Questions
When startups launch a new web site or application, and initially have no customers, what is the best way to attract customers to the site? SEO? Adwords? Word of mouth?
I am interested in creating an online service for the genealogy (family history) market. But I have no idea how you go about researching the size of a potential market. How would you discover the...
131 points
I am in the process of launching my firm which will supply business promotion merchandise like bags, apparels, gifts, gadgets and so on. As the business owner I would be deciding on the margins...
13 points
I know there's a lot of people on an H-1B visa that would like to do a startup. Paul Graham recommended a Founder's Visa. Keeping existing visas in the U.S. in mind, what would be the nearest thing...
164 points
The main funding source I see for startups is either angel investors or VCs. Should an organic growth model be considered for my startup? What are the pros/cons of organic growth?
599 points
Whenever smaller entrepreneurs get their software company up and running, some venture guy comes around with a heck of a lot of money. What if that venture guy don't know anything, whatsoever...
I think that a justified equity distribution amongst the co-founders is extremely important for the startup to takeoff, but tricky part is, how to go about doing it ? I'm curious to know, how does...
126 points
These two services seem quite similar and from reading around on the internet I can't find a definitive reason why one is better than the other or a comparison of their strengths/weaknesses. Has...
470 points
Basically for purposes of marketing and product research we need access to data about the internet: what are people talking about, number of users in India, demographic patterns, conversations...
6 points
Every now and then I read that you should never listen to the feature requests of your users. Then again sometimes I read "especially in the first stages always listen to your customers" I don't...
You have a product alpha. How do you discover who are the customers for your product?
I realize that selling is vital to mine (or any startup). But right now with little experience and tech background, let's just say I'm not proficient in sales. So what books, blogs, advice, etc....
I just started reading The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law and it is very good. Are there any other books you would recommend?
Obviously, generally liability is a must have, but is it necessary to carry errors and omissions insurance? What should I consider when deciding whether or not to carry it?
5,901 points
I'm sure many of you are familiar with sacrificing health for your start-up, but I'm curious as to your opinion on on using stimulants, specifically Provigil (modafinil), to enhance your...
5,901 points
After I have my service up and running, with some private beta testers enthusiastic about the service, how to announce it publicly? What resources are available, what are the avenues, to make...
3 points
So I guess the follow-on question for this will be to jump into some of the specifics, but I have never worked on a software development team in a professional capacity and am building a web...
153 points
Here it is, 1:06 AM on a Friday night... and I'm still doing business stuff (well, technically, meta-business stuff here with OnStartups). I have a feeling that I probably should have went to bed...
5,901 points
Two classmates and I worked on a class project together a few months ago. The outcome was very good. I continued to work on it over the past few months, while the other two partners haven't done...
96 points
I've seen startups launch without one and fizzled until they reached out. What kind of details are important? Who do you reach out to? How do you get their attention? What are some dos and don'ts?
482 points
