OnStartups is a blog launched by Dharmesh Shah. Today he’s sharing a video of a speech he delivered at the Business of Software conference held in Boston. The video is WELL worth the time to watch it!
Everything I Know About Startups
If you’re in a “video watching challenged state” (i.e. at work, slow connection, etc.) Here’s a top line overview of the presentation.
Dharmesh was working on his thesis for his MBA at MIT and he needed evidence to support his research. He needed evidence and data to support his thesis. Since Dharmesh is a self proclaimed introvert, he decided to launch a blog to conduct his research.
Fast forward – Dharmesh’s partner in the Onstartups.com blog is a venture partner at a venture capital firm whose job it was to go around to all the VC backed portfolio companies and help them grow their sales and marketing. He made an observation. These firms in the VC portfolio – firms with with $5-$10-$15 Million in VC funding – firms who are spending tens of thousands of dollars each month to deliver their message – had websites that were getting 1/3 to 1/2 of the traffic that the onstartups.com blog was getting.
AH HA MOMENT!
You don’t have to have a lot of capital to get your message out there!
He ends by recommending you launch a blog instead of writing a business plan.
Liz Strauss recommends the same strategy using different language in A Barn Raisers Guide: 7 Ways to Leave the Field of Dreams to Build a Thriving Reality.
One of the most affordable small marketing strategies you can employ is launching a blog to promote your business. According to Dharmesh, it’s better than access to venture capital. Now THAT is a compelling testimonial for launching your own business blog.
Venture Capital is always risky but if market research had been done correctly, you will earn a lot”.’