Start Up Blog

While watching entrepreneurs pitch their business earlier this week at the Pitch Club in Melbourne Australia, and colleague and I were disappointed at what some people believe to be innovation.

Shannon from Shannon says and I agreed that what many people call innovation is simply – different.

Here’s a clear delineation of the two which is a startup blog mashup of multiple dictionary definitions.

Different: unlike in form, quality, amount, or nature. Distinct or separate. Unusual or differing from others.

Innovation: a creation, new device or process. The result of study and or experimentation which improves the desired outcome / usage of said device, process or creation.

Sometimes we only need to understand the true meaning of our words to determine if we are ‘on track’.

Larry Page said:

There is a phrase I learned in College called ‘having a healthy disregard for the impossible’. That is a really good phrase. You should try and do things that most people would not.

          ….squint to see Larry….

Chances are we’ll still fail to do the impossible most times.

If we don’t try we are certain to fail every time.

This is some, not all…. but all follow the path. Feel free to add ‘some’

What path is your start up on? The slow path or the fast path?

*reader warning. (none of the above refers to doing reacting slowly in your startup. Just the ’real’ trend of getting our lives back)

This is where we work…

As a follow up to my office space blog entry here’s a web site that can do a far better job of displaying cool offices than I can. aintnodisco.com

Click to check it out.

Start up blog mantra:

Delay expenditure

Bring forward investments

Know the difference between the two. If unsure, ask.

Which space would we rather work in?

 This..    

or these?

* click to enlarge

(the leggo dudes don’t look very happy to me) 

Sure some of these spaces are less efficient (read cost more). But it doesn’t have to be that way…. in any case, how cost efficient is an uninspired and bored workforce whose only thought is getting to the punch clock on time?

When our startups leave the kitchen, it doesn’t mean we need to act like the company we left.

…a company that cares more about its ‘consumers’ than its shareholders?

I think we all start with this in mind, and then at the point of success it starts to get off track somewhere.

Can anyone name one?

HEMA is a Dutch department store. The first store opened on November 4, 1926, in Amsterdam.

Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands. HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany.

Take a look at HEMA’s product page (switch sound on first).

You can’t order anything and it’s in Dutch but just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens.

Click here to see it.

Click on ‘nog een keer’ to replay, it’s worth a second look…

Startups - get Wow !

Cold Calling - is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur. A skill which is game winning.* Don’t believe what you’ve heard, the truth is very few businesses can grow without getting on the phone.

* We’re not talking about selling insurance to unsolicited numbers…no.

We’re talking about contacting people in our world, our place of business, our industry, our corner of technology. Contacting people where a relationship could be valuable to both parties. We’re not selling either, we’re collaborating. But have no doubt, we are still cold calling.  

Create a file in your email folder. Title it ‘encouragement’

For the occasions when you get inspired, thanked or congratulated. Keep it. File it. Refer to it.

Delete the insults.