Keeping track of your industry is just one thing on the long list of tasks that every startup founder has to deal with every. single. day. Most founders (especially when we’re still bootstrapping) are overwhelmed with such a massive number of things to do that keeping up with industry news gets shuttled to the end of list or, realistically, doesn’t happen at all.
That’s a seriously bad move.
In order to take your company in the right direction, you have to know what’s going on in your industry. It’s truly essential because if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on, it’s extremely easy to get stuck in the heads down world of early entrepreneurship. You all know how it is: you’re enamored with your idea and your so focused on executing it that everything else melts away.
That’s all fine and dandy and I get that you don’t have very much time, which is why I’d like to introduce Owler, a free online and mobile source of business news alerts, company profiles, and community polls. Great for everyone from investors doing their due diligence to sales and marketing teams monitoring their prospects to CEOs (like you!) keeping an eye on the competition, Owler is the perfect industry monitoring tool for bootstrapping startups.
Oh yeah, and they also have already raised $19 MILLION, so… There’s that.
Owler’s Director of Product Marketing, Brett Miller (pictured here), chatted recently with KillerStartups about the top online tools he can’t live without, the best of the best on Twitter, startup life, and how to push through the hard times. Check it out.
MUST READ: Learn What It Takes For Mark Cuban To Invest In Your Company
Top 5 mobile apps you’re in love with and why?
- Google Maps – Because Apple maps thinks my car is a submarine.
- Owler – My source for business alerts… in my pocket.
- Mailbox – The never-ending quest for inbox zero.
- Audible – I love non-fiction audio books.
- Quicklytics – Monitoring Owler’s traffic.
Top 5 websites you couldn’t live without and why?
- Owler – My source for business news.
- Google – It’s the answer to every question.
- Mint – Manages my personal finances.
- Facebook – Because there’s no “AA” for Facebook… yet.
- Amazon – That’s where my money goes.
SEE ALSO: Stop Wasting Your Time Planning
Three people (other than you) we should follow on Twitter and why?
- Steve Blank @sgblank – Great advice for entrepreneurs.
- Andrew Chen @andrewchen – For his insight into Silicon Valley.
- Neil Patel @neilpatel – Actionable blog for internet marketing.
- Pat Flynn @patflynn – Great online promoter.
- Leo Laporte @leolaporte – He’s my tech geek idol.
When do your best ideas come to you? In bed in the morning? During dinner? On your third beer?
In the morning or after a few beers. Sometimes the combination works well.
DON’T MISS: This Startup Is Shaking Up The Mobile Game
What’s your office environment like? Do you listen to music? Watch movies? Play video games?
We have a blast at the office. We have nerf gun wars, custom arcade games, ping pong, giant bean bags, the works!
Got any great bootstrapping tips for the lean startups out there?
Keep your burn rate low until you need to scale.
What other advice do you have for other entrepreneurs struggling to get started?
Team is incredibly important. Your going to be spending more time with your team than your family (most likely), so make sure you get along as well as challenge each-other.
Where can our readers find you?
Facebook, Twitter, or my personal blog.
