If you’re in the software startup game and are slowly creeping up to your launch date, the chances are you will be feeling a weird mix of incredible excitement and intense trepidation. All that work you have done in the past, the pain and suffering you have been through, and the countless sleepless nights spent as a startup owner, it’s all going to come to fruition – or not.
There is a lot to do in the pre-launch phase, and unless you are incredibly organized, you are likely to be worried about getting things wrong. So, you look online and find some articles with 50, 100, 250-item checklists – and you start to panic. Well, this post is designed to help you feel much better about your launch. The truth is there are only a few things you need to worry about on the whole, and today we’re going to go through them to ensure your software product is ready to roll.
The most important thing you need to do before getting anywhere close to your launch date is to start building an email list. Ultimately, when that time on the calendar arrives, and you don’t have an email campaign ready to go, your launch party is going to be a damp squib. You need to attract, maintain, and engage with the right audience if you want to make sales, and all the time you spend cultivating your list, the better results it will give.
Check your market’s trends
Unless your startup is ready to launch a couple of weeks after you had the idea, you need to be keeping a close eye on market trends – even in the build-up to your release day. Even if your overall target market doesn’t change much, you will need to have a unique value proposition for each of the customer segments you intend to target. And these smaller segments tend to change a lot faster and more dramatically than an overall picture, so, what was the case a year or 18 months ago might not be the same now.
Avoid perfection
Are you a perfectionist? If so, you could be stopping your product from succeeding. A lot of software developers postpone their launch dates time and time again, pushing the release day and trying to create the ultimate product rather than the most viable. It’s a huge mistake. As pointed out over at Exceptionless.com, bugs need to be found and ironed out, but as long as you understand what your customers actually find valuable about your software, there’s nothing wrong with launching an imperfect product. No technology is launched without any problems – don‘t expect yours to be any different.
Commit
If you make a date for launch, commit to it – unless you have an exceptionally good reason. You will also need to commit to other things, such as your pricing structure, level of customer service post-launch, and training up employees. According to knowtechie.com, you might want to record a few series of webinars to help new customers iron out any common problems experienced by your early adopters or focus groups. Ultimately, the sooner the product is out there, the sooner you will know how viable it will be – and what changes you need to make as you move forward. Good luck!
Lina Martinez has her B.S. in Journalism and a regular contributor to our Politics, Life and Money sections. She once admitted over drinks to singing “Careless Whisper” in the shower. We are still trying to get her to sing it at karaoke.
As the year winds down, it’s impossible not to breathe a sigh of relief. It has, after all, been a year of Trump and Brexit negotiations. And, the tempestuous political climate has certainly taken its toll. While we can’t be sure what the next year has to bring, it seems at the moment as though things couldn’t get much worse.
The main political issue on our minds is, of course, North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Not a day goes by without some terrifying update on the situation. Most recently, a missile has been released which would be capable of reaching as far as Washington. While the test run led to some issues on re-entry, the fact that such a missile exists is enough to send fear through most of our hearts. Of course, it’s taken awhile to get to this point. Tensions between North Korea and the U.S. have been brewing all year. While some of us initially hoped Trump could calm the situation, we were bitterly disappointed by his improvised and provocative speech, where he promised that North Korean threats would be “…met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”. Since then, the situation has only worsened, with Trump’s national security advisor declaring this week that the potential for war is growing each day. Indeed, from the outside, the situation seems pretty hopeless. Neither Trump nor Jong Un look willing to back down. It’s no wonder, then, that many of us are left wondering just what the threat levels are. Despite blown up statements from various members of Congress, many of us are left wondering how real the North Korean threat is. Should we be preparing bunkers and stockpiling food? While it’s difficult to judge what two such impulsive figures will do, it seems safe to say that we’re not on the brink of war just yet. We seem to be in an antagonistic stage, which has yet to turn into anything more sinister. Bear in mind, too, that no country WANTS to use nuclear weapons. Doing so would spell mutually destroyed destruction, and has kept us safe from large-scale warfare since the days of the cold war. It’s also fair to say that most of our fear comes from the unknown entity of North Korea. This is the most secretive nation in the world. In fact, it’s near enough impossible to gain an accurate representation of life here. Tourists are shown a very slanted idea of North Korea. The closest picture we can gain is from defectors, like Yeonmi Park, who have come forward and shared their stories. Kim Jong Un has built his personality by feeding into that mystery. It’s thought that even his age (33) is just an estimate. While many of us fear the unpredictable behavior of Trump, at least we know facts regarding his lifestyle. The same just can’t be said for the North Korean leader. Hence, we have no real way of knowing if he’ll follow through on his seeming provocation.
That said, research can help us gather a picture of Kim Jong Un which may help to put some people’s minds at ease. By unraveling the mystery, we can certainly understand his motivations a little better. Here are some of the facts that you may not have been aware of.
Schooling Few of us think of Kim Jong Un as an educated man. Certainly, the media often depict him as someone who doesn’t use logic when making decisions. But, like many world leaders, Jong Un’s education was top notch. During his teen years, he studied under a pseudonym at one of Switzerland’s top private schools. On top of which, he also has two degrees to his name, one in physics, and another as an Army officer. In short; this isn’t a trigger-happy man who doesn’t know what he’s doing. While some reports claim that Jong Un leads his army with no training, it just isn’t true. Plus, anyone with a physics degree will be fully aware of the risks related to nuclear weapons. Traveling There also seems to be a general idea that Kim Jong Un doesn’t really travel anywhere. Perhaps it’s because North Korea seems like a whole world away. Many of us have this idea of a leader who hasn’t seen much of the world and has lived a sheltered existence. Again, it isn’t true. As mentioned above, Jong Un spent most of his teen years living abroad. There are also reports of young visits to China and Japan. In fact, Jong Un even has a favorite jet; the Ilyushin IL-62, as featured on this list of the top five Ilyushin aircraft. Admittedly, there have been no reports of his leaving the country since becoming leader in 2011. Plus, planned UN visits haven’t come to fruition. Most people suspect this is down to fear. But, it would be incorrect to assume that travel has never been on this leader’s cards. Hobbies To demystify the persona a little more, it’s worth noting that Kim Jong Un is a massive basketball fan. When he was younger, he was an avid supporter of Michael Jordan. He’s even developed a close friendship with retired NBA player, Dennis Rodman, who he’s met on various occasions. He’s also rumoured to have an extensive collection of Nike shoes. These are hardly hobbies you would automatically associate with America’s enemy number 1. The history of North Korean weapons
It’s also worth finding out a little about North Korea’s nuclear past. While no one can deny that tests have come more to the fore this year, that doesn’t necessarily mean that nuclear warfare is a completely new concept for North Korea. In fact, the country’s missile program was initially developed in the 1970s, with the help of the then Soviet Union. But, in 1985, North Korea signed a little something called the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Still, things haven’t been plain sailing since then. As early as 1993, The International Atomic Energy Agency had questions over North Korea’s dedication, nearly resulting in their pulling out of the treaty. Jump forward to 2002, and Bush highlighted North Korea as a country which was ‘seeking weapons of mass destruction’. Later that same year, he revealed that North Korea had admitted to a secret nuclear arsenal. In 2003, North Korea withdrew from the NPT agreement and declared its nuclear weapons. Testing then started in 2006, and North Korea and America have been involved in disputes on the matter ever since. While North Korea did originally accept a settlement of $400 million to close its main nuclear reactor, this doesn’t seem to have solved anything, with more tests taking place in 2009. In fact, as it stands, there have been six nuclear tests, only two of which were conducted this year. So, what does it all mean? A look at the facts does prove that things are getting worse. After all, the two tests from this year have been on intercontinental missiles. But, remember, Kim Jong Un is an educated man with a degree in physics. More than even Trump, this is a man who knows the risks of a nuclear arsenal. And, if North Korean spokespeople are anything to go by, this is more about defence than attack. That said, it’s still worth noting that, as things heat up between the two leaders, our futures look increasingly uncertain. All we can do is keep an eye on the news, and hope the two countries find a way to settle their differences.
Jerry Mooney is co-founder and managing editor of zenruption and Jerry Mooney Books and the author of History Yoghurt and the Moon. He studied at the University of Munich and Lewis and Clark College where he received his BA in International Affairs and West European Studies. He has recently taught Language and Communications at a small, private college and owned various businesses, including an investment company. Jerry is committed to zenrupting the forces that block social, political and economic justice. He can also be found on Twitter.
Software, electronics, and the internet have changed the entire world, and continue to keep doing so. How we work, how we socialize, and how we live changes faster than ever. Not always for the better. Other industries shrink as tech makes it easier for machines to do our jobs than us. So, what’s the solution? If you want job security, then you need to work with that tech. Here are a few different ways you could do that.
More and more of the products created today use electronics in them. It’s not just computers, phones, TVs, and the like. Toys, household appliances, lighting systems, they are everywhere. So, learning to design and create electronics could get you a place in an industry that only seems to keep booming. Start with a PCB design tutorial if you want to know how to get started. You’re going to need some real qualifications in order to find employment in this field, but you also have to be able to direct your own learning as it continues to evolve.
Machine operations
Manufacturing has changed a lot. Much of manual operating needed on the line no longer exists. But, the rise of automation has actually led to more career opportunities than you might believe. The skills needed to operate automated machines tend to be of a higher skill level than in the past, and there are still plenty of people needed to help repair, maintain, and optimize machines on the factory floor. Working with automated machinery can be much more lucrative than the factory jobs of the past.
What about in the world of software? Of course, design and implementing software is a booming market, but so is being a consultant to the data that software provides. Data analyst courses teach you how to capture and read the data that most companies produce without even realizing it. But it’s more than just a technical job. It’s about deduction and problem solving within that data. Not only does it provide a challenge, it provides real workable solutions for companies to help them better understand their processes, their customers, where they’re experiencing loss. For that reason, it’s a very highly compensated position you can do full time for one employer or as a freelance consultant.
Digital marketing
If you’re not the most technically minded and more of people person, there’s still a place for you in the modern world. It still takes some training to learn in fields like social media, SEO, and online advertising. But at the end of the day, it’s all about understanding the market and using the tools available to help businesses and brands better connect with their potential customers.
The rise of the robots (and the software that powers them) is a real concern for a lot of jobs. Automation has already made huge swathes of employees in manufacturing redundant. It’s thought that this trend is only going to have a bigger impact in other industries as time goes on.
The skills you need to develop if you want to become an entrepreneur
At some point in their life, every entrepreneur will have asked him or herself the question “do I really have what it takes?” It’s true that to succeed as an entrepreneur you need to have a certain set of skills, some of which can be learnt and some that are already a part of your personality.
As a business owner, you need to know how important it is to improve your strengths and develop these skills to make it in your chosen industry. By following our list, you shouldn’t have any trouble becoming successful.
If you’ve got as far as wanting to be an entrepreneur it’s likely that you’re already someone who is, in general, quite a motivated person. For some, self-motivation can be a challenge, especially when you no longer have anyone working above you, setting your goals and deadlines. To become a good business leader, you need dedication, time and practice. Start by making a detailed professional plan, establish routine, set reminders and, when you’ve achieved a goal, set a reward.
Resilience
Resilience is a key ingredient for success. Why? As an entrepreneur, you’re bound to come across many challenges and make a lot of mistake along the way. Failure can be a devastating thing to experience, affecting not only your motivation but your mentality but the secret to success is to have the humility to confront your errors and the resilience to get yourself back on track.
How to develop a personal brand
The term ‘personal brand’ might seem daunting to some, but in an economy that’s booming, you want to be the one that stands out from the crowd. You need to create a strong message about you and your brand and make this clear throughout your online presence, your professional contacts and your customers. You want to avoid a negative reputation at all costs.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses
Just because you’re an entrepreneur, this doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect at everything you do. On the contrary, it’s important that you’re able to identify your own strengths and weaknesses so that you can build a strong team. Knowing where you need to improve will inform you which skills and characteristics you need to look for in a potential business partner. Be selective and smart when choosing new members for your team. You don’t want members of staff that drain your budget without gaining enough revenue in return.
How to communicate and network
In today’s business world social currency is becoming increasingly important. It’s no secret that you need people to make progress, and professional networking allows you to give the referrals, endorsements and recommendations that you need to expand your relationships and thus your opportunities for the future. When communication lacks purpose, it’s not unusual for a business to go bad which is why a lot of psychologists believe that this is the most valuable skill for all entrepreneurs. Take Apple’s Steve Jobs as inspiration.
The ability to manage
Entrepreneurial management isn’t just about managing people. As well as the management of the overall business you’ll also need to know how to manage money, time, clients and sales. To do this, you’ll need to know how to effectively multi-task and plan for the business both in the short and the long term. Formulate your strategy by breaking bigger goals into smaller, more manageable wins, and you should be able to achieve everything that you had in mind.
Organisation
Alongside a good level of management come impeccable organisational skills. It’s incredibly difficult to start your own business but the more organised you are, the less pressure you should feel. In the beginning, you’re going to need to consider the big questions such as budget, how many employees you need, where your business premises will be and what insurance you need. All of these are incredibly important factors that need to be dealt with before you even think about opening your doors to clients. Luckily, Be Wiser Business Insurance can help you get ahead.
How to close a sale
After everything, it’s sales that keep a business going so as a business owner you’ll need to know exactly how to sell. Whether you’re selling your ideas to investors or selling your product or service to clients, knowing how to close a deal is paramount. The trick here is to be confident in what you have to offer without fearing that you’re being assumptive or rude. Persuasive writing is also a good skill to learn for the generation of leads in email marketing, blog posts, web copy and business proposals.
Authenticity
Knowing how to be authentic is a soft skill that every business owner should know because being labelled as disingenuous is not something that’s taken lightly by clients. To achieve authenticity, take time to connect with your audience on social media and through other marketing efforts. This way you’ll demonstrate that you’re genuinely there to help.
A desire to improve
The best motivation is the desire to make a positive change in your business. Every year you should look back on your performance and detail areas that you can improve so that you can meet, and maybe even exceed, your goals.
Jerry Mooney is co-founder and managing editor of zenruption and Jerry Mooney Books and the author of 
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