Posts tagged Inspiration
Startup Commandments
Oct 4th
Startup Commandments
- Your idea isn’t new. Pick an idea; at least 50 other people have thought of it. Get over your stunning brilliance and realize that execution matters more.
- Stealth startups suck. You’re not working on the Manhattan Project, Einstein. Get something out as quickly as possible and promote the hell out of it.
- If you don’t have scaling problems, you’re not growing fast enough.
- If you’re successful, people will try to take advantage of you. Hope that you’re in that position, and hope that you’re smart enough to not fall for it.
- People will tell you they know more than you do. If that’s really the case, you shouldn’t be doing your startup.
- Your competition will inflate their numbers. Take any startup traffic number and slash it in half. At least.
- Perfection is the enemy of good enough. Leonardo could paint the Mona Lisa only once. You, Bob Ross, can push a bug release every 5 minutes because you were at least smart enough to do a web app.
- The size of your startup is not a reflection of your manhood. More employees does not make you more of a man (or woman as the case may be).
- You don’t need business development people. If you’re successful, companies will come to you. The deals will still be distractions and not worth doing, but at least you’re not spending any effort trying to get them.
- You have to be wrong in the head to start a company. But we have all the fun.
- Starting a company will teach you what it’s like to be a manic depressive. They, at least, can take medication.
- Your startup isn’t succeeding? You have two options: go home with your tail between your legs or do something about it. What’s it going to be?
- If you don’t pay attention to your competition, they will turn out to be geniuses and will crush you. If you do pay attention to them, they will turn out to be idiots and you will have wasted your time. Which would you prefer?
- Startups are not a democracy. Want a democracy? Go run for class president, Bueller.
- You’re doing a web app, right? This isn’t the 1980s. Your crummy, half-assed web app will still be more successful than your competitor’s most polished software application.
- You will have at least one catastrophe every three months.
- Outsource effectively, or be effectively outsourced.
- Do you thrive on stress and ambiguity? You’d better.
- The best way to get outside funding is to be successful already. Stupid but true. But you, cheapskate, don’t need money, right?
- People will think your idea sucks. They’re even probably right. The only way to prove them wrong is to succeed.
- A startup will require your complete attention and devotion. Thought your first love in High School was clingy? You can’t take out a restraining order on your startup.
- Being an entrepreneur requires a healthy amount of ignorance. Note I did not say stupidity.
- Your software sucks. So what. Everyone else’s does also, and re-architecting is the kiss of death for a startup. Startups are no place for architecture astronauts.
- You do have a public API, right?
- Abject Terror. Overwhelming Joy. Monstrous Greed. Embrace and harness these emotions you must.
- Mark Fletcher ( http://www.startupping.com/ )
~Founder of Bloglines.com
Drive carefully
Sep 1st
Just saw this and it made me feel so cold, you’d say it’s winter outside and all windows are open. Not for weak hearts.
Keep up the enthusiasm
Aug 20th
I saw the job request ad below and I remembered that I had a rough week trying to prepare my most important pitch so far. It was for the job interview at MPI and I had to do a market analysis on a segment and then based on it to propose a new business in this segment and develop the business plan, forecasts, competition study, marketing plan, etc.
Initially I thought that this task was to hard for me/my experience and that I would never manage to come up with something remarkable. But, driven by the desire to get this job and to do something better for my career, I received an enthusiasm overdose and managed to see the light with my project. Presenting it was something very confusing – I didn’t know whether I was doing it right or not, I had cold feet and thought I was terrible. Everything was lightning fast (at least that’s how i felt it) and only after a couple of hours, a text message from my current boss cleared out the fog from my head – “it was excellent!”. I managed to sell myself, and I did it good.
So – important moment – high enthusiasm – over achieve – performance & success. What about the daily tasks, the moments that don’t seem that important? How do we keep up the enthusiasm? How do you stay driven everyday? How do you manage to be motivated in daily repetitive tasks and dealing with difficult clients? Always seeing the big picture? Enjoying every single thing that you do?
This guy certainty knows how to sell himself, how to make all those bad things from his past work in his advantage:
Hate somenthing, change something
Aug 19th
“Hate something, change something” is a very powerful message and I wish I could remember it everyday and apply it accordingly in business and personal life.
But it’s also the motto for a multi-awarded Wieden+Kennedy Honda ad that has a very nice story – Kenichi Nagahiro a Honda designer – hated with all his guts the diesel engines:
How did Honda react?
It was a memorable presentation. It’s a great thing taking in a guitar. In fact, my advice is, always take in a guitar. Even if you’re not presenting a song. People can’t help being nice to people with guitars. We sang live as we flipped through our doodled storyboards. When we’d finished, Honda said ‘Make it just like you’ve presented it.’ The following five months was about trying to capture the spirit of that presentation. It was pretty much the only direction Honda gave us until we delivered the finished ad. They understood our vision was all in our heads and they encouraged us to make it happen. A truly amazing client.
Via Dragos Bucurenci
Relax…
Aug 2nd
…and draw in the sand, hear the waves and seagulls, have an ice-cold beer with some fresh lime. All this and more on probably the most refreshing and nicely done brand websites I’ve ever seen – The Corona Beach
but “webmyc.com loves guiness” 
everything you need for a day at the beach:
Tuborg.ro eat you heart out and relax responsibly 
Hippie weekend ahead
Jul 11th
Looking forward for work day to end and finally be able to say hello to my friends in Vama Veche, for the 1st time this year. I know it’s pretty late for a first, usually in the last years, starting from May and until September, almost every weekend was Vama Veche, Vadu or Corbu nude weekend. My friend Radu and my better half Dana are going to provide the drinks as they celebrate 27 summers. As we predict Vama Veche will be quite crowded, just as every weekend, we are excited to try and explore the soroundings, Durankulak lake and camping to be more exact – 5km from the Romanian border. Picturs bellow are from Vadu, last Sunday.
New Soul
Jun 27th
Mood for the weekend, too bad I can’t join my friends in Vama Veche
[youtube -YUxbDEPFiM]
Yael Naim – New Soul
Thanks Vivi
Proprietar de garsoniera sau Manager de restaurant?
May 21st
- 30 de ani de rate serioase pt o garsoniera de 100.000 eur, ani in care ajungi sa platesti peste 300.000 eur.
- cu o viata linistita stand cu chirie si posibilitatea unei investii reale intr-un business de succes
iti cam da cu minus la prima optiune.
Cu 35.000 eur (cam cat este un avans pentru o garsoniera) sau cu o chirie lunara de 3500 eur, poti deveni managerul unui restaurant/crama/cafenea complet utilat intr-o zona aflata in plina dezvoltare, si deci cu vad comercial. Costul pentru intregul business include firma si toate autorizatiile necesare functionarii restaurantului. Spatiul este la cheie, vedeti mai jos:
Inchiriem spatiu comercial pe Bd G.Cosbuc, restaurant,
cafenea+terasa, la cheie. Suprafata totala de 3oo mp, compusa din 3
nivele (parter capacitate 45 persoane, demisol 15, subsol, adica crama
50 persoane + terasa pentru aprox 8 mese si prelungire de inca 5 mese),
centrala proprie pe gaze, aer conditionat, ventilatie, monitorizare
paza (ALARM SISTEMS) in contul chiriei.Locatia dispune si de o bucatarie utilata, pivnita separata de depozitare de aprox.80 mp, birou, spalatoare separate.
Pt detalii va rog sa ne contactati la 0722 262 849 sau la 0723 544 337; e-mail: office[at]downstairs[punct]ro.
Poze la www.tavernaveche69.ro.Chirie lunara 3500 euro sau vanzare afacere 35 000 euro.
Mai multe detalii pe pagina anuntului.
ENGLISH: Interested in opening your own restaurant in Bucharest, you can do it with only 35.000 eur and buy the whole business (paperwork and authorizations) or rent the the whole space with 3500 eur/month and just manage the business on your own company. The place is fully equiped for a restaurant and can be opened from day1. It’s for real, just leave a comment if you need more details.
