The term “customer development” has been floating around for a number of years now, although it seems to have gotten more play in the last couple. Regardless, it’s one of the most common buzzwords added to the technology business vernacular in recent times. I lump it in the buzzword box with “agile”, “lean-(anything)”, “growth hacking”, […]
Shadow IT in the Enterprise
If you’ve ever worked in a large corporation or been in the enterprise software or hardware business for any length of time, you’re familiar with the frustrations expressed by AND about the IT department. The IT department is typically the scorn of many folks who rely on them for the systems and support which allow […]
Key Qualities of a Successful Software Startup CEO
Many articles have been written on what makes a good CEO in general. It’s important to note, however, that what it takes to be a good Fortune 500 CEO is quite different from what it takes to succeed as an early stage software or hardware CEO. In this article I’m going to focus on the […]
The Tech Company Equivalent of the Canary in the Mineshaft
For those of you puzzled by the title above, long ago canaries were used in the mining industry as leading indicators of looming catastrophe underground. When the canary was overcome by and died from dangerous levels of gas in the mine, things were about to get very bad–and it was time to get out. So […]
Is a Strong Rolodex Important in Technology Businesses?
I get this comment all the time: “We’re looking for a VP-Sales/VP-Business Development/Sales Manager/Sales Rep with a strong Rolodex in the (pick your market segment) market”. Obviously I’m using “Rolodex” as a generic term in these days of CRM software. But how important is a strong Rolodex in the IT business, really? In my opinion, […]
