Wait – A Closed Environment Isn’t the Be All End All? Today’s announcement that AOL will be improving its web-based email access for members and opening a free version of the service for non-members in 2005 is a quiet cry of “uncle.” What’s amazing isn’t the announcement so much as how long it took for AOL to get there. What will this do to the email landscape? Not much, in my view. It’s too little, too late, to mean much of anything.
Archives / December, 2004
How to Negotiate a Term Sheet with a VC, Part II
How to Negotiate a Term Sheet with a VC, Part II The original posting (probably one of my top two or three in terms of comments and trackbacks) talked about HOW to negotiate a term sheet with a VC. I just received a question from a reader today about WHEN to start looking for VC money. The answer, of course, depends on your stage of business. The general rule is that the best time to start looking for money is when you don’t need it — but not so early that a potential investor can watch your business closely for too long a period of time before the deal (since all startups have hiccups along the way). If you’re looking…
The Gift of Insight
The Gift of Insight Jonathan Schwartz has a great post entitled “Every Customer Visit is a Lesson.” It’s so true…if you want to give yourself a gift this holiday season, give yourself the gift of insight and spend some time in the market with a few of your top customers or prospects. I’ve always found that to be one of the most valuable ways to shape the business, both strategically and operationally. One of the most vivid memories I have to illustrate this concept is a meeting that I had with Crate and Barrel, a prospect, in the very early days of Return Path, back in 2000 or 2001. I went in with my colleague Sophie Miller, and with a…
Holiday Card Anon
Holiday Card Anon ‘Tis the season of the business holiday card. This is a nice enough tradition, but I received two cards this week that baffled me because I couldn’t tell who sent them to me. Really, if you’re going to send out holiday cards, the only requirement is to make sure the recipients know that YOU sent them! And not just by putting your name or company on the envelope (although that’s a help), as sometimes cards get opened and separated from their envelopes. Include a business card inside the card, or make sure your name is printed on the card itself, or make sure your signature is legible, or at the very least make sure your company name…
The Hiring Challenge
The Hiring Challenge Fred had a great posting a couple weeks back called The Talent Economy. In it, he writes: The CEOs who survived the downturn with their companies intact proved that they were tenacious, creative, hard nosed, and financially savvy. Now they are waking up to find out that the game has changed. They have to start focusing on the people side of the business a lot more. Hiring, managing, and retaining the talent is back at the top of the priority list. Retaining good people has always been at the top of my list, even in the dark days. But hiring and managing in an environment that’s once-stagnant-now-growing presents some real challenges. Many of these aren’t unique…
Being the Client
Being the Client My friend and colleague Sophie Miller, a long-time sales executive in the direct marketing industry, once said, "In my next life, I want to come back as a client." She didn’t mean it this way (I think she meant it as "I want to be in the driver’s seat next time ’round"), but this is great advice for any member of an entrepreneurial team in a software or services business that serves other businesses. The good news is, it doesn’t require the afterlife to achieve it! Mariquita and I have done some work in our spare time the past two years for two different organizations to help them out with their technology. One is our golf course,…
Now Selling Wit, Charm…Even Your Own Opinions
Now Selling Wit, Charm…Even Your Own Opinions Full credit to Jonathan Schwartz from Sun for spotting this gem of an offer on eBay. Come on, people. Please.