On Saturday, January 27, Jason and I will be speaking at Villanova University’s Beyond Ideas: The Art of Entrepreneurship. Here’s what we are speaking about:

Introduction

  • Our Story
    Jason, Kim, and Stranger Studios
  • Winelog
    Background on the idea and development and an overview of what WineLog is.

Types of E-commerce Businesses

  • E-commerce as an extension of an existing business
    Best Buy: Buy online, pickup in store. Negative point: Best Buy has different online and in-store prices (confuses customer).
    Gap: Fully integrated with in-store shopping.
  • Pure E-commerce
    Examples of purely e-commerce businesses (Amazon) and a discussion of the benefits and weaknesses of doing business online.
  • Other hybrid models?
    Examples of web businesses that later moved in bricks and mortar businesses: EBay shops that sell your stuff for you.
  • Netflix vs. Blockbuster
    How a bricks and mortar store can get a leg-up on a purely e-commerce company.

Starting up an E-commerce Business

  • The Long-tail
    Why online businesses can take advantage of the long-tail in ways that traditional businesses cannot. (Hacking the Long Tail)
  • Getting free help
    How to immerse yourself in the community you are hoping to break in-to and build up a support network. (BarCamp, Co-Working) 
  • The role of planning in online ventures
    When do you need a plan and when is a plan a hindrance?
  • Your online business is getting some attention, now what?
    Comments about the different paths you can take with your *potentially* successful online business. Taking VC money vs. boot-strapping, etc.

Making Money Online

  • Brokering information on the web
    New web ventures base their revenue model on selling information, rather than what we traditionally think of as a product or a service. A discussion of blogs (Techcrunch, GigaOm) and other information-engines (Epinions, CNET).
  • Growth Before Dollars
    Don’t think dollars first: web destinations that are useful to people will grow. So make your site, application, or service useful first. Once you’ve got a lot of people’s attention, then it should be easy to make money.
  • Your idea doesn’t have moneymaking potential…so what?
    Don’t lose sight of the other benefits of your online venture – like learning new things, gaining a posse, credibility and popularity, enlarging your network and just HAVING FUN (Interactive 8-Ball, Mobilicio.us).