Startup Whisperer Blog
Launch Big Or Go Home
I haven't posted for a little over a week. In between family, coaching my son's tball team, and everything else in life, we (Mpire) are launching a revolutionary new product. "Revolutionary" does sound somewhat self-serving but I believe that its the right adjective to use. It (the product) is launching really soon. I mean really…
Can You Explain Your Product To Your Parents?
One of my favorite interview questions for technology product managers and marketers is to ask, "how would you explain <insert technology concept or product> to your parents." If you can boil down your unique sales proposition down to a concept in simple English (if that is your primary language), then I am convinced that you…
Startup Whisperer Selected As Seattle 2.0 Finalist
The StartupWhisperer is a finalist for the Seattle 2.0 awards. Thank you very much for voting. Also, WidgetBucks' CTO, Greg Harrison, was also selected as a finalist. We'd appreciate your vote! Vote here.
Blinding me with science: Ad optimizers
Dear, Startup Whisperer readers. This is a post that I did for Adotas. I hope that you enjoy it. ————————————- When one takes a step back and looks at the online ad market today, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of…
Are Customers Driving Your Product?
I recently did a post on Seattle 2.0 about listening to consumer feedback. The recent customer uproar of the Facebook re-design prompted this post. I basically agree with other online luminaries around how you shouldn't always listen to customer feedback. When you are trying to innovate in a rapidly growing space (early in your product…
New ADSPACE Conference, Special Discount Code Available
There is a new conference called the ADSPACE Contextual Advertising Conference + Expo on April 22, 2009 at the Moscone Center West. It is co-located and associated with the ad:tech conference. There is a great list of speakers. I'll be on a panel called, "10 Proven Methods to Increase Your eCPM and Generate More Revenue." …
Interview Your CTO
Have you interviewed your CTO lately? I was reminded recently of some advice that I gave recently on Vator.TV. The advice is that you always need a “Starsky to your Hutch.” Meaning that you always want a business guy/gal combined with a technical guy/gal in a technology startup. I was reminded the value of this…
The StartupWhisperer Needs You To Vote
Seattle 2.0 is looking for the best of the entrepreneurial best. Voting is open and there is a cool event on May 7th to recognize the winners. Here is my shameless plug…please vote here for: Best Startup: WidgetBucksBest Startup CEO: Matt HulettBest Startup Technologist: Greg Harrison (CTO, WidgetBucks)Best Startup Product Designer: Nick Redmond, Tove MartinBest…
Should Amazon Buy Twitter?
I recently did a post on AlwaysOn called "Amazon Should Buy Twitter." This was a post inspired by TechFlash's recent post. Here is a little screenshot that illustrates what this might look like.
Robert Scoble Interview With WidgetBucks
Robert Scoble stopped by the WidgetBucks offices and did a two-part interview with the company that can be viewed here and here on Fast Company TV / Scobleizer TV. I have never done an interview while doing a tour before. You'll catch me getting a little out of breath walking up the stairs. In part…
Do Not Demo Naked
I have made some of the worst mistakes doing demos. I also like to think that I sometimes do an ok job, too. When raising money, investors really love for you to get out of PowerPoint and show product. They love it. Heck, you love it. Its real (hopefully). Your product should get everyone excited…
Showing Your Startup Mo’
I’ll never forget that scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High when Mike Damone explains that no matter where you are make it seem like the coolest thing going on (some cool Fast Time quotes here). I am always reminded by that scene when talking about a business’ momentum around investors. You want to highlight…
