Sailesh Ramasray

Bob and Pat talk with BizFusion Founder Sailesh Ramasray about his online accounting solution geared towards small businesses with inventories.

Sailesh, a serial startup founder in the Netherlands, explains how they differentiate their accounting web service for physical product-centric companies from their competitors, and tier pricing through different subscription plans.

We talk with Sailesh about the Dutch Startup Scene, going after a series of national markets, advice for European startups and more.

Also, during the first 13:52 we talk about Bob’s newest project, FreelancerCashFlow.com, a cash flow web/mobile app for freelancers and the self-employed.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Stop by 47hats.com and let’s chat a bit about your startup as a first step. I hold free “online office hours” Monday-Friday 6:30am-7:30am and 4-6pm PST UTC -8. Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going! Play it now!

Download Show #133 here: Show #133 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• PlaceKitten.
• Bootstrap, from Twitter (now even more awesome 2.0!).
• 7 Free Twitter Bootstrap Themes for WordPress.
• FreelancerCashFlow – sign up now for a special launch offer!
• Happy Birthday! Noah Kagan was born on 2/17/1982, so says Skype.
• BizFusion
• BizFusion Blog
• The other Dutch Startup Interview: Show #121: Marc Köhlbrugge, founder Betali.st

Thomas Hessler

Bob and Pat talk with serial entrepreneur Thomas Hessler about his newest venture, UFOStart, a new approach to funding startups.

Thomas, a successful European startup founder, has relocated to Silicon Valley to launch UFOStart, where experts can invest their skills in startups, startups can trade equity for expertise and investors can fund startups that have momentum.

We talk with Thomas about his latest venture and how it is among a rising tide of global startup funding models, the realities of where the money goes in a startup, and more.

And for about the first 10 minutes of the show, Bob and Pat discuss Tom Foremski’s Dirty Little Secret of Silicon Valley post, and the new backstory of startup acquisition increasingly becoming a matter of talent acquisition for large IT players.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Stop by 47hats.com and let’s chat a bit about your startup as a first step. I hold free “online office hours” Monday-Friday 6:30am-7:30am and 4-6pm PST UTC -8. Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going! Play it now!

Download Show #132 here: Show #132 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• AskBob.
• The Dirty Little Secret Of Silicon Valley’s Startup Boom….
• UFOStart.
• Globumbus on Facebook.

David Feinleib

Bob and Pat talk with David Feinleib – VC, startup mentor and author of Why Startups Fail: And How Yours Can Succeed.

David’s experience as General Partner with a $2B VC firm, starting 4 startups (two acquired) and now author of a must-read book for founders gave us plenty to talk about.

We discussed finding the right Big, the one key metric that stands above all others, jumping the VC Chasm, why you should start with a 30-second marketing video, why you need to be very clear about what your building, taking the “sales learning curve” at a proper time and speed, and more.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Stop by 47hats.com and let’s chat a bit about your startup as a first step. I hold free “online office hours” Monday-Friday 6:30am-7:30am and 4-6pm PST UTC -8. Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going!

Play it now!

Download Show #131 here: Show #131 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• AskBob.
• New York Times: How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work.
• Joel Spolsky: Two things about SOPA/PIPA and then I’ll shut up .
• Brad Feld: A Few Last Thoughts On SOPA/PIPA From Last Week.
• David’s Blog.
• David is @vcdave on Twitter.
• Why Startups Fail: And How Yours Can Succeed at Amazon.
• Public video examples of what Dave meant by 30 second marketing video: here and here.

Notes from Pat:
· Sorry for some of our audio difficulties in the interview

· If you want to jump right to the interview, it starts at 12:16

· Biggest mistake is not doing it!
o Take the risk sooner because it doesn’t get easier
· Mentoring should be valuable to both parties
· DIY accelerator – when Dave finds an entrepreneur
· Great exercise is to make the 30-second marketing video before building the product.
o Why is anyone going to remember this?
o What does my product do?
o How am I going to get it out there so people care about it?
o Works equally well for consumer, business, whatever
o One of the toughest but most valuable exercises to recommend
o People love video – it’s quick, it’s fun, and it’s a forcing function
· Q: How to reconcile need to focus with need to go after big market?
· A: They’re different things
o Go after a big market because this is really hard – sometimes it’s precisely because there’s not much market to go after
o Focus comes down to being very clear about what your building, how you are going to get it to market, and what are the really core pieces you have to build to get it to market
· What’s the ONE thing you’re going to do better than anyone else
· Q: Do you prefer horizontal or vertical markets?
· A: There’s many different ways to go after a market. Horizontal vs vertical is often a question of timing. You might start with one and more to the other
· Your idea is a “big idea” if it’s going to reach a large number of businesses or consumers – it doesn’t have to be particularly fancy, but it needs to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives
· Q: How big does it have to be to get venture capital?
· A: It’s one thing to say it could be used by a lot of people, but HOW are you going to reach those millions of people or thousands of businesses.
o That’s what’s usually missing from a pitch – how are you going to take that idea to the next level that could result in a huge outcome
· Q: What degree of uniqueness is required?
· A: Quite often those who are later to market get to benefit from those who came earlier. You gotta have just the right product-market fit to be the one who hits it out of the park
· Often someone will have a great idea but won’t understand the market itself. Getting adoption is about building a product people want, but it’s also about doing the basics of getting the word out and understanding users of your product
· The kind of business you want to build is a very personal decision. Some people enjoy smaller or “lifestyle” businesses. Others are more interested in businesses that lots and lots of people will use.
· The “sales learning curve” – don’t try to accelerate sales before you’re ready
· “net promoter score” – will customers refer you to others?
· Cohort analysis is important, but you need to have enough customers to make it work. Ultimately, you have to test what works
· Q: how do you jump the “VC chasm”
· A: A mentor is really helpful … a lot of the work is PRACTICING your pitch and responses to likely questions. You also have to be genuinely enthusiastic about what you’re doing. Finally, you have to understand the profile of your investors – present them a story for why your company is going to provide them their desired outcome.
· Q: How do angel investors fit in?
· A: It depends on the angel – some are looking for big outcomes, some are not
· Getting VC funding can seem unapproachable but it’s not – if you have a good team, a good idea, and can tell your story well, you can get funding
· Q: Is this still a good time to raise money?
· A: Now is a great time
· Dave is a classical violinist (as is Patrick)

Timo Rein

Bob and Pat talk with Timo Rein, cofounder of Pipedrive – an online app for getting control of your company’s sales pipeline.

We talk with Timo how focus differentiates Pipedrive from generic CRMs, building a tool salespeople want to use, and selling to enterprise and small business. Timo shares his deep understanding of how to get your sales rhythm going, and more.

One interesting Pipedrive use case: planning and managing your startup’s equity fundraising initiative!

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Stop by 47hats.com and let’s chat a bit about your startup as a first step. I hold free “online office hours” Monday-Friday 6:30am-7:30am and 4-6pm PST UTC -8. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #130 here: Show #130 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• Pipedrive.
• Pipedrive’s blog: The Blog of Selling More.
• Robert Scoble’s video interview/take on Pipedrive: “I wonder how long it’ll be before Marc Benioff (Salesforce.com’s CEO) will buy these guys? I think they are onto something.”

Michael Sliwinski

Bob and Pat talk with Michael Sliwinski, founder of GTD productivity platform Nozbe. Michael shares with us how he grew Nozbe from a side project in 2007 to a 9-person company with over 100,000 subscribers.

We cover a range of issues: how to discover, support and grow specific markets, being confident but not overconfident, the fine art of spotting opportunities and acting upon them, how to approach competing with many similar apps, and more.

Pat and I are using Nozbe now to better project manage this podcast, and it’s definitely helping us.

Also, is if you use the promo code STARTUPSUCCESS, you can get an annual Nozbe subscription for 37% off.

Get your startup moving in 2012! Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #129 here: Show #129 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• Nozbe.
• Nozbe iPhone, iPad, Android (new), PC (new beta), Mac (new beta)
• A well done GTD video course: GTD Course.
• promo code STARTUPSUCCESS will get you 37% off a Nozbe annual subscription.

Welcome to 2012!

It’s that time again when Bob and Pat review their predictions for the year past, make a few for 2012, and mull over ways we can make this podcast more valuable to our great listeners.

Tired of being stuck in neutral in your startup? Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #128 here: Show #128 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• ESPN’s Web Site.
• Announcing HTML5 Support in Kindle Format 8.
• Apple TV Complaints 2011.
• Kickstarter project sought $75k, raised $527k: Elevation Dock: The Best Dock For iPhone.

Brad Feld

In this show Bob and Pat talk with tech luminary Brad Feld about one of the most important and least discussed aspects of successful entrepreneurism: how do you build a startup and not burn down your marriage?

In this very candid conversation, Brad shares with us tips, practical techniques, frameworks of communication and insights on how you as an entrepreneur can deal with the unique personal costs, challenges and frustrations your passion bring to the key personal relationships in your life.

Brad, with his wife Amy Batchelor, are gathering material for a book they are co-authoring, “Startup Marriage: Balancing Entrepreneurship And Relationship.”

Whether you’ve been married for years, just dating, or have zero personal life, Brad is an enormously successful early stage investor, startup founder, blogger, and incubator creator: you will want to hear what he has to say.

Want 2012 to be the breakout year for your startup? Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #127 here: Show #127 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Relevant Links:

Brad Feld Thoughts.
Startup Marriage: Balancing Entrepreneurship And Relationship..
About Brad Feld.
Foundry Group.
TechStars.

George and Dimitris

This week, Bob and Pat talk with the founders of a Greek children’s educational mobile app company, Anlock.

George Karavias and Dimitris- Ilias Gkanatsios clue us in on the specifics of successfully selling mobile apps for both Apple iPhone and Windows Phone 7 (they passed on Android – too hard to monetize), which of five marketing tactics work, and selling into 31 countries.

We also dig into the story behind their post: Windows Phone is currently FIVE times more profitable for us than the iPhone, as well as what mobile customers are like, localizing apps, dealing with both Apple and Microsoft, defining a tablet strategy, and lots more.

Want 2012 to be the breakout year for your startup? Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #126 here: Show #126 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Relevant Links:

Anlock.
Windows Phone is currently FIVE times more profitable for us than the iPhone.
Anlock on Facebook.
Flurry – mobile analytics.
Microsoft Platform Ready.

Cole Flournoy

This week, Bob and Pat talk with Cole Flournoy, founder of LetListen, an innovative new music service that lets multiple people listen to the same digital music online at the same time.

We talk to Cole about a set of music related use cases, serving up to 100,000 simultaneous listeners to one song, doing cutting edge HTML5, navigating music copyright issues and lots more.

If you though all the air in the online music space has been taken up, this new group music service will change your mind.

Tired of being stuck in neutral in your startup? Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #125 here: Show #125 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Relevant Links:

Let’sListen
Cole’s site

Corey Maass

This week, Bob and Pat talk with Corey Maass, founder of theBirdy.com, about his startup, his journey to this point, and lessons learned from his earlier startups.

We also delve into the mysteries of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for startups and how to get there, the need to get out of your office, ways of getting user feedback, why desperation is not a strategy, the recent Business of Software Conference, and more.

Tired of being stuck in neutral in your startup? Why not do a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Instead of hypotheticals and too much information, Bob will work with you for an hour via Skype developing 8 to 10 specific todos that will get your startup in gear. Details at 47hats.com.

Play it now!

Download Show #124 here: Show #124 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh blogs at 47Hats, is on Twitter at @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is on Twitter at @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Relevant Links:

the Birdy.
the Birdy Roadmap.
the Birdy Blog.
Zopim.
Ultra Light Startups.