The Startup Weekly: #36
For everyone who is part of a startup or working to build one, Startup Weekly is the place for you. We provide you with insightful articles that will help you find solutions to your problems and also help you grow.
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Losing 80% of mobile users is normal, and why the best apps do better
Be prepared to see only one in five hard-earned downloads resulting in a user. But you can improve this — see how the top apps do it.
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When Should You Allow Exclusivity in Deals?
What do you do when you’re close to signing a major deal that could make your startup’s destiny, but the partner suddenly asks for exclusivity? Very insightful article — wish I’d read it a few months ago while negotiating a partnership myself.
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“I Wanted to Do the Deal But Couldn’t Convince My Partners:” A Handy Explainer
Interpreting VC-speak can be quite frustrating. Here’s how to read between the lines when a VC tells you they’re passing on your startup.
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If You’re Making Decisions, You’re Not Leading
As Square CEO Jack Dorsey says, a leader’s job is to make sure the (right) decisions are being made, and not to make the decisions themselves.
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Why empty states deserve more design time
When users haven’t started using some parts of your app yet, use them to educate, delight and prompt users to use the app more. A great idea in these times of mass attention deficit disorder.
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Obvious Always Wins
It’s tempting to rely on menu controls to simplify mobile interface designs — especially on small screens. But hiding critical functionality behind menus could negatively impact usage. Visible is obvious. And obvious always wins.
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Profits vs Growth
Do you chase growth or profit? We’re told that you can only choose one of the two, and as a startup, you should choose growth. But veteran VC Fred Wilson says you don’t have to choose — you should aim for both.
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What I Learned from Sending 300+ Emails Manually
Don’t rush to automate user outreach. There’s a lot you can learn from manually connecting with your early users.
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Blue Ocean vs. Bloody Water
We’ve all heard of the ‘blue ocean’ strategy — enter an uncontested, vacant market space to win. What about the ‘bloody water’ strategy — can you enter an infested, deeply entrenched market space and win?
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