Posted by rajanand on Nov 5, 2008 in
Personal,
startup tip Alex Tew’s blog on MakeYourMark inspired me to write this post. A very interesting topic Alex’s touches on Have you got what it takes to be a dragon? Having judged presentations at Shell STEP and interacting with sixth form college students I feel being a ‘nice’ dragon is a really enjoyable experience.
A few years back just before university I wasn’t sure of the path I should take. Not sure if I liked people to judge my ideas without really knowing the effort which has gone into it. Hence my attitude towards students is of encouragement. Unlike most of the dragons on the real Dragon’s Den. Although I must say James Cann approach seems more in line with my thoughts. Critical at times although generally professional and polite.
Apart from the idea and market size I would also want to see the passion which takes to make the idea a reality. I don’t think there is any shortage of good ideas, with a little coaching most of the students can do very well ! Although the gap between thinking and implementing is absolutely massive. I don’t even care if the idea is an absolute failure as long as they put it into practice. Statistically the chances of the first business failing are high but these are stepping stones for a successful business at a later stage.
Some ideas which came out of Shell STEP were absolutely fantastic and shows the depth of knowledge and understanding of their subject. Seriously these candidates are really smart and some very determined ! Converting that from technology to a business is the hard bit but achievable.
To summarise it is all about the implementation. Judging the feasibility of the idea, with market size and passion to succeed is what I’m really looking for !
Tags: dragons den, judging, Million Dollar Homepage
Posted by rajanand on Oct 17, 2008 in
Personal,
Social Web,
Totally Random,
startup tip
Image by djwhelan via Flickr
The title perhaps doesn’t do justice to the blog, never the less what I meant is ‘If your business was a person what characteristics would they have ?’ Workaholics, party animals, lazy, clever etc.
I think of my business (Kwiqq) as a person and it comprises of everyone who works for it. If my business was a person it would be someone who works hard plays hard. Kwiqq likes to be involved in things and has much more than just a pure commercial objectives. Kwiqq has a nice sense of humour, Kwiqq is friendly, welcoming and very ambitious !
The characteristic of our business is important because it helps us find the right people to join the business. It tells people the DNA of your business and what they could expect from us.
Tags: Business, Business 2.0, Kwiqq, Social network, Web World
Posted by rajanand on Oct 6, 2008 in
Europe,
Personal,
Social Web,
startup tip Context: “BreakingNewsOn Europe’s Stoxx 600 falls more than 7%, its biggest drop since 1987, Bloomberg TV reports”
I’m now even more focused/determined to prove that a startup can be built even during difficult times. It doesn’t have to rely on massive investment capital ($25 million or above) to sustain and grow over the years.
I’ll make an announcement soon !
Tags: Business, Europe, Start Up, Startup company, Venture capital
Posted by rajanand on Oct 5, 2008 in
Personal,
Social Web,
startup tip 
If you are not a full time designer like myself then you might find ProtoShare an excellent tool to make those Web mockups. I think it is cool because:
- Fully browser based
- Based on drag and drop
- Seriously easy
In the past I have seen some wireframing tools which are desktop based and produce the most tasteless results. This one though looks good and professional. This tool is ideal for founders of startups who know what they want but can’t design to save their lives.
I’m loving everybit of it. Designed two pages already and they look almost as good as bespoke wireframes built by a designer.
Tags: Drag-and-drop, Web application, Web browser
Many people seem devistated with the state of the economy. I’m not saying that I’m not disappointing with what has happened but I feel the need to inspire my fellow web entrepreneurs.
Hence I have decided to cancel my Christmas holidays and show entrepreneurs that it is still a great time to work on a new startup.
Details will follow shortly ! WATCH THIS SPACE.
Tags: Business, Christmas, Spartan
Posted by rajanand on Sep 22, 2008 in
startup tip
Whilst Kwiqq’s design team are working on a website focused on the startup culture. We have been discussing about how I started Kwiqq. I realised this information might be useful for someone just starting up. So I will try and add one useful tip everyday. This will be available in the startup tip section.
Tip 1:
Logo is a very important part of the companies future and . Hence its vital that company gets a bespoke logo designed. The logo should not only match your vision and companies theme but also clearly explain its purpose. Any typeface used should be readable. Nothing worst than a brand you can’t read. What do you think of this logo ?
- Olympics Logo
Tags: Business 2.0, design, Kwiqq, Logo, Social network, Startup company
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