The diverse skills of an agile product manager
As I am clearing my head about my own role as Agile Product (or sometimes Project) Manager, I decided to create a list of the most important skills I should have. Silently, I will also evaluate how I match up against those skills Number one for me is to be able to see the larger picture. There is a wide world out there, within which, a product should take its rightful place. A product manager should be able to understand the width, breadth and depth of the market. Communication is another significant aspect. After all, the product manager is nothing but a liaison between (future) customers, stakeholders, team members and the World Wide Web. Being able to explain clearly abstract ideas, being able to understand what people imply, is a skill that cannot be disregarded. Prioritising development is another significant […]
Read MoreInterview with Ash Maurya on his latest book Scaling Lean
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Ash Maurya. You probably already know who he is but I would still like to refer to his excellent ability to launch new startups and books at the same time. His latest book is Scaling Lean. With this publication he attempts to teach aspiring startups, as well as startups who have already reached product/market fit, how to scale and grow. The book is full of clear examples and valuable instructions. If you want to know more about Ash and his new book, please, listen to the interview. And, if you have any questions, I will be very happy to pass them on.
Read More
All you need to know about office space
The influence your office has on your ability to work shouldn’t be underestimated. When considering which kind of space would best suit your business it helps to know what’s on offer. Traditional lease office A traditional lease is a popular choice among larger corporations and established businesses of all sizes. It can be a great option for your company if you want an office you can call your own for a significant amount of time. Contracts can be anything from three years to more than ten. A traditional lease entails a significant amount of control over a space: the tenant is in responsible for the fitout, the design, and the everyday functioning of the office. This means you’re in charge of creating the office of your dreams! It’s worth bearing in mind that this entails a lot of responsibility. While […]
Read More
Employability and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
It looks like the world has turned upside down in the past few years. Until 2008, most companies insisted that they would like to employ obedient workers who would follow to the letter given instructions. Colleges and Universities were very happy to oblige. Further and Higher Education Institutions forced their students to comply with the lecturers instructions. Yes, students were supposed to conduct some independent research but this task was always within constraints set in advance. In the end, innovation was not fostered. And new ideas died in their infancy. So, what changed? The economic crisis of 2008, whose results we can still see, left the companies struggling for survival. They realised that, unless they innovated more, they would be pushed out of their market by more agile startups. So, they changed their policies. In the first instance they tried […]
Read More
Business as usual, a day after Paris lost its light
Last night I watched, alongside the rest of the world, the infolding of the Parisian saga. On the internet paraded figures of chaos and pain, devastation and desperation. I cannot even imagine what my Parisian friends are going through at this moment in time. Their City of Light turned into a City of Darkness. The crime against the French people did not come out of nowhere. It culminated over the space of months, if not years. We got the first taste of it with the Charlie Hebdo attacks, when Islamic fanatics killed some of the most forward thinking journalists/ cartoonists/ political thinkers. It was the first incident that gave us an indication of the depth of the cultural problem within the french society. Or so we thought. It looks like the problem expanded (as did the number of dead) and […]
Read More
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 […]
Read MoreA startup’s woos and tribulations
Tara Roskell and I are starting a new series of comic dialogues on the woos and tribulations of the average startup. We intend to take you through the painful decision making processes and the repeated failures with as much humour as we can command. Our first dialogue is between a startup and his best friend. The startup is sharing his extraordinary idea and the friend obliges him with (in)appropriate comments. We have not yet decided on a name for a startup. Could you help us find one? Just click on the image below to be able to read it. Find the best Acceleration Programs for UK Startups here
Read More
Get out of the building and join a Meetup!
When Steve Blank screamed from the top of his lungs (in writing) his most famous phrase ‘Get out of the building’, many entrepreneurs stood and listened. Steve was encouraging those who until then stayed in their office, bedroom, or shed to get in the real world and meet some of their potential customers. Only through personal contact can you identify who your ideal client is, who will buy your product, what type of product will they buy and how much they will spend. Only through personal contact can market research be effective and give an accurate picture of the market needs you will be addressing. The main concern of most startups is how to talk to these people. And most importantly, where to find them. And my answer is as simple as it can be. Join a Meetup! There are […]
Read MoreΓια γέλια και για κλάμματα η ελληνική πραγματικότητα!
Θέλω να καταγγείλω το δήμο Κορωπίου και την εταιρεία Μετρό για εγκληματική ενέργεια όχι μόνο εναντίον μου αλλά και εναντίων όλων όσων χρησιμοποιούν το μετρό Κορωπίου για να πάνε καθημερινά στις δουλειές τους και στα σπίτια τους. Χθες το μεσημέρι επέστρεφα στο σπίτι μου στο Πόρτο Ράφτη από μια συνάντηση που είχα με Έλληνες επιχειρηματίες που θέλουν να βοηθήσουν επενδυτικά τα ελληνικά startups. Κατέβηκα από το τρένο στο Κορωπί και κατευθύνθηκα προς το πάρκινγκ που άφησα το αυτοκίνητο μου, ‘πετώντας’ από ευτυχία. Και τότε ήταν που κυριολεκτικά ΄προσγειώθηκα΄στην ελληνική πραγματικότητα. Ενώ κατέβαινα στο πάρκινγκ από κάτι ξύλινα σκαλοπάτια και διέσχιζα ένα ξύλινο γεφυράκι, μια από τις σανίδες έσπασε και έχασα τον κόσμο κάτω από τα πόδια μου. Με μια αντανακλαστική κίνηση άρπαξα τη μπροστινή σανίδα και κρεμάστηκα σε ένα κενό δυο μέτρων. Παρά το σόκ που υπέστην, σκαρφάλωσα πάνω στη […]
Read More
Acceleration or Incubation? What is the best way to develop your startup?
I have noticed that after the turn of the century the most successful startups decided to enter an incubator and/or follow an acceleration business program. I talked to many participants and all of them seem to be very enthusiastic about their individual choices. Statistics based on hard quantifiable data may indicate that acceleration programs multiplied after 2006 and they are now the most popular startup means. They also indicate that they give better chances of success to new entrepreneurs. Despite the undoubted validity of hard evidence, we should take into equal consideration individual circumstances and choices. After all, success for some of you may not be the accumulation of profit and exponential growth but happiness and peace of mind. So, the right program should serve as a tool that will bring you exactly what you need and wish for. Incubation […]
Read More