Image via Wikipedia One of the best pieces of advice I can give any would-be entrepreneur is the following: Solve a Problem People Will Pay For There is a lot in the sentence above Identify a problem Make sure you know who your customer will be (who has the problem) Make sure your customers see [...]
Continue reading →The BIZ Book is on Amazon for the Kindle!
September 3, 2010 By Mike Colwell
I just downloaded the first “e-book” version of the BIZ book How Business Gets Done; Words of Wisdom from Central Iowa Experts from the Kindle store at Amazon! 32 of the area’s brightest and most innovative professionals share their best practices and expertise. Part playbook, part inspiration and part reference guide, How Business Gets Done [...]
Continue reading →Before you Launch, Do This: Stop Saying “I Think”
September 2, 2010 By Mike Colwell
Image by ecstaticist via Flickr Inc Magazine has a great article this month titled “10 Things to Do Before You Start Your Start-Up”. Here is the outline: 1. Scope out your industry. 2. Size-up the competition.3. Second-guess yourself.4. Think about funding. A lot.5. Refine your concept.6. Seek advise from friends, mentors … or anyone, really.7. [...]
Continue reading →Pitch and Grow II – Hone Your Pitch Now!
August 31, 2010 By Mike Colwell
Image via Wikipedia For those of you that did not make it to the last Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) Pitch and Grow session, make sure you go this time. There were a bunch of great pitches made and great audience feedback. This is a chance to practice your pitch and get valuable feedback. TAI [...]
Continue reading →I Buy Dead Magazines – Mastering the 60 Second Elevator Pitch
August 27, 2010 By Mike Colwell
Image via Wikipedia What a great line. “I buy dead magazines”. Mark Suster blogged about this in his recent post on the 60 second pitch. Anyone raising capital needs to read this post. Mark is right on. Here is a summary of his points: Develop your 60-second pitch. Master the art of the pause Learn [...]
Continue reading →Does Your Brand Change Once the Customer Says Yes
August 26, 2010 By Mike Colwell
Image by Powerhouse Museum Collection via Flickr I wrote a blog for IowaBiz about how some companies’ brands change once the customer says yes. It just happened to me the other day. Check it out here.
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