Startup Resources

This is a collection of links and resources for anyone starting a new online business. I hope you find it useful.

Lean Startup Methodology

Customer Development / Research

• Advice on conducting customer interviews
• Survey.io – customer development survey (ask customers about your current version)
• KissInsights – survey visitors while they are surfing your website
• SurveyMonkey – conduct online surveys
• UserVoice – let your users/customers vote on ways to improve your service

Prototyping / Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Create a “Launch Page”

• Launchset – run a closed alpha/beta
• LaunchRock – set up a “viral” launching soon page with email signup and refer-a-friend mechanism
• LaunchEffect – set up a WordPress-based viral launch page with refer-a-friend mechanism

Web Page Elements

• IconFinder – icon search engine

Test Your Site’s Performance

• BrowserMob – load-test your website (free trial)
• LoadImpact – load-test your website (a few free credits when you register)
• Boomerang – measure the performance of your website from your end user’s point of view

Test Your Site in Different Browsers

• Browsershots – view your web page in different browsers (free)
• IETester – test how your site renders in different versions of Internet Explorer

Improve Your Site

Web Infrastructure

Web Hosting

• Slicehost – cheap US hosting if you’re happy installing and maintaining everything yourself
• Linode – more of the same, but with UK and US data centres [affiliate link]
• Bytemark – same but UK-based (not used them yet, but I hear good things)

DNS

• easyDNS – reliable DNS service

Uptime Monitoring

• UptimeRobot – free website uptime monitoring for up to 50 websites

Customer Acquisition

SEO

• SERP Checker – check where your site ranks for given keywords.
• Predict your likely CTR for a given ranking in the SERPs

Email Marketing

• MailChimp – email marketing and analytics platform
• AWeber – email marketing system popular for its autoresponder system

PR

• How to pitch to the tech media – practical tips from Mike Butcher of TechCrunch Europe

Viral Marketing

• Article about viral coefficients (K) and viral cycle times by David Skok

Finance

Pricing

• Pricing theory and advice from Joel Spolsky (a.k.a. Joel on Software)
• Ask potential customers face-to-face. Watch their body language.
• High-ball strategy: Tell the prospective customer “This’ll cost you £xxx” (insert amount you’re 99% sure is too high). Watch their response. Ask what they would pay.

Fundraising

• The 5-Slide VC Pitch
• Sequoia Capital’s advice on writing a business plan

Team

• Executive Hires – The Case for Extreme Referencing – great article by Josh Hannah
• How to Leverage a Virtual Assistant
• Enternships – hire an entrepreneurial intern (UK-only/mainly)

Jobs

• VentureLoop – find a job in a venture-backed startup

Legal

• Free website legal documents (UK-only)
• Free evening seminars on law for startups (London)

Recommended Startup Books

• The Lean Startup – Eric Ries’ book on Lean Startup methodology
• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development – sort of a customer development cheat sheet
• The Four Steps to the Epiphany – read more about customer development
• Don’t Make Me Think – learn how and why to do user testing
• The Ultimate Sales Machine – sell effectively and build a strong sales organisation
• The Art of the Start – read a variety of startup tips and advice
• The Bootstrapper’s Bible – free PDF by Seth Godin

Other Resources

• Mixergy – get tips and inspiration from entrepreneurs you admire
• Managing Startups: Best Posts of 2011 – great list from Tom Eisenmann

 

 photo credit: Nottinghack