Should You Hire MBAs at Your Startup?
Guy Kawasaki says he values startups at $100,000 per MBA and $1,000,000 per engineer. We’ve got 3 MBA’s and 2 engineers (our CTO is both - double credit!!!), so he values us at $2.3mm. (Source)
Posted: June 7th, 2011
at 6:16pm by mnp
Categories: business,development,entrepreneurship,jobs,innovation
Comments: No comments
Mind Crunch : 6.7.11 : Elevator Economics
Do you get annoyed when someone boards the elevator with you only to ride up one floor? The stairs are right there, could they not just walk up a single flight? Well, consider this. Someone boards the elevator on the first floor with a 3rd floor destination, but instead of getting off at floor 2 and walking the last flight of stairs, they ride all the way to 3.
Ed Catmull : Keep Your Crises Small

Posted: June 5th, 2011
at 11:41am by mnp
Categories: life,business,development,entrepreneurship
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iPad Newspaper Pricing
The problem with traditional newspapers is that they have traditional newsrooms and staffing levels to support, and I suspect this is why they are priced the way they are. Meanwhile, an iPad specific publication like The Daily was built from the ground up for digital, so they are staffed and run accordingly, hence why they charge just a buck a week.
I already read plenty of international, tech, and business news from the web (and my digital subscription to The Economist), but I really wish I had a great source for Canadian economic and political news. The Globe and Mail fits the bill, but their iPad app sort of sucks and it’s pricey when I can get most of the content I want for free on their website.
Who does your iPad newspaper edition compete with — traditionally priced print newspapers, or the vast amount of free content on the web? The Daily understands they’re competing with free, and have priced accordingly. (Source)
Hairy Business
In the parlance of investors there is an oft-expressed and colorful turn-of-phrase, namely, "hair on the deal", that immediately signals the kiss of death for a company’s investment prospects. There are of course grammatical and regional variations on this expression but the implication and import are always one and the same: that the company in question will not get funded. Among investors discussing a deal, the mere whiff of this hirsute quality will often suffice to end a discussion of the company’s merits and shortcomings. In this post, however, I intend to delve into exactly what the range of characteristics exhibited by a company and/or its founders are that embody this dreaded state of ‘hairiness’.
The Hardest Working People on the Planet
As entrepreneurs working hard is a given (if you want to be successful that is). Of course, there’s always a question of just what truly is working hard. I’ve found that most entrepreneurs, if compared to the average office worker at a big company, work extremely hard. However, just because you’re working harder than your buddy at some Dundler Mifflin clone doesn’t mean that you’re actually working hard. Instead, you need to be comparing yourself to some of the hardest working people on the planet.
To help with that, I’ve assembled some inspirational stories of hard-working entrepreneurs with some non-business folks mixed in for good measure. Two caveats. First, hard work is completely irrelevant is you’re not working smart and being productive. Second, hard work is also counter-productive if you’re sacrificing your health to an extreme degree and if the increase in quantity of hours worked is leading to a decrease in your creativity (often the case!). With that being said, here’s some stories of people who’ve worked about as hard as a human being can. (Source)
Posted: June 1st, 2011
at 12:09pm by mnp
Categories: business,development,entrepreneurship
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Lifestyle Business Fail
Countless people have begun businesses blogs, only to drop it all 6 months later because they aren’t sure why they aren’t making money.
I’m going to tell you right now that for 95% of the people out there that are trying to start a lifestyle business, you’re doing it all wrong.
Split Second Persuasion
: Continue reading the article :
Posted: May 31st, 2011
at 6:04pm by mnp
Categories: business,"ninja",development,philosophy,law,language
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Is it Worth Doing?
Your idea that is:
Do you want to deal with physical products?
Do you want to deal with manufacturing?
Do you want to deal with a sales team?
Do you want to manage import/export?
Do you want to have a product that needs critical mass before it works well?
Do you want to deal with a niche based business or more broad appeal?
Do you feel excited & passionate about the idea?
Posted: May 31st, 2011
at 11:20am by mnp
Categories: business,development,entrepreneurship
Comments: No comments