Thanks to TechCrunch, I just found an interesting presentation by Adeo Ressi, founder of The Founder Institute (FI). The Institute is focused on empowering budding entrepreneurs to turn ideas into actual businesses. The premise is similar to that of StartingBloc, a non-profit for which I once served on the Board - namely, aggregate a network of inspired individuals, give them access to the techniques and advice necessary to build sustainable entities, and watch the magic happen.
I've been reading a lot lately about the explosion of "bootstrapped" startups, Ressi's talk may serve as an illustration for how this trend has happened. For $2,000, utilizing crowd sourcing for design, cheap or open-source software for mock-ups and basic web development, and limited budgets for AdWords or Facebook Ads, you too can create the appearance of a viable business. Perhaps more importantly, you can also test whether or not it's likely that your skeletal idea will actually turn into something worth investing more time and capital into.
Fans of The Four Hour Work Week will be familiar with some of the suggestions for testing ideas and creating a simple web presence; however, I find Ressi's process for "ghetto launching" a more practical plan. If you have 5 minutes, flip through the slide deck I've included below. It works fairly well as a stand-alone presentation. If you have 25 minutes, watch the video. Please be warned: Ressi's language is foul enough to raise eyebrows in some locker rooms I've been in. Despite my Grandmother's admonishment that profanity is the sign of a weak mind expressing itself, I think Ressi's suggestions are strong.
Adeo Ressi on Product Development 08/19/2010 from Adeo Ressi on Vimeo.
FI Mentor Talk: 10 Steps to Launch Your Startup for under $2,000
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