Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Finding Your Co-Founders

I came across this tip which would be helpful if you’re looking for other co-founders. It was originally published on TechCrunch.com website. I believe both tech and non-tech individuals could find this useful. By Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg

Having trouble meeting folks you think would be good co-founders? Here are a couple ideas:

1. Join student groups relevant to your interests. If you’re a business major – go check out the Engineering Society’s monthly meeting. If you’re in the CS department, I’ll bet the business school students would kill to meet you at the next Entrepreneurship Club meeting.

2. If your school doesn’t already have a student group designed to foster collaboration between groups of students with the skills necessary to get a startup rolling, start one!

Ok, so most folks reading this are probably out of school. Fortunately, there are a number of examples of successful founding teams that met outside of school. Chad and Steve from YouTube met while working at PayPal. Sean and Shawn from Napster met in an IRC channel. Cisco was a husband and wife team. It helps to be in school, but it’s not an absolute requirement. A few practical ideas applicable to everyone, in school or not:

1. Get out there and find activities that attract diverse groups of people. In Silicon Valley, rock climbing’s a current hot spot for startup folks. So is ultimate frisbee. There’s at least one weekly ultimate frisbee game I’m aware of that’s chock-full of people from the startup industry, on both the business and tech sides.

2. Ask your friends for intros to people in an area you’re trying to learn about. Chances are someone in your group of techies knows someone business oriented. The first folks you meet may not be a fit, but keep asking for referrals and you’ll get there.

3. Join / attend local organizations designed to foster introductions between folks interested in startups.

4. Team with co-workers at your current job or that internship you did last summer. Just make sure to not violate any non-competes, etc, in the process! Generally speaking, as long as you’re not working on a project your employer would reasonably want to own, you’re probably ok. Of course, do not use any of your employer’s resources.

TIP: I will also add that you don’t live your life looking for a wife initially. You start with baby steps, going out with different ladies, until your connection with one or three has become a bond. Founders Under 40 (LinkedIn) (fu40group[at]bjmannyst[dot]com) could help you find other founders.
Monday, June 20, 2011

Startups & Sales Issues: The Best Place to Find Talent Can Be In the Trenches

Where you find it is not what matters or if she looks and acts like you. Talent is Talent no matter if it’s from a: well recognized school, referral, religious center, cultural center, lesbian bar, or in a crime stricken neighborhood.

The great thing about God is that he didn’t make any particular group more superior or more valuable. He spread greatness everywhere from California to New York to Africa to India. When I hear that companies like Google, FaceBook, go through great lengths to recruit engineer graduates from well known schools I often wonder there must be a concentration of untapped-underdeveloped raw talent in unusual places just begging for a chance.

There are kids, young adults, and adults who have a learning attitude but due to unfortunate circumstances are sometimes disregarded.

And some HR managers have this sad mentality that if the company wants a circle they go looking just for the circle but overlooking the fact a hexagon could give you a competitive advantage. What frightens me also is the lack of diversity on the board of directors of some organizations who don’t reflect their market and consumers. They keep getting steak when hamburger will deliver A regardless of an incentive system or not.

My advice to any company, set out what characteristics you’re looking for compare it to the candidate if it’s close and the candidate is trainable, give the person a chance. That chance might just change that person’s life.

My first sales job, a sales manager took a chance on me and it changed the way I view sales and marketing. It also helped that I was curious.
Sunday, June 19, 2011

For Marketing to Be Very Effective, Consumers Need to Stop F%&$^ Resisting



Marketing initiative such as advertising, promotions, or word-of-mouth are essential to help sell goods. How effective is it? How well is it measured? How predictable is the return-on-investment?


I don’t have the answer neither does the CMO of Apple. While reading a variety of marketing and sales materials, I came to the conclusion that to really get the greatest return on marketing, consumers need to handover their lives to a marketer. Data may tell which consumer bought what, where, when, how but never why. The big WHY! 


Here’s what might be the answer to why: 24/7 brainwave sensors, 24/7 motion sensors, 24/7 embedded cameras, 24/7 lie-detectors, and what I call, “Real Time Brain Generate Holograms” to project consumer’s dreams. Will we, marketers, be any closer with these tools? Absolutely.


The question is really what kind of human is willing to give up all privacy so that a company can sell her more toilet paper?

Startups & Sales Issues: With FU40 or Social Media don’t Try too Hard To Promote

I’ve noticed on the Founders Under 40 group on LinkedIn there seems to be the thinking that the only way to promote yourself or service is by purposely and persistently posting your website’s url or using deceptive tactics.

I once believed this was the way when I first started to promote my past business initiatives. Then I realized it doesn’t work that way. I realized social networking tools are long term marketing tactics and should be respected not abused. So I started to add value: give, talk to others, help others with their problems, and participated.

With more than 500 members I could simply blast my self-promotions at the members but I know in any environment, online or offline, people don’t want to hear a sales pitch.
Friday, June 17, 2011

Positioning Your Brand as a Lifestyle Brand is Suicide

Everyone wants to be the next Virgin, Ralph Lauren, Harley Davidson or Trump. I don’t recommend it for any company because once you step out of your core discipline you start to dilute what the brand originally stood for. I’ve personally tried to position a company I was involved in, in the past, which could have worked but it was premature for an early stage company.

Lifestyle brands are suicide because they require constant nurturing, change-ups, repositions, commitment, and resources. Take Virgin for an example, its brand name is in every business and yet many consumers will not be able to describe the characteristics of a Virgin brand because it’s lost the original representation, which I believe began with Virgin Records. The Trump brand, Donald Trump, clearly is a luxury brand. Originally began in fine living homes for the rich. Now the brand is placed on clothes, beds, casinos, schools, books, TV show and it is too dependent on the personality of Donald Trump not his kids. Not one of his kids has the larger-than-life personality that can match. Either Virgin or Trump is not suffering today but within 5 – 10 years their relevance could be questioned.

Instead of competing in a smaller pool of competitors for consumer attention you end up competing in an ocean filled with whales, sharks, to the want-to-be. Recent news, footwear company Puma wants to position its self as a lifestyle brand which just leaves Nike and Adidas to split the pie.

My advice to any company contemplating this market strategy should be aware that you will now be competing with numerous lifestyle brands. Oprah could easily have created lifestyle brands but she stayed with TV and magazines. Even Bill Gates could have had is own energy drink. McDonalds could create its own beverage labels possibly call it, “McCoke”. McDonalds sticks to what it knows and does well.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Startups & Sales Issues: Social Networking Branding Tips

• Social media is all about the conversation and building lasting relationships

• Having 5000 followers or friends might be useful for some businesses but it shouldn't be your objective, just serve the amount you know you can maintain a meaningful quality relationship.

• To gain press, identify media outlets that are most applicable to your particular areas of expertise and send them specific pitches.

• Focus on sites, groups, events that cater to your targets. Don't be in all the groups or social networking sites. Start with two then if you have the resources to manage more then go ahead.

• And be sure to differentiate yourself in some way. It could be: your profile pic, your sign off msg., your personality, or your odd yet inspiring advice. Don't copy others especially your competition.

• If you can integrate your social networking initiative with your sites, your promotions, etc. This would create a lasting impression with customers and prospects.

• Don't forget to monitor your performance, what customers say and don't say about you.

• Tell your story to anyone who wants to hear. Don't shove it at them. Small bit size is also good.


Off topic, all this social networking for business has its good side and bad side. In my opinion, there's nothing like a face-to-face interaction, engagement, experience, and relationship. It's a tool not to be used to sell people but a tool to engage and inform people about your business. When ever I use LinkedIn, my focus is to pretend I'm at an airport which is filled with diverse people from diverse background and just take the time to find common interest.
Monday, June 13, 2011

Startups & Sales Issues: How to Persevere in Sales, Business and Life

You haven’t lived until you find yourself trapped in a room with a lion. Not only are you fighting to get out, there’s a lion grabbing your legs. The only way to survive is to prepare yourself well enough to spot your window of opportunity which only happens in mere seconds sometimes.


• Act on your dreams
• Must have vision with passion and strive for action
• Believe you will persevere
• Be the best prepared, act decisively and quickly
• Be flexible and always have backup plans
• Respect risk, take on calculated gambles and absorb setbacks
• Never underestimate your opponents
• Be alert of tricks
• Tenacity
• If you don’t ask, you don’t get
• Faith and belief in yourself
• Take your resources in good times and use it to solidify your foundation
• Be prepared to make sacrifices
• Get it done and get it done as quickly as possible don’t forget to do your homework
• Always aim high and look for vulnerability in market leaders, not in the number 4
• Listen to people especially to trusted advisors
• Ideas must be exchanged and explored
• When building your team look for integrity, intelligence and ambition.
• Partnership is essential because no one can do everything alone and someone must be in charge
Saturday, June 11, 2011

Startups & Sales Issues: Having Likeable Employees Can Significantly Boost Sales

I was recently in a local BestBuy in downtown Toronto wondering the departments. BestBuy is North America’s largest electronic goods retailer. When I say wondering, I mean conducting my little hush-hush market research tactic, (don’t tell anyone). I often observe consumers, employees, product placement, customer service, cash registers, and price. As a sales and marketing oriented individual, I take great pleasure in staying up-to-date by gathering intelligence from the ground level and with extra effort I can obtain backroom details as well which I keep to myself.

To my point regarding the importance of having likeable employees is something service business HR managers need to add to their pre-requisite attribute. In today’s educated-consumer-age having employees that a customer can connect with on an intimate personal level can get consumers to open their wallets easier. I stepped into the store and a male employee acknowledges me, by the entrance, and for some reason seemed genuine because he took the time to personalize it by gently-jokingly making fun of my fashion style. I had a question about a laptop, internet device promotion which also came with a gift card. The specialist, we’ll call her April, took the time to understand my needs, and provided the details needed for me to make a decision. Because she was friendly, polite, fun, down-to-earth I had a great memorable time with her. It doesn’t hurt to encourage your customers to feel free to engage with everyone in your organization.

It may not have gotten me to buy something that moment but it will remind me to go back when I’m ready or unless BestBuy made me an offer I can not refuse.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011

How to tell when a Company is Uncomfortable?



Comfort can be one of the most destructive emotions a company could have. More destructive than an earthquake destroying global companies’ supply chain because earthquakes are out of human control and comfort is something management can influence.

The signs are usually not obvious to managers who don’t suspect this potential deadly sickness. What happens when a company gets too comfortable is that it stops innovating, stops producing, stops trying, stops listening, stops envisioning, or stops challenging itself. One obvious sign which is the inspiration for this post, a company that’s one of the largest media companies in world suddenly contacted me after I’d stop using their services years ago. They suddenly noticed I no longer was a customer and wanted me back.

I believe what happened is that competition had gotten tough. If I were fortunate to build a company, that practiced what I call “Necessary Discomfort”, it would be like the following companies Intel, Apple, Tim Hortons, Rogers, StarBucks, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, P&G, Nike and Google. “Why?” you ask. These companies are considered the LA Leakers of their industry and could easily stop trying but they never stop.

If the management and its employees are feeling really comfortable and in some case even untouchable you know growth is about to plummet to no-return. Nortel Networks is one.

“He who’s not busy being born is busy dying.” - Bob Dylan

VCs are Like Senior High School Girls




• They fantasize about the perfect match. He’s got to be tall, handsome, nice, bad, smart, muscular, sexy, great kisser, smell nice, charming, and funny. He can’t be a bum and can’t be too out of their reach.
• They don’t want to know the names of other girls that you like or like you. You tell them and they will talk to each other.
• They don’t want to hear you asked every girl on the cheerleaders on a date.
• If you really like one and she likes you and the rules of how often to kiss, hold hands, go on trips, meet at lunch has been set, then ask for an official date now. In most cases it’s a 3 – 5 year marriage.
• If lots of girls have turned you down, they will assume something is wrong or delay saying yes until their suspicions is cleared.
• Your first girlfriend should be good because she might help get your next girl or invite you to meet her other girlfriends for a night to be remembered.
• You can always ask a junior high school girl
• Sometimes it’s never meant to be.

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