Let's set the record straight. :) We have no VC... and we actually ---- honest and true ---- have never sought any or 'wanted' any. (And, in turn, we've never been offered any. :) )

About a week or two after the idea for what-customers-say.com was 'born', we watched a presentation (I can't find it anymore) by one of the founders of 37signals... whom we absolutely love. In that presentation, David Heinemeier Hansson gave some sage advice: Start ups shouldn't be building with the hopes of:

1) getting VCs to put up millions, or
2) selling out to the Googles and Amazons of the world

Instead, we should focus on doing what we really love doing.

And that's what we at www.what-customers-say.com is doing and will continue to do. :)

So what? Why am I bringing this up now?
Well, during our day jobs today, we attended a company-wide meeting in which there was a brief discussion about start ups. The idea is for big companies to think like a start up... which is great for the four of us who've started WCS.com. :)

Someone mentioned that start ups don't take a lot of money to get their product out the door. Truer words have never been spoken.

So, proudly and without further ado, here's what we've spent so far on www.What-Customers-Say.com:

• Logo - $300
• Designer - $1500
• Starbucks and Tim Hortons coffees - $50 (give or take)
• Breakfast to celebrate launch - $19
• Hosting - $60 (I think)

Grand total is under $2000. When you factor in the hours, however... um, we've spent a helluvalot more than that. :)

Best of luck, all you start ups.......

Joanna of www.What-Customers-Say.com

There is a set of interrelated concepts I’m fond of reminding entrepreneurs about but I’ve never found a really good way to summarize them into a sentence that conveys the right meaning and tone. Here are various renditions:

* Be different, not best
* Do less, not more
* Go around a wall, not through it
* It is better to figure out how not to have to solve a problem as opposed to having to solve the problem.

A while back I was talking to my friends at Kaltura about this and CEO Ron Yekutiel told me about a saying he’d heard about the difference between smart and wise people.

The difference between a smart person and a wise person is that a wise person knows how not to get into situations that a smart person knows how to get out of.

Einer dieser Kunden ist die PhysioKlinik im Aitrachtal. Nachdem wir deren Website aufpoliert und einige Kommunikationsmittel überarbeitet haben, durften wir in den vergangenen Wochen die Werbeanzeigen für das in die Klinik integrierte Fortbildungsinstitut überarbeiten.

Zu sehen sein werden die Anzeigen u.a. im Deutschen Ärzteblatt, dem mit fast einer halben Million Lesern wohl reichweitenstärksten Magazin im Pharmasektor.

Doch damit ist die Zusammenarbeit noch nicht beendet: Im Moment arbeiten wir an neuen Visitenkarten und einer Fahrzeugbeschriftung für das Unternehmen.

Wir freuen uns schon auf die nächste Herausforderung!

Ihr

Johannes Lehner

Escuto muito sobre "dificuldade para se conseguir dinheiro" de um lado e a "a falta de planos de negócio de qualidade" do outro. Não discordo que a “cultura de negócios” ainda é incipiente no nosso país, e que isso dificulta a elaboração de planos de negócios com sólida base financeira, mercadológica e estratégica, mas não acredito que falte dinheiro para ser investido em empresas nascentes com foco em inovação. O que acho que falta é um método de alocação de recursos realista e adaptado à nossa realidade.

Desconsiderando os planos de negócios que simplesmente não atingiram um patamar de qualidade aceitável do ponto de vista do investidor, e supondo que há sim capital disponível, o que tenho visto é uma “bateção” de cabeça que talvez seja desnecessária.

Na última semana aconteceu a final do 3º Desafio GV-INTEL. Esta competição de planos de negócios, da qual participei na sua segunda edição e que foi tema freqüente na fase 1 desse blog, traz estudantes (de graduação e pós-graduação) de todo o Brasil com um sonho de empreender. Conversando e ouvindo relatos percebi um ciclo:

1.    Investidores não gostam de planos pouco ambiciosos (um projeto que vise, a longo prazo, atacar somente um nicho no mercado nacional, por exemplo);

2.    Os empreendedores que sacam isso constroem planos agressivos;

3.    Estes projetos com visões muito ambiciosas, e conseqüentemente com necessidades de investimento muito altas, são vistos com desconfiança pelos investidores;

4.    Os empreendedores reformulam seus planos, diminuindo o escopo do projeto e o montante exigido.

Este ciclo vai se repetindo. Conheço empreendedores que estão lutando com esse dilema. Inicialmente apresentam seus projetos aos fundos mas recebem um “não” por se tratar de um plano que necessita de pouco investimento (“Não fazemos investimentos de R$100 mil reais... isso não dá retorno”). Reformulam o trabalho, visando objetivos mais grandiosos e, quando retornam, recebem outro não pois deixar R$2 milhões nas mãos de garotos é insanidade, certo?

Bom, ainda não tenho uma base teórica muito forte nem experiência profissional muito grande para afirmar com certeza que identifiquei um problema, mas acho que um fator que atrapalha o bom funcionamento dessa indústria no Brasil é a tentativa de importar para o país um modelo americano de capital empreendedor.

É praxe, em economia e administração, importar teorias de países desenvolvidos para países em desenvolvimento, com freqüentes desastres (esse assunto daria um outro post gigante). Conforme o tempo passa chega-se a conclusão de que é preciso adaptar estas teorias e práticas à realidade local. Não somos tão globalizados e parecidos (americanizados) quanto pensamos.

O que eu proponho é uma adaptação desse modelo de venture capital americano usando como guia o que foi feito (com grande sucesso) no sistema financeiro para classes menos favorecidas em países em desenvolvimento (com destaque para a Índia).

Lá, por falta dos fatores necessários (infra-estrutura, mercado consumidor, análises de crédito etc.) o mercado financeiro tradicional não funcionou. O que funcionou (e muito bem)? Microfinanças. Uma adaptação do que já existia para a realidade local e a necessidade dos agentes envolvidos.

Se é extremamente arriscado dar um empréstimo de US$1.000 para uma criadora de gado a melhor solução é negar esse capital a ela? Não. Dê empréstimos menores, de US$50, US$100 com pagamentos realizados em um curto espaço de tempo (ao invés de empréstimos com 1 ano, 2 anos de duração, empréstimos com uma, duas semanas de prazo).

Isso dá ao investidor maior segurança, uma vez que ele diminui seu risco, e por outro lado insere esse microempreendedor no sistema. Além de, obviamente, aumentar o número de investimentos que um único investidor pode realizar.

Essa exclusão do mercado financeiro não lembra o que acontece com muitos empreendedores no Brasil? Não acho que estejam completamente errados ao dizer que falta capital... O capital está lá, só não chega nas suas mãos.

Então que tal aplicar um modelo de microfinanças para o capital empreendedor (capital de risco, se preferirem) no Brasil?

•    Investimentos menores, (R$50mil a R$200 mil reais);

•    Ciclos de investimentos mais curtos, com metas mais claras (desenvolvimento de protótipos, lançamento de versões beta, conquista dos primeiros 1.000 clientes, etc.);

•    Múltiplas rodadas de investimentos (quantas empresas brasileiras você conhece que receberam mais de 3 rodadas de investimento de capital empreendedor?).

Alguns podem dizer que este é o papel dos investidores anjo, mas eu discordo pois aqui no Brasil ainda não temos anjos suficientes que dêem conta da demanda de capital. O que temos é um grande número de fundos de PE/VC que querem investir mas não encontram projetos que adéqüem às suas expectativas. O que precisa mudar, então, é o alinhamento destas expectativas.

Empreendedores precisam preparar projetos visando múltiplas rodadas de investimento (definir metas e objetivos concretos para o curto/médio prazo) e os investidores, por sua vez, precisam abraçar planos cujas necessidades de investimento são menores.

Talvez esta não seja a solução, confesso que não dediquei muito tempo para refinar a idéia, mas é um modelo que está martelando na minha cabeça e gostaria de discuti-lo com pessoas mais experientes e preparadas do que eu.

Much like Wordpress, Zimplit (making it zimple) has come out with a magnificent tool which allows users to build a website with extreme ease. With great customizability features built in, now anyone can change the look of their site in a flash.

Zimplit says that "It’s simpler than any content management system you’ve seen before", and I agree. This is even easier than wordpress. What Zimplit lacks is in depth customization but if your half decent with CSS and HTML than you'll find yourself a great design.

In comparison to Wordpress, Zimplit does not feature a admin area instead it has a on-site built in editing tool. Oh and did I mention it's completely free.

As you join a start up company expect this things:

1) Read read read read and study study study study......unending reading of books.....Actually its from this company that I've learned to read religiously. I hate books wayback college.

2) Setting up alot of configurations in the company. Of course its a start up company its you who will do the configurations unlike from an established company where everything is up running. I learned to configure CVS server, NFS server and client, and still bringing up our email server and alot of stuffs. Its really a challenge and opportunity to have this things done by you.

3) Expect to have slip time 3-4 hours, you're already lucky to have 5 hrs nap. I'd already experienced having only 2  hrs nap 7 days straight .

4)  You will have a strong bondings with your colleage and your boss. Essence of teamwork will greatly valued.

5) Expect alot of frustration. You can't be a part of a start up company if your weak.

6) You will learn to manage time (hehe hopefully I can now manage).

To sum things up, your work experience will boost up once you work with a start up company.

But working in a startup company is not easy and uncertain c0z the life of the company lies in your hand. If your only goal to work for a startup company is for the salary then its a waste of time working. Behind all this things, there must be passion in everything you do.

He'd sat out one buyout from his employer, the St. Paul Pioneer Press. But he'd been assigned to cover suburbs after a decade spent covering the arts.

"I was out to lunch with former colleague, and I said 'If they offer another buyout, I’m leaving, ' ” Peiken recalled. Three hours later, the company announced another buyout. This time, he signed the papers.

That was in July, 2007, a little more than a year ago. Now Peiken is about three weeks away from launching 3minuteegg.org,  a website showcasing the arts community in St. Paul. Peiken plans to post new videos and podcasts daily. He claims he's scooping both the mainstream and alternative media by offering a unique venue for arts-related news.

"I know my town, I know this community," he said. "I can out hustle and out beat any other journalist.

I found Peiken through the discussion board at "Newspaper Escape Plan," the facebook.com group that inspired this blog. His posting "Go Independent"(you might need to join facebook to read the thread) was passionate and intriguing. Peiken claimed he had gone beyond freelancing into "entrepreneurship."

I balked at that one. As far as I'm concerned, freelancing is running a business.  After talking to him, though, I understood his distinction.

As a freelancer, I cede final control of my copy to the editors who buy it. But Peiken is creator and publisher, the ultimate one-man band.

It also means he's responsible for everything.  He looked at the business model of public broadcasting and decided to form a non-profit, so he can get funding from grants, donations and sponsors.  Financing came courtesy of his 401-K, he said. In order to succeed, 3minuteegg.org has to become a destination for a fair amount of  visitors.

"If I can get 3,000 regular subscribers, I become a viable entity to a sponsor. It's a matter of coming up something that's interesting to a local audience," he said.

He admits he's taking a risk. But experts say such a willingness is common to many successful entrepreneurs. Peiken also exhibits another necessary characteristic: he's willing to fail.

"And the worst that can happen?" he wrote on on facebook.com. "I go back to the job world -- much more marketable than when I left it."

That frame of mind recalls advice I'd heard from Joe Grimm, who writes the "Ask the Recruiter" column for www.poynter.org.  Learn to think in terms of projects, not 30-year plans, Grimm told a gathering of mid-career journalists.

If we follow Grimm's advice - and Peiken's example - we'll always be looking for the next opportunity. We'll  act as if every job is ours for a season, not a lifetime.

The woes of a start up begin at validating the Idea and understanding its potential. Many start-ups, being driven by young and aspirant minds, are wedded to their ideas and tend to justify the chinks rather than re-design. These start-ups do not have the resources to conduct primary research to validate their ideas. So it is very important for them to get third person perspectives from experienced corners to validate and get reassured of their ideas.

A successful start-up has a dedicated, passionate yet level headed, core entrepreneurial team that leads from the front. These teams, despite being high potential teams, tend to be a bunch of 'everyone does everything' type wanderers due to lack of proper delegation of responsibility and a strong organizational design. When these bunch of people come together and set out with big dreams, they need mentoring and hand holding to channelize their energies better and achieve more with less.

Business plan development has been as area where start-ups often falter. Some reading on the internet will not guide a start-up enough to develop a business plan. Start-ups are usually lost, not knowing what are the areas that require planning right at the start, and how forward they should look. They need strong experienced hands to guide them with planning to execute an idea that has immense potential.

Funding has been an area of concern for most start-ups. Cribbing about getting funds consumes more time than actual work for many start-ups. Many a time it is not the eco-system to be blamed, but the start-ups themselves. The start-ups don't know whom to approach, with what and how. They are wedded to their ideas so much, that they feel complacent that the universe is waiting to buy their idea and all those who have rejected them are missing out on opportunities. In a way they may be right about it, with the given potential of their ideas. What usually lacks is content in the pitch these start-ups make to their investors. Many start-ups need guidance in making the right pitch to their investors, by incorporating the right elements about return and exit.

Start-ups get overwhelmed by the fact of doing business and tend to neglect aspects of infrastructure planning. They tend to overspend on unnecessary luxuries and undermine certain important items, purely because of lack of experience and poor planning. Start-ups do not think through sufficiently about this important aspect, but it can make or break.

Dealing with the government is not an easy job. Mere idea and its potential do not ensure a market entry. There are usually a slew of regulatory compliances to be obtained before the start itself. Mere complying with some laws at start is not enough, but they need to carefully monitor the effect of these compliances. Start-ups need support to understand and comply with least damage to business. There are many schemes that govt. announces for the benefit of start-ups, which they are unaware of.

Many start-ups feel that defining policies at the start curbs their business and it is an unnecessary exercise. But it is very important for start-ups to make the organization as people independent as possible. Start-ups are highly people dependent, and loss of small resource can lead to major vacuum in Start-ups. As far as possible some important policies must be laid down to free the business of individuals and protect them against their first clients. Sticking to certain pre-defined policies can protect small companies from being overrun or cheated by their first few big clients.

Branding the services or products and defining a go to market strategy is a big challenge for start-ups. Defining the 4Ps for a start-up is a major task. Defining a target group, where and when to launch, what price to quote, and how to market the product is an uphill, stammering task for start-ups. Many start-ups lack managerial expertise and experience to be confident about the definition of the 4Ps.

Today technology is such an enabler for businesses! In the context of start-ups, implementing the right technology as part of the journey to build flesh in the business can enhance the organization's growth. Investing in the right technology is a critical decision many start-ups will have to take.

Plans are made with certain factors in mind. Direction is chosen initially with certain focus, and these plans are implemented diligently and passionately. But many start-ups fail to audit their performance as diligently as implementation. Start-ups begin to justify their failure rather than taking corrective action. This at times can lead to the fall of the organization.

The standout of the success of a start-up is to wage through the problems effectively and capture market.

Ce stage, dont la durée est à négocier, est prévu a priori pour le deuxième semestre 2008-2009 et sera rémunéré 800€ bruts/mois + primes et pourra déboucher sur un doctorat avec bourse CIFRE.

Compétences et parcours

Le candidat doit être étudiant de Master 2 (professionnel ou recherche) en Informatique et doit s'intéresser à la notion de machines virtuelles pour langages sûrs. De plus, le candidat devra avoir des connaissances dans au moins l'un des domaines suivants :

• machines virtuelles
• programmation fonctionnelle
• systèmes d'exploitation
• modèles à base de messages
• compilation
• sémantique du parallélisme.

Le candidat doit avoir le droit de travailler en France et sera affecté principalement à l'antenne de Bourges du Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale d'Orléans, avec des déplacements occasionnels vers le site de R&D de MLState, au centre de Paris. La tâche première du candidat concernera la définition et l'implantation d'un modèle d'exécution parallèle simple à base de canaux. L'objectif final de ce stage est le développement d'un mini-système d'exploitation/machine virtuelle certifié, totalement isolé du système d'exploitation principal et dédié à l'exécution de programmes écrits dans le langage développé par MLState.

Pour candidater

Pour candidater, nous vous invitons à envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation, par courrier physique ou électronique, à Henri Binsztok et David Teller. Si possible, joignez un échantillon de vos travaux scientifiques ou/et techniques.

À propos de MLState

Fondée à Paris en 2007 par Henri Binsztok, enseignant aux Universités Paris 6 & 7, MLState développe un nouveau langage pour la création d'applications web. Ce langage, sur une base fonctionnelle à algèbre réduite, ouvre des perspectives nouvelles en termes de prouvabilité, calcul distribué et intégration aux bases de données. MLState a reçu, à ce titre, le Prix du Concours national d'aide à la création de technologies innovantes. À côté de développements pour des clients, MLState fournit un effort important de recherche pour enrichir son offre technologique intégrée.

À propos de SDS

L'équipe SDS du Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale d'Orléans, basée à l'École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Bourges, mène des recherches sur la sécurisation des systèmes d'exploitation localisés et distristribués face aux intrusions et aux logiciels piégés ou bogués. En premier lieu, les travaux de l'équipe se concentrent sur la notion de politiques de sécurité, depuis l'extraction statique ou dynamique de ces politiques depuis les applications jusqu'à la vérification de haut niveau des propriétés effectivement garanties par les politiques ou la conception d'un langage de programmation pour le co-développement de logiciels et de politiques.

First, try rebooting your machine. If that doesn't "cure" it, keep reading.

Causes: causes for this particular error message may be hardware-related: a failed or failing motherboard, or failing (or over-heating) CPU, or it may be related to a corrupted BIOS. Since the hardware issues most likely will require replacement parts and/or a trip to the shop, lets first tackle the BIOS possibility.

What is a “BIOS”? Your computer’s BIOS is a very basic set of instructions that tells your machine where to look for a keyboard and mouse and an operating system. It runs when your machine is first powered on. To make changes in the BIOS, you’re going to interrupt the boot process before Windows loads, so you need to use a keyboard that is plugged into the PS/2 port on the back of the machine, and not a wireless one. 

1) Reboot your machine, and get ready to act quickly. Very early you will see a little bit of text that says, “hit F2* to enter setup.” (*Different manufacturers use different keys-- F2 is the most common, but it may be the Esc key, Del, or F10. Refer to your computer builder's website if you cannot determine which key to press.) Rapidly hit the suggested key several times, and enter “Setup” — this is your BIOS control panel.

2) Look to the bottom of the screen for Setup's menu choices. Now look for the Function Key choice that will reset the BIOS to its default configuration. This is frequently the F5 key, but it may be F6.. In the screenshot above, look to the lower right: for this BIOS, it is F5 we want. "Setup Defaults".

3) Save and Exit the Setup utility, and reboot. (In the sample BIOS, that's the F10 key. But you may have to hit Esc, an then answer "Yes" to the Save? question. It varies.)

If resetting the BIOS to its defaults does not restore Windows functionality, I recommend you take your machine in to a qualified tech who can determine the hardware issues.
If it did restore it, you want to ask yourself what caused the BIOS corruption? Usually the answer is a recently installed program, or malware-- be sure to run an antivirus scan.

Today's free link: DriverScanner from Uniblue. Scan, backup, and Update your PC's drivers. Folks-- I have only just now used this new tool. I learned of it from Bill Mullins, who is as reliable a source as I have ever run across. To read his review, click here. This is a 30-day free trial, which normally would disqualify it from being posted here, but I am impressed enough to make this one-time exception.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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What a contradiction you get to see when you speak to consultants and high-flying business leaders about strategic aspects of their business. This is my effort to find that unique mantra of simple strategy which can turn a start-up to a global business and just a name into a brand.

This blog is a long time thought finally turning into reality. All these years, I have seen people writing blogs. I have read some of them and have found incredible variety of information - some really crappy and some I would actually pay for.

But I never thought this day would come when I would be writing my own very first blog post. I guess this day is, in a small way, a culmination of a lot things. My professional experience, knowledge (and lack of it), joy of fulfillment and frustration of failures have all come together. However, the only objective with which I am going to write this blog is to share my experience as an employee, an employer, a strategist, an executioner and, above all, an entrepreneur.

In my everyday life, I see so many opportunities - some taken and some lost, to improve the performance of people and organizations. There no dearth of ideas or thinking. What is missing, is the willingness, dedication and belief to implement/execute those ideas and thoughts.

While talking to my former boss this evening about a potential career advancement opportunity, I realized how easy it is to remain content with thinking and planning, thus, lose the great benefits waiting at the end of the long implementation tunnel.

So, this is the solo beginning. This blog will contain stories of how everyday life observations reveal great secrets of strategic brand building, customer relationships, business development and, above all, sense of accomplishment.

At the same time, I will also share some non-business aspects of living the city of lights - Paris.

Bon lecture !

Umesh

Ce poste est un CDD de 18 mois, rémunéré 32k€ (brut annuel) avec de fortes perspectives de CDI si désiré. Le poste est disponible à partir d'octobre 2008.

Compétences et parcours

Le candidat doit pouvoir justifier d'un doctorat en informatique et doit s'intéresser à la vérification statique de propriétés de sécurité. De plus, le candidat doit avoir des connaissances dans au moins un des domaines suivants :

• programmation fonctionnelle
• théorie des types
• réécriture
• compilation
• fondements théoriques du parallélisme
• analyse statique
• sécurité des programmes.

Le candidat doit avoir le droit de travailler en France et sera affecté principalement sur le site de R&D de MLState, avec des déplacements prévus au Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale d'Orléans. La tâche première du candidat concernera la définition et l'implantation d'un langage de requêtes de données comparable à SQL. L'objectif final de ce post-doctorat est le développement d'un compilateur certificateur optimisé pour l'exécution distribuée de requêtes de données, pour utilisation dans une plate-forme web certifiée.

Pour candidater

Pour candidater, nous vous invitons à envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation, par courrier physique ou électronique, à Henri Binsztok et David Teller. Si possible, joignez un échantillon de vos travaux scientifiques ou/et techniques.

À propos de MLState

Fondée à Paris en 2007 par Henri Binsztok, enseignant aux Universités Paris 6 & 7, MLState développe un nouveau langage pour la création d'applications web. Ce langage, sur une base fonctionnelle à algèbre réduite, ouvre des perspectives nouvelles en termes de prouvabilité, calcul distribué et intégration aux bases de données. MLState a reçu, à ce titre, le Prix du Concours national d'aide à la création de technologies innovantes. À côté de développements pour des clients, MLState fournit un effort important de recherche pour enrichir son offre technologique intégrée.

À propos de SDS

L'équipe SDS du Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale d'Orléans, basée à l'École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Bourges, mène des recherches sur la sécurisation des systèmes d'exploitation localisés et distristribués face aux intrusions et aux logiciels piégés ou bogués. En premier lieu, les travaux de l'équipe se concentrent sur la notion de politiques de sécurité, depuis l'extraction statique ou dynamique de ces politiques depuis les applications jusqu'à la vérification de haut niveau des propriétés effectivement garanties par les politiques ou la conception d'un langage de programmation pour le co-développement de logiciels et de politiques.

Maybe we should learn the difference between the Latin persona no grata, and gratis.