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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on February 1, 2007
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Link: Top 10 lies (marketing maladies)
6. A big company (maybe a potential buyer) is interested.
Ever tell a friend, a relative or some guy in an elevator about your in...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on February 1, 2007
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Link: Top 12 lies (marketing maladies)
4. It's viral!
To follow the theme of maladies, this is a favorite in the Web 2.0 universe analogous to the phrase "spre...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on February 1, 2007
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Link: Top 10 lies (marketing maladies)
2. Your product will be featured at Demo (substitute another really big and important trade show in your market.)
For those of yo...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on February 1, 2007
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Link: Top 12 lies (marketing maladies)
So, here they are, rephrased somewhat and with some expanded observations, but in Guy's original order. Feel free to add your ...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on February 1, 2007
Blogger, former Apple big wig and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki has put together what he considers to be the top 10 (no, make that 12) lies told by marketers.
Actually, I'm going to take a some...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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Whether a:
• Conventional brick n' mortar store in a strip mall or picturesque downtown started with some used records and used furniture
• An online store on built s...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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Sometimes, there may be no need for any kind of product at all beyond music itself.
Particularly if you plan to work with local artists or within a specific genre of ind...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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In fact, having a tangible product at all may be unnecessary until you've made those first couple of sales.
Canadian singer/songwriter Brad Turcotte offered free dow...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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Of course, fledgling retail record stores properly bootstrapped need not even have inventory to succeed in the beginning.
The technique of drop shipping allows you to ma...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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According to Microsoft, Office Live Basics includes:
• free web hosting and domain name
• User friendly design tools for your website
• 500 MB of storage on your site
• ...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 31, 2007
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Ebay is one option for online start-up and even a couple old record collections volunteered by friends and relatives can be the beginning of an inventory.
An uncle of mi...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 30, 2007
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Of course, some start-up record stores like CD Baby, Portland, oregon, have forgone a brick n' mortar location altogether in favor of a virtual store on the Internet....
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 30, 2007
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Also in his post entitled "Keeping-independent-record-stores-alive", music business coach Joe Taylor Jr. suggests:
3. Make it easy to do business. Offer online...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 30, 2007
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In fact, music business coach Joe Taylor Jr. insists there are at least four ways an independent music retailer can compete successfully against the big chains.
In a pos...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 30, 2007
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Today, 26 years later, the company has grown to a chain of nine stores throughout Virginia and launched its own online music magazine 9X.
That success may seem remarkabl...
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How-to
by Shawn Hessinger on January 29, 2007
If you think starting a local record store requires thousands in capital and deals with every large scale label and small independent record company on the planet, you're mistaken.
Jim Bland and ...
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Bootstrapper Resources
by Shawn Hessinger on January 28, 2007
In addition to our new Bootstrap Design blog, a new online community awaits those entrepreneurs seeking to discuss the most critical aspects of design with fellow beginners and hopefully those more ex...
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Bootstrapper News
by Shawn Hessinger on January 27, 2007
For our last post from the Bootstrap Design blog series "Why bootstrap design?" we look at what we will be trying to accomplish with our new companion website here at BootStrapMe.com.
Pleas...
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Bootstrapper News
by Shawn Hessinger on January 27, 2007
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Think the bootstrap entrepreneur can always outsource that design project to somebody else?
Think again.
Here, from the new Bootstrap Design blog is "Part 3"...
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Bootstrapper News
by Shawn Hessinger on January 27, 2007
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And here's part two of "Why Bootstrap Design?" from the Bootstrap Design blog.
Why do some entrepreneurs decide not to get involved with ready-made blog platfo...
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Bootstrapper News
by Shawn Hessinger on January 26, 2007
And with the launch of Bootstrap Design as what we hope will be the first of a growing number of spin-offs from this site, perhaps it would be a good time to discuss why bootstrap entrepreneurs would ...
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Bootstrapper Resources
by Shawn Hessinger on January 23, 2007
Also on the horizon for new start-up blogs is a little side project some regular readers here at BootStrapMe.com have already discovered via the "Our Editors Recommend" section of our site.
...
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Bootstrapper Resources
by Shawn Hessinger on January 22, 2007
And speaking of start-ups, Ben Yoskovitz, editor of the Instigator Blog and a member of the Bootstrapper's Club, has a new baby.
Part of b5 Media's new Business Channel, Ben's new Startup...
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Entrepreneurship
by Shawn Hessinger on January 22, 2007
As promised, here are five great opening principles for business start-up from Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start.
I mentioned earlier that I have been working my way through this slender volume...
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Events
by Creative Weblogging on January 17, 2007
The debate is on! Or, at least the debate will be on early next month at CMO 2007, a forum hosted by Red Herring which plans to attract 200 CMOs and other experts from the technology and communication...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 16, 2007
Jeff Hester has these observations about whether the current trend in the Web 2.0 world constitutes too much money chasing too few sound business ideas.
Here are 10 reasons to keep your business star...
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Bootstrapper News
by Shawn Hessinger on January 14, 2007
Our Bootstrapper's Club is now more than sixty members strong and a great place to network with fellow readers of this blog and fellow entrepreneurs.
The club is hosted by the MyBlogLog community...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 14, 2007
And now for the last in our series on shoestring financing for your business start-up, finding alternatives to traditional financing options.
Of course, as all small business people know, the most ob...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 9, 2007
Another method of shoestring start-up is to borrow from family and friends, but the arrangement can become difficult if problems occur with the loan, some business owners say.
Here from Inc.com's...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 8, 2007
Having trouble finding the cash to start that new venture?
Another method of shoestring start-up used by many bootstrap entrepreneurs is to whip out your credit card, but be ware, say the experts.
...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 5, 2007
Here's more inspiration for the New Year.
13 great articles on bootstrapping success from Inc.com's "Starting up on a shoestring" compilation.
Stories include:
1. Start with nothi...
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Bootstrapper Tips
by Shawn Hessinger on January 4, 2007
Welcome back to BootStrapMe.com after a brief and partially unintended hiatus over New Year.
Let's start 2007 with a great list of things to avoid when bootstrapping a small business from entrepr...
