Sounds weird as the title of a post , isn't it? Let me explain.

If there is one single word that an aspiring entreprenuer should know how and when to use - it is the word "NO" . At most times, the word "NO" is actually not used as is. This is because a startup situation is very fluid. A "NO" yesterday could be a "YES" tomorrow. Take investors for example. There might be a bunch of folks ready to pump in money into your venture. But you need to decide when to take and how much to take and from whom. Startups often need to chop and change their business models. That is why I don't have a formal business plan yet although I have figured out how I will make money.

However, there are situations which demand a clear "NO". This could be doing something unethical/illegal/immoral. The legal part is common to everyone but ethics and morality are subjective. For example, it might be unethical for someone to develop software for playing cheap lottery on the internet or on the mobile. For someone else, it may not be. These are deeply personal decisions.

How to say "NO" is often very critical. A startup needs as many friends as possible. Some entreprenuers like to be brash about saying "NO". I think this is not the right way. Be humble, Be polite, Be firm and Be genuine. This shows strength of character. Also, when you know its a NO only for today , make sure the message gets across that it could be a YES tomorrow. This is easily said than done. Many folks who hear "NO" are bound to take it personally. Again, make it explicit that it is the idea or the proposal , not the person, that gets the "NO" .

Getting started

This is my first post in more than a month. The standard excuse is that I've busy. The truth is I've been lazy.

For a couple of months now , I have been trying to put the pieces together for a new venture. You could say, once you've started you're a startup. However, I have arranged my goals such that I prefer to "become" a startup the day I get that "launch". Before that, I am zilch.

For this new venture, a lot of things are happening in parallel. I've tried to rate where we are..

1) Investor interest - 3/5
2) Product definition - 4/5
3) Product development - 2/5
4) Partner traction( BD) - 3/5
5) Legal - 0/5
6) Office/location - 0/5
7) Business plan - 0/5

We are not in a hurry because we are doing something which has not been done before and have a product definition which is simple yet outstanding.
Stay tuned in : I will try to revisit these in a month's time and see where we stand.