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36 Startup Tips: From Software Engineering to PR and More! - ...

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Saved by 45 people (15 private), first by anonymouse user on 2007-12-27


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Since software is at the heart of every modern startup it needs to be elegant, simple and agile

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handful of smart, passionate engineers who love what they are doing

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Tip 0: You must have code

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Working code proves that a system is possible, and it also proves that the team can build the system.

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Today, a startup needs to have not only working code, but an assembled system and active users in order to land venture capital money.

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Tip 1: You must have a technical co-founder

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having a technical co-founder is a benefit.

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Tip 2: Hire A+ engineers who love coding

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The problem was that there were just too many people who were not that good working on writing software. Startups cannot afford to have less than A+ engineers.

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Tip 3: Keep the engineering team small and do not outsource

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The truth is that most successful software today is built by just a handful of good engineers. Less is more applies equally to code and to the number of people working on it.

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Tip 4: Ask tough questions during the interview

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So be tough and ask a lot of technical questions during the interview

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Tip 5: Avoid hiring non-technical managers

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You do not need these type of people on a small team

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Tip 6: Cultivate an agile culture

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There is no room to plan for 6 months and then execute because someone else will get there first. The new approach is to evolve the system. Of course you are doing planning for the next release, but you are iterating quickly, doing frequent builds, and constantly making changes.

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Tip 7: Do not re-invent the wheel

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A lot of startups go overboard with their infrastructure. This includes two types of things - rebuilding libraries and building your own world-class scaling.

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Tip 1: Use the best hosting provider you can afford

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skimping on hosting is a mistake that will cost you a lot of time

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It is okay to go with a cheaper provider when you are just developing the code, but your production needs to run on a rock solid system

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Tip 2: Use Amazon Web Services

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Specifically, four services make it easier to build large-scale web applications: Simple Storage Service, Elastic Compute Cloud, Simple DB, and Simple Queue Service.

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Tip 3: Use Google Analytics in standard and creative ways

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Tracking results are useful for metrics, which in turn help measure growth and success of the company.

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Google Analytics is packed with features, but more importantly it has an API.

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Tip 4: Start with defaults, then tune the system

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In 99.9% of cases you are better off starting with defaults, and in 99.9% of cases you are not going to end up where you started.

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Tip 5: Hire or contract a good system administrator

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Tip 1: Hire a PR firm

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because of their connections. They know people, because this is what they do - network.

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Tip 2: Do not expect PR people to intimately learn your product

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hey are responsible for putting you in front of the right press.

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t is your job to pitch your product,

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Tip 3: Get PR people who understand your space

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If you are a consumer Internet company, you need a firm that knows blogosphere inside out, because this is how you reach your early adopter crowd.

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Tip 4: Launch your product at a conference

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you are likely to get a lot more media coverage and instant attention

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aunch at a specialized conference such as DEMO (which we recommend) or you can launch in a non-startup conference which has a launchpad feature.

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Tip 5: Create demos, videos, pictures, and slides

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press releases are dead.

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You need to distill your product and the message into something easily digestible, and you need to be very clear.

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Tip 6: Do not launch or release big news on Monday or Friday

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Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These are the best days to launch your product, in that order.

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Tip 7: Emailing after an introduction is more effective

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A-list bloggers

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Tip 8: Set an embargo and stick with it

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Everyone wants an exclusive

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Tip 9: Make sure people do not write without a brief from someone in your company

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while a post based on a one-on-one interaction is more likely to get it right.

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Tip 10: Understand that major media coverage will not happen overnight

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Chasing an article in a major magazine or newspaper like Wired or MIT Technology Review or the New York Times is not worth it.

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Tip 11: Community is the best PR strategy

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It is very difficult to achieve continuous PR unless you do it via your own users.

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news today is cheap

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Tip 1: Launch at DEMO

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Tip 2: Sponsor/attend a few high impact conferences

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Tip 3: Rent the best equipment you can afford

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Tip 7: Organize PR around the conference

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It is a good idea to get a press list and contact reporters in advance and arrange appointments.

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Tip 1: Setup a real company

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etting up a company is cheap and quick and it is an important starting point for your business. What you get in return is: legal protection, alignment of everyone's expectations, and basic knowledge about how companies work.

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For starters here is the list of things and documents that your lawyer should do for you in the first days and months of your business:

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Tip 3: Don't save money on a lawyer

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  • Incorporate your business
  • Create articles of incorporation
  • Create corporate bylaws and maintain board minutes
  • Create a shareholder agreement
  • Create employment agreements
  • Create a stock options plan

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    Tip 4: Get an accountant and, more importantly, a bookkeeper

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    accountants

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    tax law

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    conducts audits or reviews of the company

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    books are kept by bookkeepers

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