create consumers before you search for customers

Normally I don't write blog posts during "business hours", blogging isn't in my job description and this is a personal forum. I usually wait until the evenings or weekends which probably explains why I don't write as often as I might intend to. Sometimes however something crosses my inbox that makes me drop what I'm doing and start typing.

via @andrewchen

Andrew Chen always has great blog posts, but today's post really hit me. His point, that spending valuable startup time (meetings, planning, engineering sprints, etc) focusing on the business model too early is the exact wrong thing to do.

Some people might label this as more "get big fast" thinking, a holdover from different startup bubbles where the issues of revenue were given a back seat to branding and promotion. It's not. The most important thing a company can do is find a way to engage millions of consumers before it tries to turn any of those people into customers (if it ever does).

That's not to say that all businesses should be B2C, but instead that creating a product which delights and engages your users (whether they be CIOs or 11 year olds) is the most important thing a startup can do. Nothing else matters in the first weeks, months and potentially year (or more) of it's existence. Defining what problem you want to solve and getting your product out into the market where real users can give you immediate feedback is far more important than figuring out pricing models or ad rates. Rapidly innovating based on market feedback faster than your competition is more important than any quarterly revenue number.

This point echos a quote from Chris Dixon that I posted to Clipboard today. The most valuable thing a startup can do is create a great experience. Competing on price is a waste of time when it's too easy for your competitors (current or future) to move to free products. Focusing on sales channels and revenue are misguided if your product doesn't excite people.

Utility will only get you so far in a world where people demand simplicity.

Andrew mentions that we live in a world where getting to 100 million users is realistic for a lot of products. For years that wasn't the case, though I have been lucky enough to do it twice (as part of the Windows 95 team and later as head of the RealPlayer group at RealNetworks). You don't need to be an operating system, a browser or a media player utility to hit the magic 100 million user mark. I joined Korrio because we have the opportunity to do it.

Getting to scale where the business model issues become secondary, or even trivial, is the challenge now, which make it a great time to build new products.

multiscreen mania

 

 

 

via Ad Week

When was the last time you watched TV without a smartphone or tablet at your side?

urban walkability: the new driver in real estate values

Urban walkability: the new driver in real estate values | Crosscut.com

I know that while I have lived in isolated subdivisions in the past, I've developed a real appreciation for how important it is to be able to walk to work, entertainment, dining and shopping.

Ironically I developed it while living in Los Angeles.

a friday facebook fozzie funny

 

Did you buy any shares today?

your soccer blooper of the day #gif

 

kids don't try this at home

sports and social media #infographic

via KT Tape

Korrio is seeing this same passion for professional sports and social media with youth sports. Social media is where fans can give voice to their passion.

go outside and play

While we didn't "ruin" our product at Korrio, it's easy to fall into this trap. When you have people with a lot of experience in a space as we do there are times when you rely on their experience instead of going straight to "real world" users. Without that feedback features that seem insignificant internally are absolutely requirements externally, and the "big ticket" features you expect customers to get excited about end up as the ones with the least interest to them.

So get up, get out and meet some real customers. Don't rely on the internal voices (within your company or in your head) to tell you everything.

kauffman index

Good to see Kentucky ranked in the top category (with states like California) for entrepreneurial activity, but surprised to see activity decline in Washington State.

via kauffman.org

my god, it's full of stars

via zenpencils.com

Startup of the Week: Korrio

TechFlash just did a quick Q&A with Korrio's CEO Steve Goldman. Take a look here or here!

the many faces of innovation #infographic

From the SocialCast blog last November, but still worth seeing and always remembering. Hard to see the world in new and innovative ways when you're building new products when everyone around you looks like you, has had the same experiences and thinks in the same way.

You are not your customer.

via socialcast