12 mistakes not to
make when you
launch a (UK based)
startup

Presentation given at
Barcamp Manchester
UK. Includes some
mistakes we made, some
we didn’t, and some
suggestions from the
Barcamp audience.

Presentation
sponsored by
Treasuremytext: The
simple way to save
your favorite SMS
messages online.
http://beta.treasuremytext.com

No 12
Don’t rent expensive Office Space!
(If you don’t really need it)
Instead consider working from home or your local
coffee house and holding meetings in the
wonderful e-office: http://www.eoffice.net/

No 11
Don’t waste money on expensive
services
Instead use online project management tools and
accounting software, simple site monitoring
services and people powered customer support.
http://www.basecamphq.com
http://www.xero.com
http://pingdom.com
http://www.getsatisfaction.com

No 10
Give up your day job (or don’t!)
Be decisive about this. If you can dedicate 100%
your startup will grow quicker and better (of
course!) If you can’t, be careful not to alienate
yourself from your employer. Become a freelancer
and earn cash from consultancy.
http://www.ifreelance.com

No 9
Don't waste time on protecting what
can't be protected
Web applications are incredibly hard to patent.
Your IP may not be protectable: execute your idea
well, grow your community. Lay claim to an idea
by blogging about it. Go public, become the
experts, get known as the people who do (whatever
it is you do).

No 8
9
Don't waste time courting old
fashioned funding
Local and government schemes are setup to
support innovation and enterprise. You may offer
both but if funding organisations want protectable
IP (in a twentieth century way) you need to look to
21st century funding models. Find an Angel
investor to help get you started.
http://www.lbangels.co.uk/

No 8
Don’t be shy
Instead, get involved in your local startup and
web2.0 community. Go to events. Host events. Ask
for feedback. Your peers know their stuff too and
may offer valuable advice. They’re your
community, they’ll help generate the buzz around
your service: http://barcamp.org
http://creativecoffeeclub.com
http://opencoffee.ning.com
http://geekup.org/

No 7
Don't assume because you know how
to make a web application that you
know about marketing, business,
fundraising, finance... ... ...
If you don’t know this stuff, find someone that
does.

No 6
Don't forget the UK is part of Europe
and the world
A no frills flight to Europe can cost less than a train
to London! Learn from the Europeans for starters.
http://www.easyjet.com
http://www.jet2.com
http://www.ryanair.com
A tip: they all speak really good English in Europe!

No 5
Don't push the red button and expect
anyone to know you exist
Talk about your service. Shout about your service.
Scream about your service. It’s now easier to
generate a great following using Social Media
principles, but it takes time and effort. Don’t
underestimate it!

No 4
Don’t believe the 2.0 hype; there are
plenty of people who don’t read
Techcrunch
Perhaps your customers don’t read Techrunch.
What do they read? Find out and get written about
there.

No 3
Don't give up
Have the courage to keep going through thte tricky
bits. Ask for help if you need to.

No 2
Know when to give up
If it clearly is never going to work, then do give up!
Move on to pastures new. Take what you’ve learnt
and don’t make the mistakes next time.

No 1
A website alone is not a business
What’s your business model? How can you
monetize your service? Make sure you have an
actual business model.