February 2012
6 posts
How Jobs solved the innovators delimma →
Everything — the business, the people — are subservient to the mission: building great products. And rather than listening to, or asking their customers what they wanted; Apple would solve problems customers didn’t know they had with products they didn’t even realize they wanted.
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
– Pablo Picasso
Interesting.
Interesting is better than boring.
Boring people don’t get invited to do things.
Boring companies don’t get noticed.
Interesting people evoke emotion.
So do interesting companies.
And really, when you’re starting out…that’s what you need. You need people to be interested.
It starts with letting go of the fear of screwing up, offending someone, or turning...
January 2012
17 posts
“We make a fine bourbon, at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always...”
– “Pappy” Van Winkle
Blue-screen blues, cloud harmony
Laptop is giving us the blue-screen of death, on repeat. Picked up iPad….
Photos on flickr.
Diary on tublr (andyswan.com)
Thoughts on twitter
Songs on ipods, phones, etc
Docs on google
Mail on gmail
Bookmarks in cloud
Frustration evaporates.
Apple wins.
Google wins.
Amazon wins.
We win.
Having a core
Over the last several years, I’ve watched a lot of smart entrepreneurs allow themselves, and their businesses, to become pinballs.
They take the “fail fast” mantra of iterative development and pervert it into a goal to be achieved. They “pivot” wildly, randomly and often. From a 3rd party point of view, it is clear they have no clue what direction they really want...
“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
– Willie Nelson
First life-changing product find of 2012
I like to swim. Ski. Wakeboard. Snowboard. Heck…I sometimes prefer running in the rain to running when it’s dry. Plus, I sweat.
So, finding a waterproof ipod was pretty sweet. I’ve swam with it attached to my goggles for about 10 hours so far, which is a decent test of actual underwater conditions.
It works awesome. Check it out.
I wonder if Waterfi is working on a...
“I don’t know how good of a shot God is, but it’s damn hard to hit a...”
– 80 year old man at my gym, as he prepared for his 38th annual 5k/10k/10m “triple crown”
December 2011
20 posts
“That’s OK….I’ve decided not to participate in this recession.”
– Andy Swan
“Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last...”
– Frank Costanza
“I haven’t been hungry since 1931.”
– My grandpa Rock, every time someone asked him if he was hungry.
Why I like that people can choose not to be "real"...
It helps me figure out who to trust.
There are some people who are very different online vs off….they’re gaurded…afraid of offending….wanting to be “liked” and “followed”. It’s pretty easy to spot them….they follow a LOT of people and their thoughts seem to have extremely well rounded edges. But to me, they’ve simply got no core....
Creating the ultimate cult brand: Pappy Van Winkle... →
Pappy’s mantra, which you can imagine him saying in a deep Southern drawl, was: “We make a fine bourbon, at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always a fine bourbon.”
“Tough decision? Flip a coin. When it’s in the air, you’ll know...”
BRYCE DOT VC: Early Warning Signs of Startup... →
“A startups biggest threat is between it’s four walls.”
brycedotvc
Books that helped me become better.
I get a LOT of people asking me what books I recommend.
Honestly, I didn’t read very much before I got my Kindle…but now I fire through books and love it. Really a life-changing device for me, which is rare.
So here is my list of books that I “highly recommend” to friends and family.
Not all are business books, but every one of these has made me a better, stronger,...
“I died in a trench years ago”
The best reason to start a business (or Prototype,...
There are tons of reasons to start a new business.
Want to know the best one? Here it is:
“Because I want to be its first customer”
Building the things (or services) that you wish existed…that’s where it’s at. Here’s why:
You are very likely to know the customer very well if you are the customer.
Your initial idea is likely to fill a void in the...
“If you owe the bank $100, that’s your problem. If you owe the bank $100...”
– John Paul Getty
STFU about how hard you work
Initiative, hard work and passion will absolutely help you get your foot in the door.
People naturally want to see hard-working people succeed, unless you’re Tim Tebow…in which case your vulgar faith-based lifestyle of honor and consistency earns you the scorn of millions of diffident souls. Such are the times.
In general, “hard work” will earn you some opportunity, and...
7 rules for pitching to investors that almost...
So you want an investor in your business. Here are some rules that I, as both an angel investor and entrepreneur have found valuable:
Don’t pitch to strangers: People very rarely invest in an idea. They invest in people with ideas. If you don’t know anyone, get started now. Investors are more accessible than you think…not just guys like me but professional VCs too....
Happiness for $100, or ALL I want for Christmas!
Here are the steps:
1. Throw away (or charitably donate) every single pair of socks in your house. EVERY one. Check the laundry basket, the washer, the dryer, the garage, your feet….everywhere and throw them ALL away.
2. Put on your sandals and go to the local Target…..or the more pedestrian Wal-Mart if you want to spend $98.87 instead.
3. Buy $100 worth of white and dark socks...
Competition? Get your blinders on and start...
That’s Secretariat winning the Belmont. Notice the blinders….notice the eyes. Forward.
With a startup, you shouldn’t have competition.
You should be filling an unserved niche…and then working to EXPAND that niche, with you as its dominant player.
Once you’ve established that you are truly entering an untapped or non-existant niche, the word...
“That’s a one in a million idea. Sure, he’s never done anything...”
– no one.
November 2011
2 posts
$250 for a $200 gift card! and other daily-deals...
Forget discounts. We’re into a deflationary vortex from hell as it is.
Instead, charge premiums.
Promise exceptional service and attention.
Examples:
$250 for a $200 gold-plated gift card to Joe’s “impossible to get in” steakhouse. Give em the card and you’re guaranteed the next available table.
$60 for $50 gold-plated gift card to the local Saloon. Give em...
“I’m pretty busy right now…send me the info and I’ll take a...”
– People that aren’t interested.
October 2011
5 posts
“I was at Woodstock — I built the stage. And when everything fell apart, and...”
– Quote by John Ratzenberger
OWS internal troubles seem a little odd from the outside looking in…
