Why New Zealand is the perfect place to startup
I admit I’m biased. I grew up in New Zealand and I love the place. The landscape is stunning, streets are safe, people are friendly and life is easy. But lately I’ve come to love New Zealand for a different…
Why you should raise money yourself and not hire a corporate advisor
Hang around a few startup events and it’s likely you’ll bump into someone who’s interested in becoming your ‘corporate advisor’. Most likely, this person will be male, aged 40 – 50, dressed in a suit and — impressive. He’ll know…
Sole founder vs. co-founders
Posse is my first tech startup and I’m the sole founder. I’ve worked hard to establish the company for more than two years and, as you can probably gauge from my earlier blogs, it hasn’t been easy. Before starting Posse…
How to get the right first 10,000 fans
When launching a band, web platform or any kind of product, one challenge we all face is – how to find the first 10,000 fans? There are many different approaches – some smart but difficult, some easy but expensive. The…
What entrepreneurs can learn from extreme sports athletes
I’m not much of a conference goer, but in the past month I’ve attended two startup events – MaiTai in Maui and ‘On Cue’ in Boston. Both were hosted by dynamic VCs – Bill Tai is a cofounder of MaiTai…
On jealousy
It was my birthday last week, and at this time of year, I always reflect on where I’ve reached in life in comparison with where I think I should be. I’m ambitious, and like most ambitions people I’m competitive. By…
How to network as an introvert
‘It’s who you know, not what you know’. People I trust drilled this truth into me, along with an injunction to extend my network. So I go to meet ups, conferences, dinners and other events to meet people who might…
For the family, friends & supporters
Every so often, an aspiring entrepreneur reaches out to ask for advice. Last week I met with a young man called Mark who contacted me on LinkedIn. He was passing through New York and heard I was here. Mark had…
How we analyzed competitors to design our product
Last week I experienced my first taste of controversy in this arena. I contrasted Posse to Foursquare in an interview with Fast Company, who ran it as a feature with the headline ‘What Foursquare would look like if it had…
Launch a startup like a rock band at SXSW
Before starting work on Posse.com I spent ten years managing rock bands. Most of the artists I represented were successful in Australia, but the big dream was to crack America. And the best place to launch a band is the…
