Great companies and organisations are mission led. For example, at Techstars our mission is to help Entrepreneurs succeed. We use a performance management framework called ‘Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)’ to help us ensure we are all aligned to this mission. Whether it is OKR’s or another framework, most people in an organisation have some … Continue reading How OKR’s help you succeed
Early in my consulting career I got the opportunity to lead a small product development project for a new client. I was excited and arrived at my clients office to have the kick off meeting with the partner in charge. We grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to discuss the project. She only asked one … Continue reading Why Sprint 1 should be all about surprises
First time founders are often guilty of outsourcing their sales responsibilities, but all too often, they are even more guilty of delaying selling in any capacity until it is too late. This delay often comes down to fear and that is why I’m constantly asking founders to test their sales hypothesis as soon as possible. … Continue reading Stop Delaying Your Most Important Job as Founder
One of the most frequent questions I hear from 1st time founders is ‘How do I raise venture capital?’. There are so many smarter people blogging about this (for example Paul Graham, Naval Ravikant, Mark Suster, Brad Feld and Fred Wilson) but I think you can break it down into 2 ways; the 'Data Way' or … Continue reading 2 Ways to Raise Venture Capital
It often seems like the whole world is trying to produce the next Silicon Valley, or at the very least, a globally recognised startup city / accelerator / community, that is in everyone's ‘Top 10 List’ for startup locations. Every day more and more journalists and bloggers are writing about the ‘Next Silicon Valley’ or … Continue reading 2 KPIs for measuring startup eco-systems
The vision wasn't Normandy. The vision was Berlin. It's the same with startups. Your vision is bigger than any beach in Northern France. Your vision is to disrupt the whole world and change history. Your vision is BIG. Many a driven entrepreneur, rather than take the ordinary path, is blinded by their vision, and carves … Continue reading Don’t confuse a startups beachhead with their vision
I recently caught up with a buddy who is setting out on a new venture. We quickly got talking about his new project and the 2 seed funding scenarios they are considering. She/He is based in the US, has founded and sold companies before, and is about to go again with their new venture. This discussion … Continue reading Should we raise a small or large seed round? A Funding Scenario
A client recently asked us 'How does Twitter fit with their business strategy'For the purposes of simplicity, we then asked our client to imagine that Twitter was a conference (albeit a virtual, never ending and free to attend event).This gave our client the ability to quickly assess the strategic value of 'TwitterCon' like they would any … Continue reading Tip : Imagine Twitter as a major conference in order to understand how if fits with your business strategy
Connor Murphy 