Imagine that you are the captain of a commercial airliner that has crashed on a desert island, and 200 people have survived. Food is scarce, there’s nothing but sand and people are going to start dying if you don’t get them off the island.

In the distance, you see a lush tropical island with tons of vegetation, banana trees and shelter. You know the only way to save everyone is to get everyone to that island. So, you come up with two possible solutions:
1. Build one big boat that can fit everyone in one trip.
2. Build many smaller boats that can bring everyone over in multiple trips.

The Big Boat

You decide to build one Big Boat to get everyone off the island and you estimate that it will take six months to build it. After eight months (instead of six) 50 people die of starvation before the Big Boat is finally ready.

Finally, you get the remaining 150 survivors on the Big Boat and you cast off. Halfway to the tropical island, the Big Boat sinks and 100 people drown.

The remaining 50 survivors make it safely to the tropical island and, shortly after they arrive, they find a small airplane in good flying condition—except there’s no jet fuel.

Eventually everyone dies anyway.

Many Small Boats

Instead of deciding to build one Big Boat, you immediately start building many small boats. As soon as the first boat is done, you send three people in it to the tropical island. The first small boat sinks but it’s small so the boat sinks before they make it very far and the people are able to swim back to the desert island. The people on the first boat tell everyone why the boat sank so they can learn how to make a better boat. So a second small boat sets off (while a third boat is being built) and three people make it to the tropical island. When they arrive, they find the small airplane in good condition and they tell the people in the third boat to return to the desert island to get fuel from the crashed commercial airliner.

All 200 people survive.

How Does This Compare to Building Software?

The Big Software Build
If your first build is packed with every possible feature, it will:

• Inevitably take far longer to build than you had originally planned (read: “Your Estimates Suck” from the book, REWORK)
• Provide no insight into real-world usage and ways you can learn how to make it better (floating Vs sinking)
• Limit your ability to learn and change the features you really need and eliminate the ones you don’t (can’t return for jet fuel)
• Force you to over-invest in building a product before you can prove there’s even a business for it (6 months building and still no boat)
• Carry more risk and potential to fail (sunken boat)

Many Small Software Builds
The first small boat can be viewed as your prototype. You can let a few people use your prototype so you can learn how to make it better. It will be quick and easy to improve upon because it’s, well, small. As you roll out each small build you are constantly learning:

• How to make the software more usable
• What features should and should not be included in each build
• How to make the infrastructure perform better
• How to make your business even more successful

Every once in a while we like to post a funny or odd “User Experience” that we come across…and this one fits that bill.

A while back, a friend of a friend was sitting on the stoop of one of his job sites with a colleague (he’s an architect at Triton Construction) when he noticed a Google Maps Street View Car driving by so he took a photo of it.

Just today, someone complimented him on his finished building, which they said they saw on Google Maps. So he logs onto the address, zooms in, and sure enough, there he is, sitting on the stoop with his colleague (see photo). He then scoured his photos and found the picture that HE took of the Google Maps Street View Car driving by and, judging by the two views of the innocent bystander walking by, he realized that his photo was taken at the exact same moment as the Google photo.

Cool.

Not Everything Is As We Expect

Think Of It This Way
There are many ever-evolving industries that have to heed to this methodology of keeping up with necessary changes. Science, for instance, is constantly revisited for revisions and new theories and hypotheses.

To use our running Groundhog Day analogy, let’s take a look back at our supermarket owner. Imagine a supermarket owner maps out a plan to start filling his store with frozen items, as they are not perishable like fresh produce. However, as his startup supermarket begins to transition from the vision room to a more tangible realization of the idea, several farms spring up in the area. Given this new information, the supermarket owner decides to take advantage of the farms and fill his/her supermarket with fresh produce directly from the farm.

Had the owner not taken advantage of the new situation he/she was confronted with in favor of the original plan, the supermarket might not have benefited from a newly presented option.

Don’t Ignore Opportunities
Being reluctant to skew from the master plan you originally set for your startup can have consequences in the long run. As you build your company, circumstances might change in a way that you could not possibly have foreseen. It’s necessary, therefore, to continuously evaluate your plan and keep up-to-date with the most logical code of action rather than relying on previously made decisions. As your company grows, you should be prepared to redirect it if/when necessary.

The Lesson We’ve Learned
Timidity will hinder your company’s growth. There’s no possibly way to accurately determine what the future of your company will look like. You can merely make educated guesses, with the addition of adapting to conditions as they arise.

Networking events sometimes feel a dime a dozen, but the great thing about them is that there’s always at least one opportunity to be made. The NY Tech Networking group is hosting a Roundtable Event next week with an impressive line-up of guest speakers to ensure you get the most out of this particular networking event.

Come Armed With Your Business Proposals

Each attendee will be given one minute to present themselves and their startup to a room full of attentive, and potentially helpful ears. After this session is over, the networking will resume with introductions to people you’ve found interesting or think there may be more avenues to explore with. Special guests include Heather Gilchrist, VP of Investments at RAK Tech Fund, and John Quinn, VP of Engineering at Gilt Groupe.

One entrepreneur and/or company will also be selected as a grand prize winner of the night.

The Details

The NY Tech Networking Roundtable Event will be held at Gilt Groupe at 2 Park Ave on the 4th floor. It is on July 13th and begins at 6pm. You can purchase tickets for $20 to attend.

About the Scene Watch

There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.

The Idea is Often Only as Good as the Pitch
Perhaps you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but ideas can certainly be judged on the grounds of their accompanying pitch. No matter your audience – an angel investor, VC or software developer – a poorly presented idea will not look appealing or worth the investment of time or money. A pitch is your way into convincing your audience of the value of your idea, but you won’t be able to inspire any motivation if you can’t properly represent that value.

Although we see many great ideas come through our doors, the ones that really catch our attention are pitched by passionate people who can translate that passion into a clearly represented pitch. You don’t need to be a PowerPoint guru or graphic designer to make your pitch great either. You just need to make sure you clearly and confidently communicate your idea so that it comes across like you thought through every possible detail, every potential pitfall, and every possible challenge that your idea may have.

Make a Check List, Check it Twice
Creating a good pitch isn’t easy per se, but there are definitely solid steps to take that will ease the process. Grow VC has an interesting article in which they detail how to make a pitch that is divided into several steps.

• The Problem. The first step is to identify the problem that your idea endeavors to solve. Many ideas are inspired by the desire to create something missing, or lacking in already existing software. What is the problem that inspired your idea?
• The Solution. Next, of course, is how your idea will attempt to fill that gaping hole that you have just identified. So far, you have presented your audience with a need, hopefully convinced them of the importance of said need and have now presented them with a solution to their recently revealed problems.
• The Market. Although you may have convinced your current audience of the importance of this need that your idea will fulfill, you now need to convince them that other people will agree and seek out your software. If there isn’t a market for your idea, it will not be marketable and therefore not profitable. There has to be a foreseeable future for your idea to grow and spread its roots rather than remain stagnant.
• Reaching the Market. You have your problem, the solution, and a viable market to introduce it to. Now you have to ensure your audience that there is a plan to reach this market. This involves your team’s knowledge base, and is another opportunity to shed light on an idea that holds water.
• Proposed Deal. Finally, end your presentation with the proposed deal only after you have highlighted and properly presented the other steps in your pitch.

A Little Bit of Glamor Goes a Long Way
Don’t forget about the arguably unnecessary, but definitely beneficial aspects of a pitch. Adding an overarching theme to your presentation will help sell your idea, as will an emphasis on the visual rather than text. Clean transitions, a lot of practice and an overall enthusiasm in your presentation will win your audience over and help them see the genius of your idea as you see it.

Learn From Steve:

About Groundhog Day
Each week, “Groundhog Day” features a story based on real-world experiences at Fusionapps that seem to happen over and over again. Our goal is to shine a light on these recurring experiences so that businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs can learn how to make themselves and their businesses smarter and more success.

We’ve pointed your sights to several NYC Business Networking Group hosted events in the past, including one of their famous Speed Pitching events. In conjunction with Internet Week NY, the NYCBNG is hosting yet another of these events.

Like Speed Dating, But With Networking

The NYCBNG has set up a very particular kind of environment to bolster the flow of conversations between networking members. In short amounts of time, you will be able to pitch other companies of your ideas and hopefully garner many contacts by the summation of the night. Not only will you make contacts, some of which will be fruitful, you’ll also be given the opportunity to practice pitching to many people within a short amount of time.

The Details

The NYC Speed Network For Business Success is being held at Fashion Forty Lounge on June 8th at 6:30 pm. Entrance is $20 prepaid by 12 noon on the day of the event, or $30 cash at the door. Take a look at the meetup page for the official evening schedule line-up.

About the Scene Watch

There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.

With summer fast approaching, the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network is hosting a series of summer networking events. Next Thursday, you can partake in a Networking Mixer at Eventi Hotel for part of this series.

A Chance to Shine? Present Your Company as a Vendor

Although networking at a social, and definitely education event such as this is the prime reason for attendance, NYEBN allows for an even greater opportunity to get your company/product noticed by signing up to be a vendor. Your company can order a table to host their presence at the networking event.

The Other Vendors

NYEBN currently has several sponsor level exhibitors as well as several show exhibitors already on the list to appear at the event. The featured vendors include educational business courses, office suite rental accommodations, builders, and energy suppliers. For a full look at these vendors, be sure to check out the meetup page.

Where and When?

The event will be helf at the Bar Basque at Eventi Hotel.  It will take place on June 2^nd. Be sure to RSVP now so that your admission will be free. Otherwise, it will be $10 at the door. Members have the added bonus of drink specials. The event will run from 6pm-9pm.

About the Scene Watch
There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.

Hoboken Tech Meetup is hosting their 12^th event by founder Aaron Price. This meetup’s featured speaker, Andrew Weinreich – founder/CEO of meetMoi  and founder/Chairman of Xtify – will be on hand to discuss the topic of the event: “how persistent location will reinvent every mobile vertical.”

Who You Will be Hearing From – Featured Speaker

After a routine session of speed networking and a welcome for startup presentations, the Hoboken Tech Meetup 12 will feature a speech followed by a question and answer session with Andrew Weinreich. Andrew’s long roster of experience reflects one of his expertise – social networking. In fact, Andrew is the founder of one of the Internet’s first social network sites: sixdegrees.com.

Startups to be Discovered

Although many startup companies will be presenting at the event, there are two notable startups that will be at Hoboken Tech Meetup 12. One such company is Cheekd, an online dating service. This startup is an appropriate addition given one of Andrew’s current endeavors: the online dating site meetMoi. What makes Cheekd unique, however, is that it is not so much strictly an online dating service as it is a bridging of the gap between online dating and real-world interactions. Members are given cards with their code ID on them to hand out to appealing strangers who can thereafter log in and review their profile online.

The second startup that will be presented is Talamu. Talamu is a Facebook application that turns commercials into games.

The Event Details – When and Where?

Now that we’ve got your attention, let’s get to the details. Hoboken Tech Meetup 12 will be hosted at the Babbio Center at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. The event will be held on May 23^rd, starting at 6:45. For the full, broken down schedule, visit the meetup page.

About the Scene Watch
There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.

Yet another group buying website, FruugalDeal.com, will be launching in the near future. To celebrate this NYC-centered deal website, the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network will be helping to host a launch party in New York City.

What is FruugalDeal?

FruugalDeal offers their subscribers deals of up to 80% off of restaurants, spas and recreational activities taking place in New York City. The website officially launches today, May 9^th.

The Launch Party

In celebration of the recent launching of their website, FruugalDeal wants to offer one lucky winner an iPad 2 in addition to the pleasantries of a party. To qualify to win, however, you’ll have to subscribe to the website and purchase at least one deal between Monday, May 9^th and Wednesday, May 18^th. Other than that, show up at the launch party for your chance to win.

The Details

The launch party will be held at Chelsea manor at 138 W 25^th Street. The event is begins on May 9^th at 6pm. Don’t forget to sign up for FruugalDeal for a chance to win an iPad 2.

About the Scene Watch
There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.

The New York Angels Education Meetup is hosting an event this Friday that may be appealing for startups looking for more information on gaining the funds they need to set their business into motion.

On The Table Questions

There are a lot of factors to the success of a startup that must be considered before steps are taken and decisions made. Based on the meetup community’s nees, NY Angels Education has selected the topics of funding and strategy for their next meetup topic of discussion. If you’ve got questions about balancing your product, team and expenses, the right way to deal with competitors, when to actively seek out VCs, angels, etc., or even the potential utilization of game theory in your business plan, this event is definitely for you.

In addition to discussions aided by special speakers, the 3-hour long workshop will include a 30-minute group exercise in which attendees will analyze those startups present that have “fork-in-the-road” strategy-building needs.

The Speakers

At the helm of this discussion is Bob Rice, author of Three Moves Ahead, who has a wealth of knowledge on the topic of strategizing for businesses during times of change. All attendees will also get a copy of his book. As part of the discussion on strategizing for your startup, Phin Barnes, principal at First Round Capital, will be chiming in on the particular issue of fund-raising. You can learn more about the two speakers, as well as host and organizer Avi Fogel, on the official meetup page.

The Details

The event will be held this Friday, the 29^th, at a location selected by the organizers. The event begins at 8AM. Check back on their official page for the location, and sign up to RSVP today as it will close by tomorrow, the 26^th, at 8AM.

About the Scene Watch
There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of start-up events in the NYC metro-area each year, but which ones are the most valuable? Each week, our team will tell you which events provide the best networking opportunities, deliver the best insight and really inspire us to build a business. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.