and self-serving (an... (more)

How do you deal with your competitors?

Answered by Gary Levitt Posted in Lessons

Um, we ignore some, we make friends with others. We generally try to like our competitors. We always stay fanatically loving to our customers - which is much more powerful ... (more)

When an individual begins a startup, should he/she concentrate on product/service development or marketing?

Answered by Eric Ries Posted in Lessons

yes (more)

What are the biggest lessons you've learned from launching Shwowp?

Answered by Tara Hunt Posted in Lessons

The biggest lessons I've learned are: - You are never good enough. Never take anything for granted. It's a learning process. I already knew that I didn't know everything, ... (more)

Eric, isn't your "lean Startup" principle sort of a one size fits all and if so then wouldn't Michael Gerber's E-Myth concept follow along similar lines, except that one si...

Answered by Eric Ries Posted in Lessons

Physics is not exactly the same as astronomy, but both are science. (more)

You advise people to follow their passions, to forgo the university and get to work, to build their skills from the ground up, etc. How would you direct that advice to you...

Answered by Bruce Poon Tip Posted in Management Lessons

well I have never said to forgo education. everyone is different. I do say follow your passion though. And I teach that to my kids. You can't teach passion. You need freedo... (more)

Is there a collective of surfing CEOs that you're aware of?

Answered by Kevin O'Connor Posted in Lessons

ah, no. Surfing tends to be solo or a couple of people. (more)

How important has PR been to the success of HootSuite?

Answered by Ryan Holmes Posted in Marketing Lessons

We don't do PR. We use social media to empower our users to talk about our product. That has been pivotal. (more)

Do you ever mentor startups? if so what are qualities that you look for in the concept as well as the team?

Answered by Bruce Poon Tip Posted in Lessons

I do mentor when I can if I feel I can contribute to their business. I often get people asking in manufacturing, fashion/clothing and or online.. and I don't really know en... (more)

If you don't know your passion how do you initiate your startup?

Answered by Bruce Poon Tip Posted in Lessons

You don't. Find your passion. How could you not know it! I am not sure I understand your question. You must be passionate about something!!?? Just make sure you love what y... (more)

I live in near the district judge court area, thousands of lawyers have their offices within my neighborhood. Is their any general service i can offer them to automize thei...

Answered by Dharmesh Shah Posted in Lessons Sales

In my personal experience, selling into the legal services industry is really, really hard. They're not huge risk takers on new technology and new companies. So, unless y... (more)

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