Kendall's "Internet startup checklist":

1. Idea:

  1. Would YOU write a check for your idea?
  2. Don't spill your candy in the lobby.
  3. Is your idea refining or revolutionizing?

2. Funding:

  1. Are your financials realistic if nothing goes right?
  2. Could you see your investors with a 10X, 20X return in 3 years?
  3. Do you have back-up plans b,c,d before quitting your day job?
  4. Do you have a great answer for the most cynical of investors?

3. team:

  1. Can you build your idea or will it take a team of pros?
  2. Is a specific person on your team essential or can he/she be replaced?
  3. Dont give up the farm to recruit talent.
  4. Hire brave & passionate smart people.

4. Product:

  1. Does your product SOLVE a problem?
  2. Beware of feature creep! Customers & prospects add features, not developers.
  3. Stay focused on money earning features, not cool ones.

5. Marketing:

  1. Is it costly (time/resources) to get branded in your target market?
  2. Make a goal of closing a core group of customers the first year. (traction)
  3. Adjust marketing resources to get traction (don't need much).
  4. Be sure to test your "seo / ad-words / ad-sense" properly before banking on them
  5. Nothing is better than "boots on the street." Start knocking on doors.

6. Customer:

  1. How many "loss leaders" do you have?
  2. Does your idea help your customer or is it just a "nice to have"?
  3. Make each customer feel like they are the only customer you have.
  4. Can your customers be up-sold? Do they have peers they could refer?


April 25, 2009 Power of the courtesy wave

You either have given or received one of these.  It is effortless but incredibly important.  I am not talking about Al Gore’s wave of recycling admonitions, I am talking about the most important wave of all, the courtesy wave.
Photo: [FLICKR]

wave

I get/give a couple of these a week “CW” (Courtesy Wave) , but Holy Moses…I cant believe how vital it is to receive one!  I wonder why that is???? Letting someone in front of you (on the road or opening a door) then not to receive the CW is asinine! They just assume I had to make way for their knighthood! I so want to drop the F-Bomb on them. (yes I know…recessed anger for the psychology majors) It sure can ruin the next 15 seconds of your drive if you are not acknowledged by your good will! Then its ackward to see them in the church parking lot!  (Dont get me started about the clowns at our church) Anywho, giving and receiving a CW has to be the strangest rule of the road.  You can get in front of someone, a drastic cut-off, then instantly shut of their “Hate” with a CW.  Its pretty amazing if you think about it.  Just letting the other driver know you recognized their good deed improves the great American highway.

Want to comment? Comments: 2

Posted by Kendall in Leadership

2 comments so far

  1. hahahahaha! This is so funny and the identical point I make to my wife the all the time. I hate it when you don’t get the CW as if it your duty to make way for them.

    To funny!

    May 1st, 2009

  2. Wasn’t it you that told me several years ago now… “Don’t let other people’s actions affect your mood.” It seems to me that the manners of some putz on the highway could alter or affect you by simply waving their hand.

    This is unusually trivial for you, Kendall. I’m surprised.

    May 7th, 2009

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