Topic: 3) Ventures
Interesting post by Paul Allen (Managing Partner, Infobase Ventures) for getting on top of things as an entrepreneur. Although the intent of the post, as Paul writes, is to raise the bar for entrpreneurs contacting Paul for advice, his post seems like a good reference for entrepreneurs in general because it contains some very, very specific things one can do to address the broader considerations that affect an entrepreneur's viability.
Paul Allen mentions using things like LinkedIn (a networking tool) and getting endorsements. He cites using QuickBooks online to be able to discuss financials. He also mentions using free, publically available SEC info for competitive information. He mentions all of this in a nice list format. Find out the list of ten steps to getting to Paul Allen for mentoring (here). His list of specifics is great because entrepreneurs need to establish as much leverage as they can with low $$ at times. Paul's list is pretty state-of-the-art too. Services like LinkedIn and QuickBooks Onlne Edition are probably not more than 1-2 years old but are great resources for bootstrappers and early-stage companies.
(And I will publically admit for the record that I have never heard of Paul's 8th step regarding Alexa rankings. I will have to check Paul's recommendation out.)
Steve Shu
Managing Director
S4 Management Group
Email: sshu@s4management.com
Web: http://www.s4management.com