Scribbles from the startup frontlines

Getting your price right is something you can always do later. And if you don’t understand your ideal customer well, it’s best not to bother.

If you think you will beat the incumbents by playing their game but being better at it, you are in for some predictable pain.

In a startup, culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and morning tea.

TLDR: AI is here. If your startup is not embracing it deeply – like Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams reuniting in The Notebook (you hopeless romantic!) – your chances of winning are reducing every day.

The easiest way for Kiwi startups to fail is to never build and exert your sales muscles. Avoid becoming great at sales at your peril.

Having a bias for action is a great one to have if you want to change the world. Take the next step now – you likely have all the information you need to make the call.

Starting out in a small, developed, well-reputed economy that speaks English is a pretty useful advantage if global domination is in your sights.

If learning is your highest priority, then startups are the place to be.

The worst-case scenario in a failed startup is not as bad as you might think.

The worst-case scenario in a failed startup is not as bad as you might think.

All startups are merely an aggregation of talent. Take talent seriously.

TLDR: Yes, data is important, but you are solving human problems. Make sure you bring the mammals into the mix.

You shouldn’t boast about yourself or your company. Boasting about your product or proposition, though, is another matter.