Ten Rules for Web Startups
Evan Williams, CEO of Odeo and co-founder of Google-owned Blogger, writes 10 rules for web startups. If this is the extent of your readings as a tech entrepreneur, you’re screwed. But internalizing a few of these rules couldn’t hurt.
I’m not so sure how to resolve rule #6: "Be Self-Centered" with rule #5: "Be User-Centric" though. He writes, "Great products almost always come from someone scratching their own itch." So do almost all terrible products. Watch inventors shill their poorly-researched knick-knacks on late-night infomercials and it’s clear that some itch-scratching entrepreneurs needed to pay more attention to market assessment and less attention to their own wacky perception of needs. He’s actually advocating focus rather than blind self-centeredness.