The problem with MVPs, and with the “something > nothing” model, is that if you launch to a large customer base or a broad community, you build brand association with that first version.

Our approach relied on crafting a survey of all the various potential ranking inputs, then asking notable professional SEOs to take the survey and contribute their opinions. The resulting document aggregated quotes, summed up and averaged numerical rankings, and then ordered them by relative weight. More than a hundred folks with websites and follo

let’s be real: phone calls are terrifying). This approach has been historically uncommon

path for ICs to progress means you get the best people in the right roles with the ability to advance their careers and their pay. Forcing management to be the only way up will cost you talent in places you need it, and worse, install the wrong people in those roles, harming everyone on the team. CHAPTER 15 VULNERABILITY ≠ WEAKNESS In Silicon Valle

Clarity and shared understanding of goals (i.e., everyone gives the same answer to the question “Why are we building this and what do we hope to achieve with it?”). Unity around the specific work required and how each person will contribute to it (i.e., everyone can give an answer to the question “What am I supposed to be doing and how does that fi

Likewise, at Moz, we’ve invested in behaviors we believe are healthy, even when they don’t have consistently positive outcomes. Our approach to launching internal MVPs and iterating until they’re earning praise and accolades from industry influencers has had great results for some projects, and mediocre results for others, but we’re investing in th

YEAR CASH SAVED/BURNED DEBT RAISED/PAID BACK VC RAISED END OF YEAR CASH IN BANK TOTAL REVENUE 2007 $0 $0 $1,100,000 $1,100,000 $800,000 2008 −$800,000 $0 $0 $300,000 $1,400,000 2009 +$200,000 $0 $0 $500,000 $3,100,000 2010 +$500,000 $0 $0 $1,000,000 $5,700,000 2011 +$1,000,000 $0 $0 $2,000,000 $11,400,000 2012 −$5,000,000 $0 $18,000,000 $15,100,000

The best entrepreneurs . . . know how to tell an amazing story that will convince talent and investors to join in on the journey. —Alejandro Cremades, 2016

Transparency can’t just be a tactic, though. It has to be a core value