Our 🎁 to you: a Curated that is packed with mindboggling long-reads. Read about marshmallows, our declining fascination with Silicon Valley, Estonia's latest move in becoming the leading digital republic, and why NPS scores are like horoscopes.
Wishing you happy holidays 🎄!
On behalf of the Startup Curated team,
Must read
The marshmallow method: a new technique to increase productivity
Remember that experiment in which children were asked to wait to eat a marshmallow? If they waited, they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. We face such tests every day, also in running your startup. So, how to become more two marshmallow-y?
Sponsored
Did 2017 become the year of the Indie web?
Did the web become more independent this year? Our sponsor iwantmyname has been making the case for this to happen. We've definitely seen a shift from a VC backed focus to a revenue, and thus independent, driven businesses. Could 2018 be the year of their .eco domains?
Culture
How not following my dreams enabled me to build a startup with 3.2 million users
"Follow your dreams and the money will follow" -- This is just one of the mantras we’re told about success. This read offers an alternative path to success and growth.
Silicon Valley techies still think they're the good guys. They're not
A thought-provoking piece that asks if the world is no longer fascinated by Silicon Valley but now disturbed by its callous behavior.
** Also, 'Europe' decided that Uber is not a tech- but a taxi-company this week, another blow for the Valley?
Modern Entrepreneurship
Your business rises and falls on customer experience
One key question: "What change are you going to make today to improve customer experience?"
MVP vs. POC: a startup launch strategy guide
Before launching your MVP you should know if your idea is workable. This read takes you through the process of reaching proof-of-concept.
Units of time are the new currency
"To create a defensible business today, your product needs to be a utility. You have to build something that solves a user pain, and then scale until it’s so fundamental that it becomes a feature of other products."
Trends
We're planning to launch estcoin -- and that's only the start
Estonia, despite it being a little country, is making waves. A few years ago the country set out to expand its population. That led to launching its e-Residency program, which garnered 30.000 applications and gave a boost to the country's economy and made it quite popular with entrepreneurs and digital nomads. It became a 'digital republic'. The next move of Estonia is launching their own crypto token.
Product
What it takes to become a great product manager
A good product manager possesses a few core competencies (like user testing or running sprints), has a high emotional intelligence and there should be a strong company fit.
Team
The role of founder/CEO: you have one job
According to this article, as a founder, you need to stay humble and hire someone who can do your job better.
Tools
Net Promoter Score considered harmful (and what UX professionals can do about it)
"NPS scores are the equivalent of a daily horoscope. There’s no science here, just faith."
Thank you
Thank you for finishing issue #151 & credits
Thank you for reading Startup Curated, and special thanks go out to Raymond from DigiGurus, Ayush from RefR, Vartika from the BFF app, and Alessandro for curating!
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