The Compost

Randy Komisar of Kleiner Perkins on the Benefits of Failure

Author J.K. Rowling on the Benefits of Failure

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

There's a flip side to everything...

"There's a flip side to everything," the saying goes, and in 2 minutes, Derek Sivers shows this is true in a few ways you might not expect.

Don't listen to your customers...

Listen to your customers. It's a popular concept and for most startups it's a valid one. You launch a product or service - listen to your customers - and then you iterate, you update, you build what they actually want, not what you think that they need.

How could anyone argue with that?

Well, if you want to change the landscape of an industry - consider not listening to your customers - at least not at the start.

Henry Ford said it best:

"If I'd asked customers, they'd have said they wanted faster horses."

The Known Universe Scientifically Rendered For All to See

company: stickK

Clever concept.

"Ready to finally stickK to your commitments? Then stand up, and put your reputation, or even your money, where your mouth is, and change your life. Reap the rewards of your hard work." -- stickK

www.stickk.com

link: The 10 Worst Opening Pitch Lines of Entrepreneurs

"There’s nothing wrong with having passion when you “pitch” your idea to an investor.  But, much like that opening line at a bar or on a first date, the opening line of an entrepreneur’s pitch to an investor can be just as awkward.  Here’s 10 of the WORST opening pitch lines – avoid these at all costs..." -- Michael Burcham

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link: The Growing Debt Bomb

"Assume you had put much of your savings into U.S. government bonds and then you learned the following. In just the last eight months, the Congressional Budget Office estimates of the amount of additional federal debt to be held by the public grew by an astounding $4 trillion for the 2010-19 period; and that the amount of federal debt held by the public grew from $5.9 trillion to $7.5 trillion in just the last 12 months..."

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video: Did You Know?

video: Is the advertising model dead?