Empathy – The Most Important Skill in Business?

I know what you’re thinking.

Well, actually, I don’t. But it would help if I did. Imagine how much easier it would be for me to write this post if I knew how much time you had to read it, how much you already know about empathy, and whether you learn best from stories or facts. It would greatly increase my chances of writing an article that you felt was written just for you, and which you will enjoy from start to finish.

The fact that I am thinking about these things as I start writing this post is a demonstration of how to use empathy. For me to get the best result I need to write the article that you want to read, not simply the one that I want to write, and in order to do that I need to think about you.

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How to Get Startup Ideas

The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It’s to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself.

The very best startup ideas tend to have three things in common: they’re something the founders themselves want, that they themselves can build, and that few others realize are worth doing. Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, Google, and Facebook all began this way.

Never give a presentation that you wouldn't want to sit through.

Nancy Duarte

The Role of Non-Technical Cofounder In a Web Startup

There’s plenty of work to go around at a startup. Take it off your technical co-founder’s back so he can get the most out of his time building the product.

A good non-technical co-founder is not just a “business guy” or “salesman”. He is the person who helps create an operationally and commercially viable company around the product. Doing this well can be equally important to have a good product, or, to put it better, the product would take twice as much to develop and end up worth less if someone wasn’t taking care of all the rest. These are not mere administrativia I’m talking about. It’s parts of execution that some folks can do remarkably better than others and can make the difference between a simple tech project and a successful technology company.

The 7 Ways Dropbox Hacked Growth to Become a $4 Billion Company

Did you know Dropbox has spent very little on advertising, yet it is worth $4 billion? What have they done that’s made their business so successful?

They’ve implemented many growth hacks that we’ll discuss in this article. What’s a growth hack? Instead of using traditional advertising to “buy” each new customer, it’s possible to use growth hacks to acquire customers in ways that scale. In other words, the cost of acquiring each additional customer is much closer to $0. All you have to pay for is the execution of the growth hack, and then it keeps growing your business at little to no extra cost.

In almost every market, the boring slot is filled. The product designed to appeal to the largest possible audience already exists, and displacing it is awfully difficult.... The real growth comes with products that annoy, offend, don’t appeal, are too expensive, too cheap, too heavy, too complicated, too simple — too something. (Of course, they're too too for some people, but just perfect for others.)

Seth Godin, Purple Cow.

Culture And Fit

Companies are not people. But they are comprised of people. And the people side of the business is harder and way more complicated than building a product is. You have to start with culture, values, and a committment to creating a fantastic workplace. You can’t fake these things.

We chase that which moves away from us. We want what we cannot have. We only place value on things that are difficult to obtain.

Oren Klaff, Pitch Anything.

The goal of a startup is to figure out the right thing to build - the thing customers want and will pay for - as quickly as possible.

Eric Ries, The Lean Startup.

Knowing Your Ideal Client

Whether your business is purely online, or you are a traditional provider of products or services, it is vital to know what your ideal client looks like.

Why?

 

Marketing

Marketing is cheaper, easier and more successful when you target a small and clearly defined group of customers.  One of the goals of marketing should be to make your customers feel like your message was designed just for them.  The broader the group you target, the harder it is to achieve this goal. more…