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?


March 28, 2009 Vice of pride

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. – C.S. Lewis
Photo: [FLICKR]
prideLately I have become enamored by the genius of C.S. Lewis.  I dont know if you know but he is a buddy of J.R.R. Tolkien (Fella that wrote Lord of the Rings) Both are fancy scholars from Oxford.  I exhumed my interest in Lewis after listening to my new pastor Allistair Begg.  Allistair is a brilliant communicator from Scotland and his sermons appear to be ripped out of Lewis’ essays.  Spooky.   Anywho, listening to the podcasts from Allister while flipping through Lewis’ goodies and daisies and with my own crazy science / liberal education, they all agree that pride is the most destructive to a person’s heart.  I finally realized how full of pride I am since listening to and reading how these stars dissects me.  Ugh….Quacks  ;)

If anyone is interested in deep thoughts and instant self reflection by C.S.Lewis check out this book or brilliant message’s via your iPod, listen to Allistair here.

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Posted by Kendall in Greater Good

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