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Why The Next Silicon Valley is Twitter and Skype – NOT Beijing

by kevindewalt on June 15, 2013

Summary: There will NEVER be a “Next Silicon Valley”. Geography is becoming irrelevant for startups because best practices are available online, capital flows freely to talent, and Silicon Valley will come to you.

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Freelancers build their reputations & get more business with SoHelpful - my startup

Why Patient Entrepreneurs Have More Fun – and Success

June 8, 2013
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Summary: Ironically enough, starting a company with a long-term goal has helped me achieve success faster than having short-term goals. Want to relieve some startup anxiety? Think about what you want to do for the next 20 years – you’ll be surprised how many of today’s problems look easier.

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Problem, Revenue, Channel: The 3 Critical Startup Questions

May 28, 2013
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Summary: There is so much good information and advice available to startups, but deciding what to do today can be overwhelming. For Web and Mobile startups, first answer 3 critical questions about your business: (1) What Problem am I solving, (2) How will I make Revenue, and (3) do Channels exist to acquire customers? Problem, Revenue, Channel: these are the 3 biggest risks to your startup.

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American Entrepreneurs: Never Forget How Lucky You Are

May 23, 2013
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18 months ago I moved to Beijing, China and have been helping startups around the world.  The experience has made me incredibly optimistic about the future of America and very thankful to be a native-born American entrepreneur. I never knew how good I have it. I was lucky enough to be born into the biggest market [...]

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Determination is the new “New!”

May 15, 2013
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A few weeks ago I read a piece startup advice in Jason Calacanis’ email newsletter: “Plan for a big launch” It got me thinking… In the late 90′s everyone talked about creative ways to pull off a big launch.  These days nobody talks about “launches” anymore.  Sometime between 1998 and today the world stopped caring about [...]

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Home: The Best Place for Your Startup

May 11, 2013
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Before packing you bags for San Francisco or starting Customer Development on the American market you may want to consider whether focusing elsewhere is worth giving up one of the most critical assets your startup has – the relationships and reputation you’ve created at home.

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How Meditation is Making Me a Better Entrepreneur

May 7, 2013
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I love life as an entrepreneur but really dislike one aspect – exhaustion from not sleeping.  When I get into “startup mode” I have a hard time sleeping past 3AM.  I suddenly wake up, my mind racing. A few months ago my friend Joel Gascoigne suggested Headspace.  I’ve never been able to stick with meditating, [...]

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Why Product Managers Need to Get Out of the Office

May 6, 2013
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Summary: Product managers are trying to bring the best practices from the Lean Startup movement to their employers but running into practical organizational challenges. Unless companies realize that the role of product managers needs to change, they’re going to lose market share to startups – and probably lose their product managers too.

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How a 1-Page Business Model Will – and Won’t – Help Your Lean Startup

April 28, 2013
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During my Startup Help sessions with entrepreneurs worldwide I am frequently asked to review a 1-page summary of their business assumptions. Usually the team has filled out Ash Maurya’s Lean Canvas or Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas. I recommend that entrepreneurs – especially those new to Lean Startup – fill out a canvas. After 3 [...]

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Boston Tragedy & Why Entrepreneurs Do What We Do

April 20, 2013
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Summary: This week my friend and fellow entrepreneur Tim Jones volunteered his company’s services to help the Boston Police search for the culprits of this horrible, brutal act. It’s a great example of why entrepreneurs do what we do – but the headlines only tell part of the story.

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Your Most Important Startup Decision Comes from the Heart

April 13, 2013
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Summary: A startup takes a full-time commitment of 5-10 years – a good chunk of our lives. A great deal of that time will be spent talking to and empathizing with our customers. The most important choice you can make is deciding what customers you want to serve – everything else comes from this decision.

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How to Hack a Web Minimum Viable Product (MVP) App

April 4, 2013
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Summary: I encourage all entrepreneurs to build their own MVP – not so they can become a great (or good) programmer, but because it is the most efficient way to get an MVP in the hands of customers and validate the major business risks. Here are some examples from my current startup, soHelpful.me.

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How to Pick the Programming Language for Your First MVP

March 30, 2013
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Summary: When I advise entrepreneurs to build their own MVP many ask me, “what language should I use.” Since technology is rarely a business risk for startups, I advise entrepreneurs to make the decision based on community instead. Pick a popular technology based on the availability of people who can help you when you get stuck.

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Steve Blank: “This isn’t Dogma”

March 26, 2013
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Summary: Steve Blank presented to the NEXT Beijing mentors, teams, and organizers on Monday. He emphasized that the big idea – startups are about searching, not executing – is what matters, not following anyone’s specific process.

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Why we’re Launching Steve Blank’s NEXT Program in Beijing

March 22, 2013
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Summary: I had a chance to work with Steve Blank at Stanford and saw how effective his Lean LaunchLab class is at teaching entrepreneurs how to do Customer Development. Now startup ecosystems worldwide can launch a similar program. We’re creating NEXT Beijing because we think it is the fastest, most effective way to minimize the biggest risks facing startups.

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