[New Blog Post] "It is the startup that is 10 out of 10 on one feature - that just kills it."

I read this interview with Tim Ferriss on the 37signals blog and it had some great stuff in it. Being a startup guy though, the section below really stood out at me. 

One killer feature 

When working with startups, Ferriss sees one problem popping up over and over. "The biggest weakness I see is companies getting focused on implementing new features," he says. "That’s the biggest waste of time that I see. They have a viable product that people are paying for and instead of identifying their cheapest avenue for acquiring profitable customers or focusing on polishing the product they already have, they focus on adding ten new features.

"Mike Maples is one of the angel investors I most respect in Silicon Valley. He says the startup that perfects their one feature and is the best at that is usually the startup that wins. It’s not the startup that’s an 8 out of 10 on 10 features. It is the startup that is 10 out of 10 on one feature — that just kills it. And you see it over and over again. They might have other features, but they absolutely kill it on one feature.

"And I think that’s where many startups get derailed. They feel like they are not profitable enough, because they lack just one more feature. They have people asking for this one feature. And, in some cases, it makes sense if everyone is bitching about something to fix it. But if you are constantly chasing the vocal minority, you are never going to be done building your product. And you will constantly be a 5 out of 10 on all of your features and you will run out of money. Or you will just have a product that really isn’t that awesome. That’s a pretty shitty fate too. Focusing on just one or two features is really important."

Foursquare, Facebook Places and Gowalla can help restaurants read your mind.

Really? Well, kinda. Check out my story from last night.

Last night I had dinner at my usual dinner spot, Kate's Pub. I joked in a text to the bartender this week that I spend 9/10th of my discretionary income there. Do I? No. Do I go there more than any other bar in Seattle? Yes. Why?

I'd lie if I didn't say location matters because it is 4 blocks from my house. I'd also be lying if I didn't say that "Half off the entire menu between 4-7 everyday" has influence on my decision. Honestly though, it has nothing to do with that. It is the same reason we all go to a common place time and time again.

Comfort. Acceptance. Friends. Perceived Value.

Nothing has changed in why we do what we do but what has changed is how we can do what we do. A bar has to make you feel remembered. Make you feel like out of all these people that come in everyday they remember you. You were that important.

Location apps can help any bar gain the edge on every customer and create true fans of them if you open up to it. Last night I checked into Kate's, wrote "Fish Tacos" on my check-in and when the bartender came over to me he already had Fish Tacos written on his notepad. Holy shit. Creepy yet awesome. We are good friends so I bet he wanted me to see that since he knows I'm a tech geek but still, that is awesome. He just turned on push notifications, saw my check-in and then basically read my mind.

I know you can have specials and deals with location apps but the real magic comes with a little creativity, caring and serendipity. You'd be surprised how much you can influence someone when you know exactly what they want.

Think about it.

The ways to harness the power of location are so young it probably can't even walk yet. It is going to get interesting and the places that are ahead of the curve will have a major advantage in this new world of customer loyalty and marketing.

-Shane Mac

@shanemacsays

7 Things That Taught Me How To Sing

A few people have asked me how I learned to sing so here is my best stab at it. It took a long ass time and I am still learning. Now, because of being a wedding singer and playing at bars and parties, people think that I always knew how to sing. Completely wrong. 

It all started when I got cut from the baseball team my senior year of high school and it wasn't until 5 years later until I felt that I understood my voice and could always sing on queue. The first 2 1/2 years were spent losing my voice and just plain sucking. Like everything else, persistence is really all it takes. Here's how I learned...

1. Sang in the shower at the dorms in college. Seriously, showers echo and you can hear how much you suck but also it helps you to sing with warm air. (total Glee moment here)

2. Cupped my hand in front of your face pushing the vocals back towards your ear drum so you can hear what you really sound like. 

3. Did #2 in the car non-stop (I drove 1.5 hours home every weekend in college) People would look at me like I was nuts but I swear that is the only reason I can (somewhat) sing today. People always say things are stupid and dumb until you get to the end result and then they want to do it... 

4. I never stopped singing. It's annoying, yes, but seriously it takes a long time to find your voice and style...(still wouldn't say I have found my style) It really did seem like a 3 year time period of losing my voice, trying new things, never sounded good, to then one morning you just feel different and have this ah ha moment...

5. Don't stop till you have that ah ha moment. Until then, put yourself out there at open mics, family parties, etc... Everyone will say you were great even when you suck which makes it hard to know when you actually are getting better... Actually, you can tell. People will go from support -> that was awesome. 

6. Find someone who tells you when you suck but knows when you sound better. Thanks Eric. (roommate in college)

7. Stop reading this and go sing with one headphone out.

P.S. And learn an instrument because it really helps when you have something to back you up. I play piano and guitar but that is for another post!

Getting Hitched? Book it -> http://mac-live.com/weddings

-Shane Mac