One day in, I think, 2015 Paolo & I were walking along Tottenham Court Road engrossed in a discussion about how we kept finding the wrong people making technology development decisions and what we could do about it. Put simply, the problem is how often business people with little or no…
Are you planning to win the lottery?
My purpose in this article is to highlight two particular ways of thinking about progress/success that I have observed; one I will call “lottery” thinking and the other “compound interest” thinking. Adopting the “compound interest” mindset is one of the most important things you can do to help yourself. The…
Is failure the best teacher?
Meeting a lot of people with a strong desire to change the world, either personally or through their business, I am convinced that everyone who wants to achieve anything of significance has a lot to learn. When you are doing something challenging, it is almost certain there’s stuff you don’t…
The circle of competence
I was just browsing the Buffet FAQ – a compendium of Q&A’s with Warren Buffet – and my eye chanced on a question about buying companies where the numbers told him not to. I think this is very interesting, here’s a quote: But if you don’t know enough to know about the business…
February Links
Lee Bryant on Twitter Post*shift culture mapping with Dave Gray. Wave of the future. Ben Evans: Ways to think about market size. Some thoughts from a smart guy about how very difficult it is to think about market size for a new idea. John Crossan Very clever illustration about perspective.…
Discovery workshops for the discerning investor
The key ingredients for a successful internet startup are a great team, a big vision, and a clear technology strategy. As an investor you are probably very finely attuned to issues with team setup and whether the vision is attractive and challenging but will they be able to deliver that…
January Links
A few bits and pieces that captured our attention in the last few days. Here is a good post by Charles Liu on User Research. The fact that you shouldn’t ask “what you want” in users’ interviews is a well-known fact since Henry Ford (also if he might have never…
Entrepreneur Kickstarter
Today I was at the School for Social Entrepreneurs giving a half-day workshop I titled Entrepreneur Kickstarter. Given that I’m still carrying a cough I was a little afraid that my voice wouldn’t hold up but fortunately, if croakily, I made it through. We had 9 entrepreneurs in attendance coming from a…
Transparency, transparency, transparency
Guess what? Lately I have become obsessed with transparency! The more I work on it, the more I realise that transparency is at the very core of any healthy business relationship. It works inside an organisation, it works between organisations. It’s the essential ingredient to build trust and understanding.