http://thederekjohnson.com Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:10:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/03/06/dont-pay-to-play/ I got an email this weekend asking me if I would share the tools I use on a daily basis to help keep things running smoothly at both Tatango and Derek Media. You asked, I share. What is a lifesaver for you? Leave me a comment and let me know. Google ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/02/28/things-i-couldnt-live-without/ Running a startup isn't that complicated when you look at the big picture. It's all about positive cash-flow. This means having enough money coming in (revenues), to cover all the money going out (expenses). When starting out, money coming in is an enormous challenge, but limiting the money going out ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/02/25/how-i-saved-50-on-my-business-cards/ I often feel ashamed that I spend every waking moment of my life building a business when there are so many people, organizations and causes that desperately could use my time. I also feel ashamed that I spend every extra penny that I make and put it back into my business, ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/02/20/whats-the-point/ You heard me right... the business plan is dead. From this point forward, I will never write a business plan, review a business plan or even think about a business plan, I'm sick of them. In college we were instructed to create mock businesses, by generate a business plan. These ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/02/09/the-business-plan-is-dead/ I've found that working in an internet startup, sometimes can be like working in a bubble. In this bubble I think that everyone is on Twitter, they can easily set up a video conference via Skype and can easily rattle off the benefits of IMAP over POP. My bubble was ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/02/02/2-monitors/ I took this video of LiquidPlanner CEO, Charles Seybold, speaking to the Bellingham Angel Group regarding raising Angel capital from the entrepreneurs perspective. Enjoy! http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/01/29/ceo-of-liquidplanner-speaks-to-bellingham-angel-group/ I was listening to fellow startup CEO, Charles Seybold of LiquidPlanner yesterday and he said something that resonated with some of the new initiatives I am working on at Tatango. He said his company is currently spending money on conversions, not demand. Wow, what a simple phrase, but so powerful for ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/01/26/spend-money-on-conversions-not-demand/ Being an entrepreneur means you are a leader, and being a leader means you will have to make tough decisions. Colin Powell said it best, "Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It’s inevitable." My responsibility as ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/01/22/youre-not-going-to-be-very-popular/ As I wrote before, I am in the process of re-thinking a lot of the things we currently do here at Tatango. To help other entrepreneurs, I've been writing about these changes. Below is another post about some of the things I've learned along the way and things that are ... http://thederekjohnson.com/2010/01/20/all-press-isnt-good-press/