Bad Advice to Startups from Unknown Writer
Have you suffered from writer’s block! I have. Several times in my life time. Even though my colleagues always considered me a prolific writer, my writing does not take place regularly. I spend long periods of time procrastinating (mostly on twitter). This time my procrastination reached new levels; hence I now have 16000 followers on twitter. So, I decided to take drastic measures. Naively, I thought I could hire someone to write a few blog posts for me. Then I could revise them and unleash them to the world. At this point, I did not want to hire a ghostwriter on a permanent basis. Consequently I decided to do a gig on Fiverr. If you have never heard about Fiverr, you should check it out. It is the largest database of freelancers for small jobs. So, I located someone who […]
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Digital Revolution and the Business World
We live through very exciting times! The economy has been turned upside down, and inside out during the past decade. Internet changed the way we shop, the way we go out, the way we interact with our loved ones, the way we take care of our health… just to mention a few aspects of our disrupted lives. We all enjoy the advantages of the new technology, while most of us relish the new app we can download into our tablets. We also live through very dangerous times! The mode of production has changed in the most unexpected manner. The sharing (or collaborative) economy is taking over. Trade unions across the globe are complaining about the deteriorating conditions in the working lives of their members. Uber, for example, destroyed the livelihood of millions of taxi drivers overnight. AirBnB put the revenue […]
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Brown Bag seminars for businesses who want to grow fast and furiously
Today, it is the first ‘Brown Bag’ seminar. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with booze, as most of you suggested. These are lunch time seminars for businesses who aspire to high growth. Just bring your lunch in a brown bag and join us in Apex. The seminars will take place once a month and will cover topics relevant to the fast growth of a business. They are not aimed at startups. In fact, startups may find them confusing as they are not yet at the right stage. Instead, they are perfect for established businesses. Nuggets of information will be offered to the interested parties. The participants, then, can analyse their own business and contemplate on ways to take it forward. For more information, check out the website http://ekonomiaconsultants.com/brown-bag-seminars/ And join us on Innovation for Enterprises Meetup Innovation […]
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Customer Development in Enterprises
Actually, I am astonished at the lack of customer development I witness in large corporations. I am sure they do their best to focus on customer services, thus keeping the customers as happy as they can be. However, they fail miserably in increasing their sales or expanding their customer base. Because of the Digital Revolution, many corporations face steep competition from small and agile businesses. These new entrepreneurs know how to talk to their potential customers, how to find exactly what they need and how to sell their products or services. Despite the lack of established processes they achieve growth of 15-30 % per week. How many large enterprises do you know who achieve such growth? The secret lies in the successful practice of customer development techniques. These techniques are easy to learn, though not so easy to implement. Founders […]
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Eazy Lean Startup
Finally! My book is on Amazon! And I am very pleased with the result! I believe that I have achieved my primary aim: to write an easy book on lean startup methodology. There is no reason to toil through hundred of pages to get to the main points. The lean principles are only a handful and they can be learned quickly. There is no reason to get lost into a labyrinth of unknown terminology and theoretical concepts. A few practical advice is sufficient for the purpose of a startup. The idea behind the book is to inspire startups to launch their business immediately. They just need to follow a few basic guidelines that will help them stay on the right track. For the rest, they can improvise depending on the nature of the business. I never believed in full-proof systems […]
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Entrepreneurs and the Law
Almost by definition, entrepreneurs are against status quo. I understand that some of you may find such a statement incredulous. And yet, it is true that most entrepreneurs position themselves against large corporations, established business or common practices. As a result, they are trying to circumvent legal processes that, in most cases, inhibit entrepreneurial activities. Rules and regulations tend to place obstacles to startups. Hence, many organisations and business people ask for more deregulation. Even though, deregulation sometimes helps the increase of profits, we cannot expect to function in a lawless society. There is a reason for all the rules that have been put in place over several millennia. Whether these regulations help or not entrepreneurship, they should not be dismissed out of hand. Instead, entrepreneurs could prove their innovative ideas in very difficult environments. It is a common secret […]
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The aspiration of becoming global
I am astonished at the number of startups who come to me in order to get help with their growth! Most of them have aspirations to become a global company. Or worse! They already think they are global, despite the fact that their customers live in the vicinity. So, what are they thinking? They obviously imagine that having a the potential of scalability is enough to launch across several countries. After all, internet is a tool that covers the entire world. Is it not? You can find it in every country, in many different languages. On top of that Google and its advertising reigns supreme across borders. There are a few issues that companies do not take into account. Different countries have different cultures, different people with different behaviours, different legal systems, different economies, different everything. They are certainly not […]
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Growth Hacking and Full Stack Marketing for Startups
Thursday, June 11, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM (BST) London, United Kingdom An exclusive one-day public workshop on growth hacking and full stack marketing by Patrick Vlaskovits and Casey Armstrong. I would strongly recommend that you attend. These opportunities do not become available often. WHO SHOULD ATTEND Startup founders who want to get to cashflow positive or ensure their next round of funding. Startup marketers and growth hackers looking to take their skills to the next level. Anyone – technical or not – who wants confidence to lead marketing by broadening their digital marketing knowledge. Consultants, innovation managers and innovation directors, and businesses coaches looking to stay ahead of their competition. AFTER THIS WORKSHOP YOU WILL HAVE Discovered the fundamental tenets of growth hacking and full stack marketing. The confidence and competence to apply your knowledge in any […]
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How to write convincing emails to your list
Not everyone is a writer. The art of writing takes years to master and a lot of effort. Despite the fact that the vast majority of authors get paid peanuts, they painstakingly spend hours every day on their craft. So, the question is, how can you write a decent email, without having to resort to attending a creativity course? There are a few rules you need to take into account. 1) Be clear about what you want to communicate. Clarity should be achieved, first, in your mind. Do not attempt to write your first words, until you know exactly what you would like to say. Of course, there are exceptions. I am the not-so-bright example of a chaotic writer, whose thoughts become clearer as she writes. Please, do not follow me! 2) Do not be overly formal or stiff in your […]
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The challenge of self-publishing a Kindle Book
This year I have opted not to use one of the traditional publishers for my next book, Eazy Lean Startup. Instead, I would like to try the self-publishing route. At my age and with my book record I do not feel that I need to prove my worth as an author. So far, I have produced successfully five academic books and dozens of articles in accredited journals. The main reason to self published is based on a real need for reducing the time of publication. In some cases, my books took up to three years to appear in bookstores; that is three years after I completed them. As my audience was mainly an academic one, I did not mind that much. Now, however, the public is much more demanding when it comes to acquiring a manuscript. In fact, they are […]
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