Category: Marketing
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Rebranding the Broken Charity Model for Sustainable Impact
When was the last time you donated money to charity? If you are like the average person, it has been a while. There is good news though, it isn’t entirely your fault. Charities are an outdated and ineffective model in today’s world, and not for the reasons you may think. It isn’t the bureaucracy, it […]
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Growth Hacking in Big Tech’s New Red and Blue Oceans
Facebook, Linkedin, Zynga… they all had it easy. They all grew on the backs of existing services, spamming users with mass invites and notifications until a loyal following was suckered into using the product. And thanks to the inherent network effects, for every new user, the product was incrementally better for you as well… and […]
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Should Startup CEOs Have a Business Coach?
Growing up, I played sports… lots of them. I loved basketball and soccer, and my dad always coached our teams. It was the best… At the same time, it didn’t last. I quickly reached a level (and age) where his expertise and knowledge were outclassed by the players he was coaching. I’d reached the ‘ceiling’ […]
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The Secretly Sneaky Referral Strategy to Boost Sales
Nothing sells like a friend’s recommendation. “Man, you gotta see the new Avengers movie.” We trust the folks in our lives, and they trust us. It’s part of the social contract we all subconsciously abide by. In the past, to fit in was to survive. And to offer great advice, what could be more valuable […]
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The 2nd Platform Wars: China’s Plan to Kill Android and Own Mobile
This started as a thought experiment, a devil’s advocate to the question: Is mobile a done deal, or is there more to the story? We’ve had Google vs. Apple. Are we in for another heavyweight slugfest? I think so… Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know tensions are at an all-time high between […]
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The Halloween Costume Strategy for Company Branding
Trick or treat. It’s Dia de los Muertos. Amidst costumes and candy, you’re focused on building your business. Can’t blame ya. If you aren’t, no one else will. And today’s the perfect day to talk branding. It’s a day branded like none other where the strange and supernatural reign. But it’s also a day of […]
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How to Build Impact Businesses that also Make Money
Founders can change the world and still profit in the process There’s a growing trend in startups to actually give a shit, to make something that unlike the next photosharing app, actually makes the world a better place. Call this milleniallism, call this common sense… whatever it is, it’s a good thing. Whether it’s TOMS, […]
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Crypto, Decentralization and the Big Four: Blockchain vs. Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple
In the eyes of experts, when it comes to blockchain, there is often no middle ground — it will either be boom or bust, nothing in between. I for one have become a big proponent of blockchain technology, especially the crypto-economics used to jumpstart powerful network effects. But with so many opinions and noise floating […]
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Is Apple’s Greatness Fading?
Apple’s an interesting company — a true underdog success story that defined consumer tech and later became the most valued company on Earth. And while everyone knows Steve Jobs, few truly understand Apple — especially going forward. Warning, I have never really liked Apple (which is ironic as I write this on a MacBook Pro) and could be considered […]
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Think you understand network effects? You don’t
Lessons from Blue Apron, Uber, Amazon, and Facebook Remember the beach? It was always a battle to build the best sandcastle. But inevitably the tides turned and waves washed away your creation… you were devastated. I hope you learned your lesson. Moats are the most important aspect of any business. A defensible moat is the […]
