Paper tigers

On Paper Tigers

Ziya G. Boyacigiller

This presentation was created and given by Ziya Boyacigiller who was leading Angel Investor and a loved mentor to many young entrepreneurs in Turkey. We have shared it on the web for everyone’s benefit. It is free to use but please cite Ziya Boyacigiller as the source when you use any part of this presentation. For more about Ziya Boyacigiller’s contributions to the start-up Ecosystem of Turkey, please go to www.ziyaboyacigiller.com

Copyright © Ziya G. Boyacigiller 2003,2004

Paper Tigers紙老虎


Paper TigerFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐ lǎohǔ (Chinese: 紙老虎 ), meaning something which seems as threatening as a tiger, but is really harmless.


Use “Evidence Based” Approach


Evidence Based Management

1. Observe situation

2. Define problem (deviations from expectations)

3. Generate possible causes

4. Design experiments to test hypothesis

5. Check if test results fit all observations

6. Apply results to situation


Product Development Approaches

Wrong Approach: DEVELOPMENT TESTING RE-WORK

Right Approach: TESTING DEVELOPMENT

Paper-Tigers & Quick Prototyping

“EVIDENCE BASED” PLANNING

Marketing Material


How to use Paper Tigers

Turn your vision into reality -- at least on paper…

1. Write, for your product/service:a. A specification sheet (features)b. A brochure (benefits for customer)c. A print advertisement (positioning)d. A press release (differentiation)

2. Use as a model/starting point your competition’s examples. Change what you don’t like, keep what you like.

3. Show these to potential customers and get input/feedback on your product/service.

4. Ask potential customers “what they like” and “what they don’t like”. Understand WHY they say that! Understand priorities and trade-offs.

5. Listen, write down, record but DO NOT EDIT or discard any customer comments.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Paper tigers