a ‘blog starter kit’ for web/tech entrepreneurs
“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” -Norman Vincent Peale
This is a quick reference to a few of the most intriguing and resourceful blogs in the web/tech startup space. It’s OK if you don’t agree with 90% of what you read on these blogs; I certainly don’t. The goal for us founders is simply to be a sponge. Knowledge, when practically applied, makes you dangerous.
BLOG STARTER KIT:
Venture Hacks:
Description: Baback Nivi and Naval Ravikant’s experience as both entrepreneurs and investors results in tremendous, practical advice for any tech entrepreneur. They like to refer to themselves as the “hamburger helper for entrepreneurs.” Topics include pitching your deal and negotiating terms, as well as a bunch of other general thoughts on building startups. They just recently published their first digital book entitled, Pitching Hacks.
A little taste: Raising money is a black swan
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Description: Authored by VCs Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson, Ask the VC was formed to answer the steady stream of questions that Brad and Jason were receiving on their personal startups blogs, Feld Thoughts and Mendelson’s Musings, from curious entrepreneurs.
A little taste: Why Won’t The Venture Capitalist Return My Phone Call?
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Description: A dry, but rather resourceful series of posts on the key legal issues for startups. It is authored by Yokum Taku, a corporate and securities partner in the Palo Alto, California office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
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Description: Authored by entrepreneur Eric Ries, the former CTO of IMVU (and a list of other accomplishments), Lessons Learned chronicles key issues that startup guys face in effort to bringing meaningful products into the marketplace.
A little taste: Don’t launch
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Chris Lyman’s CEO/Janitor Blog:
Description: Sure it’s blatant propaganda for Fonality (the company in which Chris Lyman is the founder & CEO), but who cares, it’s good content. The posts are sporadic, but enlightening; they cover a series of Chris’ random thoughts on startups.
A little taste: The Motif of Motivation
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Description: Paul Buchheit is most well known for his work at Google where he developed Gmail, among a slew of other big projects he worked on. He’s currently a co-founder of FriendFeed. His posts generally play off issues/lessons he’s currently facing with FriendFeed, or from lessons he learned while developing Gmail.
A little taste: Overnight success takes a long time
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Description: This isn’t really a blog, but more so a list of essays; although, an rss feed is now available. Whether you love or hate Paul Graham, he’s very experienced as an inventor, entrepreneur, and investor. By default, given his exposure, this guy has some interesting thoughts to share.
A little taste: A Fundraising Survival Guide
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TechCrunch, Mashable, Center Networks, GigaOM, Read/WriteWeb, & Somewhat Frank
Description: Each of these blogs, in various ways, profile new technologies and companies in the web space. A combination of these 6 blogs should provide you a daily beat of what’s happening.
A little taste: BuzzGain Launches Do-It-Yourself PR Service to the Public (by TechCrunch)
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Description: A group-edited blog that profiles and reviews startups founded by young entrepreneurs, new technologies from university labs, recent tech & web trends, venture capital, and ideas that have the potential to change the world. College Mogul aims to serve as a media portal that young entrepreneurs can utilize as a launch pad, resource hub, networking platform, and source for inspiration.
A little taste: 17 Sales Tips For Startups
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EXTRA
A blog I wanted to include, but it’s not currently being updated: March Andreessen’s personal blog is a tremendous read, but hasn’t been updated since last summer. While you’re waiting for it to restart, go ahead and dabble at some of his archived posts. The Pmarca Guide to Startups, part 1: Why not to do a startup is a classic.
Not enough? If you’re an infovore like me, then you’ll want to be sure to check out our full list of VC bloggers, quick financing resource list, and the extended miscellaneous blogroll.
