Take user feedback to heart, even if it’s not what you wanted to hear. As a strategist, my goal has always been to know my customer and extract what “must haves” matters to them. This means: Search for real audience insights and opportunities to ensure all is known about the consumer, brand, category, project, etc. […]
Communication
How to Effectively Communicate With Everyone on Your Team
When you are leading a team of people, communication is key. However, knowing what to say and when to say it is an undervalued tool in some entrepreneurs’ arsenals. When it comes to how I interact with my company, the way I communicate and the tactics I use depend most on the environment that I […]
Why No Is the Next Best Thing After Yes
For some reason, folks in tech, particularly investors, have trouble saying NO. Typically, the fear manifests itself in not even bothering to reply. After a number of seemingly positive interactions, the replies just stop. “Saying NO, whether to a potential investment, potential hire, current employee, or a family member or friend, is just basic respect […]
The Unusually Successful Marketing Strategy Your Company Should be Implementing
In a business climate that is cutthroat at times, we have often found that collaboration is the secret to success. And, without wanting to sound like a children’s television show, working together has been an asset to strategic marketing for us at eLearning Mind (ELM), a business dedicated to revolutionizing learning and development (L&D). By […]
The Art of the Pass
As venture investors, we see hundreds of deals each year. Even the most active firms invest in less than 20 (we’re at about one/month pace for the last two years), so you can do the math on the number of “no’s” that have to go out. Here are some insights and opinions on how to […]
7 Ways A Business Message Gets Lost In The Process
Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. Some entrepreneurs forget that talking is not communicating. Fortunately these skills can be learned and the barriers to […]
Become a Master Presenter
The first talk I gave in front of a crowd was when I was in 1st grade. I had to describe the anatomy of a butterfly. As simple as it seemed, it was a train wreck to watch. I can still remember getting laughed at for it. I think the teacher was laughing too. I kept […]
How to Win Back Former Customers
An apology plus a small change may be all that’s needed to regain lost customers. Do you remember the children’s song “Make New Friends, but Keep the Old”? Unfortunately many businesses do not, and instead are singularly focused on finding as many new customers as possible. It might seem like the most effective strategy, […]
Direct-To-Consumer Distribution Cuts Overhead and Bullshit
A direct-to-consumer distribution model may offer your company an extremely successful business strategy. Read this article to learn more.
5 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Startup
If you’re an entrepreneur embarking on a new startup journey, there are several stock pieces of advice you’re likely to hear. Most people will tell you that getting a startup off the ground is one of the toughest challenges you will ever face. And all will warn you that unless you’re willing to put everything […]
Great Startups are Where Soul and Technology Meet
Some entrepreneurs forget that they can’t use people the same way they use technology to build a startup. Inventors, for example, are skilled in manipulating technology, but may have little interest or experience engaging people to make an effective team. Unfortunately, startups are not one-man shows, so entrepreneurs need to study leadership as much as […]
