Marc Hedlund, co-founder and former CEO of personal finance company Wesabe, has penned a refreshingly honest and open take on why he thinks the startup lost to rival Mint.
The latter launched later than Wesabe (and won the top prize at the TechCrunch40 conference back in 2007) and was later acquired by Intuit for $170 million, while Wesabe had a less stellar exit and hit the deadpool last June.
Hedlund takes the blame, but also counters some of the things that have been cited as reasons for Wesabe’s demise for being myths, such as the fact that Mint was first to market, that the company wasn’t making any money and that it boasted an inferior name and design.
An excerpt:
I am, of course, enormously sad that Wesabe lost and the company closed. I don’t agree with those who say you should learn from your successes and mostly ignore your failures; nor do I agree with those who obsess over failures for years after (as I have done in the past). I’m hoping that by writing this all out I can offload it from my head and hopefully help inform other people who try to start companies in the future.
You’ll hear a lot about why company A won and company B lost in any market, and in my experience, a lot of the theories thrown about — even or especially by the participants — are utter crap. A domain name doesn’t win you a market; launching second or fifth or tenth doesn’t lose you a market. You can’t blame your competitors or your board or the lack of or excess of investment.
Focus on what really matters: making users happy with your product as quickly as you can, and helping them as much as you can after that. If you do those better than anyone else out there you’ll win.
What we’ve got here, ladies and gentlemen, is a must-read.
Good discussion about the post over at Hacker News.
Enough with Facebook and Twitter. I admit that I use them; they’re good business billboards. But people, I just don’t care if you got a tatt, or how proud you are that your kid won the spelling bee, or even if your kid got a tatt. I really don’t. Let’s face it: Social media are quickly becoming passe, sort of like anything “green” or “organic.”
The time has come for anti-social media. It’s time for ” Hellbook.”
This is where we can go when we want to tell others where to go. It’s the best hope for the misanthrope. Kinda brings tears to you eyes, doesn’t it? That’s the idea.
This is where we fend off all the irritating people in our lives. Here, we can “Fend” everyone we simply want to leave us alone and place them on our very own Diss List. There are so many possibilities.
Maybe we could have a special place in Hellbook for the sadists who bombard us with robocalls and distorted campaign ads that play at much higher volume than the TV program we’re trying to watch. How about a secret section for this country’s shady oligarchs, who brought down the economy and are now making huge campaign contributions so they can buy more of the government?
They would rate a special place that would really light up with each disclosure about how these very same culprits faked the documents needed to throw unfortunate homeowners and their families out on the street. Maybe we can include these supreme scoundrels’ names and addresses, with maps to their gated communities.
We could send messages that would be far shorter than Twitter’s 140 characters. Rahm Emmanuel would have a field day. Of course, he also might be on quite a few of the lists. So would all the pipsqueak political demagogues on both sides of the fence, the ones that pollute the waters with their simple-minded fearmongering and bigotry. Without a doubt, politicians would be among the most popular of the unpopular.
Special dishonors could go to the officeholders and wannabes who have staffers ghostwrite posts on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to look hip and trendy.
How dumb is that? It defies logic. If they were hip and trendy they wouldn’t be politicians, now would they?
That site could be divided in half. On the right, imagine all the Fends a Sarah Palin (she would call them “Haters”–accurately), Newt Gingrich or Glenn Beck would have. I’d probably want to stay away from Christine O’Donnell, though. (Do we really know for sure that she only dabbled in witchcraft?)
Keith Olbermann would be way high on the left, no doubt about it. Personally, my site would be crammed with those from fringe to slimy fringe. It would be a dumping ground for those who come up with relentless, cheap shot political arguments: The author of “Do you want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor” would get high dishonors. Same for the one responsible for “Change you can believe in.” The beauty of this is that those who simply get on our nerves would have a place on this hit parade.
I’ve given a lot of thought to this. The racists, homophobes, and the GOP candidate for New York Governor would not be welcome as members. Nor would those religious intolerants that babble inanities about Sharia law in the United States and other spittle. They can only be targets, not members. This was a genuinely tough decision, because there’s a huge amount of money to be made from Tea Party members alone.
Obviously, there would need to be an App, which means someone will have to come up with a graphic. I can think of one—but this should probably be a family site. Imagine how much fun you and the children can have as you teach them the pure joy of trashing other people. Come to think of it, with what goes on in their schools, maybe they could teach us a thing or two.
For those who suffer from self doubt, you could list yourself to put down along with those Fends who should lack self esteem.
The idea would spread like wildfire. In fact, “May You Burn in Hellbook” could be the slogan. Wouldn’t this make a wonderful movie? We could call it The Hate Locker. Actually, scratch that. A movie about a website is an absurd idea.
Even so, the time is definitely right for Hellbook. It would be a natural winner—a loser’s winner. After all, everybody would be a villain.
Finally, a website that reflects real life. If you like the idea, let me know. Just send me a response, two words or more. You can reach me at Facebook or Twitter.
(Bob Franken is a syndicated columnist for King Features and Hearst. Formerly with CNN he now appears on several networks)
Follow us on Twitter.
Sign up for Mediaite’s daily newsletter.
benchcraft company portland or
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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Marc Hedlund, co-founder and former CEO of personal finance company Wesabe, has penned a refreshingly honest and open take on why he thinks the startup lost to rival Mint.
The latter launched later than Wesabe (and won the top prize at the TechCrunch40 conference back in 2007) and was later acquired by Intuit for $170 million, while Wesabe had a less stellar exit and hit the deadpool last June.
Hedlund takes the blame, but also counters some of the things that have been cited as reasons for Wesabe’s demise for being myths, such as the fact that Mint was first to market, that the company wasn’t making any money and that it boasted an inferior name and design.
An excerpt:
I am, of course, enormously sad that Wesabe lost and the company closed. I don’t agree with those who say you should learn from your successes and mostly ignore your failures; nor do I agree with those who obsess over failures for years after (as I have done in the past). I’m hoping that by writing this all out I can offload it from my head and hopefully help inform other people who try to start companies in the future.
You’ll hear a lot about why company A won and company B lost in any market, and in my experience, a lot of the theories thrown about — even or especially by the participants — are utter crap. A domain name doesn’t win you a market; launching second or fifth or tenth doesn’t lose you a market. You can’t blame your competitors or your board or the lack of or excess of investment.
Focus on what really matters: making users happy with your product as quickly as you can, and helping them as much as you can after that. If you do those better than anyone else out there you’ll win.
What we’ve got here, ladies and gentlemen, is a must-read.
Good discussion about the post over at Hacker News.
Enough with Facebook and Twitter. I admit that I use them; they’re good business billboards. But people, I just don’t care if you got a tatt, or how proud you are that your kid won the spelling bee, or even if your kid got a tatt. I really don’t. Let’s face it: Social media are quickly becoming passe, sort of like anything “green” or “organic.”
The time has come for anti-social media. It’s time for ” Hellbook.”
This is where we can go when we want to tell others where to go. It’s the best hope for the misanthrope. Kinda brings tears to you eyes, doesn’t it? That’s the idea.
This is where we fend off all the irritating people in our lives. Here, we can “Fend” everyone we simply want to leave us alone and place them on our very own Diss List. There are so many possibilities.
Maybe we could have a special place in Hellbook for the sadists who bombard us with robocalls and distorted campaign ads that play at much higher volume than the TV program we’re trying to watch. How about a secret section for this country’s shady oligarchs, who brought down the economy and are now making huge campaign contributions so they can buy more of the government?
They would rate a special place that would really light up with each disclosure about how these very same culprits faked the documents needed to throw unfortunate homeowners and their families out on the street. Maybe we can include these supreme scoundrels’ names and addresses, with maps to their gated communities.
We could send messages that would be far shorter than Twitter’s 140 characters. Rahm Emmanuel would have a field day. Of course, he also might be on quite a few of the lists. So would all the pipsqueak political demagogues on both sides of the fence, the ones that pollute the waters with their simple-minded fearmongering and bigotry. Without a doubt, politicians would be among the most popular of the unpopular.
Special dishonors could go to the officeholders and wannabes who have staffers ghostwrite posts on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to look hip and trendy.
How dumb is that? It defies logic. If they were hip and trendy they wouldn’t be politicians, now would they?
That site could be divided in half. On the right, imagine all the Fends a Sarah Palin (she would call them “Haters”–accurately), Newt Gingrich or Glenn Beck would have. I’d probably want to stay away from Christine O’Donnell, though. (Do we really know for sure that she only dabbled in witchcraft?)
Keith Olbermann would be way high on the left, no doubt about it. Personally, my site would be crammed with those from fringe to slimy fringe. It would be a dumping ground for those who come up with relentless, cheap shot political arguments: The author of “Do you want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor” would get high dishonors. Same for the one responsible for “Change you can believe in.” The beauty of this is that those who simply get on our nerves would have a place on this hit parade.
I’ve given a lot of thought to this. The racists, homophobes, and the GOP candidate for New York Governor would not be welcome as members. Nor would those religious intolerants that babble inanities about Sharia law in the United States and other spittle. They can only be targets, not members. This was a genuinely tough decision, because there’s a huge amount of money to be made from Tea Party members alone.
Obviously, there would need to be an App, which means someone will have to come up with a graphic. I can think of one—but this should probably be a family site. Imagine how much fun you and the children can have as you teach them the pure joy of trashing other people. Come to think of it, with what goes on in their schools, maybe they could teach us a thing or two.
For those who suffer from self doubt, you could list yourself to put down along with those Fends who should lack self esteem.
The idea would spread like wildfire. In fact, “May You Burn in Hellbook” could be the slogan. Wouldn’t this make a wonderful movie? We could call it The Hate Locker. Actually, scratch that. A movie about a website is an absurd idea.
Even so, the time is definitely right for Hellbook. It would be a natural winner—a loser’s winner. After all, everybody would be a villain.
Finally, a website that reflects real life. If you like the idea, let me know. Just send me a response, two words or more. You can reach me at Facebook or Twitter.
(Bob Franken is a syndicated columnist for King Features and Hearst. Formerly with CNN he now appears on several networks)
Follow us on Twitter.
Sign up for Mediaite’s daily newsletter.
benchcraft company scam
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
benchcraft company scam
Marc Hedlund, co-founder and former CEO of personal finance company Wesabe, has penned a refreshingly honest and open take on why he thinks the startup lost to rival Mint.
The latter launched later than Wesabe (and won the top prize at the TechCrunch40 conference back in 2007) and was later acquired by Intuit for $170 million, while Wesabe had a less stellar exit and hit the deadpool last June.
Hedlund takes the blame, but also counters some of the things that have been cited as reasons for Wesabe’s demise for being myths, such as the fact that Mint was first to market, that the company wasn’t making any money and that it boasted an inferior name and design.
An excerpt:
I am, of course, enormously sad that Wesabe lost and the company closed. I don’t agree with those who say you should learn from your successes and mostly ignore your failures; nor do I agree with those who obsess over failures for years after (as I have done in the past). I’m hoping that by writing this all out I can offload it from my head and hopefully help inform other people who try to start companies in the future.
You’ll hear a lot about why company A won and company B lost in any market, and in my experience, a lot of the theories thrown about — even or especially by the participants — are utter crap. A domain name doesn’t win you a market; launching second or fifth or tenth doesn’t lose you a market. You can’t blame your competitors or your board or the lack of or excess of investment.
Focus on what really matters: making users happy with your product as quickly as you can, and helping them as much as you can after that. If you do those better than anyone else out there you’ll win.
What we’ve got here, ladies and gentlemen, is a must-read.
Good discussion about the post over at Hacker News.
Enough with Facebook and Twitter. I admit that I use them; they’re good business billboards. But people, I just don’t care if you got a tatt, or how proud you are that your kid won the spelling bee, or even if your kid got a tatt. I really don’t. Let’s face it: Social media are quickly becoming passe, sort of like anything “green” or “organic.”
The time has come for anti-social media. It’s time for ” Hellbook.”
This is where we can go when we want to tell others where to go. It’s the best hope for the misanthrope. Kinda brings tears to you eyes, doesn’t it? That’s the idea.
This is where we fend off all the irritating people in our lives. Here, we can “Fend” everyone we simply want to leave us alone and place them on our very own Diss List. There are so many possibilities.
Maybe we could have a special place in Hellbook for the sadists who bombard us with robocalls and distorted campaign ads that play at much higher volume than the TV program we’re trying to watch. How about a secret section for this country’s shady oligarchs, who brought down the economy and are now making huge campaign contributions so they can buy more of the government?
They would rate a special place that would really light up with each disclosure about how these very same culprits faked the documents needed to throw unfortunate homeowners and their families out on the street. Maybe we can include these supreme scoundrels’ names and addresses, with maps to their gated communities.
We could send messages that would be far shorter than Twitter’s 140 characters. Rahm Emmanuel would have a field day. Of course, he also might be on quite a few of the lists. So would all the pipsqueak political demagogues on both sides of the fence, the ones that pollute the waters with their simple-minded fearmongering and bigotry. Without a doubt, politicians would be among the most popular of the unpopular.
Special dishonors could go to the officeholders and wannabes who have staffers ghostwrite posts on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to look hip and trendy.
How dumb is that? It defies logic. If they were hip and trendy they wouldn’t be politicians, now would they?
That site could be divided in half. On the right, imagine all the Fends a Sarah Palin (she would call them “Haters”–accurately), Newt Gingrich or Glenn Beck would have. I’d probably want to stay away from Christine O’Donnell, though. (Do we really know for sure that she only dabbled in witchcraft?)
Keith Olbermann would be way high on the left, no doubt about it. Personally, my site would be crammed with those from fringe to slimy fringe. It would be a dumping ground for those who come up with relentless, cheap shot political arguments: The author of “Do you want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor” would get high dishonors. Same for the one responsible for “Change you can believe in.” The beauty of this is that those who simply get on our nerves would have a place on this hit parade.
I’ve given a lot of thought to this. The racists, homophobes, and the GOP candidate for New York Governor would not be welcome as members. Nor would those religious intolerants that babble inanities about Sharia law in the United States and other spittle. They can only be targets, not members. This was a genuinely tough decision, because there’s a huge amount of money to be made from Tea Party members alone.
Obviously, there would need to be an App, which means someone will have to come up with a graphic. I can think of one—but this should probably be a family site. Imagine how much fun you and the children can have as you teach them the pure joy of trashing other people. Come to think of it, with what goes on in their schools, maybe they could teach us a thing or two.
For those who suffer from self doubt, you could list yourself to put down along with those Fends who should lack self esteem.
The idea would spread like wildfire. In fact, “May You Burn in Hellbook” could be the slogan. Wouldn’t this make a wonderful movie? We could call it The Hate Locker. Actually, scratch that. A movie about a website is an absurd idea.
Even so, the time is definitely right for Hellbook. It would be a natural winner—a loser’s winner. After all, everybody would be a villain.
Finally, a website that reflects real life. If you like the idea, let me know. Just send me a response, two words or more. You can reach me at Facebook or Twitter.
(Bob Franken is a syndicated columnist for King Features and Hearst. Formerly with CNN he now appears on several networks)
Follow us on Twitter.
Sign up for Mediaite’s daily newsletter.
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bench craft company reviews
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
bench craft company reviews
benchcraft company portland or
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
benchcraft company scam
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
bench craft company reviews
White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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Making money from blogging is a dream that many people have. This objective is not at all unattainable even if you are someone with just basic writing skills. In fact, becoming a blogger doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a very good writer. It just requires a creative mind set, some consistency and the willingness to work hard. But even though blogging is something that just about anyone can do - not many people have managed to turn blogging into profit.
Most of the people who fail to earn any money from their blogs often fail because of two reasons. They may have had too high of an expectation of how quickly their reader base would grow, and how fast they would be able to start generating profit. When those expectations don't go according to plan, it often kills their motivation to continue blogging, and cause them to give up out of being disappointed.
Another thing that causes a lot of bloggers to windup crashing into the brick wall of frustration - is the lack of proper planning. The key to becoming a successful blogger is to set realistic goals and then patiently start working towards those goals.
In order to start generating earnings from your blog, you will need to drive enough traffic to the content of your site. The greater the amount of traffic you are able to direct, the more chance you will have of getting advertisers to pay you to promoting their ads on your blog. And of course, generating that much traffic is not an easy task - it requires hard work.
There are tons of other sites on the internet and a lot of new ones go up each day. So in order for your site to be found... it's not enough to just focus on the quantity, and the quality of your blog post. You have to use some of the time spent adding content to your site to promote it, so you can start getting the sort of traffic that will earn you money.
It is in fact very important that you consistently update your blog with fresh content. This will ensure you have posts that are frequently indexed into search engines, so your site can continuously receive a steady flow of search engine traffic. But you just have to balance between adding content and promoting your site.
Another great benefit you'll get from constantly updating your blog... it causes you to form a relationship with your readers. And believe you me, if you keep adding quality content to your blog, your readers will always keep coming back each time there is a fresh update to your site.
So if your aim is to start generating earnings from your blog, start by getting to work and do whatever is necessary to attract visitors to your site. Take different promotional steps such as joining blogging communities... get familiarized with other bloggers from those communities. This is so you can exchange links with other bloggers which will help to improve your site's ranking.
It doesn't matter how much internet marketing experience you may have, or how brilliant of an idea you might have for blogging - don't expect to start making money overnight! The process of acquiring the type of reader base that will turn into profit will take time, and requires patience.
So be realistic, don't expect anything significant until after a couple of months of hard work. And don't be deterred when things take a while to take off. Try to maintain your focus and stick to the task of improving and promoting your blog even during those dry spells. Set realistic short term goals and work towards fulfilling them. Eventually if you keep your focus on the goals you have set; your persistence will pay off and cause you to start making money from blogging.
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White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons? | iLounge <b>News</b>
iLounge news discussing the White iPhone 4 delay due to mismatched Home buttons?. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
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