A Barker tour-de-force on negotiating. Here’s a summary list:
- Be warm
- Be optimisitc
- Be polite
- Offer them something to eat or drink
- Be funny
- Don’t assume the other guy is out to get you
The whole thing is pretty short and highly recommended. Think of a negotiation as two parties figuring out what the best course of action is. It’s an immensely gratifying experience when done properly.
Now two posts on startups.
First Steve Blank puts together a fantastic summary of what, exactly a startup is. He asks this question:
When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models? And when do business planning and execution come into play?
Then does this:
One of the things startups have lacked is a definition of who they were. For years we’ve treated startups like they are just smaller versions of a large company. However, we now know that a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. Within this definition, a startup can be a new venture or it can be a new division or business unit in an existing company.
I just think that’s brilliant. Lots more at the link.
And here’s Jason Cohen drilling home one of those lessons that needs to be drilled constantly (I reproduce a hacked summary below with apologies to Jason):
Almost all founders I encounter are leery about discussing their product plans. Now with the Social Network movie promulgating this fear, I expect it will worsen.
It’s silly, for two reasons.
1. Either you have a defensible competitive advantage, or you don’t.
2. The roadmap is not as useful as you think.
Not Unreasonable 