To the Titanic Effect followers: This is an exciting week for us. The printed copy of the book was released earlier this week! If you are new to the party, here is a brief video summarizing the book’s contents, with props from a few endorsers: http://bit.ly/TitanicEffect.
We have been writing a weekly blog since October. It has been a lot of fun and a good learning experience for us. We’ve creatively thought about how to package the book’s key contents in bite-sized morsels. To be honest, it is also a lot of work! But our followers have grown over that time. We hope this effort will continue to “scale” as the book gets out there. We also realized that the long scrolling list of blog topics online is quite a challenge to “navigate.” In fact, a newcomer might find it intimidating. Even a hard core follower might have difficulty finding that blog they liked on product/market fit, for example.
With that in mind and to celebrate the book launch, we are using this week’s blog to recap our blogs by category, with a brief guide to how to “consume” them. This is a longer blog than usual, but we wanted to be comprehensive.
The Recap is divided into 6 sections: The Book Project, the Four Oceans, and theTitanic/White Star Line. We’ve listed and bold-facedour recommendations for the must-read blogposts in each section.
The Book Project. These posts that cover from the submission of the finished book to the publisher to its release.
Our Origin Story. How our basic thesis turned into a book and related tools.
Click to Send: The Point of No Return. When we sent the finished book to the publisher.
Writing a Book is Like Launching a Startup? No Way! How writing and marketing a book is like starting a company.
Kicking off the Kickstarter. How we used a Kickstarter to learn about crowdfunding.
Know Thy Competition. Understanding the competition for our book and in general.
The Human Ocean. Now we get into the real content of the book…and how the people involved in a startup can be great assets but also great sources of “debtbergs.” Our Human Ocean includes Founders, Investors/Advisors, and Employees. Here are some tips for founders specifically, as well as investors/advisors and those who support startups.
Startups: Want to get Feedback and Advice? Avoid “Foundersplaining.” How to get better coaching and advice.
What to Look For in Startup Advisors. How do you identify the right kind of mentors/advisors/board members?
Five Tips for Living with the Uncertainty of a Startup. Guest blog by Kristen Cooper of the Startup Ladies on coping with uncertainty.
What Should Investors Look For in an A Team? What does a good founding team look like?
The I’s Have It? Investors and advisors, here are some warning signs to look for in a founder that might lead to debtbergs.
The Marketing Ocean. The Marketing Ocean includes the Segmentation, Positioning, and Implementation Seas. Each “Sea” has debtbergs that can sink the startup. The sequence below should help you navigate these hidden debts.
The Most Important Marketing Iceberg by Startup Stage. Learn how to identify the biggest debtberg as the startup evolves. This is a good overview of the startup progression as well. Target Marketing 101 for Startups. Why startups can - and should - identify and secure 80% of their initial target.
Why Getting to Product/Market Fit Sinks so Many Startups. The key elements to product/market fit.
Why a Startup Needs to Launch in an Existing Market Category. The dangers of “white space” and “blue oceans.”
How Startups Can Navigate Around the Customer Value Void. Finding what your customers will value and pay for.
The Price is Right? The challenges of pricing for a startup. This is the most often read blogpost.
Positioning: What Makes You Different and Better? How positioning differentiates the startup’s offerings.
The Technical Ocean. This Ocean addresses how the startup moves through the progression of Seas from Validation through Design to Development. There is some intentional overlap with the Marketing Ocean—product/market fit, for example, happens at the interface of Marketing and Technical Oceans.
50 Ways to Validate Your Startup Idea. Validation and product design/development.
Why Getting to Product/Market Fit Sinks so Many Startups. The key elements to product/market fit.
Is Our Product Finished Yet? Secret Answer: For Startups, the Product is Never Finished. How product development evolves over the life of a startup.
How Startups Can Navigate Around the Customer Value Void. Finding what your customers will value and pay for.
Strategy Ocean. Our last Ocean is Strategy, with integration across Oceans and overall direction. Some topics are most applicable to certain types of startups. For example, the SaaS market trends is great for any startup with a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. We also have a couple specifically on metrics you should track.
Startup Strategy is NOT a Road Map. How strategy really works for a startup.
Entrepreneurship is an Uncertainty Management Job that Evolves Over Time. How managing uncertainty across dimensions evolves for a startup.
What are the Growth Patterns for Startups? What the data tell us on startup failure and growth patterns.
SaaS Market Trends for 2019 and how to Align your Growth Strategy. The Myth of SaaS, and how software and service interact in a startup.
The Many Shades of “Proof of Concept,” Your PoC. See what Proof of Concept means to different stakeholders at different stages.
Never Setting Sail: A Nod to the Companies that have Not Yet Started. Guest blog by Jenni Burton.
It Takes a Village—or at least a First Podcast. Startup ecosystems, Venture Advocate Behaviors, and startup success.
Experimentation is Great, as Long as you Monitor the Results. The role of experimentation and tracking metrics.
Metrics, Metrics: Which Marketing Metrics Should Your Startup Keep Track Of?Shares common startup metrics with examples of how goals lead to actions taken.
The Titanic and White Star Line. The Titanicserves as a great metaphor for the book, complete with navigation, icebergs, and sinking. It also serves for some great history lessons and ideas on company history and strategy.
The White Star Line and the DNA of the Titanic. History of the company who built and operated the Titanic, and more on the ship herself.
What do Icebergs have to do with Startups? Learn about icebergs and how we relate them to new businesses in our book.
Startup Story: What Really Sank the Titanic. Myths and possible causes of the Titanic sinking.
What Was It Like to be a Passenger on the Titanic? The customer experience on the ill-fated ship.
Also, we have had some nice opportunities to share our journey and ideas on Podcasts. Please have a listen to learn more:
Thanks again for following our ideas! We look forward to continue sharing content through the summer. As always, please feel free to share any feedback or suggestions in the comments below.
