Question from a reader: How does a businessman build an internet startup?

I just received a question from a reader which I have posted below: I have an idea for a Social Media Start-up, but I’m a Sales Man by trade and dont have the ‘coding’ skills to translate this idea into a product. What advice would you give at this ‘idea stage’ for me? Should [...]

How a sales rep got me to spend $1,500 more on my suits than I wanted to

I walked into the Huntington Beach, CA Men’s Wearhouse ready to spend $500 on a suit; I walked out disappointed in less than 20 minutes not having spent a dime. I walked into the Costa Mesa, CA Men’s Wearhouse ready to spend $500 on a suit; I walked out completely satisfied in 2 hours having spent [...]

The secret to getting a job interview at any company

It is quite easy to get an interview with any company. Recently, my close friend decided to move up to San Francisco and pursue a career change.  In less than a week, I helped him get an interview with 3 fortune 500 companies located in San Francisco. My friend does not go to networking events, does not [...]

How to get your first customers to pay for your product

Early stage startups love to give their product out for free.  It lets them beta test their product with early stage customers, get the bugs fixed, and build case studies so that they can later use these case studies to close large accounts.  This model has been tried again and again. Stop doing it: stop giving [...]

How to pitch big clients as a small startup

It’s a chicken and egg problem that all startups face: we need case studies to close clients, but we can’t create case studies because we don’t have any clients. First movers are of course important, but when your target market consists of established companies with over $20M in annual revenue, you’ll find that there are very [...]