What I learned as a result of my experience with SilentFrog (part 1)
1. write a businesss plan
2. do market research (sort of)
3. think about selling benefits not features
4. write press releases
5. pitch stories to journalists
6. develop a marketing plan
7. develop a sales strategy
8. manage time more efficiently
9. be customer focused and handle customer service
10. beta test a software
11. relate to a board of directors
12. pitch an idea to investors
13. email marketing
14. understand the difference between sales and marketing
15. understand the value of copywriting
16. understand what advertising is about
17. understand how it is to be on the client side
18. think like an owner
19. think about the impact of one decision on multiple aspects of a company
20. understand what burn rate
21. what break even
22. what profitability is
23. the process of getting a patent
24. communicating with investors
25. communicating with customers
26. communicating with partners
27. how to work with my brother
28. how to work with my father
29. the rush of owning something and wanting to make it succeed
30. the belief in entrepreneurship-making value out of absolutely nothing
31. the value of wise/effective time management
32. the feeling of being part of a great voyage
33. the difference between those who dare to be owners and those who don’t
34. how to conduct a survey
35. the importance of maintaining a Zen like attitude about the ups and downs
36. the importance of criteria in making decisions
37. the importance of taking notes from meetings and conferences
38. the importance of having a checklist for recurring events
39. the importance of automating recurring tasks
40. the importance of delegation (programming, customer service) when possible
41. not to waste money, but not hoard it pointlessly either
42. listen to the needs of customers better
43. listen to the concerns of partners
44. what business development is
45. how to structure incentive deals with partners
46. to get to the decision maker
47. think about the needs of clients
48. think about the needs of my clients’ clients
49. business cold calling skills