Why I Blog
I’ve been blogging for a long time. I’m not as prolific as some, but I try and post weekly, and occasionally I do better than that. I’ve had long droughts too. Every once in awhile I ask myself, “Why...
View ArticleThe Hustler
You spend enough time with enough startups and you genuinely come to appreciate the importance of The Hustler. The Hustler plays a few levels above where he* should, but gets away with it because of...
View ArticleMoving Towards a Continuous Integration and Deployment Process
Believing in continuous process improvement is one thing, implementing it is another story. But that’s part of the product manager’s job — to evaluate the processes you have in place for product...
View ArticleDiscipline
Discipline is becoming my new favorite word. It’s the action-oriented word to the more generic “focus.” People struggle with focus, how to define it, and measure it. Discipline makes more sense. You...
View ArticleHow Many Metrics Do You Need to Run Your Startup?
Answer: Only one. One of the concepts we’re pushing hard in the Lean Analytics book is the One Metric That Matters (OMTM). The idea is this: at any given time in your business there’s one key metric...
View ArticleDon’t Fuck Around With Employee Loyalty
To employers: Don’t assume employee loyalty is a given. It’s not a right. You have to work on a continuous basis to earn the trust and loyalty of employees. And there are other companies out there...
View ArticleA Holistic View of Products and Product Management
My definition of “product” is broader than most. I think of product as everything and anything a company outputs that touches customers. Your product isn’t just the physical item you deliver to...
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Don’t Squeeze Your Product Managers Into Uselessness
Product managers are important. They won’t be the first hire in a startup –since the CEO is very product-focused, particularly early on– but at some point in time, CEOs need product managers to help...
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Doing a Lean Startup Conference Workshop on December 4th in San Francisco
The Lean Startup Conference is the top Lean Startup event, hosted by Eric Ries and Sarah Milstein. The event is on December 3rd and 4th, with a week of activities planned beforehand as well. It’s...
View ArticleThe Hubbub Over Acquihires
An acquihire (acquisition + hiring) is when a startup exits to a company that’s primarily interested in the founders and employees, and not the technology, product or anything else. Acquihires are most...
View ArticleCheck out a Sneak Peek of Lean Analytics Book
In July I announced that I was writing a book on Lean Analytics with Alistair Croll. Today I’m very excited to be sharing a sneak peek of that book with you. Download the Lean Analytics book sneak...
View ArticleQuiet and Boring: How to Build a Successful Startup
A few days ago, Indeed (a job aggregator site) announced that they had been acquired by a Japanese company called Recruit Co Ltd. One story I saw pegged the acquisition close to a billion dollars. I’ve...
View ArticleI have 1 year of savings, so I’m giving this startup thing a try…
Making the jump from a day job to starting a company is a scary one. I don’t believe there’s a ton of real risk –after all, you’re probably highly employable (particularly if you’re a developer)– but...
View ArticleThe Two or Three Things You Need to Raise Capital
Yesterday I chatted with an entrepreneur that was looking for advice on raising capital. I’ve written quite a bit about fundraising in the past, but it’s a hard topic and a challenging thing for people...
View ArticleThe Difference Between Stealth Mode and Quiet Mode
A lot of companies still talk about being in stealth mode and aiming for a big hoorah type launch. It doesn’t usually work. Worse still, startups that are in stealth mode rarely talk to customers,...
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Localmind Acquired by Airbnb – Year One Labs has its First Exit
Today, I’m pleased to announce that Localmind has been acquired by Airbnb. See Techcrunch’s story and Airbnb’s blog post for more info. Localmind was Year One Labs’ first investment, and it’s our first...
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When is it Time to Pivot or Quit?
Entrepreneurs aren’t quitters. To succeed you need to be resilient, thick skinned and borderline crazy. You need to have just the right amount of delusion to believe you can succeed, spurring you on...
View ArticleDon’t Sell Solutions to Universal Problems
“Would you like to make more money?” “Is hiring people hard?” “Are you overwhelmed by email?” “Do you wish you were healthier and more fit?” For most people the only answer to these questions is “yes”....
View Article6 Things You Need to Pivot Successfully
Pivot. We’re all familiar with the word — and many people now roll their eyes when they hear it. The word has been bastardized, overused, and taken out of context. But it doesn’t mean pivots aren’t...
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Buy Lean Analytics and Win Some Amazing Prizes
Lean Analytics is almost finished. It’s being printed as we speak and should be available in mid/late March. You can pre-order the book today. And if you do, you’ll have a chance to win some incredible...
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