Author Archive
The Truth About Real Estate
My software company, 37signals, is nearly 11 years old. But until now, it’s never really had a place to call its own. For much of that time, we’ve been positively nomadic.
Our first headquarters was in the office of one of our original partners, a Chicago-based graphic designer named Carlos Segura. Carlos’s office also housed his design firm, as well as the T26 Digital Type Foundry...
This Start-Up is "Auntie" Establishment
When the entire market focuses on one niche, and you choose another, you’re either a bold innovator, or a failure. Henry Ford’s quote about building cars for people wanting “faster horses” comes to mind. Last week I stopped by the BlogHer conference in New York, a highly popular national event which was full of energy, women bloggers and large consumer brands trying to reach...
Tags: america, Business, digital, explorer, guide, investment, nephew, night, power, savvy, savvy-auntie, united-states
How to Bring Your Concept to Market
You have moved past the stage in which you have a brilliant business concept; and, you are no longer in the product development phase, where you do the pre- and post-prototype. You have tested your concept by conducting online surveys, focus groups, trade show demonstrations or through some other means to determine if potential customers will buy your product or service. You have refined your...
Tags: Business, concept, copyright, customer, development, finance, medical, office, reference, small-business, university
What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You? Part 3
Most growth-oriented entrepreneurs are wired for starting, not running, a business. I call these folks “on-base hitters” because, unlike baseball’s “sluggers,” they focus on earning lots of little wins in the form of starting many small businesses instead of seeking out rare but fantastic successes. (Read more about “on-base hitters” and “sluggers”...
Tags: america, Business, companies, employee, energy, financial, finder, getting-on-base, industry, kolbe, personality, quick-start, start, united-states
What’s Up in Wasilla?
Most people think of Wasilla, Alaska, as the home of Sarah Palin. Toby Foster wants you to think of it as the home of Permafrost Vodka, which is made with Alaskan potatoes and glacial ice. Seven years ago, Foster, then a professional pilot, survived a plane crash and decided it was time to find new work. A homebrew hobbyist, he discovered there wasn’t a single distillery in Alaska.
Foster and...
How to Attract Talent to Your Start-up
Employees are valuable. So are referrals. That was the thought behind Meebo’s decision to offer a $5,000 reward to anyone who referred qualified potential employees to the company that launched in 2005. The only stipulation? People would only get paid if the candidates got hired.
As an instant-messaging and social media service, Meebo never really had trouble finding and attracting talent. They...
Tags: attract-talent, Business, financial, guide, human-resources, industry, office, people, recruiting, social, social-networking, start, work