Ten Ways to Run a Startup like
Genghis Khan
Presented by Kevin Hale
April 18, 2007

Big Things with Small Teams
Technology Mashups
Word of Mouth Marketing

1. Expose yourself
to harsh conditions.

Less Hardware
Less Features
Less Money

Practice in Stress
Practice Disagreeing
Do Things People Hate

2. Be a nomad.

Huns, Scythians, Bulgars,
Magyars, Mamluks, Tatars,
Manchus, Mongols
Barbarians, Pirates

Nomads Don’t Wander

Nomad Sedentary
Mobile Settled
Tents Buildings
Offensive Defensive
Resourceful Wasteful
Hunters Gatherers
Protein Carbs

Who are they afraid of?

Martha Stewart’s Smores

The Value of Hunger

3. Loot efficiently

Profit per X

Strip Away & Mesaure

4. Say No to Infantry

Infantry, Calvary, Archers

Happy fun story time.

5. Get the people talking.

Gmail

6. Do not fight the
enemy by their rules.

7.
Appropriate the best
people and skills for
your war machine.

8. Build bridges.

9. Inspire fierce loyalty.

Employees
Customers
Customers’ Customers

10. Remember the lesson
of the many headed snake.

Joel on Software

Bibliography!

Thanks!
http://particletree.com/web2expo/gk.pdf