SmallBusinessNewz

Student Entrepreneurs - Pay Attention

I did the opening presentation at MIT's Underground 2008 event  for student entrepreneurs. My hat's off to Albert Park and his colleagues for organizing a great event. We need more of this kind of stuff in the Boston/Cambridge area to bring student entrepreneurs together with others.

Startup Marketing Web Metrics at Web 2.0 Expo

The second workshop of the day at Web 2.o Expo, “Startup Metrics 101: Product & Marketing Workshop” provided attendees a glimpse into the vast depth of knowledge from Dave McClure of 500 Hats who offered some pirate speak, “AARRR” to help delegates remember his model for building web businesses. Hiten Shah of CrazyEgg and KISSmetrics provided practical examples and Vanessa Fox of Ignition Partners and Nine By Blue offered a combination of SEO centric tips, analytics and examples.

The Best Places To Start a Business

Fortune Small Business has put together a detailed list (complete with descriptions, pros and cons) of the 100 best cities in the United States to live and launch a small business.

Uncommon Questions For A Startup

Venture capitalists have a hard job.  The good ones have to pick a small number of investments from a large pool of opportunities, often with minimal "data".  If I were a VC, I'd  look at a lot of the things that VCs look at today and ask some of the same questions.  What's the market opportunity?  Who's on the team?  What do you think your sustainable competitive advantage is, or will be? 

Speaking of Small Business Contests...

It's funny that I was just talking about running contests earlier today, because now I have stumbled across the news that podcast Startup BizCast is running one in honor of Small Business Week (April 21st - 25th).

The Early Days of Startups

My favorite stage of a startup is the early, early days. This is when things are the most chaotic, resources are limited and the team is small enough to fit a single car. I've been thinking about the early days of the startups I've been involved in and put together some quick (and practical) tips on these early days. Tips For Startups:  The Early, Early Days 1.  You don't need office space:  Plenty of startups do just fine working out of a basement or spare bedroom.

An Event for Those Looking to Start a Business

FranchisEsource Brands International is sponsoring an event called the "Entering into Business Ownership in Today's Changing Economy" seminar. They are calling the seminar to be held on March 26th, "a two hour, action packed, interactive workshop developed for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to explore alternatives to the traditional job market".

Factors of Startup Success

Take a Good Look at Your Startup Description

I'm subscribed to a Yahoo! group that occasionally gets a post from recruiters looking for candidates for startups. Though I don't enjoy these posts (they're not relevant for me), I understand that recruiters have a place in the market too and they're just trying to do their jobs.

Microsoft's Small Business Summit on the Way

Microsoft’s Small Business Summit 2008 is coming and it is free to attend, and best of all no travel arrangements are needed! It is being broadcast via a live streaming webcast March 24-27 starting at 12:00pm EDT. Segments Include: Day 1 – Sales and Marketing