Hi guys! i just make a new blog. About "100 Amazing Facts That Will Change The Way You See The World". Please read it and let me know what you think about it.

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Hi guys! i just make a new blog. About "100 Amazing Facts That Will Change The Way You See The World". Please read it and let me know what you think about it.
Hi guys. I just make a new blog. About "100 Amazing Facts That Will Change The Way You See The World". Please read it and let me know what you think about it.
3 Things You Probably Suck At (I DID) As A Startup Founder
So you're a first-time founder of a startup -- awesome -- welcome aboard the roller coaster of a lifetime! A great way to manage this incredible journey is by seeking help and guidance of others. Unfortunately, you (most likely) suck at introductions, asking for help and email. Don't feel bad, I sucked at these too, the good news is reading this post will make your life a lot easier.
1) Introductions:
Introductions are an integral part of being an entrepreneur (and life). Many successful business relationships begin with a warm introduction.
Before asking for or giving an intro, remember an introduction really is:
The connection of two people for the purpose of a value exchange. In essence, the introducer is 'vouching' for a value exchange and asking both parties to participate. (Sometimes this value exchange is "you guys should play ping-pong" OR perhaps, "you should invest in X's startup..")
Startup founders are typically in one of two roles, either the beneficiary (being introduced to someone awesome); and the introducer (connecting two parties).
I'll start with the beneficiary.
Make it effortless for the introduction to happen.
Provide context (why you want to meet) and what you do (or who you are).
Provide this in the form of a 2-3 sentence blurb (that can be copied + pasted by introducer).
Why? Writing emails suck - especially when you are doing someone a favor. So, make it so easy they don't need to think.
Don't be a Chazer (pig)
Assume the person is doing you a huge favor (AKA: they value their time very much).
Offer 10-15 minute phone chat (because it's easy!)
If you insist on lunch/coffee/beers then offer to meet them at a place convenient for them.
Follow the lead of the Introducer
If the person says you should hop on the phone.. you should not ask to meet in person.
If the introducer says you should meet offer 3-4 times/dates when you are available.
You should also:
You should reply quickly (and first!)
Follow up with the introducer and let them know how the meeting/call went.
As an introducer, remember that the person you are introducing is a reflection on you.
Don't make "hail-mary" introductions (introducing someone you barely know)
This is risky, if you do it -- definitely ask them person first -- otherwise, it makes you look like a jackass.
Set expectations in the intro
If you feel compelled to make an intro you should explain the reason why you are suggesting the parties connect.
Some of you will realize I have not mentioned the introducee (the important person being introduced) for this article, we'll assume we aren't that person. Yet.
2) Asking for Help
As a startup founder, you are probably going to need to leverage your introductions, connections and network for help. It's hard to always be asking for stuff -- and if you're going to do it, learn how to do it properly.
Asking an experienced entrepreneur or investor for advice ("to pick their brain") is always a good choice. First, find a way to get an intro (see above), then...
Make it easy for them to help..
Pick a location close to them
ALWAYS offer (and expect) to pay for them
Offer them several times / dates
Make the favor reasonable
If a potential investor: ask for advice not investment
If a potential customer: ask for feedback not purchase
Everyone else: expect to get their attention for the meeting only.
Don't expect them to prepare before OR do anything specific after.
Be prepared (do your homework)
Learn about this person (use LinkedIN, twitter, blog, etc).
Understand how they can help (don't ask a Sales person for technical advice)
3) Email
Rule of thumb: If the email takes up your smart phone screen its too long!
There is no excuse for grammatical errors (especially the persons name)
Keep it short (2-3 lines)
Don't email a stupid question that can be answered by a simple Google search
If sending a short sentence, put the question in the subject line (then add - nm (no message) or eom (end of message).
Follow these tips and you'll be much farther ahead than most people seeking help and guidance. Good luck!
Detroit Street Artist Spends Over 1,000 Hours Changing Detroit Landscape
If you have ever driven to downtown Detroit, you've certainly noticed the amazing "Chimera" mural that graces the side of the Russel Industrial Building. This mural is 85 x 100 feet!
Consider a donation (via Kickstarter) to Kobie Solomon, who spent over 1,000 hours painting this incredible mural so he can get the time and resources to properly finish this masterpiece. Check out the video...
Again, to donate via Kickstarter - go here: http://ow.ly/bUWyW
Here is an essay version of my class notes from Class 9 of CS183: Startup. Errors and omissions are my own. Credit for good stuff is Peter’s entirely.
CS183: Startup—Notes Essay—Class 9—If You Build It, Will They Come?
I. Definitions
Distribution is something of a catchall term....
Many of you have asked, so here’s what’s going on with me.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE
8/1979: Born. Grew up in CT, built a killer eraser collection, fell in love with computers.
Left college to start a company. Fell hard. Fled to India for 3 months.
Started 2nd company. Learned to be an adult. Fell in love with NYC.
Moved to SF, discovered burritos & some of my fave people on Earth.
9/2011: Got diagnosed with Leukemia!
Cried. Went through 3 cycles of chemo. Hurt. Thought hard about what I want out of life. Grew up a second time.
TODAY
… After over 100 drives organized by friends, family, and strangers, celebrity call-outs, a bazillion reblogs (7000+!), tweets, and Facebook posts, press, fundraising and international drives organized by tireless friends, and a couple painful false starts, I’ve got a 10/10 matched donor!
You all literally helped save my life. (And the lives of many others.)
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Tomorrow, I’ll be admitted to Dana Farber in Boston for 4-5 weeks.
First I’ll get a second Hickman line to allow direct access to my heart (for meds and for nutrients if I’m not able to eat). Over the next week, the docs blast my body with a stiff chemo cocktail to try and eradicate all traces of cancer cells. In the process, the immune system I was born with, and my body’s ability to make blood, are destroyed.
Next Friday, I get my donor’s stem cells by IV. I start on immunosuppressants to prevent my body from rejecting them (I’ll be on them for 12-18 months). For these weeks I’ve no immune system, so I’m severely vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. My hospital room and hallway become my world.
Meanwhile, the stem cells make their way to my bone marrow and, with some luck, start producing platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. At this point, my blood type changes to the blood type of my donor. And my blood will now have my donor’s DNA, not my own.
This is science fiction stuff. I can hardly believe it’s even possible, and there’s lots of chances for things to go wrong. It’s frightening.
AFTER THE TRANSPLANT
Recovery to a new state of “normal” takes about a year, but there’s a few storm clouds hovering:
My immune system is new, like a baby’s. I’m prone to getting sick.
Just as with any organ transplant, there’s a chance of rejection. Except in this case, it’s my blood that’s the foreign body, and it touches every organ. They call it graft-vs-host-disease and it can cause health issues and organ complications for the rest of my life.
Successful transplant or not, Leukemia can relapse. Stubborn mofo.
Overall, 75% of AML transplant patients survive year one, 50% make it through year five. My odds are a little better since I’m young.
THE GREAT NEWS
I’ve got a long road ahead. But I’ve got a donor & amazing family & friends. A few months ago I didn’t have many options. Today I have a plan.
I am alive. I start tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Thank you.
This is what makes the internet so special. We can save lives with pixels and a bit of heart, people. We are living in the future.
Godspeed, lot's of people are rooting for you!
We Believe We Can Change the World: Together, We Made a Dent Today
Most of us entrepreneurs do what we do because we believe we can change the world.
Yesterday, we united together in a GoDaddy boycott based on their public support for SOPA.
I quickly created a step-by-step tutorial to remove your domains from GoDaddy, as a way for people to vote with their wallets.
The post sat atop Hacker News for almost 24 hours and drew had over 950 1050 (woot!) upvotes along with driving roughly 50,000 visitors to my small blog.
The post was even linked to Forbes and the LA Times.
On twitter, we had over 35 RT's and hundreds of mentions.
On tumblr, we had 190+ 247 notes, and about 75 90 reblogs!
Most importantly though, is that we made a massive company PUBLICLY CHANGE their stance on SOPA.
Entrepreneurs, I salute you. Awesome job. It's an amazing experience to feel so empowered.
We won a battle, now we need to win the war against SOPA.
Please do your part and help protect the Internet.
===============
About Jeff Epstein: I’m a tech entrepreneur & founder of Ambassador: social marketing software which enables any size business to turn their customers into brand ambassadors
I’m a Techstar: part of the NYC 2011 summer cohort. I also founded FundedByNight, a startup competition where 25 companies competed to win a 100k convertible note. I also love Michigan State sports & have a ninja-like backhand in ping pong.
Follow me on twitter
A Step-by-Step Guide to Transfer Domains Out Of GoDaddy
Follow these step-by-step directions to transfer all of your domains from GoDaddy to NameCheap.
I'm Boycotting GoDaddy because they are pro-SOPA.
[edit: apparently GoDaddy changed their stance according to TechCrunch]
Step 1: Login to GoDaddy and get to the domain manager.
Step 2: Select all domains
Step 3: Click on the "Locking Icon"
Step 4: Uncheck "lock domains"
Step 5: Find the tools tab --> "exportable lists"
Step 6: Click on "Add New Export" button
Step 7: Select "All My Domains" as the list type
Step 8: Check the "Authorization codes" box
Step 9: Generate the Exportable List
Step 10: Create account at another provider
I chose NameCheap (affiliate link). The rest of the images are specific to NameCheap.
EDIT: NameCheap is Against SOPA, here is their official stance.
People have also sent promo codes: "switch2nc" and "SOPAsucks" - try them too.
Step 11: Go to "transfer domain"
Step 12: Enter domains you wish to transfer & click "transfer"
**EDIT: You can simply add the domain, Auth code in Step 12 above**
ex: myURL.com, authorizationcode
**Thanks to Josh Pigford for the tip**
Step 13: Checkout
Step 14: Update EPP (Authorization code) code from GoDaddy Export File
Boom! There you go.
UPDATED: thanks to Jordan Skole, here is a way to expedite the transfer process.
Step 15: (Back at GoDaddy) Chose "Pending Transfers"
Step 16: Check all the domains (note: not all of the domains are not showing up yet, this takes a few hours apparently...)
Step 17: Check the "Accept" button and approve!
Step 18: Adios Godaddy!
Step 19: Transfer Complete (about 6 hours later)
Please do your part and help protect the Internet.
===============
About Jeff Epstein: I'm a tech entrepreneur & founder of Ambassador: social marketing software which enables any size business to turn their customers into brand ambassadors
I'm a Techstar: part of the NYC 2011 summer cohort. I also founded FundedByNight, a startup competition where 25 companies competed to win a 100k convertible note. I also love Michigan State sports & have a ninja-like backhand in ping pong.
Follow me on twitter
TechStars: More than an Accelerater for Your Business, It's a Way of Life
It's 2:50am ET and I'm on the redeye flight back to Detroit. I just spent the last few days in Las Vegas for the TechStars reunion -- and sadly, it feels like I'm leaving family members that I won't see for a while. I know I'm not alone, the connections we've made during our 4 months and the unwavering support from our fellow alums make this group feel like a big (and actually very functional) family.
It's no surprise when you consider the founders of TechStars: David Cohen and Brad Feld. They teamed up to found TechStars to build an entrepreneurial community and support entrepreneurship to help change the world.
Even though I have heard Cohen & Feld speak dozens of times, their opening remarks once again reiterated what makes TechStars so awesome.
When Cohen addressed the alumni he said, "I started TechStars to be around a group of awesome entrepreneurs..."
Feld's opened with: "Remember to give before you get."
You see, TechStars is bigger than just the sum of the companies + people incubated in our respective cities. TechStars embodies they way we should conduct business as entrepreneurs and act as people. This fosters the tight-knit family atmosphere for each founder, mentor, intern, hackstar associated with TechStars.
It was awesome to connect with fellow entrepreneurs who have offered to lend a hand, chat or support us as we were going through the inevitable rollercoaster that is startup life. I couldn't be more proud of being a TechStars alum.
If you have a startup, I urge you to apply to TechStars. If you think that you won't get more value than you give (in equity) for being in TechStars -- you couldn't be more wrong.
What are you waiting for? The next NYC class is accepting applications: http://apply.techstars.com/
--
Jeff Epstein is an entrepreneur, hustler & founder of Ambassador (formerly @zferral) a social media marketing platform for any business. A graduate of the 2011 class of TechStars New York. He also has a ninja-like backhand in ping pong.
Entrepreneurs Want To Change the World..
inspiration for all of us...
Lean Startup Conference Recap: An Amazing Experience in West Michigan
I was honored to have the opportunity to speak on the founders panel for the Lean Startup Conference this past week in Grand Rapids, MI. As a Michigan native and startup-advocate in this state, I couldn't have imagined a better experience!
Here is a quick recap from a "speaker" perspective: Accommodations: They put us up at the amazing JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids. It was within walking distance to everything (bars, restaurants and conference location) and hosted the initial VIP event. Couldn't have been placed in a better place. Pre-Party: The pre-party, or VIP dinner was great. It was in our hotel, so there was no excuse to miss it. The crowd was small enough to be "VIP" and was a great chance to chat with the other presenters in the conference. Pro-tip: This may be obvious to some, but the best networking takes place over dinner or beers with those who are in attendance. We went to a local bar and got dinner and drinks (where Eric Ries was gracious enough to cover the entire tab! What an amazing guy. Seriously..). Anyway, it was a great chance to chat with Eric, Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaskovits, Dug Song, Dan Martell, Zach Steindler and Gagan Palrecha among others.
The Conference: I have been to more than a half-dozen startup events and the quality of the content was the best I have ever witnessed -- hands-down. Eric Ries - Eric simply killed It. His presentation was thoughtful and energizing. He was like a rare college professor who had 'standing room only' for each lecture. You need to buy his book - http://lean.st/ Patrick Vlaskovits and Brant Cooper - Filled with hilarious dry humor and great stories, this presentation was the perfect complement to Eric's keynote. They presented "10 Reasons to Not Do a Lean Startup." They are the authors of The Entrepreneurs Guide to Customer Development - another book every entrepreneur should own. Rob Walling - Rob brought an interesting take from a marketing perspective. It was really insightful, especially coming from someone with a technical background. Great message and several key takeaways. Check out his book: Start Small, Stay Small. You should also check out his upcoming conference -- MicroConf
Dan Martell - Lots of energy and great stories. Dan had the most upbeat presentation and was filled with great info and an inspiring story about his brother.
William Pietri - Very well spoken and although he spoke about programming and agile development there were several great jokes and very interesting commentary for the non-technical people in attendance.
Hosted by the Momentum, the conference was first-class all the way. A special shout-out to Amanda Chocko, who did an excellent job and has been a huge startup advocate in the region.
I hope we can do it again next year.
Funded by Night, Momentum for Days
rajibedi:
In sports, buzzer beaters and record breaking games mark the arrival of a legend. In music, sold out shows and platinum records announce the anointment of a diva. But what metrics indicate the rebirth of a once iconic city? Surely it isn’t a staggering decline in population, or the number of abandoned buildings. It can’t be free falling employment numbers or chart topping crime rates. Detroit hasn’t arrived, and it might be a while. But maybe not as long as you think. That’s pretty obvious to the hundreds of people that gathered in Detroit’s Eastern Market last Thursday, April 28th.
Read More
Introducing Funded By Night: A startup competition to earn a 100k investment
If you are a founder and looking to raise money, you should need to check out the Funded By Night competition.
Here is the low-down on the event:
Anyone (FROM ANYWHERE) can apply! (Click here to apply)
It will be on April 28-29th in Detroit, Michigan
Only 25 companies will be chosen to present
A 100k convertible note will be awarded to the winner
No catches, no surprise fees. We want to help build the tech & startup community in Detroit (along with Ludlow Ventures and Detroit Venture Partners) and this is how we are showing it.
Sponsorships
Rackspace is the the title sponsor for the event - we are super excited to have them.
If you are interested in providing a sponsorship (it's a non-profit event) contact me: [email protected]
About Detroit Venture Partners (DVP): is a Detroit-based venture capital firm on a crazed mission, to help rebuild Detroit through entrepreneurial fire. The DVP team members are creative business builders, not money managers. The firm backs seed and early-stage companies in the following sectors: Internet, social media, e-commerce, digital media, marketing technology, software, and direct-to-consumer. DVP’s principals include Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans; Josh Linkner, founder and chairman of ePrize; and Brian Hermelin, founder and chairman of Rockbridge Growth Equity For more information about Detroit Venture Partners please visit www.detroitventurepartners.com. About Ludlow Ventures (Ludlow): invests in early stage technology companies and conducts business not by doing things differently, but by being different. Ludlow believes in venture capital without ego and prefers to talk straight and get the job done, rather than the posturing often found in traditional VC firms. Ludlow holds strong to its Detroit roots and the Midwest mentality, investing in hard-working people who get results and create value with what they do and the things they make. Ludlow funds the dreams of serial entrepreneurs and startups, turning ideas into companies and established ventures into industry leaders. For more information about Ludlow Ventures please visit www.ludlowventures.com.
carbonblog:
zferral, a custom incentive engine for businesses, offers flexible, easy-to-use and fully-integrated software allowing users to engage and reward their fans. zferral is free to start and pay-as-you-grow, and makes it easy to create, track and manage custom referrals and affiliate campaigns.
I have been meaning to discuss the importance of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) for quite some time, thanks to a great article by David Skok; Startup Killer: The Cost of Customer Acquisition, I am finally going to begin…
Skok argues that a critical variable of startup success is founded upon...
Being an Entrepreneur
I just came across an article on Hacker News titled, "random thoughts on being an entrepreneur" and it was great - A simple list of 26 points about being an entrepreneur.
The article is by Hugh Macleod and can be found here, but here are my personal favorites:
"1. Everything takes three times longer than it should. Especially the money part."
"4. Once you become an entrepreneur, you find the company of non-entrepreneurs a lot harder to be around. You’ve seen things they haven’t; the wavelengths alter, it’s that simple." <--- this is so true!
"22. One successful entrepreneur I know well has a wonderful quality, namely that he never, ever compares himself to other people. He just does his own thing, which actually serves him rather well. Just because his competitor has bought himself a bigger motor boat, doesn’t mean he feels the need have a bigger motor boat. This quality helps him to build his business the way he sees fit, not the way the motor boat people see fit." <--- this is essential for me (along with NOT comparing yourself to peers in college, law school, etc..)
"25. Bill Gates may have a million times more money than me, but he isn’t going to live a million times longer than me, watch a million times more sunsets than me, make love to a million times more women than me, drink a million times more fine wines than me, listen to a million times more Beethoven String Quartets than me, nor sire a million times more children than me. Human beings don't scale"
^^this is the beauty of an internet startup^^