13
2009
Just got back from San Francisco, where I presented once again at the Business of Software Conference. I really love this event, pretty much everyone there is an entrepreneur and all delegates share a passion for creating and selling software solutions to business. Often when I speak at conferences I use the opportunity to have a look around the city, soak up the local sites and culture and I was looking forward to doing so in San Fran. My usual strategy is to watch the headline speaker (usually a “name”) and whoever is next up, just so I can get a feel for the mood of the group,the dynamics of the conference etc. After which I disappear until my allotted slot, job done I am free to enjoy the city. This conference was different every speaker was excellent (I make no comment or judgement on my own contribution) and try as I might I could find no good time to leave. This has to be the sign of an excellent conference.
Here are the main things I got from each of the main speakers.
Geoffrey Moore is the author of Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado, The Gorilla Game and a new book Dealing with Darwin. A real heavyweight when it comes to all things Strategy. Geoffrey’s presentation began by covering some well trodden ground from the books mentioned, what grabbed me though was the idea of aligning vectors of innovation. Moore argued that innovation in many organisations was ill disciplined, innovation for innovations sake. In his words bubble up innovation =0. For innovation to be effective you need a compass to direct your attention to the specific needs of the market and the type of innovation through which you are most likely to meet that need.
Key concepts
Differentiate between the core (the stuff that differentiates you from the competition) and the context (the stuff that you need to do just to stay in business)
Decide on your primary vector of innovation
Be aware of the fish to pond ratio. The pond needs to be big enough to matter small enough for you to lead.
Focus on your core, prioritise funding for the core over context
Drive hard, beyond reason, catching up is not really innovating.
Solutions innovation is a great market space for entrepreneurs, so Go Early Go Ugly.
Paul Graham is one of the founders of Y Combinator and a successful software pioneer. Paul ran through 21 trends to back in the near future. Not sure if this was the best use of his time. I am convinced that any syndicate group at the conference could have generated a similar list. (innovation, The USA, Small companies open source to name just a few) Paul has a unique insight into what makes entrepreneurs successful I would loved to hear more on this.
Heidi Roizen has a unique perspective on Venture Capital given that she has been both the backer and the backed.
Heidis presentation (great as it was) can be summed up by saying, be careful who you partner with. It seems to me that VC’s are no different than anyone else with whom you have a strategic partnership. Pick people you can work with, don’t be overawed by the VC just because they have the money. Remember they need you just as much as you need them. I really liked this presentation Heidi managed to demystify the process of seeking VC backing and provide useful insights for the entrepreneur on the look out for capital; including when and why you should look to other sources.
Dharmesh Shah
Dharmesh provided what for me was the most useful presentation of the whole conference. He focussed entirely on what to do to bring sales leads to your company. What did I love about this presentation? It was entirely practical and every bit of advice backed up with specific examples from his own experience. Furious key tapping and scribbling amongst the audience suggests that all the delegates will be trying some or all of his tactics in the coming weeks.
Everything he covered is in his new book Inbound Marketing Get found using Google Social Media and Blogs
Matt Clayton
Matt is a expert in Social Media and an entrepreneur. His company Mixcloud aims to become the Youtube of radio. Mat shared with the audience some of the tricks of the trade that he has utilised on behalf of major entertainment brands to ensure coverage on Facebook, Twitter etc. Matt’s focus has been B2C and the predominantly B2B audience shook their heads ruefully at some of the tactics he shared. (some of which were really exploiting loopholes that will no doubt be closed sooner rather than later). However I admired his honesty and in a world where the differences between B2B and B2C are no longer as distinct as they were it is always better to understand how these new media can be manipulated even if you do not intend to use all the techniques.
Don Norman
Some years ago a friend of mine who works in the creative design industry in London lent me a book called the Design of Everyday Things. The fact that he emailed me every day for a fortnight to see how I was getting on with it (when to be honest it was sitting on my desk on a pile). Under pressure to read and return I picked it up as reading material for a long train journey. I didn’t put it down, which is rare for me. I was really looking forward to Don’s presentation and he didn’t disappoint.
Don began by pressing the wrong button on the PowerPoint remote control and then went off on a short musing as to why the buttons were where they were. Learning point number one Always have your Radar on!
The underlying theme for the presentation “Design the way your customer is not the way you want them to be”
Don’s 10 rules for successful products were;
- It’s all about the experience, how does using the product make people feel?
- It’s a system (iphone/ipod/kindles are selling more than a box, the system that supports the box is every bit as important)
- Everything is a service } These two points seem to be at odds with each other but the point is they shouldn’t be.
- Everything is a product }
- Don’t be too logical our emotions control our decisions
- Memory is an important part of the process (if people have a good memory of the outcome of using the product they often forget the less good stuff at Disney people remember the rides not the lines So long as the rides deliver!
- Complexity is good/ Complicated is bad (A 777 cockpit may look complex but it is very well ordered so not complicated)
- You can have fun with products austere does not always + good design
- Put the right operations in place to deliver on the promise
- It’s all about experience !!!!
Sorry the notes cannot do the presentation justice.
Don clearly looks at the world a little differently and anyone who is bringing a product to market should try and apply his observant and reflective take on life.