An experienced VC would have heard thousands of pitches in his day. The good ones would tell you that they have developed a “pattern recognition”. After a while, they are able to determine (at least in their own minds) what startups would succeed or fail. There’s obviously lots going on in a pitch – verbal and non-verbal communication, chemistry etc. In this post, I will outline both platforms you should consider and tools to make you improve your pitching success, before you get into the VC’s office.
Javascript, the language that gave new life to the web. It changed the way how websites worked and functioned. I'll say, it took out the dullness and turned the web into something more aesthetic and exciting.
But I won't forget and i know, similiar to me many of the web developers won't forget those old javascript days, made you tear your hair out, because in those days a web developer was also suppose to take care of the cross browser compatibility, which used to be a big pain. sometimes working on some browsers and failing on some, burning the midnight oil debugging.
Then came in Jquery, the awesome thing to happen, all praises to John Resig for the invention. Implementing new functionalities became much easier. For the web developer it brought back fun to the work. You wouldn't want to imagine a developer's life without jQuery. And now it has become a de facto for the web.
Adding more to the fun and ease, a new language, coffeescript, its nothing but a syntactic rewrite of javascript. The syntax is inspired from python and ruby, the coffeescript compiler converts the wriiten code to javascript and also maintains the compatibility. For newbies, coffeescript is much easy and fun to learn, but don't just directly jump onto coffeescript, because in case of errors or failures you may get badly stuck debugging it. I am sure The guys behind coffeescript will come up with some solution for debugging.
The fun doesn't stop here, to simplify the coding and still tackle the complex issues and design great UX, we got javascript frameworks, backbone.js the popular one, SproutCore, JavascriptMVC, Ember.js, Angular.js, Batman.js, etc. There are many more. You'll just need to read the info on their sites, view a few examples, this will help you narrow down on selecting the appropriate one for your project.
Its driven by asynchronous design, It is said, that building real time applications is much easier, Its fast as compared to other popualr web servers, reading and writing to database is also much faster as compared to other programming language frameworks. I have not explored much deep it into it. But, companies like lnkedin, LocalResponse, IrisCouch and Voxer, have been using node.js to build much optimized lare-scale applications.
For a bit more information, i would recommend this inspiring article from VentureBeat 'How LinkedIn used Node.js and HTML5 to build a better, faster app'.
I forgot, a grateful thanks to Brendan Eich, the inventor of Javascript. Its clearly evident, till there is javascript, the web will continue to evolve into something more elegant, innovative and engaging.
Different hackathons attract different hackers. Some, such as Rewired State, are geared towards open data with a more relaxed atmosphere and plenty of socializing. Others, such as TC Disrupt, are entrepreneurial in spirit and attract startup founders, would-be entrepreneurs looking for co-founders, and even odd VCs looking for the next big thing. Pick a hackathon that fits your ideology, skills and interests. But at the same time, go beyond your comfort zone by attending a few events diametrically opposite to your domain of knowledge. Open-source, non-profit enthusiasts can learn a lot from for-profit startup founders, and vice versa.
I know your question, whats novel about this? Open source may already be in place in your office, the servers and applications may have been set.You may have already have Linux server with apache or nginx, php, python, ruby, mysql or postgresql. The Open source is already in use and the work has started.
But i am not pointing at the servers, i am talking about the desktops and laptops. Instead of going for windows OS, purchasing licenses, then again purchasing licenses for other required softwares, why don't you switch to linux, for desktops and laptops. I assure once you get used to it, things will be much smoother than it was on your windows or Mac machine.
My linux OS recommendations for desktops and laptops are Ubuntu, Debian, and LinuxMint. They are easy to install and use, for newbies, you may go through some confusions on whats where and the How Tos, but thats okay, just give it some time.
For people who are already using Linux, particularly Ubuntu, but finding it difficult to handle the new Gnome 3, like me, i suggest, go with Debian 6 or LinuxMint, i won't recommend the tweaks mentioned online for making gnome 3 work like gnome 2, they don't work exactly as gnome 2 used to, and create more of a nuisance, I have already tried my hands at it and crashed the GUI a number of times and then got mad at myself. The other option is to go for Ubuntu 10.04, it has Gnome2 and its an LTS version, so if you have got that or are planning to get it, then that's really good.
Yes, for Ubuntu users, always go for the LTS (Long Term Support) versions, means 3 years support for Desktops and 5 years for servers, and as stated in the ubuntu wiki page, starting from 12.04 it will be 5 years for both.
Once again, i am repeating this, newbies, give it some time, just don't throw in the towel. I assure you, gradually, things will become smoother and you'll surely be more geeky and nerdy than you were before.
I am not trying to spring up some new fun day or joy time at office, this is serious, and the reason is, even today, i hear people complaning about pc slow, hang issues, "the application on my pc works slow", "the database on my pc runs slow". I am not inclding Mac users in this post, as i never heard mac users with such complaints, i am talking about windows and linux users. Wherein, most windows users, stating that pc may have got affected by some virus and linux users blaming some or the other installed application or low memory or CPU for the slowness.
Startups, you can't afford these nuisances, you need to fix it. The computer is your workhorse and if there's issue with it, your employees tend to pop up with complaints every now and then.
Have a computer maintenance day, just once every 3 or 6 months, depending upon the number of complaints. don't do it on a weekday, as this will be done once in 3 or 6 months, plan and gather on a weekend or do it on friday 2nd half. The common issues, PC hang or working slow, take the basic steps, cleaning the desktop, move the files and folders to some other location. organize them properly so can be accessed when ever required. This is for both windows and Linux users.
Remove any unwanted software, especially the games which are installed by default by the OS. windows users, disable the network and run the anti-virus scan, linux users, check which application is consuming more memory, check the internet, can you tweak it or upgrade the memory.
If there are any hardware requirements, keyboard or mouse not working, replace it, CPU, motherboard or memory needs to be upgraded, or replaced, do it soon.
Surf the internet, find out the tweaks and fixes that can be applied to the applications used regularly, like the browsers, editors and email clients, so they are optimized and speeded up.
Also, the maintenance day is not only for the employees computers but also for the in house local servers. check them out, are they working fine or performing slow. The in house servers are equally important. Similiarly, check the hub and routers, especially the router for security.
This should not be a big deal. These are minor little works, that you and your team should carry out. You make the computer perform well, it automatically adds up to the productivity.
If you have some more suggestions or advice to add to this thought, please do share it in comments.
The wanna be entrepreneurs and the ones who have just started the journey, do a lot of hard work, collecting information, talking to professionals and craftsman, building, rebuilding ideas, features for the product or service they want to launch. But there's still more groundwork that's being missed.
Average burn rate?
Try meeting up with Entrepreneurs from similiar fields as yours, especially the ones who have just started a year ago, find out the annual expenditure and apart from employees salaries, electricity, internet bills and appartment or office rent, are there any other factors that add up to the cost?
Recruitment:
Is the required skilled manpower available in the region where you are planning to initiate or will you need to hire it from other states or districts? and approximate salary expectations? And what are the provisions or access they expect?
Transport and Traffic:
Find out the about the transport facilities in the location. Because this is something you'll need now or later, travelling for meetings, meetups or conferences, travelling to different states. Collect information about the air and road transport services available. It will be useful not only for you but also your employees and may be other people in quest of urgent travel to some place.
Maintain a Directory:
keep a location and phone no. list of hospitals, medical stores, Banks, ATMs, food shops, provision stores, stationery, hardware and computer shops, cab services available near the work place. Especially, startups, burning the midnight oil, keep a list of nearby medical and provision stores wich are open 24/7, and also the taxi and cab services.
Finally:
When you have cleared the first task of calculating the average burn rate, make sure you have the sufficient funds and keep analyzing the work, and make proper budgets to keep yourself safe from the financial distress.
Many successful execution officers have said that, if they had it all to do over again, the one thing they would do differently would be to align the performance reward and recognition systems with strategy execution earlier in the process. In addition to simply knowing the story of the strategy, which itself is a powerful motivational force, people like to be able to see their individual roles in making a difference. Initially, the execution officer monitors feedback from employees up and down the organization to ensure that strategic initiatives are being implemented. After a bit of time and observation, it is possible to determine whether a particular strategy is the best choice for the organization.
The mobile is taking over the usual desktops and laptops, the number of users accessing internet from cellphones is increasing. Hence, we see most of the websites, have been made compatible for the mobile or have created their own mobile app.
The common approach i found in startups, recruitment starts with looking for developers to get started with ruby, python or php, then comes in the sys admin and there starts the construction of a web app or site.
What's the idea?:
new age entrepreneurs very well know the importance of mobile, they can't ignore it. If you are just building an information website or blog, you'll just need to make it compatible for mobiles, that's not a difficult task, there are service available like mobify and dudamobile. But if you are idea is a web app, social network, news, media, saas or paas, then you clearly need a mobile app. Why am i pressing on initiating with mobile? because its more difficult than building the web app, and as an entrepreneur you know that eventually you'll have to bring your app to the mobile turf, so why not tackle the hard part first.
Planning:
Planning the UX for your mobile app will be a tough challenge, the app needs to be easy to use, soothing, and fast. Also you need to plan for all mobile platforms, particularly the 3, iphone, android and blackberry. The more platforms covered, the more will be the user base. Note, importantly, don't rush, planning the UX, Designing, Development, Database, architecture, flow, its an arduous undertaking. Go steady, set every step firm, before taking the next.
who's needed in the crew:
Now, searching for developers to work on iphone, android and backberry platforms. I never found a single guy who works or has experience of working on all 3 platforms, there's always seperate developers for each one. So, you realize, the search and recruitment will be a work at the salt mines.
mobile conquered:
When you are done with the mobile app, if you pause for a moment and think, most of the foundation, the critical and important parts, have been covered. The database, the architecture and servers, have been set. Now, planning for the web should be much easy.
As i mentioned in my previous post securing your router is really crucial, you shouldn't ignore it. Already there have been lots of cases of hacking, where the intruders hacked into the wifi perofrmed illegal activities and the innocent guy had to go through hardship. You just need to perform a few basic tweaks, and that should be sufficient.
Basics: Set a hard password:
Change the default password, leaving the router set to a default password would be the biggest mistake, you need to set a tough password, alphanumeric, you can check your password's strength at HowSecureIsMyPassword, you can get randomly generated password from Secure Password Generator and Random Password Generator. Before setting the password, note it down somewhere, as you and the other members who are on the same wifi network will need it. Suggestion, change the password once every week or atleast once every two weeks.
Change the SSID Name:
The router's SSID Name is either set to default or set to the brand name of the router. ex: 'netgear', change the default one and assign a name to it. This won't help to improve the security, but you and the other memebers will be sure of connecting to the correct network. Don't set the common names. Also Don't set your name, any contact or personal info or address as the SSID name.
Enable Encryption:
There are mutiple encryption methods available in your router's wireless settings. WEP is the basic one, but its the least secure, so avoid using it. WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2) is the most secure encryption method. In your router's configuration page, go to wireless security settings, select WPA2 security method, Enter a passphrase to access the network, again, set a tough alphanumeric passphrase, something that would be difficult to guess.
Enable MAC address filtering:
Every device, mobiles, computers and networking equipments have a unique MAC address. Make a list of all the desktops, laptops and network devices that should be allowed to connect to your wireless network, get their MAC addresses and add them to MAC address filtering in your router's administrative settings.
Decrease the Signal range:
Make sure the firware's updated:
You'll have to check your router manufacturer's website occassionally to make sure your router is running the latest updated firmware. You can find the existing firmware version in your router's dashboard.
Keep an eye on your network:
In your router's administration page, look for DHCP client's table, then go to Status, here you'll see the list of all devices connected to your network, if you find any unknown connection, block it, change the router's password immediately.
Finally:
If you and the other members are on a leave, or on weekends, when no one's coming to work, its better to switch off the router, this would save the electricity and also keep away the hackers and intruders.
If you got some more good security tips, do share it in comments.
Tweaking router to speed up the internet is a requirement not only for home users, but also for startups, there are so many startups that initiate from homes, rented rooms or small spaces, garage, basement or backyard workshop. Even if you have 3 or more people working, its better tweak a little for an optimized internet speed for every user.
Basics:
The position of the router is important, The routers run on 2.4Ghz band, if possible always mount your router on the wall higher. The router needs to kept away from electrical and electronic appliances. even your bluetooth devices can affect the router's reception, as they also work on the 2.4GHz band.
Since most of the routers work on the 2.4GHz band, there's too much crowd on that network and they start competing for reception. Many routers have an automatic setting, which detect the optimal network band (the least crowded one), but if its not, then you can test different channels by setting it in your router's settings page.
Boost your signal:
Routers have their inbuilt antenna, but i surfed on the net and found people suggest third party antennas to strengthen the router's signals. I'll suggest before investing in third party antennas, do an experiment with economical aluminium foil antenna, have a look at these videos, Parabolic Homemade Reflector and wifi signal booster. This should surely help to incease the signal strength.
Powerline Networking:
This is something i have not tried, but planning to setup one, powerline networking adapters, they work at good speed without needing lengthy cables to be wired across the rooms. they just use your in house electrical wiring to transfer the data packets and they add no cost to your electricity bill. They are real easy, just plug-and-play kind of stuff and really helpful. I won't suggest you the complete network AV kit, i found a lot of criticism and negative reviews about most of them, the basic wall-plug adapters would be enough, just go for that. anyone from the Netgear, TP-Link or Trendnet should be fine.
In your router's dashboard, you'll find status page, which shows you the list of devices connected to it. If you find intruders, unknown devices connected, change our router's password, also many routers allow to limit the number of connected devices, its better to limit.
Block unwanted sites with OpenDNS:
you can sign up for the OpenDNS Home classic, which has customizable filtering. you can block adult sites, as well as any other partcular sites that you wish to block, you can add it in the settings -> Web Content Filtering page.
Adding OpenDNS's ip addresses in the router is much simpler. If not sure, you can refer to OpenDNS Router Setup page.
ISP's provide ip address through dhcp, the ip changes whenever you disconnect/reconnect or restart your router. Managing the dynamic ip addresses in opendns is easy. Once you register and verify your account with opendns, Add a network, go to the Advanced settings -> Enable Dynamic IP upate, you can read the detail info here -> Networks with Dynamic IP addresses. Install the opendns's Dynamic IP Updater on any one of the computer in the network, make sure that computer is always on or turned on before the other computers log on to the network.
Finally:
Thats it for now on router tweaks for speed, securing the router is seriously important, you can't ignore it. i'll draft the tips and tweaks for security in my next post. If you have any suggestions, tips or tweaks for optimzing the speed, do share it in comments.
I have been reading and writing posts on startups, entrepreneurs and technology. In this post i'll share my list of top blogs for entrepreneurs, these are blogs that i follow, like a true loyal reader. I have learned a lot from them and am still learning. If you are an enthusiast, evangelist, geek or nerd of technology, startups and entrepreneurism like me, you'll surely find them awesome. The posts on these blog, make you think in novel directions and apply new approaches, and many a times, they make your brain spring up with queries, doubts and considerations.
I am not going to rank them in any order. Each one has their unique niche, views, approaches and topics, so you get a lot of learnings. without further ado, here's the list.
Signal vs Noise
ZURBlog
52 weeks of UX
Y Combinator Blog
Andrew Chen
Overdrive
QuickSprout
On Startups
Blog @ Percolate
If you are also a regular reader or know an awesome blog like one of these, do let me know.
People say, its not always possible to bootstrap a startup, because some ideas require a big amount of expenditure which the individual may not have, so eventually he'll have to step out to get funds. But i'll still say, think of bootstrapping, there are ways through which you can generate funds for your idea, that you want to work on.
When you come up with the idea, of what your startup is about, what will it produce, what do you want to achieve, you also come up with the amount of funds that your idea will require, And many a times it happens that the amount of funds you have is much less than the amount your idea demands.
The first and simple option comes to the mind, the job, if you have job, and if its a well paying job, continue with it, and start planning on savings, you may need to be a little frugal, and start speeding up the savings. because we have a time constraint. Yes, there is this important thing which will always be less, the time. You can't take too much time.
The idea that you want to innovate on, can also spring up in some other enterprise or individual's head and you may miss the opportunity.
And once they have taken over and are going good, you can then start working on your startup idea. That you really wanted to do. But also do not forget the service thats bringing in the revenue, you still need to keep an eye on it, while also focusing on your dream idea.
And i know, things here are easier said than done. Both the options, the first one, keeping up with your employment and the second, starting some service to bring in revenue, won't be easy, the second one is much more tougher, can be a backbreaker.
And, note, the time is restricted, what you dreamed of today, may already have been initiated by some one in some part of the world. Think wisely, plan well.
The good news is that you can start a business on a shoestring. You just have to know how to booststrap it. First of all, realise that you won't be able to boostrap a business that requires a lot of equipment and high startup costs. Think about your business idea, and what it entails. If you are operating on a very small budget, you will need a business idea that has relatively low costs.
personal data is now becoming an economic asset class. It has, and people are going to manage it as thoughtfully, if not more thoughtfully, as they manage their money. When you look at the financial world, it’s everything from insurance to financial managers to banks. I think you’re going to see analogs across the board with businesses merging around data. This is not a trend that is going to be here for a while and then go. Data is just going to continue to grow, and the need to have all of these different kinds of businesses, including some that are entirely unexpected and we’ve never thought of.
I am not sure if this is correct, but what i find is most of the entrepreneurs are very much similiar to day dreamers. Everytime something comes to their view and they start developing ideas, and even start planning, for a day dreamer, he just dreams, feels good about it and forgets. But for an entrepreneur, it creates a sense of urgency, it seems, his brain cells have started moving at a much faster rate. And whats happening is you are actually pressurizing your brain, initiating stress, and for some reason if things get delayed, it leads to more stress.
You need to keep your mind empty. Once an idea pops up in your head, write it down on a paper, immediately. I still use pen and paper, for writing my tasks, to-dos, and ideas. Its not a compulsion, not everybody carries a pen and paper everywhere. But you may have some nice little note taking app on your android or iphone, get used to it. And whenever ideas and plans spring up, write it down. This actually helps release a lot of pressure, that you initiated on your brain. let him be empty, let him be relaxed, he already has a lot of information stored, and is continuing it further.
I have an android phone, so, if i don't have pen and paper around with me, which happens most of the time while travelling, i use the notes app, its extremely simple. I know, there are other popular apps as well, like Evernote and Catch Notes, If you are used to something like these, thats awesome. Its much more productive. I do love wunderlist, the interface is much user-friendly and soothing, its a task manager app, earlier, i did used to write all my tasks, to-dos, ideas, plans in it. But i found the notes app much lighter, and did the only simple thing i needed, Write-Edit-Delete, thats it, i didn't require the extra features, that came with wunderlist and the other similiar apps.
If there's something important, and i need to set a reminder to myself for a task, i use the phone's inbuilt calendar, it does the job pretty well.
What do, you use? If you got some good alternative for catching down ideas, plans and notes or an app on your android or iphone, share it, share your experience and learnings. help, make productivity simple and better.
This post is not about Spain winning the Euro Cup, Its about an Entrepreneur, Vihang, whom i know personally and someone who i look up to. He withstood the most difficult obstacles while running a startup, And most of the startups would surely throw in the towel if faced with nuisances that he went through.
what if you start a startup and the first couple of employees that you hire, well experienced, to whom you pay a good amount of salary, do nothing but just pass the time, surfing social networks and watching tubes. And whenever asked about work progress, they have their excuses well prepared.
I know your answer, but Vihang is benevolent, he was bitten by the same humanitarian bug who bit Norman Borlaug and Gordon Moore. so he kept on with his struggle to make things better and giving away space and time for the new recruits to improve.
To bring in progress to the work, he recruited two more developers, a newbie, for whom it was her first job and a sys admin, who was also new to the programming world and always a devil's advocate. The new recruits did put in their efforts to meet up with Vihang's expectations and get the project completed, But as they were just learners, the code was not good, not optimized, not meeting with the standard's that Vihang expected.
soon, transitions started taking place, the old recruits quit, a few months later the hard working newbie left to join his Dad's commerce. Even the sys admin started crying and asked, that even he wanted to quit. But Vihang kept his cool, helped him out, made him understand, gave him new opportunities to learn and explore. So, the newbie and sys admin remained. a month later a new guy was recruited, this time a good experienced guy, at whom everyone hoped, that he would bring in knowledge and learnings and also add to the progress of the work. But things proved false, the experience was mere theoretical rather than being practical.
Again, days passing by, ideas kept coming in, some failed, some did not came out as expected, some got took over by other new ideas. demotivation flu kept increasing, the sys admin again started asking for quit. Vihang keeping his cool, explained the positive possibilities and opportunities that would come in. Vihang, is a true mentor, a leader every team should have, never looses his cool and filled with enthusiasm and belief in the possibility of his innovative ideas.
Suddenly one day, Vihang came up with a new project idea, an excel data aggregation app, completely novel, and innovative, not yet seen in the software market. And this time, Vihang took things in his own hand, No matter what happened, no matter if the other guys in team were not giving the results as expected, but he was sure, he'll not let this one fail. More than dedicated, he devoted himself to this new project.
Day in day out, the work started, the architecture of the app, the database, the database structure, the design, the ux, the initiation of the app, the optimizations, the new modifications to make it better. With the only 3 guys in the team, Vihang made it. But this was not enough, now comes the more tougher part.
The presentations, the marketing, pitching, meeting the enterprises, meeting the VC's, and soon the dream came positive. A well established firm from South East Asia, from a land which is one of the Four Asian Tigers, loved the idea so much, they acquired the idea and offered Vihang to join them as soon as possible.
Now they are planning to take that little data minning idea, to the next level, and i assure you, soon you'll be hearing something new and completely innovative in the world of Big data and its Big science.
This is the story of one spartan spirited entrepreneur, who despite of so much negativity and demotivation in the team, had the will to make an achievement, and not getting blocked or stopped by any cry babies or devil's advocate.
Learned lessons from this startup, and thats why in my previous blog post 'Startups: Build a Culture', i pressed on building a good team and taking strict decissions if required.
