This is a repost from Jason Calacanis' mailing list. While this kind of confrontation is certainly not my style, I strongly agree with the principle. I'm glad there are people out there like Jason that don't care how dirty their hands get. Whatever … [Read more]
Verifying Theories
There's little that's more satisfying than having a theory you've come up with be validated. I mean this in a very informal sense - having predictions come true is what the human brain is based on. You learn a little, you make a prediction based on … [Read more]
What Would A Chicago-style YCombinator Look Like?
YCombinator and other uber-early stage investors have made a splash in the investment and startup worlds since 2005. They give a small amount of funds ($10,000-$25,000) and mentoring to get founders to build a demo/beta product in a short period of … [Read more]
Recap of My Experience at TechCrunch50
I was fortunate this year to attend the TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco. It was a little bit of an odd fit for me because GeekStack isn't ready to demo, so we weren't presenting, and in current investment circles, you need not only a proof … [Read more]
Why You Should Watch TWiST (and what’s so special about episode 13)
[FULL DISCLOSURE: I've called into TWiST and received great benefit from it and will be a fan forever because of it. Also, although I've wanted to write about TWiST saying many of these things for a while, he is offering an iPhone for the best … [Read more]
Bootstrapping: Weapons of Mass Reconstruction
I'm a Hacker News-style entrepreneur with a family situation that precludes seeking investment or working full time. This has caused me to seek out a wide variety of resources as I learn about entrepreneurship. One of the writers I regularly read … [Read more]
Internet Business Mastery QuickTip Index
I just finished listening to all the back episodes of the podcast Internet Business Mastery. Since it's an old show (started in October 2005) it has been fun to watch the hosts Sterling and Jay evolve in fast-forward. They started out with a lot … [Read more]
Announcing My Startup: GeekStack
Are you in the mood for vaporware? An exciting idea? More of me talking? Then head over to my new startup GeekStack! There's a lot more info there (really, the home page is a wall of words) but the pitch is: "Collectible trading cards with the … [Read more]
Freemium Isn’t A Business Model, It’s A Marketing And Trust Strategy
I've chimed in once or twice on the free vs. paid debate, and I'm firmly in the camp that you should charge customers money. You get money, they show some commitment, the expectation that comes with their money means you have an incentive to produce … [Read more]
Chrome, the Google Docs-mobile
A few weeks ago, Google Chrome was released with much fanfare, press, celebration, comic books, and praise (with the usual skepticism and contrarian views thrown in for good measure). People wondered if Google was getting into a browser war, an OS … [Read more]