11-20 (Logos to business addresses)
Link: 20 startup tips
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST
For his second 10 No-No's Dane suggests:
11. Thou Shalt Not Design A Logo
Oh-oh! Explain that light bulb thingy at the top of your website then, Mr. Carlson. No, seriously, brand can be important, but can grow organically from the business you build not in a vacuum by sitting around trying to think up a clever name.
For more on the whole branding issue, see Seth Godin's thoughts or buy his book, but the gist of it is that an extraordinary product or service can be its own brand.
12. Thou Shalt Not Waste Time Picking a Business Name
See above.
13. Thou Shalt Not Buy Advertising
Except on this intelligent and wonderfully insightful blog, of course. Ha! Ha!
14. Thou Shalt Not Buy Office Supplies
I needed a couple of notebooks and some cheap ball point pens to take notes for this blog. All stuff lying around the house.
15. Thou Shalt Not Buy Any Equipment
…And I borrowed a digital camera.
16. Thou Shalt Not Try To Find a Partner
17. Thou Shalt Not Join the Chamber of Commerce
18. Thou Shalt Not Regale Thy Family and Friends with Plans for Thy Upcoming Venture
19. Thou Shalt Not Write A Business Plan
Oh, yea verily. Read thou these words!
20. Thou Shalt Not Get a Business Phone Number or Address
CONTINUED NEXT POST
April 30th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Once again, what is this gentleman thinking? Don’t have a business phone or address? Maybe ten years ago, the thought of having a second phone line installed and the price of long distance being what it once was, I can see why it would be expensive and impractical. But in today’s day and age, where teenagers have cell phones and unlimited minutes exist, what does it cost to have a second cell phone nowadays…one that could be used as a business phone? Peanuts…it’s peanuts and having a business line is critical. I don’t care who you are, if you’re calling someone whether it’s to do business with them, hire them, buy something from them, etc. …hearing “You’ve reached the office of…” at the other end of the line always sounds like you’re in better hands than hearing “Hello?”…or even worse, having your kid answer the line.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Harry, the best of both worlds is already attainable. Suggest you check out our posts on ConnectMe for anyone with a smart phone or PC. Posts start on Feb. 15 with “My cell phone’s on steroids” or find them by searching the services link under categories.
May 1st, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Why again wouldn’t you want to talk with friends and family about your start-up? before I opened my current business, I had actually thought of getting into a different type of company (opening a franchise). While laying down the underpinnings for it, it was the honesty of my family that saved me from making a huge mistake. When someone else opened the same franchise months later, it closed within 6 months because the neighborhood couldn’t support it. Not relying on your family’s brutal honesty could be the biggest mistake on this list.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Audrey,
Thanks for the great feedback! I think Dane’s point was that no entrepreneur should spend time telling everyone he/she knows about a new venture if that time could be better spent working to make the venture a reality. The old action speaks louder than words argument. But I believe there’s another underlying danger that can be inferred here. While in your case there were brutally honest family members warning you against a big mistake, in some cases (more cases than not perhaps) there can be well-intentioned family members who believe in your project and will support you because the business is yours. There are not enough of these people, in most cases, to make your venture a success by their patronage alone, but their loving support can blind the entrepreneur to real problems with a business model. This is why Dane suggests that making an enthusiastic customer out of someone you don’t even know may be the real test of whether or not your business is viable.
May 1st, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Were readers supposed to interpret that? I wouldn’t have taken it that way..and obviously didn’t. I hear the word “regale” and it sounds boastful, so I interpret that as “Don’t brag about your new business venture”, not as “Don’t brag when you could be doing something about it.” I think you’re putting words into Dane’s mouth that he didn’t really say.
May 2nd, 2007 at 5:06 am
Alas, embellishment has always been my weakness. There will be a rather lengthy post addressing most of these comments in the near future. Stay tuned.