Viral Marketing : ViperChill What Startups Are Really Like October 2009 (This essay is derived from a talk at the 2009 Startup School.) I wasn't sure what to talk about at Startup School, so I decided to ask the founders of the startups we'd funded. What hadn't I written about yet? I'm in the unusual position of being able to test the essays I write about startups. So I sent all the founders an email asking what surprised them about starting a startup. I'm proud to report I got one response saying: What surprised me the most is that everything was actually fairly predictable! The bad news is that I got over 100 other responses listing the surprises they encountered. There were very clear patterns in the responses; it was remarkable how often several people had been surprised by exactly the same thing. 1. This was the surprise mentioned by the most founders. What people wished they'd paid more attention to when choosing cofounders was character and commitment, not ability. Here's a typical reponse: We learned this lesson a long time ago. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Shoemoney – Skills To Pay The Bills — Skills to Pay the Bills Just Closed On My First Deal! Reflections And Takeaways For Other Searchers - Searchfunder After more than a year of grueling, frustrating, and lonely searching, I'm glad and relieve to announce that today I officially closed on my first deal! I've been active on this forum, picking other people's brains and asking for help, so I only find it fair to share some of my experiences and what I've learned with you all. I am a self funded, solo searcher, so everything below will be written from that perspective. First, for those of you curious about the deal specifics (because I always am): I bought a 100% residential lawn maintenance company based in NJ. The company averages about 2.5mm in revenue, of which ~70% is recurring annual contracts. 1. 2. --Geography: You don't have to do a nationwide search. --Sourcing: While I understand why people might want to do the cold email blast method or the "river guide" method of sourcing, I also think there are significant drawbacks to those. --Deal Size: I've noticed a lot of questions about optimal EV of the deals to pursue. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Millionaire Society How Do I Find My Niche or Passion? I received this question via AskJoelComm.com Joel, I can't find my passion. I have been a workaholic my whole life in areas that I do not enjoy. I don't even know what I enjoy doing. Exploring your passion is one way to find a niche. I recommend grabbing a pen and piece of paper, and writing down twenty things which you think you have some knowledge about. Then, go to three people who know you fairly well and ask them to allow you to be narcicistic for a few minutes. Compare the lists and look for overlaps.
Be a Better Blogger: The Ultimate Resource Toolbox Someone once told me, I would be a frustrated blogger, before I became a better blogger. With countless hours lost. Writing, but never heard. Publishing post after post and seeing minimal results. No shares, no comments, nothing. You have to wonder, “Does my content suck?” It might…it might not. Below, you’ll find a list of 30 resources, starting with headlines and ending with editing. You’ll find tools, articles, free .pdf reports, plugins and downloadable goodies. This resource is designed to assist in every step of the blog creation process and covers… Creating a killer headlineCrafting a compelling openingKeeping readers engaged throughout the copyWriting endings that encourage commentsEditing your copy to be “tight” In no way is this meant to be an afternoon’s worth of reading, but rather a resource for you to bookmark and revisit from time to time. Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer Use the EMV Headline Analyzer here. BoostBlogTraffic.com Headline Generator Tool by Tim Gross
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