Super Volatile

Krzysztof Szafranek's link blog

Hi, I'm Krzysztof and I make websites.
When I'm not making websites, I read these.
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Jun 25 / 1:31am

I Eliminated the Free Plan from my Web App for a Month: Here’s What Happened.

Also — and this is definitely my fault — 205 people filled out the sign up page and then abandoned the process on the Checkout page. Why? Most people probably didn’t realize they had to pay before using it. Sure, the Pricing page said “$29 for Unlimted Access” without mentioning a free account and Step #2 of the sign up process was called “Checkout”, but overall the copy didn’t clearly indicate that you had to pay before you could use the app.

Another problem is that the site doesn’t include a demo. It includes examples, but nothing the user can create on their own. Adding a demo section so that new users can get that “Oh cool” moment would have gone a long way.

more on mattmazur.com

Interesting case study on freemium vs. paid-only model for a application.

Filed under: business   startups  
 
Apr 21 / 12:50am

How to find startup ideas that make money

The market-driven approach is quite simple. It essentially means:

Find a startup idea that: a) is already making money for someone else in a growing industry; b) interests you; c) aligns with your skill sets.

more on paraschopra.com

Brutal advice for startup ideas selection. Convincing.

Filed under: business   startups  
 
Apr 21 / 12:46am

How to evaluate a non-technical co-founder

Most non-technical founders think they're great product people because it's so easy to be an ok product person. You're going to have to decide whether you're dealing with a great product person or not. A great product person:
  • Is relentlessly focused on making sure you're making the right product for the right market.
  • Has a clear vision of what success for your product looks like and is probably addicted to metrics.
  • Knows when to cut features and can prevent you from wasting time on developing irrelevant features early on.
  • You can point to any piece of a product and ask "Why?" and they have an answer.
more on blog.hirelite.com

Worth reading before engaging with somebody on a new venture. Interestingly, most of this advice seems to be also applicable to product owners in non-startup environments.

Filed under: business   startups  
 
Feb 3 / 1:34am

Which MBA? | Think twice

There is surely no more oxymoronic profession than the tenured business-school professor, and yet these job-squatting apostles of the free market are rife and desperate. Potential students should take note: if taking a professional risk were as marvellous as they say, why do these role models so assiduously avoid it?
more on economist.com

Extremely harsh critique of MBA programmes. Unexpectedly coming from a magazine that publishes an annual MBA ranking.

Filed under: business   education  
 
Nov 1 / 11:06pm

Mastering the Apple Game of Customer Perception

We learn in elementary economics that organizations must work hard to meet the needs of their customers. But meeting customer needs is not enough. You must exceed needs if you want to remain relevant. Technology disrupts the habits of the customers so quickly that if you focus on needs, you will never be an industry leader. You can't keep early adopters loyal by just meeting their needs. They want more from you.
more on blogs.hbr.org

From the series: “What Apple does right”. (Link via KD.)

Filed under: apple   business  
 
Aug 2 / 6:04pm

Entrepreneurs: Unlearn your MBA!

In this Entrepreneur Thought Leader Lecture, given earlier this year at Stanford University, Hansson talks about how his formal education had little to no impact on his business life.
more on entrepreneur.venturebeat.com

Short but lovely video from Hansson's talk at Entrepreneur Thought Leader.

Filed under: business   startups  
 
Jun 26 / 12:47am

A Pernicious Lack of Perspective

It is clear that Mr. Fried has not had exposure to all of these varied “real reasons” for hiring. Mr. Fried has not seen 100′s of companies in different stages of growth with different risk/opportunity sets. The more you read from Mr. Fried and the 37Signals cohort, the more you start to feel that every article should be sub-titled:

Advice On How To Run Our(37Signals) Business.

Or:

What We’ve Learned On How One Should Run Our(37Signals) Business.

It’s fine to write up all these things as anecdotes or amusing stories if you have an audience for it, but why package this Pernicious Lack of Perspective (PLP) as advice?

more on blog.scottolsen.net

Passionate (sometimes too much) analysis of why 37signals' publications are not the ultimate source of wisdom.

Filed under: business   hiring   management  
 
Jun 5 / 11:04pm

How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online?

This image is based on an excellent post at The Cynical Musician called The Paradise That Should Have Been about pitiful digital royalties. I’ve taken his calculations and added a few more.
more on informationisbeautiful.net

Great visualization comparing artists' revenues from different sources.

Filed under: business   music   visualization  
 
Mar 28 / 2:51pm

Freemium Summit: Evernote shares the insider secrets of free apps | VentureBeat

At first, the cohort from March, 2009, didn’t spend any money. In the first month, Evernote made about $300, meaning about 60 of the original 31,334 users decided to subscribe on the spot. But the longer people used it, the more likely they were to subscribe.
more on mobile.venturebeat.com

Interesting numbers from Evernote. Despite petty $300 of income in the first month, Evernote's strength lies in the fact that its value to the users increases as they put more content in the app. Therefore they also more likely to pay for premium features.

Filed under: business   startups  
 
Mar 27 / 12:07am

Running A Software Business On 5 Hours A Week: MicroISV on a Shoestring

Code Is About 10% Of Your Business. Maybe Less.

Are you considering starting up a business because you wish to work on wonderfully interesting technical problems all of the time? Stop now — Google is hiring, go get a job with them.

more on kalzumeus.com

An excellent article on running the business on top of the daily job. If the above quote doesn't scary you off, it's worth reading.

Filed under: bootstrapping   business   lifehacks