danielknox.net

Congratulations to my co-founder and best friend Elizabeth Iorns...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Congratulations to my co-founder and best friend Elizabeth Iorns for being recognized by Nature Magazine as one of the 10 People that Mattered in 2012.

"The Struggle is when you wonder why you started the company in the first place. The Struggle is..."

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 21:00:00 -0700

“

The Struggle is when you wonder why you started the company in the first place.

The Struggle is when people ask you why you don’t quit and you don’t know the answer.

The Struggle is when your employees think you are lying and you think they may be right.

The Struggle is when food loses its taste.

The Struggle is when you don’t believe you should be CEO of your company. The Struggle is when you know that you are in over your head and you know that you cannot be replaced. The Struggle is when everybody thinks you are an idiot, but nobody will fire you. The Struggle is where self-doubt becomes self-hatred.

The Struggle is when you are having a conversation with someone and you can’t hear a word that they are saying because all you can hear is The Struggle.

The Struggle is when you want the pain to stop. The Struggle is unhappiness.

The Struggle is when you go on vacation to feel better and you feel worse.

The Struggle is when you are surrounded by people and you are all alone. The Struggle has no mercy.

The Struggle is the land of broken promises and crushed dreams. The Struggle is a cold sweat. The Struggle is where your guts boil so much that you feel like you are going to spit blood.

The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak.

Most people are not strong enough.

Every great entrepreneur from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg went through The Struggle and struggle they did, so you are not alone. But that does not mean that you will make it. You may not make it. That is why it is The Struggle.

The Struggle is where greatness comes from.

”

- the always inspiring Ben Horowitz on The Struggle.

Yep… that’s me on CNBC’s “Squawk on the...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:03:55 -0700

Yep… that’s me on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”

“Do or Do not. There is no Try.” via Flowing Data.

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:37:52 -0700

“Do or Do not. There is no Try.”

via Flowing Data.

Two-and-a-half months ago Elizabeth Iorns, Ryan Abbott and I...

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Two-and-a-half months ago Elizabeth Iorns, Ryan Abbott and I started working on a project to improve the efficiency and quality of scientific research. Today we’re proud to introduce… Science Exchange.

startupquote: When something really shitty happens we try not...

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:45:10 -0700

startupquote:

When something really shitty happens we try not to take it personally, figuring that tomorrow is another day.

- Mike Hudack

"While I promised them I wouldn’t say here what they’re doing, I can tell you that it..."

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:56:04 -0700

“While I promised them I wouldn’t say here what they’re doing, I can tell you that it fits perfectly with what they’ve already done. They’re going to have an unfair advantage in building it because their current users already want it, it aligns with their brand, it matches their skill set as a team, and it fits the the general vision they sold to their investors. And yet, it’s not some trivial optimization. It’s a 15 degree pivot that allows them to leverage their earlier work for a much bigger opportunity. It’s a veer.”

- from Jason Freedman’s awesome article on pivots including Speakergram’s recent ~~pivot~~ veer.

How to get a job at a startup if you aren’t a developer

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:33:01 -0700

How to get a job at a startup if you aren’t a developer:

Very interesting advice from Eric Stromberg particularly “When I was searching for a startup job I got some good advice: Any startup job you find on a job board will be one you don’t want.”

How To Sustain Momentum After Startup Success

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:51:07 -0700

How To Sustain Momentum After Startup Success:

I particularly like the quote: “We see a lot of startups that feel as though the first taste of success is the finish line. In reality, that’s when the hard part begins!”

"Markets develop for a complex set of factors that are often beyond all of our control. It is often..."

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:39:53 -0700

“Markets develop for a complex set of factors that are often beyond all of our control. It is often the fortuitous mixture of new technologies, customer awareness and then acceptance of the technology and then the slow adoption into our daily lives that leads to markets exploding. Nascent startup markets are like fine wine, they take time to develop.”

- From Mark Suster’s excellent “9 women can’t make a baby in a month” article.

"People who build companies to flip are essentially base jumping without a parachute"

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:04:33 -0700

“People who build companies to flip are essentially base jumping without a parachute”

- from Startup Economics 101

Great talk about getting started and dealing with the...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:44:28 -0700

Great talk about getting started and dealing with the Chicken-and-Egg adoption problem by Brian Chesky of AirBnB.

I particularly like Paul Graham’s advice to AirBnB: “Go to your users!”.

startupquote: People are not good at expressing their...

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:40:15 -0700

startupquote:

People are not good at expressing their frustration. The best way to listen to the customer is through metrics.

- Chris Hughes

"One reason that so many startups flock to SXSW is that it’s a great opportunity to meet potential..."

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:27:56 -0700

“One reason that so many startups flock to SXSW is that it’s a great opportunity to meet potential investors. Now, well-known VC firm Union Square Ventures, SoundCloud and The Next Web are offering a chance to give a pitch with a difference.”

- Pitch your startup to a Union Square Ventures VC at SXSW with The Next Web

Excited to see how this turns out. If you’re pitching your startup at #SXSW, make sure to catch Albert in an elevator near you. Click through to learn how to participate.
(via david-noel)

As I was just lamenting with a fellow startup-focused MBA...

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 09:30:06 -0700

As I was just lamenting with a fellow startup-focused MBA classmate, our Twitter streams are making us very envious of everyone at SXSW (particularly during a morning spent learning about multiple regression).

Appsumo's awesome Lean Startup SXSW bundle

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:00:00 -0800

Appsumo's awesome Lean Startup SXSW bundle:

Appsumo has teamed up with over 20 web service providers, including LessAccounting, Postmark, launchbit, KISSMetrics and Crazyegg, to provide an awesome bundle of lean startup goodness worth over $5,000… for just $99!

If you run a web business you should buy this deal NOW!

Great video highlighting the immigration challenges faced by...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:30:47 -0800

Great video highlighting the immigration challenges faced by foreign entrepreneurs in the US and making a strong case for the Startup Visa (featuring interviews with Ben Way, Brian Wong and Augusto Marietti).

This video has been around for a while now but, after seeing...

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:35:46 -0800

This video has been around for a while now but, after seeing Grasshopper’s CEO David Hauser speak (and show the video) at this weekend’s SuperConf2011 conference, I couldn’t resist posting it again.

Also check out the great content and words of wisdom on David’s tumblog here.

How I'll be spending my next two days... SuperConf2011

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:10:17 -0800

How I'll be spending my next two days... SuperConf2011:

SuperConf is brand new. SuperConf is where kick-ass new companies launch. SuperConf is where speakers blow your mind, 8 times in one day. SuperConf is the culmination of great speakers, awesome companies, amazing patrons & shots of patron. SuperConf is in Miami, Beach!

Moral => you probably use Pie Charts too much!

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:26:20 -0800

Moral => you probably use Pie Charts too much!