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Deck for talk by Chris Yeh @The Startup Conference 2013
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The Entrepreneurial Cycle of LifeStage-by-stage advice you don’t often hear
@chrisyehPBworks
AskTheHarvardMBA.com
Lessons from 19 years of startups
• How do I market my startup before I have a product?
• How do I market to investors *after* our meeting?
• How do I avoid getting fired by my board?
• How can I be an entrepreneur and live a happy life?
Marketing before you build product
Develop key relationships
Slowly build overnight success
“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.”
--Biz Stone
(Twitter founded in 2006)
7 Steps of Prelaunch Marketing
1. Identify the key issues your startup touches2. Become part of the conversation3. Cultivate the influencers (follows & replies)4. Produce (or borrow) compelling content5. Build a need in the marketplace6. Launch a product that fills that need7. Print out TechCrunch headline for your mom
Market to investors *after* you meet
4 Ways To Get Investors To Bite
• Remove uncertainty
• Drip marketing
• Follow up immediately when they show interest
• Ask for money, then be ready to take it
How to avoid getting fired
8 Principles For Staying CEO
• Don’t get caught by surprise.• Start planning your defenses early• Get everything in writing• Constantly work the key players• Realize that you are dispensable• The best defense is a good offense• Don’t sign anything during the coup attempt• Counterattack
How Can Entrepreneurs Live a Happy Life?
Entrepreneurship = Uncertainty
• “Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled.”–Howard Stevenson
(@HowardSHBS)
Accepting Startup Uncertainty
• Chances are, you’re going to fail• You always have too little time, money, and/or
information• At any moment, the landscape can change• Being smart and hard-working isn’t enough• Sometimes, the lazy, dumb, and crooked will
succeed
Uncertainty = Endless Possibility
Manage Life Uncertainty
• Eat, sleep, and exercise• Spend time with friends & loved ones• Take breaks and naps• Minimize your spending• Have interests outside the startup world
• Remember: Your startup is part of your life. It isn’t your entire life.