entrepreneurs Archives - Page 7 of 80

Issues with Facebook

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

Every time I catch up with my young niece and nephews I ask them about their social media usage. Clearly not a robust analysis, but telling none the less. Given I see them most months it has become like a usage and attitude research program. I’m interested to understand their digital behaviour patterns, and see if they align with what the media is reporting. They are all between the age of 11 and 18 years. The question is simple: What social media are you using these days? No brands or tools are mentioned.

In the past few months Facebook has pretty much fallen off their radar. Not even used to socialise. They all told me Facebook is just good for invites and parties. But they prefer Snapchat and Instagram. In fact, over Christmas all they did all day was ‘snap’ with their friends. Ok, so this is no surprise, but what is interesting is the why. When I asked them why they care less about Facebook now the answers are quite predictable:

It’s too busy, with too many messages. The page on FB is all messy now.
It’s not as good on your mobile as ‘Insta’ and ‘Snapchat’ are. They suit it better.
It’s just my mates, not relatives and parents and all that.
It’s not cool any more.

There were more responses but you get the picture. Interestingly privacy issues have never been mentioned.

What’s clear again and again with the on-line world, is that it replicates the real world. There is no delineation. It IS the real world. But it seems that every on-line brand and social channel at some point start to forget this. Usually post market success.

I really feel that Facebook cooked their golden goose when they started to manage people’s feed and decide for them what was most relevant. This had a really big effect on brands and organisations who had invested a significant amount in the FB platform, where overnight, their investment in connecting with those who care about their stuff was diluted. Reports say that most people see about 17% of what they actually sign up to see. But I believe it had a bigger and wider effect on individual users. It reduced the need for their members to be careful with who they said ‘yes’ to and what they ‘liked’. All of a sudden they removed the need for their users to be diligent, to manage their digital investment, to ensure their feed is up to date with who they want to hear from. And when there is no consequence, there is no investment. What Facebook tried to do with people’s feeds (keep it relevant and digestible) had the opposite effect in the long run. People lost control, didn’t manage their digital home and it turned Facebook into a crowded shopping mall. People selling stuff, lots of noise, too many options, full of strangers – people you met once at a party…. In any case cool kids don’t hang out in shopping malls, they prefer alley ways, and exclusive clubs.

In my view Facebook has become the White Pages of the web – boring and busy, but most names are there…. with a few unlisted persons. Ironically unlisted for the same privacy concerns people had with phones and addresses being public –

‘Are you Sarah Connor?’

I’m certain it will continue to be used to reach out and find people, but I feel it’s days of deep connection are over. I feel as FB will morph into an older demographic as most cool young brands do when they graduate into serious commercial entities. They always lose their cache.

FB wont disappear any time soon, but the kids on it will (have). Unlike older people using social networks, kids don’t have a commercial imperative to keep them there. They aren’t at a life stage where they are managing a personal brand, or are too scared to exit for industry knowledge reasons. They simply don’t have the exit costs many of us do with social media. I personally find LinkedIn totally annoying, spam filled and interruptive but am yet to turn it off by not wanting to offend people or miss a random opportunity. Though I’m getting closer as each day passes. Twitter has a broadcasting and personal quality to it given it has a one-way follow mechanism, it’s also more flexible and succinct. I truly believe it will be more highly valued company than Facebook in the long run because it more easily feeds into other media, TV, events and has a zytgeist of the times quality due to it’s immediacy.

For me all of this is more proof that power in a digital economy is far more ephemeral than the industrial era. The barriers to entry for new competitors are low, as are the exit costs for users. It’s the mere nature of a democratised economic structure.

While this is good news for all startups, it’s also worth paying close attention to the forums we choose to build our brands in.

7 simple concepts

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

Had a few ideas in my mind for blog posts. But thought I’ll just soundbite them now and go deep later:

1. Selling Potatoes: Startup ideas are often far too clever. Often they represent what is technically possible, rather than what is technically needed. I keep coming back to the idea of selling potatoes. That is, selling something demand already exists for. If we do this, we can stop wasting resources trying to creating demand. Instead we can just do a better job connecting and serving the existential market. Buy for price X and sell for X2. I’m wondering why a ‘potato’ business is rarely considered by aspiring entrepreneurs. We ought resist the temptation to 3D print ceramic fur balls for imaginary cats.

2. Market Validation: Real market validation must be with strangers, not colleagues. If it’s an online business, then validation can’t be done in person. If it’s a physical business then validation can’t be done on line. We ought match the real world. Real market validation should involve money, and avoid surveys.

3. Size & Attitude: The bigger the company the harder it is to maintain a cool attitude. When companies go public, their DNA changes. It’s just a fact we ought accept. At this point founders don’t care, they’ve already made bank. When our favourite companies get big it is inevitable we will suffer from a little bit of startup nostalgia.

4. Business Model & Problem Solution: I often get pitched startups that have a great business model with no real human problem. Or a solution to a human problem which struggles to find a business model. Our chances of success increase dramatically when we have both. We should work hard on having both of these elements when conceiving our next startup.

5. Quiet Self Esteem: It is what we are doing when no one is actually looking that matters. The actions we take that only we will ever know about. This is what we should focus on.

6. Half Baked Ideas: These are the best ideas to play with in the short term. It means we are in the kitchen experimenting. It doesn’t mean we should try and sell these cookies at the market, but we should always throw a few new recipes in the oven.

7. What VC’s Really Invest In: Justifiable failure. They don’t aim to fail, but before they invest a dime they know they will get it wrong more than 9 times out of ten. They’ll never admit this, but they are only ever investing in what will sound like a good bet to their partners. So that when it does fail (and it will more than 90% of the time) it is justifiable to those who stumped up the money. Hence, when seeking capital all we need be is justifiably worth the risk.

Escaping the Corporate Vortex

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

I recently did a talk at Depo8 a Melbourne co-working space for an event which was aptly titled: Leap and the neat will appear.

I thought the general theme of the talk was worth sharing as it really summarises the entrepreneurial spirit and can also assist in removing irrational fear associated with taking the leap to pursue an enterprise. The way I see it, the truth about entrepreneurship can be broken into 4 parts.

1. Savings: I really believe that any human who wants to succeed financially and in business needs to be able to save money. It is the most basic of financial requirements to prove to ourselves we have the capacity to think ahead and delay gratification. If we can’t exercise enough self control to save, then it would be a waste of our own time to even try and start a business. And savings, or the ability to save has nothing to with what we earn. It’s really just an attitude, and even a small percentage of a modest income is enough to provide direction and momentum – some bootstrapping practice. In fact, American billionaire W Clement Stone once said this about savings: If you cannot save, then the seeds of greatness are not within you. I remember I was once told a simple life hack which is so obvious I’d never thought to do it. If we can live on half our income, we can take every second year off work, and pursue something else. A nice example of the power of savings.

While it sounds a little vulgar, the world is awash with cash in developed markets. It should be noted that once momentum is obtained, it is not that difficult to get financial support.

2. Worst Case Scenario: Ironically, we are actually at our greatest financial risk when we are an employee. The first reason for this is that we only have one customer – the employer. A big and important customer, but it’s one customer none the less. This means that all our income depends on a single source, which, if that relationship turns bad, we could quickly find ourselves in a zero income situation. This also excludes job obsolescence risk, which occurs through being a factor of production, rather than organising them.

If we do fail in market as an entrepreneur, we are very unlikely to go hungry or become homeless. The mere fact that we are both on the internet right now, can serve as a reminder that we are well resourced, and that we have people around us and infrastructure to support us in times of need. In fact, the safety net in places like Australia are significant. Social security payments for the unemployed in this country amounts to $306 a week, or $1326 a month. Yes, it would be a struggle to live on it in Australia – but it is more than the average wage in every Asian Country excluding Japan, every African country excluding South Africa, and every Eastern European nation.

But most of all, entrepreneurs returning to the fold as an employee (post startup) often come back in a higher paid gig and more senior positions. Given they know how to sell a story of learning. This happens because they arrive with new skills most employees simply can’t get while working for someone else. I know, because I have been this person.

3. The 2nd Best Time: We’ll always be able refer to when it was, or when will be a better time to take the leap into startup land. So maybe we should just embrace the fact that the second best time is now. That now is as good a time as any. This can help us jump the psychological hurdle, but in reality there actually has never been a better time than right now. Never in before in history has it been this cheap and easy to build something, and connect with an audience. The weird wired world allows us to connect with like minds as never before. To build stuff people could never get before and use free commercial platforms the world has never had. The long tail of the internet is demanding our ideas, content and products. Add to this the ability to outsource and brand build and I really can’t see why anyone with the intention to start a business would delay it.

4. The Human Code: To be an entrepreneur is an essential part of the human experience. The evidence is in the real definition of the word itself. The actual translation is not about business, but literally, one who undertakes (some task), equivalent to entrepren ( dre ) to undertake (< Latin inter + prendere to take, variant of prender). It’s about starting, to trying and doing. It doesn’t say, make money, or get rich, and it certainly doesn’t say ‘don’t fail’. It says start. And this is what humans are all about. About trying new things, travelling across oceans to new unfound lands across the globe. It’s the reason why we humans live on every corner of the globe. Everyone of our forefathers left the human birth place of Africa (unless you’re reading this in Northern Africa) to find a better life. Entrepreneurship is in our DNA.

Let’s go beyond how we got here, and look around the room your are sitting in right now. Everything around us is the work of entrepreneurship. The technology, the chairs, the floor, the roof, the building you’re in, the clothes you’re wearing, the paint – whatever is where you are right now excluding dirt, air, sky and trees. All this is the result of entrepreneurial action. And we should be both thankful and proud.

It’s time to escape the corporate vortex. Our fore fathers are calling us.

Knowing what to know

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

With so much information abundance, it takes a certain skill in knowing what to know. Many emerging trends and changes in our economy and social structures are vital points of knowledge. We need to know them intimately, know how to use the technology and have a detailed domain expertise or we’ll miss out in a business or social context. But many things, maybe even most things, knowing about them is enough. Simply knowing it exists, that people like and engage in it, and why they like and engage in it will get us through:

– Angry birds

– Candy Crush

– Snapchat

– Reality TV

– Most news

– Any ‘down time’ activity…

If we’re across the motivations, the technology and the sociology, then it’s highly likely we wont get caught short by not having a personal interaction with it. Unless of course, it is related to what we actually do for a living. This is the key point, knowing which domains are worth us investing our time in to understand.

In a world of infinite expansion and choice where we can’t try or participate in everything, knowing what to ignore is an art form. If it feels disposable, then it is probably not deserving of our bandwidth.

The Potential Employee Flip

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

I can remember a time when it really mattered that you stayed in the same industry. If you wanted a job in consumer goods marketing for example, it really mattered that you had experience in consumer goods marketing. If you wanted to transition industries it was an incremental process. You had to eek your way across to new ground. Small step by small step. They wouldn’t let you play in their playground unless you had played their before, or at least a very similar playground. Sadly, our first job often defined us for much of our career. An potential employee needed a logical straight lined career flow.

I’m glad to say those days are over.

That attitude was one of protection. It’s a guild ethic, where profits are a function of a knowable, existential system. One that must be protected at all costs. But when a system breaks down, the smart players look for a new set of functions. A new attitude and ideas from an unfamiliar realm. If you’re in the middle of career transition, or wanting to break into a self determined entrepreneurial realm then there has never been a better time in history to do it. It’s damn exciting.

The best CV, or should I say personal brand isn’t one with a consistent story line. No, today it needs to be a set of juxtaposed, unusual and significantly differentiated projects, industries and activities. One that shows experimentation and the ability to cope with non-linear complexity. Go ahead and get involved in some, we’re waiting for you.

Spears, Seeds & Spanners

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

Tomorrow I’m pumped to be doing a lightening talk at co-working in the lane way. Which is an uber terrific event being organised by the Hub Melbourne co-working space.

I couldn’t think of a better time to go on an anthropological journey through living and working spaces. The story is surprising and interesting. If you’re in Melbourne tomorrow come along and have a listen – I’ll be on at 12.30pm. No power point, no data, just idea exchange and human knowledge. This is the outline of my talk to whet your appetite:

– Spears

– Seeds

– Spanners

– Cars

– Cables

– Chips

– Challenge

I’m really excited about this one.

The Fish & Chip shop rules

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Steve Sammartino

There’s a lot of talk in Australia about what makes a good Fish & Chip shop. It just so happens I know the answer to this question, and based upon this tweet by Heath, it has become clear I must share my rules right here.

Fish & Chip Shop rules:

Cannot sell other food items which traditionally live outside of the Fish & Chip ecosystem. Namely pizza and kababs.
Cannot be attached to another retail outlet such as a Milk bar. Must operate single business operation.
Must have fish tiles on the wall.
Must have wall poster of local fish population.
Must wrap Fish & Chips in paper. Boxes are an unacceptable packaging material.
Must not provide tomato sauce. Only salt and vinegar. Tomato sauce you have at home or go without. It’s just the way it is.
Must sell pickled onions in a plastic tub on the counter, with the price written in a marker pen on the side.
Must have traditional retro cans of beverage for sale in the drinks fridge such as Creamy Soda and Passiona.
Drinks fridge must have a sign which says: “Please make selection before opening door”.
Must make hamburgers and include a hamburger with the lot which has the options of beetroot, egg and pineapple.
Hamburgers must be built on the grill while they cook by an expert burger cook.
Must be run by hard working immigrant Greek family – the inventors & stalwarts of the local Australian fish & chip shop tradition.
Must have home made chips from own potatoes. Frozen chips from bag are unacceptable.
Must make potato cakes in house and dip in batter, just prior to dropping in deep fryer.
Must provide both fired and steamed dim sims. These of course, must come from the frozen bag variety.
Pricing board must be above the cooking fryers with prices written in chalk to allow for inevitable price inflation.
Must have retro 1980’s arcade machine with a single game such as Galaga or Pacman.
Must claim to be ‘local fish supplier’ of some random restaurant or pub in the local area.
Must be located in working class area, preferably in the Western Suburbs.
Should not be in obvious seaside location and counter intuitively be far away from waterway or estuary.
Must be closed on Mondays.
Must only be staffed by family members.
Must have wide multi coloured plastic strip at door entry – to keep flies out.
Must have cabinet at the front of the store window to display the ‘fresh’ fish.
Must have semi inappropriate Chiko Roll poster on wall.
Must sell ‘apple turnover’ oily apple pie with thick pastry.
Must sell banana and pineapple fritters.
Must wrap non-fried items in separate paper.
Must use metallic industrial sized salt shaker to deeply cover chips in salt.
Insert your rule here….

So why am I telling you this here on Startup Blog? Because sometimes the real innovation is about having the presence of mind to maintain a tradition in the face of change. While fish & chips might not be a thing where you live, I’m sure there is some kind of equivalent food or retail outlet. When change is the order of the day we can become worth talking about when we don’t change, or even bring back things of value which got lost along the way.

Leadership ironically, is sometimes about being a stalwart of the past.