How NOT to Use Twitter DMs
Too many founders use Twitter like they’d use Google. They find someone they’d like to talk to, send them a Direct Message, and never receive a reply. The culprit? Usually, the message itself. When…
Read the essay →From the archive · Page 30 of 44
The Bootstrapped Founder · Page 30
Don’t blame the market; blame your marketing
Many unsuccessful founders believe their business failed because of a “market problem.” They think it’s “the market” that wasn’t ready for their product or that “the market” made the wrong choice.…
Read the essay →On Saying No
If you try to build an audience on social media, you’ll quickly learn that attention is an incredibly scarce resource. People are busy. They won’t even look your way unless you can offer them…
Read the essay →The Risks and Illusions of the “Post-Exit Retirement”
Building and selling a business is a blessing and a curse. While it catapults founders into a very different financial situation, it also shifts what gives them purpose and passion and allows for…
Read the essay →Permission to Follow Up: The Difference Between Owned & Borrowed Audiences
Email newsletters aren’t new — they might be one of the oldest forms of digital mass communication. I certainly remember signing up for them in the late 90s, when social media didn’t exist. But…
Read the essay →Consulting in Public
Building in public is becoming a popular way to build a business. But how about consulting in public? Can entrepreneurs go beyond talking about their business? Can they conduct their business out in…
Read the essay →Founder Stories are Powerful Assets
Your founder story is much more valuable than being reduced to a slide in a pitch deck. Your story is a unique and unclonable asset that can turn from a mere list of accomplishments into an…
Read the essay →The Forever Transaction
Next time you’re at a gas station or a convenience store, and you’re ready to pay, look at all the things they shove in front of you, hoping to sell you yet another high-margin product: sugary…
Read the essay →Building in Public and Legacy
Philip Larkin, the renowned British poet, famously decreed on his death bed that all his diaries should be destroyed. During his life, he even wrote five full-length novels and burned every single…
Read the essay →Parasocial Relationships: Imaginary Friends of the Social Network Age
There are a lot of one-sided relationships on social media. They have many names: superfans, otakus, and stans. When you intimately know the personality, likes, dislikes, and the entire personal…
Read the essay →