Work Less, Get More Done, Convenient Open Source, What a Startup is Really Like, and more…

Work Less, Get More Done: Analytics for Maximizing Productivity – Patrick McKenzie is the embodiment of Micropreneurship; his focus on marketing, metrics and outsourcing is nothing short of impressive. This is a great post on how working hard is not a defensible advantage.

Making Open Source Convenient: JumpBox – A startup focused on making it dead-simple to get started with open source applications, they create virtual machines completely pre-configured to just start and go (including versions that runs on Amazon EC2). If you’re having trouble installing an open source app, JumpBox is your answer.

What a Startup is Really Like – Another great Paul Graham essay. My favorite points:

• 12. It’s Hard to Get Users. If you make something where the challenges are mostly technical, you can rely on word of mouth, like Google did…but with other types of startups you may win less by features and more by deals and marketing.
• 17. The Value of Community. A surprising number of founders said what surprised them most about starting a startup was the value of community [hanging around other people also starting a company]

A Story of a Launch Disaster…Fast-Food Style – While the truth of this tale is dubious, it’s still a good story of doing the unexpected to thwart your competition.

CrossLoop – Mom calling you for tech support? Send her to CrossLoop, affordable online computer help.

Coolest Business Card Ever – How am I not stealing this design right now?

Know Thy Audience – And look at creative funding sources.

How to Avoid Being Outsourced or Open Sourced – Pointed out to me after my post about competing with open source competition.

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I'm a full-time Micropreneur based in Fresno, California and I run the Micropreneur Academy, an online learning environment designed to get one-person web startups from zero to launch in four months.

I use the term Micropreneur to describe an entrepreneur who creates the lifestyle of their choice through a portfolio of one-person technology businesses (MicroISVs, SaaS websites, e-commerce sites, etc...).