2nd expansion team to win US Open Cup!
Kind of sad that the game was played in DC for 17,000 fans, when Seattle averages 30,000 fans a game. Oh well, Go Sounders!
Seattle Sounders – US Open Cup Champions
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Why A Brand New Start Up Doesn’t Need Business Consultants
In a recent post over at the Lean Startups Blog, the author gives three reasons why he doesn't try to offer his consulting services to startups. The 3 reasons he gave were kind of negative. The reasons are 1. They don't know what they don't know. 2. The "let's wing it" attitude. 3. Excitment and total engagment with the business.
I thought it was interesting that these 3 "problems" are really what startups need to survive. It is the Y Combinator idea of getting something launched, throwing yourself into it, and never taking no for an answer. Here are his 3 "problems". " * Vast majority of true 1st time entrepreneurs don’t know what they don’t know. With luck, they will start a startup in the area of their expertise. Problem is, just because you are an absolute genius software developer, does not mean you are a great business manager. Unfortunately, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.* Attitude of “let’s wing it” is something that is required for survival in an early stage startup, especially if you are self-funded /bootstrapped. It is many times more expensive to fix the mistakes down the road that are being made in this stage. But, as the saying goes: “the first pancake is always burnt”. I never “chase” first time entrepreneurs in the early stage. Until you have burnt yourself, you will not know the value of good advice or execution.
* Excitement of starting his/her first venture is something that takes over someone’s entire mind. Early stage is a highly emotional stage for vast majority of 1st-timers. It is like that high-school crush. You need to let it pass. In order for them to run their business properly, they need to learn how to control their adrenaline and emotions. Entrepreneurs in this stage need mentors and not consultants."
Life is Short… Be Nice
I was talking to a man (back in my door to door days) and he was really nice. So at the end of the conversation (he didn’t buy) I said “thank you for being pleasant” and he said “Hey, life is too short not to be”. I really like that. Life is too short not to be nice.
flickr picture by eriani
It’s all about the family Sunday games
This is us playing Farkle (a fun dice game) over at my uncles house. My dad is about to put all his points on the line. (hence the intense looks on all faces) Families are definitely one of the most important things ever.
Great Rejection Letter
I wanted to find out my houses solar potential. So I went to Sungevity and tried their tool. When I requested more info I got this letter.
“Dear Joshua Dance,
Thank you for your interest in Sungevity!
We don’t currently serve your location, but we are rapidly expanding our service area and hope to reach you soon.
We will be in touch when we are able to help you go solar.
Shine on,
The Sungevity Team
Great letter. I was rejected but I know that they will contact me when service becomes available. Other companies should learn from this.
Great Response
This is really funny. A TechCrunch writer found out and made public how much money Zappos management made off the Amazon acquisition. Instead of getting mad, they decided to get even.
From the article
“It’s a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it. For the entrepreneur? Not so much. Hitherto unknown relatives, entrepreneurs seeking angel investments, money managers and supposed baby-mamas all come out of the woodwork with dollar signs in their eyes.
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and COO/CFO Alfred Lin have figured out a way to cope with everyone wanting their money: Giving everyone my email address and telling them I’m in charge of their investments.
To be fair, Hsieh told me he was going to do this. He even told me they’d make an investment decision based on my favorite pitch. I just thought he was kidding. Then, two nights ago I had dinner with a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur who had “a hilarious” story to tell me. It seemed a friend at one of the more prominent Southern California investment firms was hounding him for an intro to Sarah Lacy. Clearly, this made no sense since writers don’t generate wealth. We’re lucky to pay rent and have some left over for booze. “No, I need to talk to her about managing this guy Alfred’s money,” the money manager insisted.”
Great response.
Here Comes Redbox
The first time I saw a Redbox, I knew that Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were doomed. Here is proof.
This doesn’t mean that they can’t evolve. Blockbuster and Hollywood can carry a huge range and a bigger inventory than a Redbox machine can. They need to maybe focus on quality. I would still consider going to Blockbuster if they had only “the best” movies and maybe a recommendation engine. Right now, I enter one and see hundreds of cheaply made movies that no one has heard of on the isles, and a couple of hits or recent releases on the end caps.
If they don’t adapt, it looks like this recession is going to put an end to Blockbuster and Hollywood.
Here Comes Redbox
The first time I saw a Redbox, I knew that Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were doomed. Here is proof.
This doesn’t mean that they can’t evolve. Blockbuster and Hollywood can carry a huge range and a bigger inventory than a Redbox machine can. They need to maybe focus on quality. I would still consider going to Blockbuster if they had only “the best” movies and maybe a recommendation engine. Right now, I enter one and see hundreds of cheaply made movies that no one has heard of on the isles, and a couple of hits or recent releases on the end caps.
If they don’t adapt, it looks like this recession is going to put an end to Blockbuster and Hollywood.
Why Cripple Your Software…
I was trying to take a screenshot of a necklace that my sister liked in a movie and Apple gave me this error.
Why? Every other screen capture program can do this? Obviously some movie company didn’t like the idea of pictures of their movie being available. Why? It is a free advertisement for your movie if I post a picture or if a little girl makes a necklace like the one in the movie. Don’t make it hard for consumers.
Funny Error Message
I don’t like the error. But I enjoy a funny error message.