(I should say at the outset this post was inspired by Ross Kimbarovsky recent video post and in fact the last two points ring very similar)

So Wooshii has been running now for around 6 months and I thought I would share some of the lessons learned. These are personal thoughts and relate obviously to my specific case. I do think however that there are lessons in here for anyone who is thinking of starting a new business.

Here at Wooshii although we have raised a very small amount of seed capital we are really boot strapping this business. The three founders all have other business that we keep ticking over in order to keep us alive. This brings with it whole host of challenges,

Why Bootstrap?

• It gives you a chance to turn an idea into a business and thus give it some value
• There is no better market research than actually selling your service
• Your proposition is a whole load more investable in if you have already built the product, gained the patent, made some sales or built and worked with a team
• It ingrains a frugal culture and ensures that only people passionate about your business are involved
• Expensive mistakes are cheap

How to make it work

1. Do something you love – If you’re not it will it will be twice as difficult to stick at it when you’re working at 2 am for next to nothing

2. With people who are great – Great people around you will inspire, share your vision, pick you up when you are down and add to number one.

3. Pull in some early heavy weights – We raised a tiny amount of seed capital for 2 reasons. One of those was so that we had a number of heavy weight players that both gave us credibility and contacts as well as a board that reminds you this is a serious proposition

4. Work out what you can drop – Simply put something has to give, especially if you are still having to work on other projects to keep this business alive. For me it was simple I was not prepared to drop family time or surfing BUT everything else TV, crafts, evenings out, holidays has gone. (Again having a good number one helps again here)

5. Have a plan – If your business to is scalable then you cannot bootstrap forever. You will need outside funding. So have a plan. Set dates at which you will start seeking funding and targets to achieve by those dates that will make your business even more attractive.

I am a big fan of crowdSPRING. I love what they do the way they do it and Ross Kimarovsky (a crowdSPRING founder) comes across as humble, approachable and hands out knowledge freely.

Ross recently wrote on his personal blog a great piece on attaining your early user base. (Actually he filmed it but hey.) One of his main points was engaging and empowering your early users.

As one of the founders of Wooshii I have been given that awesome job. I say awesome as when heading up a new company like ours engaging with your early users is just so important as it gives me a real incite into how our business should be growing and what users actually want form our service.

I was reminded of how important this all was today. I recently registered at site called magntize.com. Check it out. Other than being an interesting idea it also has one of the slickest signup processes I’ve ever used. Today I get an email from these guys.

Thanks for signing up with magntize! Your blog looks really cool. I agree that the new apple mouse is gorgeous, although my friend has one and it felt a little strange, almost too flat on my palm. Do you have one yet? Best of luck with the business stuff and keep surfing!

Don’t hesitate to touch base if you have any questions about your site. My cell number can be found via the link below

Wow! That is fantastic. Not only have they taken the time to look me up they have supplied me with a cellphone number to contact them on should I need any help. It has had the desired impact. I will be back on their site.

Awesome !

Posted via web from Fergus’s posterous

This is a technology that has been fascinating me for quite some time.

Most of us are aware of the Amazon Kindle, a screen reader for digital books. It utilises a technology known as e-paper. For me this is true science fiction coming to be.
E-paper or electronic ink display is a display technology designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper and is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later.

It needs only the smallest electric charge to alter its state which has all sorts of battery life consequences. Currently the kindle runs in black and white but colour e-paper is not too far off.

For me the colour version adds a whole new world of possibilities. I like the idea of a pc monitor that doesn’t cause me eyestrain from reflection and that I can use on the beach  because strong light only makes the screen easier to use.

For the advertiser think of the possibilities within magazines (if they last) and billboards etc. along with the roll-up laptop or the paper you take everywhere and just can download the latest news to.

I recently spotted an ad being placed in Advertiser Weekly which although not epaper points to the future. Pepsi placed video ad’s in an addition of Advertiser Weekly. Now they got a load of PR out of it but a video in a magazine? Now that is straight of Harry Potter.

I’m in love with this idea. I’m yet to get a kindle but it is certainly on my xmas list and loving watching where this U$10 bil dollar industry, (by 2018) will be..