15 Famous Business Books Boiled Down Into One Sentence. 12 pieces of software that will improve your meetings. 50+ Coworking Spaces in India | Shared Office Space | Virtual Office India. 3 Types of Interview Questions You Should Never Ask. When I was a job seeker, I dreaded interviews. I hated the trick questions, the brainteasers, and most of all, the questions I expected, but still couldn’t quite figure out how to answer (“What’s your biggest weakness?” Was the death of me.) But when I became a manager and had to interview people for my team, I found myself asking the same tricky and ineffective questions—because that’s all I knew. And that made my hiring decisions pretty tough; after all was said and done, I had no idea whether each candidate was a good fit for the role or not. If you’re a first-time interviewer, don’t just wing it. So, learn from my mistakes: Here are three types of questions that I used to ask—and how I’ve learned to change them into something much more effective. 1.
When I began my first corporate job, the HR department provided an interview guide that was a little, well, lacking. Ultimately, the guide allowed me to hear candidates repeat the information that I already held in my hands—their resume. Why Personal Finance Startups in India Do NOT Survive. We reported about the shutdown of InvestoPresto and earlier, a very lovable product, MoneySights shutdown and so have others (like Paisa.com etc etc).
The trend is clear – none of the startups have managed to survive this industry. And why is that so? Personal Finance : Too Personal to finance Personal financial services is becoming a case where finding a scalable product-market-profit fit for mass market consumer remains elusive. Large number of people don’t and probably won’t take money as seriously as entrepreneurs want them to for long time to come. Non-serious = non-paying. only regulatory moves that create incentives that change habits happen, things may remain same. Consumer isn’t interested in personal finance on her own, in holistic way. And she may be right in her thinking – why should she care? Plus, let’s not forget that India is still not a DIY market (read : Why Indians do not buy online).
Plus, add the industry jargons and buying complexity. Why is Moneycontrol surviving? U.S. Venture Capital Investment Amounts Doubled In Q2, As Bay Area Companies Raised More Than NYC, LA, Boston Combined. Total new capital invested in the United States tech industry rose from $1.9 billion in April to $3.8 billion in June, a 100 percent increase in two months, according to quarterly data from CrunchBase. The data, which is specific to the United States, breaks down new venture capital raised by round type, investor, company, geography and more. In the second quarter of 2013, $9.2 billion was invested in over 1,347 rounds.
The rounds break down to 500 angel rounds, 306 Series A, 109 Series B, 102 Series C and later, and 330 unattributed rounds. This data set doesn’t include some investments, such as private equity and post-IPO investments, and thus is lower than the total funding for the quarter. The San Francisco Bay Area still dominates other regions, as companies in the Bay Area raised more capital in Q2 than Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, the next three regions in total capital raised, combined. Biotech companies led the way in amount of money raised, followed by software startups. International market research firm Parks Associates. Www.gsma.com/connectedliving/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/vision20of20smart20home20report.pdf. Www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012_infinite_dial_companion_report.pdf. We were wrong » The Kickstarter Blog.
Dear everybody, On Wednesday morning Kickstarter was sent a blog post quoting disturbing material found on Reddit. The offensive material was part of a draft for a “seduction guide” that someone was using Kickstarter to publish. The posts offended a lot of people — us included — and many asked us to cancel the creator’s project. We didn’t. We were wrong. Why didn’t we cancel the project when this material was brought to our attention? The decision had to be made immediately. These factors don’t excuse our decision but we hope they add clarity to how we arrived at it.
Let us be 100% clear: Content promoting or glorifying violence against women or anyone else has always been prohibited from Kickstarter. Where does this leave us? First, there is no taking back money from the project or canceling funding after the fact. Second, the project page has been removed from Kickstarter. Third, we are prohibiting “seduction guides,” or anything similar, effective immediately. Thank you, Kickstarter. 7 Things to Think About Before Creating a Logo for your Startup.
This post is brought to you by 99designs. Get a design you'll love — guaranteed. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with a top-tier design firm or going at it alone with dusty copy of CS5, creating a logo can be a challenging process for anyone. This is especially true if you’re designing for your own startup — it’s difficult enough to run a company, let alone break its entire identity down to a single logo. But every company needs a logo design, and you’ll want an attractive one if you’re interested in luring in customers. 1.
In case you haven’t yet nailed down your name, user testing will help you finalize it before you’re stuck with something like Pen Island. 2. Design trends come and go, and the Internet has only accelerated trend turnover. Instead of leaning on what’s hip, focus on classic design rules and build something that lasts. 3. Traditionally, the need for this stemmed back to the limitations of print. 4. 5. 6. 7. This is an obvious one, but we had to include it. Gamification: SAP Authors Write Book on Engaging Business Software. SAP AG, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively "SAP") created the SAP User Experience Community Microsite ("Experience Community Website"), which includes other websites added to the Experience Community Website from time to time, to provide a forum where you ("You" or "Your") and other IT leads, line of business heads, designers, partners, customers, users, and other interested parties in the broader SAP ecosystem (each, a "User" and collectively, "Users") may browse and discuss the latest SAP solutions, technologies, services, and design methods as well as follow and connect with SAP designers and product specialists.
Your access and use of the Experience Community Website, Content (defined in Section 3 below), or any forums, wikis, blogs, or services provided on the Experience Community Website (any "Services"), are subject to this TOU. SAP is not obligated to evaluate or provide any comments to You regarding Content You submit. A. B. Is not available. There's a hot new startup in the limelight more often than not — but the cold truth is 90% of technology startups fail.
Even companies which make it big out of the gate often lose momentum and shift from a potential powerhouse to a thing of the past. A new inforgraphic from Allmand Law analyzes the successes and failures of well-known tech startups from Zynga and Shopkick to AirTime and MySpace, helping us understand why some companies fall short. "The successful startups seem to be flexible enough to shift with changes in the tech climate," an Allmand Law spokesperson told Mashable.
"Whereas with the failed startups, some fail due to a lack of vision and others have terrible timing. Check out the infographic below for a deeper look at some of the industry's biggest success stories — and their not so lucky counterparts. Why do you think some startups succeed while others fail?
Images via iStockphoto, jdillontoole and Allmand Law. Is not available. With its latest survey Google has affirmed that smartphone owners want sites to be optimized for their smaller screens and are inclined to abandon those that aren’t. There’s nothing especially revealing or controversial in these particular findings. What’s more interesting about the study Google is releasing this morning is the data about features and capabilities that people want from mobile sites, including some specific things by vertical.
Google used two independent research firms to survey more than 1,000 US adults, who also participated in focus group discussions and kept journals of their mobile activities. The interviews and survey took place in Q3 this year. Bad Experiences Hurt the Brand We know from considerable past research that mobile users don’t like to be frustrated by sites and user experiences that aren’t optimized for mobile. What Users Want from Mobile Sites Users expect mobile websites to load in under five seconds according to the survey findings. Banking & Finance: Is not available. I launched my start up business in March of 2011 (after practicing law in a large law firm in Chicago for nearly seven years).
In the first year of business, I worked closely with law students and new lawyers on presence, presentation, and communication skills. I have now grown my business to include working with entrepreneurs and small business owners on these very same skills. I launched my business as a “solopreneur.” I did not intend to partner with anyone or hire any employees, so I did not give much thought—if any—to the best practices for building a team for my business. While I developed detailed plans for business operations, extensive substantive training materials, and growth ideas out two years into the future, I set forth no criteria for interviewing, evaluating, or hiring anyone. It turns out I had overlooked a critical component, not only for business success but business wellness.
Bonus Tip: Join the Starter Movement! Why Indian middle class family does not encourage aspiring entrepreneur. Harsimran Julka & Peerzada Abrar, ET Bureau Jan 25, 2013, 06.08AM IST (The close-knit Indian middle…) In March 2009, the parents of IIT Delhi alumnus Deepinder Goyal, 29, were perplexed to see their son working from home. After a few days, they began to worry. Their "worst fears" were confirmed when Goyal disclosed that he had quit his cushy job at consulting firm Bain & Co to set up a foodie website—Foodiebay.com. His parents were worried and advised Goyal to return to a "job. " But the company he founded, now called Zomato.com, received $2.3 million (about Rs 12.3 crore) in funding in 2011, broke even with estimated revenue of more than Rs 3.5 crore in 2012, and has even expanded to west Asia and Europe.
"They are extremely happy and proud now," says Goyal. Like Goyal, almost every aspiring businessman finds the leap to entrepreneurship brings with it difficulties that are not just economic. It is the promise of such growth that is encouraging entrepreneurs to push back. Top Entrepreneurs in India Who Didn't Give a Damn About IIT/IIM. Top 5 Reasons Startup Founders Blow Through Money |
There’s a lot of reasons why companies don’t make it, and sometimes it’s not that the idea or product isn’t good — it’s just that you run out of money. Even though we know that blowing through money is a “bad” thing, I’ve been talking a lot with founders and investors about what “bad” means. What have they noticed as common themes when they sit down with founders that exhausted their money too quickly at the seed stage? So here are the top 5 reasons startup founders blow through money.
Let me know your thoughts and if this aligns with what you’ve personally seen. 1. We all know these founders. Why this fails : The desire to pre-maturely live a life of luxury through funding raised for business development extends to other poor choices. Understanding this entrepreneur : Typically extroverted and commands control of the room. Can benefit by : Making sure that meetings are efficiently scheduled. 2. Why this fails : Some founders are very conservative. 3. 4. 5.
Is not available. Is not available. By Kathryn Minshew | 11:00 AM May 6, 2013 It’s happened to every founding CEO. You’re in a meeting — with fellow founders, potential partners, VCs, or even just friends — and you’re asked that simple question that often feels like the hardest one: “How are things going?” “Great!” You respond Cue, awkward pause. The best response obviously depends on your audience, but I’ve found there are four different ways you can tackle this question that will most likely to lead to a productive conversation.
Highlight two recent accomplishments. Why two? Talk about one problem you’re working on. Bonus points: Slip in a good ask. Talk about what’s different than 3 or 6 months ago. For example, “Things have been moving very quickly for us! Ask for advice. To avoid putting people on the spot, you can smooth the conversation by suggesting you’d like to talk “sometime” about your question. When you run a business, summarizing “how things are going” is more or less impossible. 5 Things Founders Don't Talk About. Android User’s First 24 Hours with Nokia Lumia 920 [Review] Microsoft’s Windows 7 mobile did ok, and more recently, Windows 8 mobile, has been getting some good press. The first attempt at creating a phone OS in the form of Windows Mobile, like Microsoft’s earlier adoption of the web, was not what one might call a huge success, though multiple manufacturers did attempt multiple devices with them.
With the promise of the much better Windows Phone platform, and Nokia having backed it quite solidly (especially with their Lumias), this is back as a serious contender once again. In fact, an IDC report claims that Android will soon be hitting its peak growth, and its Windows that will gain the most as a mobile platform – getting to 19.2% market share past iOS at 19% by 2016! So here are we – taking a look at Lumia 920 device, with an Android lens. Oh well, not really – but from the lens of a user who has been using Android devices for the last 2.5 years. #1: It’s a different experience. And is a lot better. #2: The App Ecosystem. Read : Sounds repetitive? Apple announces countdown to 50 billion apps served, reveals top 50 apps of all time. Apple announced a countdown to 50 billion app downloads today, signaling that iOS downloads are north of 49 billion already. “Apps have revolutionized the way we play video games, consume news, do business, educate, communicate, create art, and so much more,” Apple says.
And as Apple has done before for major app store download thresholds, it’s giving away a $10,000 App Store gift card to the lucky iOS user who downloads the 50 billionth app, plus a $500 gift card to the next 50 people to download an app. Currently, the countdown is at 49,216,610,939, and increasing by about 1,000 every two seconds, so there’s perhaps two and a half days until the download counter crosses the 50 billion mark, assuming the rate stays the same. In addition, Apple revealed the top 25 free and top 25 paid apps of all time.
Facebook owns three of the top 16 free apps, and Google has four of the top 25. Image credit: Rovio. Why You Should Hire a VP of User Experience Design. Searching on LinkedIn for titles such as VP User Experience Design or VP Global Design turns up very few people with those titles and roles. There are plenty of Head of ____ and Director of ____ roles, but few vice presidents. One reason might be the confusion over what a user experience is and where user experience starts and customer/brand experience ends. Another reason might be in understanding what UX people do and the value it provides in terms of a return on investment. It’s astounding how much debate and disagreement there is over what user experience means, the disciplines involved, and the approaches people take who call themselves UX designers. The irony is that even for people who create clarity out of chaos and complexity, the term user experience is confusing and fails to serve the field or the people that work in it.
So one of the first issues might be defining the "boundaries" of UX and how to organize it inside a company. Image of ice crystals courtesy Shutterstock. The Next Don: How VCs Plan For The Future. Don’t panic! Here’s how to quickly scale your mobile apps. Why Incubation For A Start-Up? in New Delhi on 12 April 2013 | International Management Institute, B-10, Qutab Institutional Area, Tara Crescent, New Delhi, Delhi | Ayojak.com. Mike's iPad Info & App Lists. How to Beat Your Competition by Innovating in Ways They Can't Copy. How to predict the progress of technology. 6 killer startups that are reshaping the mobile enterprise. Sh*t you should never say to a VC in a pitch. How to Be Happy as a Digital Entrepreneur. Why Your Marketing Campaign Sucks. 4 Vital Conversations for Any Startup Team. Checklist - Partnership Agreement - Download Template. Raising An Army Of Startup Employees.
15 Mobile UX Facts and Insights. iPad Usage Survey Results. How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices? MultiplatformScreenLayoutXL3.png (1024×1766) Why 90% of Startups Fail [INFOGRAPHIC] 11 Apps and Services for Sharing, Discovering and Organizing Music. Ideas for Startups. Growing on Trees by Eric Koester. Is not available. Altucher Confidential.
2013/01/18/ip-uh-o-going-public-kills-the-start-up-magic-decreasing-innovation-by-40/#x7fHUowfRyfW3D3u.99.