How to pick a co-founder Naval · November 12th, 2009 Update: Also see our 40-minute interview on this topic. Picking a co-founder is your most important decision. It’s more important than your product, market, and investors. The ideal founding team is two individuals, with a history of working together, of similar age and financial standing, with mutual respect. The power of two Two is the right number — avoid the three-body problem. One founder companies can work, against the odds (hello, Mark Zuckerberg). Two founders works because unanimity is possible, there are no founder politics, interests can easily align, and founder stakes are high post-financing. Someone you have history with You wouldn’t marry someone you’d just met. One builds, one sells The best builders can prototype and perhaps even build the entire product, end-to-end. The seller doesn’t have to be a “salesman” or “business guy”. Aligned motives required Pay close attention — true motivations are revealed, not declared. Don’t settle Pick “nice” guys
New inspiration for bohemian style | today i rediscovered a yummy, yummy inspirational blog, “from moon to moon.” it’s filled with home decor that made me stop what i was doing and start daydreaming (and practically drooling) over these amazingly creative homes. it’s weird to me that people actually get to call places like these homes. ‘one day,’ is all i can tell myself. as you enter into this very wintery weekend, take some time to cuddle up and get lost in this blog. i know i’ll do that a little more too. thank you “from moon to moon” for sharing such beautiful finds with the rest of us. these are just a few of my favorite photos, but there are tons more on the site. Like this: Like Loading...
How to Teach Your Boss About the Social World Outside of Facebook & Twitter Your boss finally relented and gave in to a company Facebook page. He okayed your request to join “the Twitter.” But when it comes to the other social media sites of the world? Whether you’re selling a company Google+ page or trying to open your boss’s eyes to the joys of Pinterest, here’s your ultimate guide to explaining the likes of Tumblr and StumbleUpon to your technophobe boss. 1.) Image: Adriano Gasparri via Flickr Why you should mention it: LinkedIn is the Facebook of the professional world. How you should sell it: LinkedIn business pages don’t follow the same one-size-fits-all approach as Facebook business pages: they’re completely customizable for different audiences. Seal the deal: Mention that LinkedIn profiles and pages tend to rank highly on Google, so you’re missing out on a chance to expand your brand-controlled search results. 2.) Image: dabbleicious via Flickr Why you should mention it: It’s only the fastest-growing social network of the year…and the ladies love it. 3.)
How to Get a Job Without Experience - Larry Stybel - HBR Now by Larry Stybel | 2:15 PM August 12, 2009 You know the Catch-22: “You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.” Young job seekers have always faced this dilemma. In today’s shrinking job market, people with years of experience also struggle with it. Whether they face the reality of a layoff, or merely the threat of one, many older workers are trying to reinvent themselves in order to become marketable in a changed economy. Whether you’re launching your career or trying to change its direction, you can get around this Catch-22 with some creativity and humility. Here’s how I did it: I was a clinical psychologist in a community mental health center. Imagine my surprise to learn that I could not find a single company eager to hire me. I couldn’t get business experience without getting hired. At a party, I met Dr. I said to Dr. For the next two months, two days a week, I did my best to help Dr. Neither of those led to new business. What?
50 Free Sites to Promote Your Site Here is a list of 50 promotional sites to gain more traffic to your auctions or website. Great for Ebay and Etsy sellers. Know a site that would be a great addition? Email me and let me know! If you find a broken link... let me know. Facebook Custom Tabs Are Not Dead, They’re More Alive Than Ever — SocialMouths socialmouths As we all know, Facebook deployed the new Timeline Pages last month and, as expected, the first public reaction was a waterfall of rants about the new approach for Tabs. Marketers have been in a period of adaptation for the last couple of weeks, creating new strategies to improve their communications, adapting to a new marketing approach through more visual content and storytelling, and why not, what to do with Tabs. One of the most significant changes that came with Timelines for Pages is that we no longer have the possibility to set up a Tab as default landing for first-time visitors. A Tab that was mostly used to improve on Like Conversion and gave you the possibility to welcome visitors with a customized message. Why Custom Tabs didn’t work before If you are used to spending some time looking at your Page Insights, you’ve probably noticed that Tabs other than the “Landing Tab” get much lower traffic if any at all. Why Tabs are more relevant than ever 810 pixel Tab Fan Gates, Reveal Tabs…
Starting a Business: Advice from the Trenches If you’re like thousands of other designers, programmers and other creative professionals out there, at one point in time you’ve considered starting your own business. Unlike most, you’ve gone against common sense and decided to open shop for yourself. And not just freelance full-time, mind you, but file for the company name, get some stationery, and wade through the legal mumbo-jumbo. This article offers real-world advice from the trenches of a small start-up, and is applicable to designers, web developers, copywriters, usability experts and all manner of service providers. Write a Business Plan#section1 The most important thing you can do to prepare for starting and operating your own business. Beyond the mental exercises, a good business plan will give you a much better chance of getting a small business loan from a bank than walking in and saying, “I like Photoshop and maybe a can do some websites or something. Take a few weeks and develop a strong and thought-out plan. Good:
Online Color Mixing Palette for Painters This online color mixing palette lets you experiment with mixing primary colors and secondary colors without worrying that you're wasting paint. Simply click on a color you want to add to the mix. One click adds a fixed quantity of paint to the mixing area, which changes to reflect the new mixture. Paints (primary) Mixing Area Paints (secondary) <table align="center" cellpadding="3" width="350" border="1"><tr><td align="left"><div><b>This Quiz requires Javascript</b></div><blockquote>You either have Javascript disabled <br />or the browser you are using does not<br />support Javascript.