The Web Startup Success Guide

The Web Startup Success Guide

by Bob Walsh, Gary Mazo
Released April 2011
Publisher(s): Apress
ISBN: 9781430219859

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Book description

If there's a software startup company in your developer heart, this is the book that will make it happen.

The Web Startup Success Guide is your one-stop shop for all of the answers you need today to build a successful web startup in these challenging economic times. It covers everything from making the strategic platform decisions as to what kind of software to build, to understanding and winning the Angel and venture capital funding game, to the modern tools, apps and services that can cut months off development and marketing cycles, to how startups today are using social networks like Twitter and Facebook to create real excitement and connect to real customers.

Bob Walsh, author of the landmark Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality, digs deep into the definition, financing, community-building, platform options, and productivity challenges of building a successful and profitable web application today.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents at a Glance
  6. Contents
  7. Foreword
  8. About the Author
  9. About The Technical Reviewer
  10. Acknowledgments
  11. Introduction
  12. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: WHAT WAS IS NOT WHAT IS
    1. Please Insert Chip into Brain
    2. What's Changed Since Micro-iSV: From Vision to Reality
    3. The New Online Economic Reality and Your Startup
    4. A Ridiculously Short History of Software Startups
    5. So, What's a Startup? And Why Would I Want to Be One?
    6. Startup Flavors—Take Your Pick
    7. When Is the Right Time to Jump?
    8. Neil Davidson, Business of Software Conference
    9. Don Dodge, Director, Business Development at Microsoft
    10. Recap
  13. CHAPTER 2: VALUE IS THE CORE OF YOUR STARTUP
    1. Value and Problems, Problems and Value
    2. Beginning at the Beginning Is Just a Beginning
    3. Wally's Startup Law
    4. Have a Great Startup Idea? Hmm. Maybe Not
    5. Where Do You Find Problems?
    6. Ten Startups Not to Do, and Why
    7. Recap
  14. CHAPTER 3: SO MANY PLATFORMS, SO MANY OPTIONS
    1. Then and Now
    2. Everybody Wants to Be in the Platform Business
    3. Software As a Service
    4. Saas enterprise reality check: Rick Chapman, Softletter
    5. Platform As a Service
    6. Loving Google App Engine
    7. Microsoft's Azure Services and Mesh Platforms
    8. Social Networks As Platforms
    9. Mobile
    10. Andrey Butov, Antair Corporation
    11. Eric Chu, Google Mobile Platforms Program Manager
    12. Hybrid
    13. Jeff Haynie, CEO, Appcelerator
    14. Peldi Guilizzoni, Balsamiq Studios
    15. Open Source/CMS
    16. Mac Desktop and Windows Desktop
    17. Scott Morrison, Founder, Indev
    18. Gwen Hilyard, Cofounder, Brisworks
    19. Recap
  15. CHAPTER 4: TOOLS AND GROUPS FOR STARTUPS
    1. Back in the Day
    2. Tools for Startups
    3. Subscription Startup Communities
    4. Rob Walling, The Micropreneur Academy
    5. Gene Landy, IT/Digital Legal Companion Author and Attorney
    6. Startup Organizations and Groups Online and Off
    7. Shaherose Charania, Women 2.0
      1. Startup Groups Near You—Offline and On
    8. Large Vendor Programs for Startups
    9. Recap
  16. CHAPTER 5: MONEY: RAISE, MANAGE, MAKE
    1. Follow the Money
    2. Raising the Money
      1. Understanding the Funding Ladder
      2. You Are Not Alone
      3. The Basics of the Funding Game
    3. The Art of Raising Angel Capital, by Guy Kawasaki
    4. The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs, by Guy Kawasaki
    5. Rebecca Lynn, Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures
    6. Jo Anne Miller, Partner, Milk Street Ventures
    7. Cindy Padnos, Managing Director, Illuminate Ventures
    8. Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, Founder and Managing Director, Golden Seeds
      1. Startup Incubators
    9. Managing the Money
    10. Gene Landy, Attorney and Author of IT/Digital Legal Companion
    11. Mairtini Ni Dhomhnaill, Senior Vice President, Accretive Solutions
    12. Making Money
    13. Dave Collins, Founder, Shareware Promotions
    14. Recap
  17. CHAPTER 6: SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR STARTUP
    1. It's All About Attention
    2. The Big Idea
    3. Setting Up Your Social Media Basic Radar
    4. The Startup Company Blog
    5. Andy Wibbels, Six Apart
    6. Welcome to the Land of Twitter
    7. The New News Media
    8. Marshall Kirkpatrick, Lead Writer, ReadWriteWeb
    9. Al Harberg, President, DP Directory, Inc.
      1. So Is the Reporter
    10. Luke Armour, PR Coordinator, blogtalkradio.com
      1. Startup PR the Right Way
    11. Your Other Title: Chief Community Officer
      1. Ginevra Whalen, TypePad Community Manager, Six Apart
      2. Matt Johnston, VP of Marketing & Community, uTest, Inc.
      3. Veronica Jorden, Communications Manager, Blellow
      4. Maria Sipka, CEO, Linqia
    12. Recap
  18. CHAPTER 7: CLARITY MATTERS
    1. If You're Not Clear, You're Not Selling
    2. The Unique Selling Proposition Pattern
    3. Case Study: Mint.com
    4. Case Study: RescueTime
    5. Recap
  19. CHAPTER 8: GETTING IT DONE
    1. This Might Hurt
    2. GTD in Summary
    3. David Allen, Author, Speaker
    4. Matt Cornell, Productivity Expert
    5. Online Productivity
    6. Developer Productivity
    7. Startup Founder Productivity
    8. Recap
  20. CHAPTER 9: SIX WISE PEOPLE
    1. Some People You Ought to Listen To
    2. Dharmesh Shah, Founder, Chief Software Architect, HubSpot
    3. Eric Sink, Founder/Ceo, SourceGear
    4. Joel Spolsky, CEO and Cofounder, Fog Creek Software
    5. Pamela Slim, Author and Coach
    6. Lou Carbone, Founder and Chief Experience Officer, Experience Engineering
    7. Guy Kawasaki, Author and Founder, Alltop
    8. Recap
  21. CHAPTER 10: WHAT'S NEXT?
    1. Intro to the Outro
    2. There Have Never Been More Opportunities for a Startup to Succeed
    3. The Quality of the Idea Behind Your Startup's Product or Service Is Paramount
    4. Your Idea Has to Hold Real Appeal to at Least One Specific Market Segment
    5. Serious Value + Great Customer Experience Means You Get Taken Seriously
    6. If You Play by Everyone Else's Rules, You Lose
    7. Social Networks Are Key to Your Success
    8. Have a Plan to Get Through the Bootstrap Valley of Death
    9. Money Is the Lifeblood of Startups—Manage It Well
    10. One Final Bit of Advice
  22. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Web Startup Success Guide
  • Author(s): Bob Walsh, Gary Mazo
  • Release date: April 2011
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781430219859