Comments for The Equity Kicker

Comment on Eric Ries answers questions on the application of lean startup principles in some edge case scenarios by Neil Lewis

Neil Lewis — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Yes, you are right Nic.

I think the reason for this is that in business you can measure two different things and both will give you a valid or both invalid – or both give different answers!

I’ll give you an example – I’ve been working with a digital startup on their business model – and in one version we believe that revenue is driven by signups – in another version – we believe that revenue is driven by depth of engagement with site (currently measured as page views).

Currently, both routes to revenue are correct – so which one is ‘truly’ right?

Well, with time – as the audience / user base matures, we believe one will become more reliable in forecasting revenue.

However, the real value here is not the outcome – ie. this measure or that – but, rather, it is the discipline of going through the process.

We are attempting to instill the ability to ‘going through the process’ in our startup teams as that will teflon plate them for an ever changing competitive, technological and user landscape.

And this is where the link with Feynman’s approach to proof is valuable – just in business we have to keep testing to see if it is true – and we half expect to find that something that once was true – no longer is! But at least the team will know how to go through the process again of uncovering the essential link between activity and revenue.

Br
Neil

ps. This also helps shed light on why the team is the critical success element in any business

Comment on Founders: stay part of the sales process when you hire a big hitting sales person by brisbourne

brisbourne — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Thanks Mark

Comment on To increase serendipity you have to make yourself more vulnerable by brisbourne

brisbourne — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Thanks Wes. Good luck with the blog.

Comment on Founders: stay part of the sales process when you hire a big hitting sales person by Mark Littlewood

Mark Littlewood — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:10:00 +0000

Good piece. Jason Cohen, (Smart Bear and WP Engine0 has some great thoughts on this and also remembering the Founder’s Advantage in sales.

Video here of him talking about all sorts of great stuff but Enterprise Sales, mistakes founders make in sales hires and the Founder’s Advantage from 12.40 or there is a transcript.

http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2011/08/jason-cohen-on-working-out-when-to-break-the-rules-ignore-advice-video-transcript.html

Comment on To increase serendipity you have to make yourself more vulnerable by impartedpursuit

impartedpursuit — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Fantastic take on the quote! As somebody who has just started up a blog, I can really relate to the internal debates before posting something, especially those first pieces. I agree that the risk is worth it to open you up to strangers/serendipity. In fact, I have only been telling friends about my writing goals very gradually.
- Wes

Comment on Software will eat the whole world by James Taylor

James Taylor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:28:00 +0000

It is an concept to compress the health sciences into a software play. Unarguably biology is an information science, with life explicitly coded digitally. But we need to be careful to emphasize harnessing biology’s potential of a fully computable discipline will take significant time and work. The comment: “ Innovation in healthcare is moving from being expensive, lab based, and rooted in manual process, to inexpensive, office based and rooted in digital process.” needs to have some constraints and/or a time constant associated with it. The ability to rapidly obtain genomic information is increasing faster that Moore’s law, but the ability to act on that information in healthcare is stuck in the slow linear science of building tools to manipulate the same genetics (ie. making drugs to treat diseased pathways). Take for instance the sequencing of cancer. In the very near future we will be able to understand what genetic aberrations are driving ones’ disease, however we will be stuck with the same old drugs that cannot treat the disease with the same fidelity. A lot of work is needed beyond the collection of genetic information to make healthcare as truly scaleable process as we need it to be.

Comment on The list of ‘50 questions you should ask before raising venture capital’ by John Colley

John Colley — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:44:00 +0000

Hi Nic
I think this sort of thinking is really helpful for Entrepreneurs and your book when it is ready will be an absolute must read.
For my contribution to the conversation, I have posted two posts on my blog, The Six Minute Strategist at http://jbdcolley.com entitled
“36 Questions to ask a VC” and “36 Questions to ask yourself before a VC does”.
The links are:
http://jbdcolley.com/2011/03/36-questions-to-ask-a-venture-capitalist/
http://jbdcolley.com/2011/03/36-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-a-vc-does/
I hope you forgive the shameless plug and I also hope it helps contribute to the conversation.
I have definitely signed up – it is great to find a London centric blog in this space
best regards
John

Comment on 50 Questions: How can I tell when a VC won’t invest when they aren’t saying ‘no’? by 50 Questions: How can I tell that a VC won’t invest? - Games Brief

50 Questions: How can I tell that a VC won’t invest? - Games Brief — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:29:13 +0000

[...] the signs, Nic Brisbourne gives a guide to reading VCs behaviour in his latest 50 Questions post: How can I tell when a VC won’t invest when they aren’t saying ‘no’? No related [...]

Comment on Integrated online and physical retail by brisbourne

brisbourne — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:20:00 +0000

If by ‘shopping/retail interface’ you mean the instore experience, then I agree it will be very interesting. New store structures a la Apple and more brand direct to consumer will change the face of retail.

Comment on Integrated online and physical retail by Farhan Rehman

Farhan Rehman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:00 +0000

The online/offline integration, is almost definitely the way forward. There’s a limit to how much you can sample a product ‘virtually’, or through reviews, and recommendations online, and sooner or later, you need to see the product in physical form. There is however that dance between doing all your research online, and wanting to go into a store, to actually take a look at the goods/items that you’re going to buy. Within the more tech/geek communities, first mover advantages were translated into the kudos that comes with having the newest gadget first, but then also translated as opportunities for more like minded geeks and individuals to get their hands on the product, before deciding whether to buy the product or not. As more people do their research, and go into stores better equipped with specific and detailed questions, the onus is going to be on the store staff to up their game in terms of product knowledge, and enhanced in store experience, for a customer to be converted from a visitor checking out a physical product to actually wanting to buy it right there and then in the store..

It’s exciting to see how this trend will start to surface, and how the shopping/retail interface with consumers will need to adapt/evolve to continue to draw in the crowds both online and offline, as price is never going to be the only reason why people buy.