One of the primary rules of 24 Hour Startups is "Don't Waste Effort!".
One of the simplest ways to handle email is to use Gmail. You can use a single gmail account, like <something>@gmail.com, and that works for a while. But it doesn't look too professional. Much better is john.doe@24hourstartups.com
To do this, you need to sign up for the free version of google apps. It's free, as of this writing. It takes a little work. If you are non-technical, have your tech-savvy nephew set it up for you. But if you were able to setup up you own domain, you can follow the directions to make it work.
Once you get one domain set-up, you can use the same accounts over and over again. I have six startups running, and they all go to the same inbox (me). But to the outside world, it's marketing@24hourstartups.com. (Wow! they have a whole department!).
Google gives detailed directions for how to set up your email.
The first time you do it, it may take a few tries. But once you have done one startup, email for the next one only takes a few minutes.
Note to myself: It takes longer if you try to type the mx addresses in by hand :-)
Use copy and paste! Then you won't spend an hour trying to figure out why it won't work.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Where do you get your ideas?
It's a question that everyone is asked. The first answer for this is: problems!
One of the first steps to starting a company is identifying a problem. Start making yourself aware of the little problems you face every day. Examples might be as simple as Finding Parking, Learning about music, or just planning a date for Saturday Night.
Anything can be a basis for a startup. The old advice of "find a need and fill it" applies to modern, ultralight startups just as much as it did for traditional businesses. The difference is the size of the need. If you are going to rent a store, hire employees, and pay for advertizing, the opportunity needs to be pretty large. If you are trying to get venture capital, you better be looking at $100 million plus in revenues.
The good news, is that a modern start-up can target opportunities much smaller than old-style businesses. All you have to do is cover your time, web hosting, and some overhead. That means that hundreds of thousands of business that were not big enough to be interesting are now possible. The important thing is to minimize your investment of time and money, to allow for a worthwhile profit.
This doesn't mean you can't build a huge business, it just means you don't have to be huge to start with. The modern start-up is lean, flexible, and can change to meet its user's needs almost instantly.
Start your list now. Keep track of little things that annoy you, or seem too complicated. Write them down, don't try to remember them all! Sometimes one or two problems will come together, so review the list and look for ideas you can combine, and build a solution out of.
One of the first steps to starting a company is identifying a problem. Start making yourself aware of the little problems you face every day. Examples might be as simple as Finding Parking, Learning about music, or just planning a date for Saturday Night.
Anything can be a basis for a startup. The old advice of "find a need and fill it" applies to modern, ultralight startups just as much as it did for traditional businesses. The difference is the size of the need. If you are going to rent a store, hire employees, and pay for advertizing, the opportunity needs to be pretty large. If you are trying to get venture capital, you better be looking at $100 million plus in revenues.
The good news, is that a modern start-up can target opportunities much smaller than old-style businesses. All you have to do is cover your time, web hosting, and some overhead. That means that hundreds of thousands of business that were not big enough to be interesting are now possible. The important thing is to minimize your investment of time and money, to allow for a worthwhile profit.
This doesn't mean you can't build a huge business, it just means you don't have to be huge to start with. The modern start-up is lean, flexible, and can change to meet its user's needs almost instantly.
Start your list now. Keep track of little things that annoy you, or seem too complicated. Write them down, don't try to remember them all! Sometimes one or two problems will come together, so review the list and look for ideas you can combine, and build a solution out of.
About 24 Hour Startups
24 Hour Startups is all about the need to control and increase your income. By creating startups rapidly, you remove your dependence on your employer, or even on one business.
We will take you through the steps to rapidly develop a business, and begin generating revenue. Financial independence is everyone's right!
We will take you through the steps to rapidly develop a business, and begin generating revenue. Financial independence is everyone's right!
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