The Business Side of Start-ups

Back in March when Amos and I applied to the MassChallenge accelerator program, we had a cool idea, some initial feedback from potential customers, and a POE-level prototype showing that we could really build a usable bathroom scale for people in wheelchairs. However, when we were accepted into the program and started talking to people, it turned out that there was a lot more to learn about “the business side of things” than we thought. It’s not as simple as just building a product and selling it in an online store, and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter are not as effective unless you’re selling to engineers (like Technical Machine) or the general population (like 3Doodler). Here are some of the major things we have internalized in the past four months of running a business:

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Rubber Soul (The Many Uses of Rubber Bands)

Make a motor with your Legos
Preserve the freshness of your Eggos
Shoot at strangers, start a riot
Extra fiber in your diet
Attach a cell phone to your ear
Make a marker for your beer
Stretchy leashes for your dogs
Protect your pants leg from bicycle cogs
Revamp your shoes with cheap new laces
Add some pain to your mouthful of braces
Play catch with a bouncy rubber ball
Make a net to catch your fall
Use scissors and glue to make some art
Hold things together when your life falls apart
Keep the Saran wrap on things you cook
Mark your place in your favorite book
Lace them together to make a strong cord
Keep all the things in your truck bed on board
Pass the time in any old place
Keep them around your left wrist just in case!