Duct Tape Marketing

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Jason also serves on the board of the Future Founders Foundation, a Chicago-based organization that empowers the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Having founded ActiveCampaign as a means to fund his education, Jason pursued a degree in fine arts until shifting his focus entirely to growing the company.

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Chicago Campaign Software Review Software Engineering 50

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 14, 2017

Guest Post by Misti Yang, Writer for Lean Startup Co. Editor’s Note: We wrapped up the 2017 Lean Startup Week in San Francisco just a few weeks ago, and we’re excited to share with you some of the best lessons learned in entrepreneurship and corporate innovation. We try to talk to real practitioners about actual, real issues.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Indeed, there are some success factors that are common to both environments. Capture your “secret sauce.”

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Intellectual Property Social Media Business Model Employee 278

Duct Tape Marketing

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Conclusion Understanding the Role of a Fractional CMO The role of a fractional CMO , or Chief Marketing Officer, is one that’s growing in popularity. How to Become a Fractional CMO written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing Ever heard of a fractional CMO ? That’s exactly what becoming a fractional CMO is all about.

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Technical Review Retention Networking Leadership 74

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

Yet it’s one of the most important things for you to do. Mark Schaefer , consultant and author of “ The Content Code ” and consultant shares a recent experience he had with this: “Earlier this year, I met with an entrepreneur who had worked for more than two years on an amazing software innovation. Should I change it?

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Product Software Review Sales Security 127

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

Ernest Hemingway One of an entrepreneur’s greatest strengths is their relentless pursuit of a goal. Progress Report Last week I happened to be sitting in my wife’s office as she was on the phone to my daughter in college. But few realize how this differs from most of the population.

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Silicon Valley Software Review RSS Technical Review 324

View from Seed

AUGUST 30, 2016

This is a guest post by Alignable CMO Dan Slagen about the missed opportunity the company has identified in social networking, and why they’ve chosen to build the business on the East Coast. For those of us that have been working in the startup and technology space for at least the past 10 years, these addresses mean two things.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Indeed, there are some success factors that are common to both environments. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Social Media Business Model Employee 436

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 11, 2024

With a wealth of experience in guiding companies through various stages of growth, Jim shares profound insights from his latest book, “ Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More. ” Embark on a journey of business transformation as Jim unveils strategies for achieving clarity in the ever-evolving business landscape.

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Naming LLC Software Review Early Stage 61

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

My mom recently started publishing online courses and my eighty-one year-old grandmother has an iPhone. Search Engine Marketing and online ads on the other hand can be set up in minutes. I even worked on the AdWords API team as an intern at Google. On top of that, the cost has escalated tremendously over time.

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Campaign Software Review Brazil Conversion 272

Up and Running

MAY 18, 2016

Reading lists are dime a dozen, but reading lists that focus on rapid-growth startup businesses? If you know of an indispensable resource and don’t see it on the list, let us know in the comments below! It’s the ultimate startup guide if you’re looking for systematic business growth and guidance on what not to do.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2020

Too many of you business owners think success only means being the next Amazon, or you stress yourself out trying to be everything to every customer. Key ones in my mind include the following: Build your business around what you know and love. These only make your startup riskier, and add stress you don’t need.

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Steve Blank

APRIL 2, 2009

Well yes, I understand that, but this is a startup, what else do you want to do? “I We had thought really hard about “ market type ” and decided to reposition the company from a technology provider to a solutions provider. Now we needed to put the tactical programs in place to make this repositioning strategy happen.

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Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review 124

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail.

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Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 21, 2020

As a lead up to this class session we’ve been talking about the impact of new technologies on the DOD. It’s interesting to note how many of his observations echo ones Chris Brose and Will Roper made in the previous sessions. Today’s topic was Military Applications of Artificial Intelligence. AI and The Department of Defense.

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Mike Michalowicz

JUNE 23, 2023

I’ve compiled a list of must-read books that have had a profound impact on my own small business journey. Discover valuable insights, strategies, and motivation that will empower you and your business to reach new heights in your endeavors. You can find these on Amazon, and be sure to find your local bookstore to support them as well.

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Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 29, 2013

This post was written by Sarah Milstein, co-host of The Lean Startup Conference. We’re looking for speakers for the 2013 Lean Startup Conference. If you’re a Lean Startup veteran, feel free to skim the beginning, as this is mostly stuff you already know. Last week, we announced that our short application form was live.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

They want quantifiable facts and figures on how your offering compares to recognized key players in your domain, and quotes from recognized third-party experts to back you up. Don’t forget other intellectual property, including trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and your expert publications.

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Intellectual Property Agile Differentiation Government 215

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

I was in New York last week with my class at Columbia University and several events made me realize that the Customer Development model needs to better describe its fit with web-based businesses. Dancing Around the Question Union Square Ventures was kind enough to sponsor a meetup the night before my class.

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Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 1, 2009

One of the most common questions I get about the lean startup methodology is, "but what about Steve Jobs ?" When I try to unpack what people mean by the question, heres my best take on what they are asking: "Look, Steve Jobs doesnt go out and ask customers what they want. So I cant speak for what happens on the inside.

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San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 166

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 13, 2017

Brand building at-scale can be different than brand building for a startup or small business. WPP and Kantar Millward Brown just released their latest BrandZ report on the most valuable global brands. The 2017 Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report offers important branding lessons for startups and small business.

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Small Business Startup Global Design 53

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Fast forward a few more years and over a billion people subscribe to at least one podcast on iTunes. The result is a cornucopia of podcasts that exist, offering insight into industries and areas of business that could be relevant to you and your company. Every so often, a new innovation in shareable media changes the game.

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Entrepreneur Hosting Community Audio 101

Up and Running

JUNE 23, 2015

There are medical tools, often times inexpensive ones, that make a drastic difference in these outcomes. There are medical tools, often times inexpensive ones, that make a drastic difference in these outcomes. See Also Jed Darland Cultivates Depth of Scope: A Secret to Success Story. See Also What Is a Social Enterprise?

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Steve Blank

JUNE 29, 2009

You’re Hired, You’re Fired. My first job in Silicon Valley: I was hired as a lab technician at ESL to support the training department. I packed up my life in Michigan and spent five days driving to California to start work. Driving across the U.S. is an adventure everyone ought to do.

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Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 4, 2021

It was one of the year's most successful IPOs so far, and has been heralded as a "landmark moment" for cryptocurrency's entrance into mainstream investing. We also talked about why he took a very public stance on the role of corporate leadership in social issues, and how it relates to fulfilling Coinbase's mission.

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IPO Cofounder Technical Review Government 113

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

by Susanna Camp and Jonathan Littman, co-authors of “ The Entrepreneur’s Faces: How Makers, Visionaries and Outsiders Succeed “ How do you build your best startup team? Success comes from balancing your team with a mix of types. Success comes from balancing your team with a mix of types. Apple Computer?

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Startup Cofounder Oregon Demand 165

K9 Ventures

JUNE 22, 2011

In walks Ren Ng , introduces himself and says something along the lines of “I hear you do startups, could we chat?” I didn’t know Ren personally, but I certainly knew him by reputation — as one of the smartest people around. ” Ren, now Dr. Ren Ng, was a fellow PhD student with me at Stanford.

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Technical Review IP New York Portfolio 134

ConversionXL

JUNE 10, 2020

All things equal, effective positioning is often the difference between a thriving business and one that gets lost in the sea of competition. While a positioning statement can help you think about your product positioning, it doesn’t always provide actionable insight. Should you change your prices? Add a new feature? Zen Proverb.

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Product Intellectual Property Social Media Audience 80

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Posted on September 14, 2009 by steveblank Over the last 30 years Wall Street’s appetite for technology stocks have changed radically – swinging between unbridled enthusiasm to believing they’re all toxic. You have to wonder: does the VC you have on your board today have the right skill set to help you succeed in today’s economic environment?

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Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217

Steve Blank

MARCH 19, 2009

While I was waiting in the lobby to pick up my offer letter, the head of marketing communications (who was to be one of my direct reports) came up to me as I held my just signed employment agreement. Or offer some real insights into our customers? Was she going to propose a coherent communications strategy?

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Silicon Valley RSS Software Review Technical Review 185

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 9, 2021

For transparency, I want to be clear that I have no inside information on Jeff’s decision to relinquish his CEO role. What I say is only speculative, but hopefully helpful and insightful. THE CORE OF GREATNESS: FOCUS. Looking back, I believe that Jeff is one of most iconic, successful founders and CEOs of all time.

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Leadership Technical Review Cofounder Later Stage 42

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

This post is based on my keynote presentation at Mesh Marketing last week. A statistician predicted the success of Jeremy Lin 2 years before anyone knew who he was. Nate Silver become famous for predicting Obama’s wins in the last 2 elections based on his analysis of polling data. 2014 is almost here. Barack Obama. Jeremy Lin.

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PPC Analytics Conversion SEO 123

Duct Tape Marketing

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

A Startup Journey With GrubHub Founder Mike Evans written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Since leaving GrubHub, he founded Fixer.com, an on-demand handyperson service focused on social impact. 3:38] Did you knock on restaurant doors saying ‘I have this idea, do you want to be a part of this? [6:06]

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YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 25, 2012

There are numerous great books out there on business, entrepreneurship, leadership, and other topics of interest to MBA students that can be immensely valuable to anyone looking to build their knowledge and prepare for a career in business. In fact, you may learn a few tips and tricks you won’t cover in any of your MBA courses.

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Merger Leadership Design Management 228

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Business owners only have so much time to execute and complete the millions of things on our to-do list so anyway that we can multi-task in an efficient way is a great opportunity. Podcasting is a good way to do that. While driving or walking the dog, podcasts offer a way to learn and grow while sometimes completing other tasks.

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Entrepreneur Hosting Cofounder Forecast 74

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 9, 2019

We decided to focus on giving homeowners and pros a better way to select and purchase items to reduce delays, cost over-runs and frustrations. Soon we were busy working on what Pocketdoor is today! Additionally, I had the insights from my time at a corporate retailer to help make needed connections between the teams.

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Steve Blank

MARCH 25, 2009

While we sometimes cut the price of graphics boards, it was only because we offered our customers no compelling reasons to buy one that was priced equivalently to the market share leaders. Was SuperMac attempting to introduce radically new products and create a new market ? No, not really. And we lost money when we did so.

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Silicon Valley Marketing RSS California 141