It is no secret that a functional team will always outperform a dysfunctional one. Any sports fan will tell you the coach’s ability to get the team to work together as a team will always outperform a group of dysfunctional superstars. But, how do you tell if your team is dysfunctional? Look for these 5… Read More

Sometimes it is just as important to know what not to do as it is to know what to do. Ignoring product development will result in your business going away. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it happens much more often to small companies than it should, and let me try to explain… Read More

We have a lot of interactions with CMs (Contract Manufacturers). These companies are excellent—they can do ten thousand things and not make a single mistake. Their business must work this way to stay competitive. Product development, on the other hand, is different. In product development, you are lucky if you do ten things and get… Read More

Someone once said that the only difference between those with experience and those without is that the experienced have already made all the mistakes the inexperienced will make. If that is true, then Finish Line PDS certainly has a lot of experience. After almost 20 years of helping startups develop their products, we have seen… Read More

It’s an exciting time for every successful startup: when and who to hire as the baby company grows to meet expanding opportunities! At the same time, this moment is fraught with peril. The right hire can propel the firm to the next stage of development, while the wrong hire can seriously set back or even… Read More

To outsource or not to outsource? It’s a question that arises again and again in small companies. Why? Because technology is evolving rapidly, and many small companies are struggling to fund the fixed cost of a full-time team with the necessary diversity of skills needed to stay competitive. For years, small companies have been developing… Read More

There are many more ways to pay for product development than you may realize, including not paying for it at all. What is right for your situation will depend on your exact circumstances. You may wish to review the following before starting your next product development project. 1. Employees: Most of us are familiar with… Read More

I never met a startup that was not positive they would succeed.  Indeed, overconfidence is a necessary talent for becoming an entrepreneur; if only it was a sufficient one as well we would not see 95% of startups fail. All entrepreneurs believe in themselves and their company; but in far too many cases, these same… Read More

In these challenging times, we see a lot of companies trying to figure out how to enter new markets. Many companies have found their markets have shrunk, or even disappeared. Even companies that have been unaffected are starting to wonder if they should diversify. But exactly how do you enter new markets? If you are… Read More

Some of the myths about raising money are all too familiar. “I just need to be introduced to the right person.” “I will put my idea on one of those crowdfunding platforms.” “Once my prototype is done, everyone will want to fund me.” Or, my favorite, “We will bootstrap with [students/interns/work for stock] people.” Raising… Read More