May 2013
2 posts
3 tags
Sublime Espresso
In Toronto’s Kensington Market, there’s a coffee shop called Sublime Espresso. I haven’t been inside, or tried their coffee, but if I was in the mood for espresso, chances are I would try theirs. That’s the power of positioning—if you do it right, you can own a space in the consumer’s mind. If I’m craving espresso, Sublime Espresso will come to mind. While...
1 tag
The Golfer
I wrote a post a long time ago, drawing correlations between a startup entrepreneur and Biggie Smalls. There another occupation which has commonalities with a founder: the professional golfer.
THE GOLFER
In order for a golfer to be truly great, he (or she) has to have these key fundamentals locked down: driving, approach shots, pitching, chipping, putting, sand shots. They need to stay...
December 2012
1 post
Time
The title of this post is pretty ironic considering I haven’t written in my blog in some…
No excuses, of course. But things have been busy. I’ll try to make more room for blogging in the coming months, especially since a cadre of my millions of readers have been mailing me beautiful (but angry) hand-calligraphed letters demanding more of my poignant prose. This one is for...
June 2012
1 post
(Simple)-Product (Sub)-Market Fit
Andrew Chen’s recent post on product/market fit reawakened some questions I’ve had about the topic. It seems to be the most crucial and sought after stage in the life to a successful startup, but at the same time the most elusive. So far, p/m fit has been defined as:
“… [Being] in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.” (Marc Andreessen, who...
April 2011
2 posts
The Rapper
Above is a picture of Christopher Wallace, more popularly known as Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. He was arguably one of the greatest rappers to ever live, even though it was only for a short 25 years. His story is pretty amazing (check out the movie) but not necessarily a unique one. A ton of rappers have come from similar beginnings so these lessons can be applied to many successful...
Do What Comes Naturally
Recently while taking a shower I noticed the slogan on my shampoo bottle: Do what comes naturally. Not sure if it’s the best fit for the Kiss My Face brand (I know, their products are natural, but still it doesn’t work as well as it could), but I love the sentiment. It struck me as worthy of a blog post since I’ve given it thought numerous times…
Simple but powerful: If...
March 2011
1 post
Priority & Patience
The latest juice from my mind-grapes: the two most important things you’ll need to do as an entrepreneur are PRIORITIZING and exercising PATIENCE…
First, Priority ;)
I’m assuming that you already have ideas or product improvements which you have yet to prioritize (if not, that’s another post for later). For me, good ideas and features are a curse. Mainly because I...
December 2010
1 post
Paleo Diet: The First (and Last) Diet!
I’ve been obsessed with the Paleo diet lately. After reading a post on Tim Ferriss’ blog, I was hooked. I’ve been reading and learning and it’s something that opened my eyes to a completely new way to live. If you struggle with staying healthy, especially through bad food choices, read this (and this) book and it will change your life.
Summed up, the paleo diet is...
October 2010
1 post
Product Feedback is Your Frenemy
The latest of my learnings is this: opinions are valuable. While that seems obvious, putting it into practice is tough. It means going out there and hearing everyone’s two cents, and letting their remarks hit you like cream pies in the face, over and over. Not easy to do.
When you have a consumer product—especially a web-based one—accepting feedback is the norm. It’s hard to build...
July 2010
1 post
High Resolution Experiences
Since watching a talk from Kathy Sierra (after the jump), my view on creating passionate customers has changed drastically. Kathy is a beacon of hope for all of those mediocre products and services out there. Her credo: Don’t create a better product, create a better user of that product.
I couldn’t have understood that more after my trip to Sri Lanka’s tea region. There,...
June 2010
3 posts
1 tag
Weakness = Strength
Kerala, a beautiful region in Southwest India, is now marketing their monsoon season as the ideal time to visit.
Most travelers do their best to avoid monsoon in Asia when planning a trip. And rightfully so—the rain can keep you locked up in your hotel room, and never mind the flooding.
But the idea is actually starting to make an impact. Monsoon season is apparently the best time to...
The Affiliates of Rajasthan
We know of affiliates mostly as online affiliates: Individuals willing to advertise your product on their site and take a cut of any sale originating from their source. Offline affiliates are akin to salespeople that get a commission. In North America it’s hard to find true offline affiliates since most salespeople are hired and paid, with a commission as a bonus. In India, however,...
Are you doing something you love?
Simple: it doesn’t feel like work.
If you are doing something you love, you won’t work a day in your life. How sweet would that be?
This thinking, however, gets a lot of people in trouble. When they are on the right career path but have to endure a menial job for the first few years, many bail early in search of something else. If they would have stayed with it, there is a chance...
May 2010
1 post
1 tag
B-School vs. E-School
In Steve Blank’s talk at the Startup Lessons Learned conference, he highlights the difference between what it takes to be an entrepreneur vs. a business manager. Basically, he’s saying that what’s taught in MBA programs is only partially helpful. I couldn’t agree more.
Most of what you learn in business school is how to run a business. Primarily how to be a CEO or...
April 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Decisions, Decisions
Most people have a tough time making decisions. And it’s not even the big decisions that people despise settling on, but more the tiny everyday small choices that cause angst.
A well known theory in Behavioral Economics called the Prospect Theory may be able to explain why.
The common problem most of us have is that we are risk averse. We constantly do as much as we can to minimize...
1 tag
B-School vs. E-School
In Steve Blank’s talk at the Startup Lessons Learned conference, he highlights the difference between what it takes to be an entrepreneur vs. a business manager. Basically, he’s saying that what’s taught in MBA programs is only partially helpful. I couldn’t agree more.
Most of what you learn in business school is how to run a business. Primarily how to be a CEO or...
