John Sjölander

The entrepreneur classification system

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:17:38 +0200

The entrepreneur classification system :

Truer words have never been spoken. Ratios are roughly 100:1 for every level of increment.

Dont work. Be hated. Love someone.

Tue, 29 May 2012 00:53:54 +0200

Dont work. Be hated. Love someone.

burtcorp: What’s Burt DNA?

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:45:31 +0200

burtcorp:

What’s Burt DNA?

”Why wouldn’t a device replace gym membership?”

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:54 +0200

”Why wouldn’t a device replace gym membership?”:

This sunday I was in the judging panel of Health Hack Day. This is an interview with me connected to that event.

I had lots of fun and met some interesting new people. All in all a very well executed event! Also, the first time I’ve seen human urine on stage during a demo. And hopefully the last. :-)

The valley is dead

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:28:10 +0200

The valley is dead:

In the same line of thinking as I was writing about the other day.

The default state of a startup is failure

Sat, 19 May 2012 11:01:12 +0200

The default state of a startup is failure

"What information consumes is rather obvious. It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:56:53 +0200

“What information consumes is rather obvious. It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

- Harvard Business Review

Is the head and tail of VC ROI growing further apart?

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:59:21 +0200

It’s a relevant question, right? The last year we’ve seen tons of large exits. At the same time, I’ve never seen more companies getting started, and more companies getting, albeit small, funding. (Not counting the crazy ’99s). So this leaves me thinking - is there a growing gap between success and failure? Shouldn’t we all be better off if there were 86 $1bn (think Instagram) exits instead of one (think Facebook)?

This quote by Fred Wilson got me thinking:
“Over the history of the institutional VC business (the past 40 years) the number of companies started every year that turn out to be worth billions sustainably is in the tens not the hundreds. If you are looking for a billion dollar check in the startup game, you are playing for lottery odds.”

It’s my opinion that a game of few winners and hoards of loosers is nothing but bad for society. Bubble anyone? (j/k, couldn’t stop myself)

"Here’s the rub: there is a compiler and it’s fucking brutal. It’s your readers."

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:58:11 +0200

“Here’s the rub: there is a compiler and it’s fucking brutal. It’s your readers.”

- Please learn how to write.

About the declining Facebook ARPU

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:57:00 +0200

So, apparently Facebook is attributing increase in mobile access for lower ARPU in Q2. Analysts are calling for Facebook to monetize mobile better.

Lets get some things straight:

- All mobile isn’t created equal. How do you commonly use your tablet? How do you commonly use your smartphone? See the difference? Sofa vs. Bus, right? Even all smartphones aren’t created equal. The behavior of Blackberry users vs iPhone users, I would claim, leaves the Blackberry users less monetizable – task oriented vs. recreational.

- Mobile phones (as well as smartphones) have never been, and will likely never be a good advertising platform. It’s all about the context of usage. Smartphone is mainly used as a tool for communication (I claim Facebook to be a communications platform, in fact, the worlds most sophisticated such ever). Monetizing communication with Ads have never worked well. Remember when we could get free land line phone service if we’d just accept being interrupted with a 15 second ad every five minutes? Wonder why it’s not around any more? Wonder why there aren’t any spray-n-pray SMS-based ads? Or why ads in emails are called spam? People who communicate don’t want to be interrupted.

- Rest assured that tablets will be highly monetizable in certain contexts; casual browsing, email marketing, tablet magazines. Again – the context matters.

So let’s stop talking about “mobile” as if it’s all the same shit, and let’s talk about what context of mobile can make money in what way. I’m betting the Facebook mobile app for smartphones won’t monetize well. Cause that’s not the context I’m using it for.

Best practices for catching up on reading.

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:07:36 +0200

Startup friends; If you’re anything like me, you get forwarded tens of links every day that people say is worth reading. I like to batch my reading, but I’ve got no great way of doing it. I’m thinking a dropbox for stuff that’s worth reading, that you can batch in the cloud while at work, and then as you get home you just pull it up on your ipad. All without me having to spend to much manual time on the process. Think one click solution.

How do you manage this? Do you have some good advice for me? Thx!

"Never, Ever Promote From Within."

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:48:29 +0200

"Never, Ever Promote From Within.":

Son, you never, ever promote your best salesperson to be the sales manager. This is a classic mistake that other car dealers make. A bunch of my top producers came from their failed attempts as sales managers at other places. You commit two wrongs with these promotions: First, you take your top producer—someone raking in two to five times the average salesperson—off the sales floor. Second, you put them in a new job that they are totally unqualified to do successfully. This usually ends in disaster for everyone involved.

The classic swedish way of promoting managers. “Everyone is promoted to their level of incompetence.”

British Gameshow Contestant Puts On Badass Display Of Game Theory

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:54:24 +0200

British Gameshow Contestant Puts On Badass Display Of Game Theory:

Pure genious!

8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:28:18 +0200

8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses

"Max Levchin developed what he called the aura test: you listen to someone for 15 seconds and then..."

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:19:59 +0200

“Max Levchin developed what he called the aura test: you listen to someone for 15 seconds and then decide if he has a good aura. If so, you continue to listen. If not, you walk away.”

- Peter Thiel

"if you’re not willing to execute the advice of the board, then you’d better not put one..."

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:38:34 +0100

“if you’re not willing to execute the advice of the board, then you’d better not put one together”

- How to Assemble a Board of Advisers

"The fatal misconception behind brainstorming is that there is a particular script we should all..."

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:50:57 +0100

“The fatal misconception behind brainstorming is that there is a particular script we should all follow in group interactions. The lesson of Building 20 is that when the composition of the group is right—enough people with different perspectives running into one another in unpredictable ways—the group dynamic will take care of itself.”

- Chris Dixon

"Thou shalt NOT poach from a startup whose CEO is your friend! Thou shalt NOT poach from a startup..."

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:12:04 +0100

“Thou shalt NOT poach from a startup whose CEO is your friend!
Thou shalt NOT poach from a startup that has not raised a round of funding!
Thou shalt NOT poach from a startup that has less than 10 people!
Thou shalt NOT poach from a funded startup whose CEO is your friend, until you’ve talked to said CEO and received his/her OK!”

- Startup Poaching Etiquette – Be a Richard, Not a Dick! | Mentor Backed

"So the great tech leader is one who can foster an environment that honors creativity but also is..."

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:37:15 +0100

“So the great tech leader is one who can foster an environment that honors creativity but also is focused on delivering real-world product to real-world customers”

- Evolving the technical organization

Expect us

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:36:00 +0100

Expect us to arrive when frustration hits.
Expect us to change things.
Expect us with the round pegs in the square holes.
Expect us to be surprisingly correct.
Expect us when you least do.
Expect us for help.
Expect us to misinterpret you.
Expect us to question the status quo.
Expect us to disappoint.
Expect us for bigger things.
Expect us to change and accept the challenge!
Expect us bold and brave, overworked and tired.
Expect us with a big vision!
Expect us at the final hour.
Expect us for joy and delight, in sickness and in health.
Expect us to embolden you.
Expect us to be crazy, and to fail.
Expect us to come back relentlessly.
Expect us to win.

Always,
Whatever you do,
And more than anything:

Expect us.