
You’re a little company, now act like one - duck
http://blog.asmartbear.com/youre-a-little-company-now-act-like-one.html
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grellas
Nice piece - jacquesm made an analogous point the other day in a nice write-up
chiding founders of small companies for their sometimes pretentious use of
officer titles, sparking a lively discussion
(<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1382657> \- "You Are Not the CEO").

At the height of the bubble, it became common wisdom that startups somehow
were not real startups unless they distinguished themselves from small
businesses by staking out a grand vision and promoting it relentlessly in
their business plans, in their marketing materials, and in their company
presentations. It was at that time that everybody and his uncle suddenly
became a "leading provider" of this or that, even when the claim obviously
lacked credibility. Such claims always sounded phony and, even if an
occasional company eventually lived up to them, were almost sure to be
discounted as empty and meaningless by the customers who counted.

So it is refreshing to see a direct and sincere style aimed at early adopters
as opposed to the large buyers who will tend to shy away from large
commitments to unproven startups no matter how promising the products or
services.

One can be sincere without overdoing it, however, and too much emphasis on
"three founders in a room" and the like is perhaps _too_ casual.

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DTrejo
Comments on this article from when it was first posted:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=795976>

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k33n
Also, a 3 person company does not need a dedicated CEO.

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edw519
The problem with phrases like "Leading Provider" isn't just that they're too
marketese, but that they're obviously false. They destroy your credibility
before the game even begins.

Moral of the story: Just speak English and tell the truth. A concept so
revolutionary, it just may work.

Great post, Jason. You put a label (early adopters) on the demographic many of
us should be pursuing. Thank you.

~~~
uninverted
"Foobar inc., Portugal's leading provider of accounting software in the
$50-$100 range marketed toward shipping companies".

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tjmaxal
It's refreshing to hear someone advocate using real life descriptions

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acangiano
Good points. This is our about: <http://thinkcode.tv/about>. It's not exactly
"how you doin'", but it's doesn't contain any bullshit either. What do you
think?

~~~
anamax
> but it's doesn't contain any bullshit either.

Bullshit is useful - it's fertilizer. Your "about" starts out by wasting my
time.

"ThinkCode.TV is a project from ThinkCode Labs, Inc, a Canadian startup
founded in 2009"

Someone may care about Canada. Someone may care about 2009. (I doubt that
there are many people who care about either one, but ....) However, no one
cares about the relationship of ThinkCode.TV to ThinkCode Labs. (You're not
Bell Labs.)

Is your goal to get someone to care about ThinkCode.TV or about ThinkCode
Labs? Pick one and dump the reference to the other. Then replace ". We are"
with "," and ask yourself if your names are the most important thing that you
want to get across. If not, that sentence is in the wrong place.

Kill "deeply rooted", "strongly", "a viable business," ,and "in today’s ever-
changing world". (That leaves an unnecessary comma.) Better yet, rewrite that
sentence so it highlights your customer's needs and not your beliefs. (They
only care about your beliefs so far as those beliefs have some relationship to
them getting what they want.) And, when you do, remember that modifiers are
like knots - they weaken. Yes, even the emphatic ones.

What's your highest priority? If it's not customer service, don't use the word
priority in the last paragraph. (If it is, what does that say about your
product?) Kill the first and last sentences in that paragraph and rewrite the
middle one.

The contact form is too cute. Is it better than a e-mail link/address?

"screencast" should be "screencasts"

~~~
kragen
> Someone may care about Canada.

Well, for some reason I was thinking acangiano was here in Argentina, so I do
care.

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tjmaxal
Also Balsamiq has some pretty great software. It does one thing very well and
for relatively little cost. Mockups

