Brands are people first. Customers are people too, so customers tend to take their relationship with a brand personally. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that people praise their favorite smartphone brand, cringe over the thought of their cable company or even hate the mention of a particular bank. Startups, as well as every existing business, […]
customers
The Future of Retail: Customers Getting Their Choice of the Best
Everyone wants to predict the future. In the technology and business space, there have been white papers that talk about the future of “X”: retail, technology and digital. Though there are many reports that talk about high-level trends full of data, one might be left wondering: how does this apply to my organization and me? […]
The Best Time to Start Acquiring Customers for Your Business
I started my first (real) company when I was 17 years old in 2001. It was a digital marketing platform that connected mortgage lenders with mortgage borrowers. I had no clue what a mortgage was, but I had connections who would pay me a significant amount to generate leads. I did not know that brokers […]
How to Understand Your Users and Enhance Your UX
Your startup may look great on paper, but ideas are of little consequence if they aren’t paired with a great user experience. Technology gives a product limitless reach and limitless data to improve said reach. Of course, it also means there is more competition than ever. You have to carefully consider all parts of your […]
How to Get What You Need As A Founder
I have many conversations with founders that start with “I need…” “I need to raise money.” “I need to hire more people.” “I need to find some more customers.” It is very easy to develop tunnel vision when building your company as you are tackling difficult problems everyday. Your world consists of aggressive (maybe impossible) […]
When Customers Attack
Not all of your customers will love you. In fact, many of them will not even like you. In my career building products and services, I have been referred to as: an idiot, a moron, incompetent, a joker, and many, many more offensive terms involving profanity which I will not reproduce here. It is hard […]
10 Paths Which Often Lead to Early Business Failure
Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and Angel investor, I still see too many common […]
7 Ways Smart Startups Tune In To Customer Feedback
Entrepreneurs and business executives seem to be even more focused on their technology than the rest of us, and less inclined to listen to the voice of the customer, even if they remember to ask. Real two-way conversations with real customers, including the all-important body language, are unheard-of these days. Being connected to the Internet […]
7 Words of Wisdom Messages for Every Entrepreneur
When you have been on the startup firing line, you quickly learn that any insight from experts and entrepreneurs who have been there before you can make the difference between failure and success. Yet, many new entrepreneurs brazenly assume they are bulletproof, and march blindly into the fray. The result is that half or more […]
Your Guide to Retargeted Marketing
We’ve all seen ads follow us from the sites we visit. How did my favorite sports blog know I was in the market to purchase an easel for my daughter? The answer is retargeting. It’s a new(er) way to retain the customers who check out your site without actually checking out. Retargeting is more cost-effective […]
7 Startup Metrics All Entrepreneurs Must Track
It’s vital to accurately measure a startup’s progress. Learn some key Startup Metrics to use in this article.