Who's on your web team? If you're a bootstrapper, the team probably consists of one person - you - and, if you have budget, a relatively low-cost web developer or designer, probably someone you know, just met, or was referred. Because your funds are limited, your web presence is inherently constrained by your need to limit expenses. You know you have to address the web somehow - it's the prevailing media ecology, and it's relatively frictionless to create some sort of presence, so whatever dollars you spend to get attention will probably be spent there.

But it can be complicated and confusing - what should you really be doing online? What sort of web site should you develop, and what's involved in building a site that will be effective? Is an online brochure enough? What other content should your site have? Should you have a blog? And should you spend money for search engine optimization or pay per click online advertising? What about design and brand development - how important are visuals? And what time and effort should you commit beyond the development of your web site? Should you spend time creating a presence on a social network platform like LinkedIn or Facebook or Myspace?

Consider best practices for high-end web design. Jesse James Garrett of Adaptive Path created a chart and book called "The Elements of User Experience" - an effective web site produces an optimal user experience, which in turn results in real conversions - i.e. users taking actions on the site that are relevant to your business. Your site could have a bazillion visits, but the visitor count is meaningless if they're "bouncing" rather than converting - taking the next step, which may be as little as completing a contact form requesting more information. [pdf of Elements of User Experience chart]

Let me restate for emphasis: people convert - take relevant action - because there's something compelling to them about the site they're visiting. This is part of the user experience of the site, and Garrett's "elements" chart breaks down the construction of that experience as a platform that moves from abstract to concrete, from conception to completion. The foundation of the project to develop a compelling user experience is strategic: determining user needs and site objectives. Based on these, the functional specifications and content requirements for the site can be articulated, and this supports interaction design and information architecture, then information design (interface and navigation), then visual design for the site.

High-end, high-dollar web sites are built by teams of specialists who are paid well to focus on various elements of site development, and who work well together to integrate efforts and produce a coherent final site that can be very effective. As a bootstrapper, you don't have a team of specialists, but you should be aware of the elements Garrett has described. The most critical is the need for site structure to emerge from strategic thinking about your business. Successful web presence depends, not so much on technology or design, but on clear strategic thinking that drives site structure and development.

So when you're ready to develop (or thinking to redevelop) the web site for your business, make sure your overall mission and goals are clear (you've presumably already done that in developing the business). Understand your business model: what's your source of revenue? Identify what would be a relevant conversion for a user visiting your web site (i.e. contact, purchase, subscribe, etc.) Then integrate all this thinking into the development of a powerful, coherent web presence.

Jon leads the Bootstrap Web Subgroup and is involved in two bootstraps, Polycot Associates and Social Web Strategies. He manages his web presence in mulitple locations including his Weblogsky blog.

We always hear about people starting with a thought, a concept and then growing it, going through ideation, surviving VoD and then "scaling" it. Well what if your idea began with visions of the "scaled" concept of your business and had to find the FOCUS and what is that other loosely thrown around word that everyone likes to advise you with...oh yeah..PATIENCE to scale it BACK so that you can find a starting point and then see it through.

My humbling journey starts here: Being at Acton and talking to Bijoy for 9 months about turning BIG AUDACIOUS DREAMS or B.A.D (coined by my partner, Hamid) in a scaled down reality so that I can wrap my tiny brains around it for now.
While, having the audacity and courage to dream THAT big has its "sexiness" factor and is very inspirational to the point that it often gives goose bumps to mortal souls including yours truly; it takes that much extra energy to lug it around, open the B.A.D bag and fish for an offering of wisdom that the Universe may or may not choose to share with you for the day, based on which- you will take action.

Our B.A.D: Brand Bangladesh as a global business player, increase socially conscious business development, have the most beautiful resorts, be part of showcasing the beauty the country has to offer.

Our Reality: Design research projects for Universities, manage customized logistics A-Z, build and nurture business relationships for the customers with the right people on the ground, consult on business development projects that come out of the exposure trips and help in execution.

Our VoD challenge of the year: Loooooong sales cycles, wiggling through red tape, complexities of off shore operations (both partners are overseas).


So, I would like to share strategy on focusing for the "short attention spanned mind" and how to walk while we wait to grow them "wings" that will take us out of VoD:

1) Reality of F-O-C-U-S ing:
Flavors of the Week (Internal Process): We have divided the week into Marketing, Web development, Account Generation Strategy, Internal Process and Catch up day. (I got this idea from a boostrap post I read by Chen). All these pretty words are great in theory and works 60% of the time. I have had to simulate the effects of a "chill pill" the rest of the 40% of the time.

Customers: The hardest thing to do is to pick ONE type of customer esp. when we are new and some revenue have come in. Each type of customer demands a different marketing, account generation and execution strategy.

Lesson Learned: As long as our productivity level is above 50%, we will survive. If its not above 50%, we will survive if we are still focusing on B.A.D. a.k.a having passion. Even as I add to the tablets of "endeavors" on this blog, trust me, I know how hard it is to be "sunny" every day. I am hoping that as you read this, you understand that you are not alone.

We retained our sanity by accepting to serve one type of customer. We realized it would strengthen our brand to that type of customer if we stayed in that market.

2) Reality of the Power of Two:
Team & Deal Structure: I have the "right people". We hit the ground running. We served our first prestigious customer. Our team members are dreamy, well accomplished and ALL driven by long term successes. What does an internal deal structure look like to protect the company, keep all players happy and create the right incentives for each: a spouse, a best friend and a relative? And by the way, what am I worth?

I am ploughing through legal language trying to figure out how much "fine print" I really need to define our relationships. What magic clauses will save my friendship and family ties? What do the exit clauses look like?

Lessons Learned: Taking breathers throughout the process of deal structuring.
We learn a little more about ourselves and about the other team players everyday. Doing business as is, and still making some incremental progress every month.
Holding on to the "Right People" because they are really hard to come by.
Btw, the right people = people who are trustworthy, people with similar ethical standards and work ethics, people who are passionate about the same cause.

3) Art of PATIENCE:
What does a high energy, over ambitious dreamer do to pass time on the path of entrepreneurship in the VoD? What does Patience look like?
a) It means working out a few times a week no matter what! I had given up exercising so many times and paid the price. Physical exercise helps maintain the endorphins (happy chemicals) in your brain that is imperative for clarity of thought, remaining motivated day to day and increasing productivity.
b) It means taking an afternoon off to meet a friend for lunch so you don't fry your brains.
c) Taking time out every day to play with the kids (if you have any) and/or picking up on a hobby.
d) To know when to talk about your company and when to be quiet about it.
e) To let the Universe just do its "thing" when you have run out experiments to try out.

And when all efforts of retaining sanity fail, call the hotline: BE-JOY. For some one who does not believe in the existence of God, he sure knows how to surrender to the Universe. His energy and words provide a framework to find reason in the unforeseen path of entrepreneurship.

When I ran into Bijoy last month at SXSW we had a good chat about the past year and the ups and downs of innerTee, my bootstrap t-shirt mixing community. At SXSW Interactive last year innerTee was up for a web award and now just over a year later its up for sale. Obviously things didn't go as planned but I thought it might be helpful to share some of the lessons we learned and how my bootstrapping experience helped me as I moved onto the next venture.

For almost a full year innerTee had a steady stream of coverage from when we first announced the site in early 2006 up to our web awards experience last March. Our business model seemed solid and everyone we talked to raved about our shirts and the innovative process we were using to mix art & artists.

So enough of the ancient history, lets get to the good stuff. The big question here is how did we screw it all up if thing we're really that great. I've mapped out a few of the key things and hopefully this will be helpful for anyone looking to turn a great idea (which I still think innerTee is) into an even better business.

1. Don't start the party too early
We announced innerTee in March of 2006 but weren't able to launch the site until December of the same year. We had a lot of blog and print coverage early on but changed our plans more than once on when the real site would go live. We had over 3000 people sign-up to join the site but by the time we landed on the final version we'd lost a lot of steam and a number of similar concepts were introduced into the market.

2. Focus on who your customers actually are
Similar to Mark's post, we had a very strong vision of what we thought the site should be and who our buying customers should be. We focused our marketing efforts too heavily on the tech market we knew thinking designers and techies would jump on board and buy a bunch of shirts. However when we launched the site a much younger audience showed up and we were unable to acknowledge that and make the shift with them. We were selling a number of shirts through our Amazon store but sales from the site were just not there.

3. Be able to adapt quickly
As a bootstrapper one of the biggest advantages is the ability to quickly make changes to your business model or strategy and refocus. In our case that was around the creation and management of our online community. One of our biggest mistakes was not securing someone on our team with the technical knowledge to quickly update our site and be able to respond to the rapid changes needed to manage a project like innerTee. We had the sales & marketing as well as production teams needed but without the technical ability to adapt our community went stale.

Although we fell short of our goals for innerTee as a business we did build a successful art & t-shirt community (minus the sales we expected) and gained some valuable experience in regard to building and managing an online e-commerce application. Some of the mistakes we made can be chalked up to being rookie bootstrappers or the fact that both of us had full-time jobs as well as family obligations which are real things to take into consideration when trying to plan your business.

The great thing about bootstrapping is that we are able to take these lessons and quickly apply them to the next idea.

Bootstrapping a startup means to forgo having a boss, but it also often means doing without many of the regular comforts of office life: the water cooler, usually. The magic wardrobe of Post-Its and swank Rollerballs, almost certainly. And the paycheck -- well, it's usually there, but you're not always sure how big it'll be. Which is to say when you bootstrap, you live by your wits.

Which is another way of saying if you're gonna bootstrap, you better be ready to think: about yourself, your product, and about how to make the scarce resources you do have stretch farther than normal people call "possible."

As I reflect on my career as a bootstrapper -- my company is the make-your-own-bumper-sticker website Bumperactive -- that's the part I like best. I *know* what a bumper sticker is. I know the difference between a good one and a bad one, what a bumper sticker can do, can't do, and just might be able to do if you push the envelope of the medium.

Yes, but why would anybody want to do that? I admit it's a great question. I'm not entirely sure, really, except to say if you're aren't strangely bizarrely obsessed with every last intricacy of your line of work, you're going to have a rough time competing with the guys in the venture funded Maseratis. But that's a whole other post....

Point is, when Bijoy asked me to come up with some bumper stickers for the cause, I knew they had to be more than your run-of-the-mill sloganeering. He often talks about the parallels between the four key phases of bootstrapping -- Preideation, Ideation, Valley of Death, and Growth -- and the stations of the archetypal "Hero's Journey" of myth. I was struck by the notion: would it be possible to take people on an epic journey with four discrete bumper stickers? Totalling less than 30 words, for sure, and barely 120 square inches of printed material? To not just preach, proclaim or sermonize, but actually cause the people who see them to experience a philosophy?

I had to give it a shot: Bootstrapping's taught me everything I know about bumper stickers. Maybe these ones'll teach the world something back.

The Bootstrap Hero's Journey in Bumper Stickers.

Last month's Bootstrap Web presentation entitled "Conversion: The Most Important Word for Online Businesses" is available (with slides) on the Boot Rap Podcast. You can find it at the newly redesigned HearThis.com.

I prepared this presentation so that business owners will look differently at their Web site. There are a few unfortunate thoughts lurk in the depths of our minds when we imagine a Web site to support our business. Here are some of them:

"Building a Web site is more like printing a brochure than developing a software application."

"My Web site is independent of the advertising I'm doing."

"Web developers know how to build Web sites that will help me land more business."

"The look and feel is the most important aspect of my Web site."

"People want to know about my company."

"People want to drill down until they find the information they are looking for."

"Everyone who comes to my site is relaxed and has lots of time to spend."

My presentation offers six ways of looking at your Web site that will make you better at commissioning your Web site's construction.

I hope it will save you the months of lost sales and thousands of mis-spent dollars.

Best regards,

Brian Massey

Labels: boot rap, business, marketing, podcast

It is the collaboration dance that I find so fascinating! This is not simply because I am a Relater (Bijoy's MRE model of energy), an Extrovert (Myers-Briggs personality preferences), or that the college degrees I've collected include the word, "psychology." These one-to-one collaboration dances are how I have grown my business and created new service offerings! Nevertheless, being driven, energized, and overly-trained regarding people, I also tend to enjoy collaborating with others and realize that for many entrepreneurs, they do not have this same comfort. During our panel discussion at SXSWi, a good number of questions from the audience were about concerns dealing with the people in their collaborations/partnerships. One person asked, "You put yourself out there and make yourself vulnerable, working to build a collaboration with someone. What if they aren't being honest with you and don't have the same level of integrity?" Hence, the need to move safely through collaborations.

To begin with, we need to find the "right" people for our collaborations. Think about the effort we put into hiring people...okay, think about the effort that business people who hire GREAT employees put into hiring; it's a process where they spend time. They spend considerable time and energy, ask good questions, contact references, look for fit of the individual in their company, look closely at the needs of the company, and assess the individuals ability or likelihood of meeting those needs. In developing collaborations to build your business, keep in mind that the "right" people are a complement to you! They are not your clone. Of course, the "right" people are different depending on who YOU are, what your business is, the time it is in your life, local/global economics and where you are in your business (the stage of your venture). In trying to figure out if someone is the "right" person for you to develop a collaboration with, here are a list of features that you will want to know about the person:

• strengths and natural talents
• personality preferences
• values and passions
• skills and expertise

For more information about collaborations, you can also reference EIN's August newsletter, Boutiques for Sole Proprietorships. Finally, remember that mutual respect is a critical component in the successful collaboration dance.

So what else is important for safely building collaborations?

We also need a lot of clarity and awareness about ourselves. The quote, "One must know himself before they can know another' applies directly. What are our own strengths and weaknesses? Our personality preferences, values, and passions? So it is, that in the collaboration dance, it is vital to really know who we are. After all, we are looking for our "business complement". Furthermore, it is important to know what we need in our business. This could be any number of things. Do we need a collaboration to: take our business to the next level; expand our reach; handle operations; manage people; create new products/services; or simply meet the demands of a new, large-client project?

As we're collecting all this information about ourselves, our business, and potential people to collaborate with, we want to be mindful of possible hitch points that can come up along the way. And sometimes, it is simply a matter of timing, and not the right time or a good time for this collaboration. Hitch points, however, are signs or warnings that it may not be safe to proceed with the collaboration. They can show up as:

• conflict in ethics or values
• skewed power or lack of balance in power
• lack of reciprocation

Essentially, whenever we sense any of these dynamics, it is our wise, intuitive self trying to warn us that there is a high risk that this collaboration will be a costly and negative experience. This is also discussed in Business Relationships: Develop the Essential Components and Dodge the Hitch Points.

Finally, after we've found the "right" person, uncovered the specifics of ourselves and the needs of our business, and there haven't been any hitch points, focus on setting this collaboration up for success! As we develop the collaboration, spend time discussing what each of us need and outline and agree to the parameters of what we're actually doing together, who is specifically doing what, and when things will happen. These steps will help to ensure that we not only safely venture into collaborations, but that our collaborations will also be successful!

Labels: business, collaboration, community, hiring, personality, SXSWi