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3 Pieces of Advice for Start-ups and Intrapreneurs from Unusual Places!

I am in Vegas and walked through a great museum with fun quotes and it made me think of the advice earlier from some of our Venture Capitalists!

1.  Fish are the last to recognize water.    Make sure that you are constantly evaluating the landscape.  Sometimes startups fall in love with their products and don't see poor product-market fit with a solid business model.   Remember that the product must be desired by a customer -- and there are many substitutes. At our last VC roundtable, the VCs said that they are always weary when someone comes in with an idea that has 0 competition  While this seems basic, I have seen many entrepreneurs dive into creating a product that they think is totally unique, not thinking through other options.

2.  It's always better to be looked over than overlooked.  Many start-ups think about scale and overlook the way to get to need scale.   The priority should be on developer productivity and being able to deliver the features and platform that sets your product apart.   Focus on scale when it actually becomes a problem. You'll be better prepared with more information about what to fix and where and hopefully with more help to do it.

3.  If you want the rainbow you better put up with the rain.    Many start-ups put their energy into impressing their boards and investors instead of their customers.    Of course you must work with your investors, but a great start-up filters those ides through the eyes of their clients and potential clients.    Don't get distracted focusing on the wrong group.

by sandraanncarter