Daniel Debow
| Name | Daniel Debow |
|---|---|
| Location | Toronto, Canada |
| Website | http://www.rypple.com/ |
| Bio | co-CEO of Rypple. Ask him about startup culture and people. |
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How can an idea person make the most of their ideas?
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Become an execution person. Ideas are great, but everyone has them. Don’t kid yourself.
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How important is it that the executive head of a company have the skills of its workers? Would it be better for the founder/CEO to retain their aerial, third-party view of a companies operations, or be deeply involved with the intricacies of the company's processes?
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The deeper you can get into what is going on the better. That said… you don’t have be an expert at everything.
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What are some ways of getting a small number of users to test product/market fit? I am building a website for depression and anxiety, a controversial topic, so word of mouth will probably not work as well.
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Try craigslist.
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I have an idea for a website that offers a professional networking service. Without fully launching the website, how can I validate my idea?
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Build low resolution prototypes: sketch, powerpoint, HTML, etc. … and then go show to people. 100x easier to give feedback on something real vs. an idea. And, the process of prototyping will force you to define what you are really doing.
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For you, what is the best thing about being a co-CEO rather than CEO? What's the worst?
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Having someone to go through this together. Someone to bounce ideas, and share the high and the low…. with.
Downside is that sometimes its take a bit longer to make a call… but upside is usually its a better call.
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What's the best way to find partners? I have a business idea that I believe to be profitable. I am a business development person. My strengths do not lie in creating websites/seo/social media. I would be doing the legwork on the biz dev side. However I cannot launch this idea w/out a website/seo/social media presence.... Web site developers all want to charge me rather than taking a stake alongside it....
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Learn to code. Seriously…. don’t just say you can’t. You might be able to get a working prototype going. If not, sub-contract … you can find lots of great devs on the web for early prototype.
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Working on a project at home after hours. When would you officially create a business? And what benefits of the business do you take advantage of first?
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You mean when would you incorporate? I’m no tax lawyer, so I don’t really know the right answer. I’d guess earlier is better than later… but dont get to caught up in it. Build the great thing / service should be your focus.
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Do you need to build a sales team even for a B2C start-up? What is a good strategy to get the word out?
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Probably not if you are B2C.
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We've created a new web service for enterprises to better manage their human resources. We're ready to get more customers using the product but are unclear as to how we can get the attention of these bigger companies. Any advice?
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Start small. Find a few champions and really work with them to understand why what you’ve done is valuable. See if you can get a pilot and some positive results… then work your way up the chain.
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What do you do to motivate your employees other than salary/$ incentives?
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Clear goals. Frequent feedback. Celebrate success & recognize people. Have a sense of mission and purpose. Let people learn.
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