Questions


262 Votes
7 Answers
206K Views
Forming a new software startup, how do I allocate ownership fairly?

I have come up with an idea for a new social networking application. It's not something I expect to be hugely successful, but I think it does have some potential. I've approached a few close...

asked Jan 22 '10 at 07:37
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Matt
1,383 points

67 Votes
10 Answers
10.5K Views
What mistakes have you made trying to "save money"?

I "saved" $40 per month in fees for a payroll service by doing everything myself. Even though I spent quite a bit of time dealing with tax forms instead of my product, I still made some mistakes...

asked Dec 9 '09 at 00:52
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Jason Cianchette
511 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.65K Views
How do I create and lead a startup team of game developers?

I have LOTS of game ideas. Not all are awesome, but they definitely are better than most games I see on Google's Android market and on Apple's AppStore commanding 100k+ downloads. I also have ideas...

asked Dec 28 '12 at 16:15
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John
9 points

22 Votes
13 Answers
6.47K Views
I'm a terrible salesperson. What can I do about it?

I'm a designer / developer. My product is ready for beta, so my focus has to shift towards sales and marketing. My problem is that I just cannot sell. I have an irrational fear of annoying people...

asked Aug 13 '11 at 05:35
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Finch
211 points

8 Votes
12 Answers
3.43K Views
Books to read before starting a business?

I'm starting an online store with a partner. Because there will be lot of students and other people working directly under me, I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. I have no practical or...

asked Jul 25 '11 at 14:09
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Nikhil
145 points

16 Votes
6 Answers
4.85K Views
Is it worth it to register a trademark for a software product that I am developing?

I am working on a new software product, it is a web-based contact manager and I would like to know if I should register the name as a trademark? is it worth it? and if so, should I do it myself or...

asked Oct 17 '10 at 09:49
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Ricardo
4,815 points

17 Votes
8 Answers
3.89K Views
If my founder is losing interest

A few months into the startup and I have a feeling my founder is losing interest/passion/ability to put large amounts of time into the business. The reason this is tough, is because he's the...

asked Oct 14 '09 at 00:33
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Ryan Graves
86 points

4 Votes
6 Answers
4.51K Views
Using AdWords to test product ideas?

In order to test interest in a product, I've been told that it's useful to use AdWords. What's the best way to maximize the usefulness of AdWords. How do I measure whether or not an idea is useful?...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 13:10
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Van Nguyen
482 points

8 Votes
14 Answers
4.47K Views
How to hire the best developers?

Joel Spolsky is always writing about how companies should treat and offer the best to their developers in order to be able to get the best of them. As a startup, when the time comes and you do need...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 12:44
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Ricardo
4,815 points

2 Votes
2 Answers
2.25K Views
Tool for publishing an eBook?

I was wondering, does anyone know of any good ebook writer / providers out there for self publishing? For example, I want to be able to write the book and publish in pdf/html on the site, or...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 11:57
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Furtivefelon
111 points

10 Votes
17 Answers
10.1K Views
Should a startup CTO know how to code?

A CTO can often be spread very thin, since they often have to run the product, engineering, IT, and anything else that is tech related (salesforce.com setup too). Do they have to contribute to...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 11:29
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Craig Daniel
223 points

7 Votes
6 Answers
3.31K Views
Few ideas for products: How to assess them and get started?

If you have quite a few ideas for products, but none are knock-out-most-compelling to dive into, how do you decide which one to pursue? How much time do you invest in each one's research and...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 11:25
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Cade Roux
196 points

16 Votes
13 Answers
5.09K Views
How do you keep yourself motivated?

A lot of entrepreneurs and founders have those 'down times' when they're in a strange funk, slightly burned out from the startup for one reason or another. Some of these reasons may be an...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 11:21
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Mark Bao
604 points

14 Votes
17 Answers
4.59K Views
Best guiding principle for establishing a startup culture where employees "bleed the company's colors"?

We've all heard tips & tricks for establishing great work cultures, but executing on it isn't easy. If you could only give one tip, what would be the thing that would rally the entire team...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 10:59
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Craig Daniel
223 points

7 Votes
12 Answers
5.46K Views
Survive starting a business without a paycheck?

When you start a new company, it is necessary to dedicate 100% of your time and effort to make it successful? How do you do this without a paycheck? Especially if you have a family?

asked Oct 10 '09 at 10:44
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Ricardo
4,815 points

3 Votes
2 Answers
4.3K Views
Raising money from friends who are non-accredited investors?

I am wondering as to what is the best (easiest) way to raise money from interested friends who are non-accredited. I feel like I am fortunate enough to have some wealthy enough friends who would...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 10:18
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Vineet
1,080 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.8K Views
Should I start a contest to drive traffic to my site?

At what point should I consider a contest as a strategy to get people to visit my business or website? What are the ways to track the ROI for this type of marketing?

asked Oct 10 '09 at 10:08
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Blizzard Digital
83 points

22 Votes
20 Answers
12.9K Views
How do I find a technical co-founder?

One of my friends is starting a company and he's looking for a technical co-founder to work with him to build a web app. Where should he look for technical co-founder? Some more details: He is a...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 09:09
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Nivi
157 points

4 Votes
5 Answers
5.39K Views
Agency consulting: Hourly vs. Fixed bids

We currently do all our work with the hourly model, charging $X/hr. $X is the same for all types of work: graphic design, print layout, website design & development, SEO, etc. But, as we are...

asked Oct 10 '09 at 08:19
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Marcus Blankenship
376 points

3 Votes
3 Answers
3.32K Views
Is LLP a good option for software startups in India?

It's now possible to form an LLP in India. But is it a good option for a startup in India? Is it the right option when one partner may be from outside India?

asked Oct 10 '09 at 07:26
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Tushar
16 points