

New Biz Idea? Forget Writing a Business Plan, Use Mockingbird Instead - chezral
http://bostinnovation.com/2011/02/23/got-a-new-business-idea-forget-about-writing-a-business-plan-use-mockingbird-instead/

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MikeMakesIt
Mockingbird is hardly the first online wire-framing tool.

<http://balsamiq.com/>

<http://iplotz.com/>

<http://www.flairbuilder.com/>

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zach
Sure, but is it really necessary to make every review a roundup?

If you like a product and that's all you've had experience with, I don't think
you need an obligatory mention of other products you can't actually recommend.

I know we like the horse-race aspect, and are chagrined to see someone who
wasn't first to market credited as if they were the only product of its kind.

But people who actually use these products just want to endorse something that
makes their life easier. They do that in context of how it differs from
better-known alternatives, not compared to other things the reader has
probably never heard of. I think that should be an accepted viewpoint.

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waratuman
Don't business plans serve a different purpose then mock-ups? Are you sure you
can just switch one with the other and call it the same thing. A mock-up may
be contained within a business plan, but a mock-up can't replace a business
plan.

~~~
zach
They do. They can differ in importance, though.

The specifics of the product used to be less important. Now with a lot of web
and app-based businesses, it's like you can't really explain the opportunity
fully without showing the way it works with a mock-up. So that's why they
suggest it's a more vital first step to pitching your business idea.

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orky56
New Biz Idea? Forget Mockingbird, Use a Napkin Instead! But seriously there's
no end to this. If you have a great idea, you need to put the pieces in place
to not only develop & build the product but also to ship and monetize it.

I will say it is very simple to get caught up with a business plan and spend
less time on communicating what the idea is in terms of what it takes to get
it built. That's the easy way out and not the solution.

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mey
Ask HN: Mocking bird alternatives?

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thegoleffect
<http://keynotopia.com/> is ftw. Super cheap, works on most devices, and when
exported to PDF... the links (aka interaction) is maintained.

