Startup Camp Montreal 5 keynote presentation by Chris Shipley. See video at www.startupcampmontreal.org

1. 10 Stupid Things Entrepreneurs Do
To Mess Up Their Startups*
*With apologies to Dr. Laura Schlessinger
© 2009 Chris Shipley

2. Think Like a Guppy
You’re not a little fish; you’re a whale
that’s not yet gotten big.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

3. Confuse Vision and Focus
Dream big, focus tightly. You can eat
an elephant – one bite at a time.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

4. Fall in Love with Technology
Fall in love with customers and they’ll
tell you what to make.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

5. Focus on Fund Raising Instead of
Building the Business
How will you use your time?
What brings more value to the company?
© 2009 Chris Shipley

6. Let Investors Run the Company
Seriously, how much does your investor
really think about your business?
© 2009 Chris Shipley

7. Fail To Measure
Where are you going and how fast are
you getting there?
© 2009 Chris Shipley

8. Ignore Yellow Lights
Your optimism can not be allowed to
trump your reality.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

9. Hire Good People
Founders have got to be the dumbest
ones in the room.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

10. Neglect the Details
Pay now or pay a lot more later.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

11. Lose Site of Values
Every company has a culture.
Is yours accidental or deliberate?
© 2009 Chris Shipley

12. Waste Time
While you’re killing time,
time is killing you.
© 2009 Chris Shipley

13. Chris Shipley
Chairman and CEO
Guidewire Group, Inc.
@cshipley
© 2009 Chris Shipley