Hiring a Development Firm, Part 3: Managing Contract Resources
In my tenure working with founders, I’ve had the opportunity to watch more than my fair share of development efforts using contracted resources. For the business-oriented founder who has a strong idea but not a technical co-founder or resource in their corner, it’s a viable way to get an MVP up and in the market
Hiring a Development Firm, Part 2: Terms, Contracting, Execution
So you have found a development firm you want to work with to build your product. Hopefully, you took the advice outlined in Part 1 of the series to vet candidates and obtain the right firm for your project. So now it is time to code, right? Wrong! Remember, the whole purpose of vetting candidates is to figure out who
Hiring a Development Firm, Part 1: Vetting Candidates
So, it is time to hire a development firm…are you sure? You have a solid understanding of product-market fit for your target customer. You know the minimum amount of functionality you need to deliver to get them to use your product, keep using it and pay you something for it. Does that sound like you?
5 Tips For Conducting Your First Customer Discovery Interviews
As a business founder, that “light bulb” moment is very exhilarating. You’ve seen an opportunity to create a new or improve upon an existing process, product, platform, service or retail environment. And off the top of your head, you aren’t aware of anything else that comes close to being as awesome as what you have
How To Incorporate Use Cases In Your Product Strategy
The term “use case” is thrown around a lot, and it is important to be clear about what it is and what it is not. A use case is a specific situation in which a product or service could potentially be used. Given people buy the same product for different reasons, use cases can vary
Should I Price My Product For Value Or Adoption?
BOGO. Gift with purchase. Free to download. Get the first 30 days free (just enter your credit card… you won’t be charged unless you decide to continue). We’ve all received offers like this, all with varying degrees of impact. Promotions have become a way of life, setting a precedent for how we engage, buy and
How To Develop Your IP Strategy
Imagine working hard to launch your company. You build your product, implement a go-to-market strategy, make a logo, hired employees, finalize investors, and more. Many entrepreneurs I have worked with got to this point to discover: You are now being sued for infringing upon someone else’s Intellectual Property (IP) Rights. Because they build their product
How To Fail … Fast
A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak to a group of entrepreneurs about the key traits of successful startup founders. With the topic phrased so broadly, it would be easy to spin all over the place, trying to cover all the bases. Should I talk about this? No, what about that? But wait,
4 Keys To Incorporating Customer Feedback In Your Product Roadmap
Now that you have a product in market (and it is in use) you may find yourself at a critical juncture—continued evolution of your product based on proof of product-market fit. If you’ve followed the guidance we’ve laid out over the course of our roadmap approach, you’ll have created a grounded Product Roadmap and built
Understanding The Technology Behind Your Product
Building a business is a serious feat. You may frequently feel like you are being pulled in 12 different directions, and this can be especially true when your business is built around a software product. Custom SaaS products, mobile apps and enterprise solutions all come with serious technical pieces. And, most of the time, your
Before Building A Product, Build Your Product Roadmap
A few years ago, an image began making the rounds of the internet—a piece of notebook paper in landscape orientation, marked up heavily in blue ballpoint ink. The thirteen rows and ten columns laid out critical plot points and interconnections for a portion of one of the highest-selling books of all time—Harry Potter and the
5 Personality Traits Of Successful Startup Employees
On the Entrepreneurial Talent Team at JumpStart, we pride ourselves on being able to identify those unique individuals who will thrive in the startup environment. Early-stage companies aren’t the right fit for everyone, and it’s important to know what you’re looking for when you’re thinking about adding new team members. Below, you’ll find the five