Tag: startups

You're too early for the market – so what

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

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So you’re a bit early… maybe you startup, or whatever project you have a deep need to undertake is far more important than that. Maybe it’s a gift to humanity.

When Gutenberg built his moveable type printing press around 1440 the market looked like this:

  •  7% of the population in Europe could read.
  • Reading glasses hadn’t been invented. (people didn’t know their eyes couldn’t focus that small!) 
  • There were no public libraries .
  • Schools for the public didn’t exist yet.
  • There were exactly zero bookshops.

Maybe he should’ve waited for Amazon to come along….. he did it anyway.

When Karl Benz built his first combustion engine car around 1882 the market looked like this:

  • No one knew how to drive an automobile
  • It was illegal to drive
  • There were no roads
  • It was slower than a horse
  • It was many thousands of times more expensive than a horse

Maybe he should have waited for the Autobahns to be built….. he did it anyway.

We can focus on what the market wants. Build them houses, sell them packaged food, and provide entertained where the good guy wins, or we can do a project for ourselves. When we do it for ourselves we only need to finish it to satisfy who it is for. And we might just make something the market really wants as well.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

Here's the thing about push notifications

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

It depends on the context

No one likes it when people are pushy… so the mere concept of a push notification as a name seems kinda wrong to me. The thing I’d really like when it comes to an notifications from an app is this: A gift of understanding. Unexpected, surprising, delightful from someone you like, trust and maybe even love. Information  which is completely relevant and delivered just at the moment I need it.

The fact that push notifications are mostly ‘all or nothing’, pushes most of us into the nothing option. It also leaves a gaping void in the ability to make real connections with people using software together (the makers and the users, yes we use software together). The question of; “Do you want to receive push notifications?” can only ever be answered honestly with a “Well , it depends what it is.”

If your software business can create a one size fits one push notice with relevance, then you’ll be a company which moves beyond being pushy, to one which provides gifts.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

Read this before you pick your startup launch date

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Big Launch

Your startup launch date does not matter. Feel free to click out and get on with launching.

If you’re still reading here’s something to remember for picking a date to start or do anything. If you’re worrying about choosing a date to get going, you’re probably not focused on what matters. If someone came to me and said I’m thinking of launching before Christmas I’d say great, do it now, it might even be better because not many startups are launching at this time. If you came to me after Christmas and said I’m launching now, I’d say great, everyone is ready to get back into the swing of things for the new year. In fact, if you asked me what the very best time was to launch or do anything, I’d say right now. I would give you that answer no matter what the project or time of year. Now is as good a time as any, in fact it is always the best time since the past is already gone and the future is later than now. Sure, there are certain circumstances this may not apply, like rocket launches, but lets assume for now we’re all deeper inside the normal part of the curve.

According to wordpress, the best time for me to write a blog post is 8pm Tuesday. But I publish a post the second I write it. I know there is some ‘better time’, but as far as I can tell, progress always beats perfection.

Startup blog says – get going now. If you’re solving a real problem, you’re audience will forgive your imperfect timing.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

Podcasts are a University on wheels

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

podcast head

After a false start in the mid 2000’s podcasting is back killing radio. For anyone who spends a fair amount of time driving, exercising, travelling or just existing as a human, it is the ultimate short cut to ‘get learned’ by some of the worlds best thinkers – University on Wheels say some.

So here are some great podcasts I literally rub my ear balls in whenever I am on the move.

My top 7 Podcasts:

  1. EconTalk with Russ Roberts – Not as highbrow as it sounds. An incredible array of topics related to business, culture and sociology. The most insightful look into our economic lives you’ll ever listen to.
  2. The James Alticher show – Mostly about entrepreneurship, technology and financial independence. He interrupts the guests a bit much, but with good thoughts & questions. Has great guests on the show.
  3. Crap Hound with Cory Doctorow – Mostly about cyber security, IoT, income disparity, privacy & surveilance, Gov policy regarding digital rights, and other important digital issues around control and the world you’re about to live in. Eye opening view of the future. One the globes sharpest minds.
  4. HBR Idea cast – Podcasts of around 20 mins. Perfect for short trips. Covers topical issues in business and management. Gets to the critical issues quickly.
  5. The Long Now with Stuart Brand – Seminars about long terms thinking. Generally a long 1 hour plus podcasts which are from Keynote speeches from the Long Now Foundation. Has the world best thinkers on key topics regarding the long term survival of humanity. Kinda heavy I know – but the topics are more ‘human and now’ than you’d expect. Everything from why stories last to can we live on Mars to the long arc of moral progress.
  6. Planet Money NPR – Great stories about all things money and finance. Super interesting stories with insights you’d never expect. Totally entertaining on the usually boring topic finance. Short podcasts too around 20 mins.
  7. Here’s the thing with Alec Baldwin – Has a great range of guests with entertaining content regarding creative and business pursuits. Lots of laughs and relaxing.

If you like hearing me rabbit on, then you can always check out the #BBB podcast (Beers Blokes and Business) which I appear on and I recent recording I did for the newly launched Future Sandwich podcast.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why podcasting has made such a massive comeback in the past couple of years, there’s probably a myriad of reasons. But here are two that spring to mind. (1) We’ve had a couple of super ‘hit’ podcasts to put it on the agenda like ‘Serial‘ and (2) I think the increased data most people now get on their phones these days removes the download it now and listen barrier. No need to plan and download at home.

Startup blog says – let your ears do the reading.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

The only way you can compete on price

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

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My favourite blogger Seth Godin talks about competing on price as being a race to the bottom. I couldn’t agree more. Yet, it can be a valid business strategy, and here is the only time when competing on price is a smart thing to do:

When everything the customer does not see is focused on price.

If you want to compete on price, then the price tag itself is the least important part of the ‘low pricing strategy’. It’s the back end, and every single thought and action in your business needs to be about efficiency and reducing cost, all day, everyday.

If we can manage to do this, then we can win on price. But we should always remember a price sensitive customer is always the least loyal.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

Why working long hours is a hoax

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

breakfast at your desk

I can remember back to my corporate days when the hours people worked was a major point of discussion in the office. Management and staff would really pay attention to when people arrived at the office, and when they left. It kinda seemed like they didn’t really care if they were actually working, or just staring at a screen, but that they were in the office. The original ‘FaceTime’. Personally I think it is one of the most ridiculous things to emerge from office culture. You’d hear people explaining their office FaceTime regime:

‘I like to come early and leave early.’

‘I prefer to arrive late and stay late.’

I’d always counter this with my preference of coming later and leaving early. While they all thought I was kidding, it was the truth and I pretty much did just that. I guess I missed out on many career promotions because of it, but at least it helped me find my true path as an entrepreneur, author and running my own startups. I’m glad I’m not in that world and here’s my theory on the number of hours we work:

Reasonable time is enough time to achieve big goals.

It is not the hours we put in, but what we put into the hours. I’m living proof. I’d add that once you stop wasting your time in pointless meetings about upcoming meetings, and alignment sessions, it’s amazing what can be done. When you decided and then do, you basically invent time. An idea happens at 10am (remember I start late) and you implement by 11am, then finish by 12pm (remember I like to finish early). Do this and you’re probably months ahead of every company you ever worked for.

And in the words of the great Brian Tracy, the worst use of time is to do efficiently something which ought not be done at all.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.

It's getting much quicker to fly across the globe, here's why.

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Boeing 707 - Qantas

Over the years flying overseas on a ‘public jet’ has become seriously more comfortable. Sitting back watching a movie, having something to eat and drink in air conditioned comfort ain’t that bad, despite  the ill founded whinging. Yet, the time it takes to fly across the nation or globe hasn’t improved much in 50 years – or has it?

Yes, it still takes around 8 hours to fly London to New York, but it is less than 10% of the price it was in 1965. That means we only have to work 10% of the hours we did 50 years ago to afford the ticket. Time and money are inextricably linked. So on this measure it is 90% quicker to get there.

Something we should think about with what we sell isn’t just the time it takes to do something, but the time it takes to acquire the ability to do it.

There are many ways to measure money, but the the best measure I know of is time. It’s the only asset we can never get more of.

You should totally read my book – The Great Fragmentation.