A few months ago, a small creature – perhaps a bat or a pangolin – was placed in a cage, ready to be sold in the market district of an obscure Chinese city most of us never even knew existed. The random vendor who loaded up his various creatures for the day had probably been doing the exact same thing for years. Along with tens of thousands of other vendors across the country. But on...
We can learn a lot from the things we regret doing (or not doing). Speaking for myself, it’s a long list. A few standouts include… Not investing in Bitcoin, because it seemed like too much of a hassle. I actually took the initial steps to plunk down a few grand back when BTC was less than $100, but I found the process too annoying. Oops! Not building massive email lists with Facebook...
By now, I’m probably one of the last bloggers on the planet who hasn’t jumped on the “12 Rules for Life” adaptation train. To say I’ve been busy is an understatement. But since my Mom told me I should do more writing, I’m making more time for that now. (I’ve got some catching up to do). These “rules” are mostly written for myself...
Once a month, I go to private boardroom meeting with a small group of other tech founders. It takes place in a small, nondescript conference room at a swanky hotel. The details of who’s there and what we talk about is completely confidential. A couple of the guys are “household names” in the tech space – and their companies (or portfolios thereof) are worth 8 and 9...
Hi friends! Here’s a quick update about what’s going on in my insane life: It only took about 300 years, but my startup has finally opened its doors! After opening for early access in September, the platform has since undergone substantial upgrades & re-tooling. The biggest of those being: Actual app automation – the apps truly run on autopilot now Intuitive PAYG billing...
Much like my crazy hill-bombing days of yore, launching a new business is a lot like standing at the top of an unridden hill, with one foot on the board, and the other on the pavement. Before pushing off and initiating the descent, there’s a momentary pause before putting both feet on the board and fully committing. And as you stand there, seemingly frozen in time, no matter how experienced...
On a near daily basis, the total internet userbase is becoming increasingly easy to reach at the behavioural level. Much like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon meme, all it takes is a minimal data sample (100 emails) to reach millions of similar prospects. Instantly. And you can tap into this formerly pipe-dream technology in as little as 5 minutes, and for as little as $5 a day. All you need is a...
For the past 2 years, I’ve been quietly conceptualizing & building my most ambitious project, ever. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without help from my awesome team, Will & Nadav. (Thanks guys!) It’s called Zag. If you’re bored, you can check out our “teaser” site at Zag.ai Anyway, Zag is an ecosystem of marketing intelligence apps. More...
Every big company started out as a crappy little side project, a fledgling startup or at the very least – a flawed idea. In general, it faced the same early stage hardships that every new business endures: crickets on launch day, rollercoaster revenue, growing pains, stalled growth, & people problems. But somehow, it managed to break out of the usual “failure filters” that...
In my last post, I talked a bit about the “good product” myth, and why convenience commands premium pricing just as easily – or perhaps even more easily – than quality or complexity. I also promised to come up with a few hypothetical app ideas for what I call the “convenience bridge” software model (simple little apps largely built with mainstream platforms to...