In Silicon Valley, where it costs next to nothing to build a company based on just software and a clever business model, some people still make hardware. Physical goods. Things that have to be manufactured, boxed up, shipped, plugged in. Things that break.
It might seem that the economics of making hardware are at odds with the cycle of easy money and fast startups, but there are still people who think that hardware is a good business because it is so difficult.
One of those people is Nick Weaver, the 28-year-old founder of eero, a company that has turned the un-sexy world of WiFi routers on its head. Before he started his company, he was the guy at his family house who kept the network equipment up and running. Often this meant nerdy netw...
It’s a crazy, multi-device world.
According to one report from Facebook, 60% of online adults in the U.S. and U.K. use at least two devices each day, meaning that mobile is at the epicenter of many brands’ marketing, sales, and product strategies.
This trend creates a window of opportunity for companies that are looking to reach audiences at multiple points in their buyer journeys. The challenge, however, is that mass-market tools and analytics technologies haven’t caught up—basic reports in Google Analytics only provide aggregate-level traffic data, for instance. It’s tough to dissect the steps that your audiences are taking to become customers and repeat customers.
Despite this lack of transparency, one concept holds tried and true: you’r...
The answers below are provided by members of FounderSociety, an invitation-only organization comprised of ambitious startup founders and business owners.
You should have a written marketing plan in place before starting your business. This is the most overlooked puzzle piece in modern business. You outsource your accounting and your legal, but most companies think they can do their own marketing without experience. While your business will evolve, why not get there quicker with a strategic marketing plan by a professional?
— Steven Newlon
SYN3RGY Creative Group
Make sure your business concept can stand out in the crowd. If ...
When you’re launching a travel business, there are many “what ifs” and “what nows” — especially if you’re a rookie. It’s almost too easy to get caught up in the excitement. Whether you’re trying to build out too many related products before perfecting your core business, struggling to gauge the strength of a potential partnership, or micromanaging your staff, it might be a good idea to take a step back and gain a little perspective from the pros.
After all, those pros started out where you are now, and many are willing and eager to help others get on their feet. So don’t be afraid to reach out within the tight-knit entrepreneurial community to seek advice because almost nothing is more valuable than help from someone who has been in the tre...
How many startups launched last year? How many of them succeeded? While some of them fail simply because they didn’t create something people want. A bigger chunk vanished due to the wrong execution of their growth and marketing.
Growth is key, yet growing a startup is really hard.
Many founders struggle to figure it out. What makes it even harder is the overwhelming amount of tactics and the “one size fits all” hacks that dictate how we should be running our own growth & marketing efforts.
While these pieces of advice are supposed to be an inspiration, a lot of founders take them as a prescription and apply them them regardless of the context of their product or customers.
I think this happens because many founders love “short-cuts” and fan...
Welcome to Phase Three of a four-part Splitting Equity Series. If you missed it, start your journey here: Introduction - Early Startup Equity — Getting it Right before continuing on if you haven’t already, and go in order from there.
Phase One - Startup Equity - Avoiding Early Mistakes
Phase Two - How Startup Equity Works
Phase Three - Part 1 - How to Split Equity
Part 2 - Splitting Equity Today
Part 3 - Splitting Equity in the Future ( ←YOU ARE HERE 😀)
Phase Four - Equity Management
Let's continue!
Founder equity splits rarely turn out to be what we hoped they would be after Year 1. The co-founders at startup companies start off with the best intentions, but as the business venture turns into lon...
According to figures reported in the GEM Global Report, 100 million new businesses are launched annually.
Thats nearly 11,000 startups per hour.
So, how do you beat this competition? By raising more funds? By marketing more aggressively? Maybe. But, I believe that increasing the brand value of your startup can help it not only survive the competition but thrive.
When it comes to marketing your business, branding is an old concept. Unfortunately, it’s one that few startups utilize properly. Review these 7 tips to improve (or build!) your startup’s branding:
For example, what are the labels you would associate with the Nike brand?
You’re probably thinking somewhere along the lines of sports, Michael Jordan,...
Neil Patel is renowned as a marketer and entrepreneur. As co-founder of KISSmetrics, Crazy Egg and Hello Bar, he has found enormous success: he was even named a Top Online Influencer by the Wall Street Journal, and a Top 10 Online Marketer by Forbes.
If you have a few minutes, watch the video below to hear Neil ruminate on how to drive traffic to your site through creativity. We’ve also outlined the major points below for your easy perusal.
Believe it or not, Neil Patel’s first entrepreneurial effort was a failure. He was self-admittedly young and naive, assuming that the adage “If you build it, they will come” applied to Internet marketing. He soon learned this was untrue, and then went broke paying a professiona...
Today’s society glorifies startup life. Most see startup culture as acquiring VC funding, getting a fancy office, and rapidly scaling. The problem is that no one wants to talk about the grueling path every startup must endure before acquiring funding— this is the side hustle stage. This means you are still working your full-time job and starting a business on the side which will eventually become large enough to be your new full-time priority.
Marc Andreessen stated that the life of a startup could be divided into two phases: before product/market fit, and after. The latter is the fun part – when VCs and scaling the business come into the equation. This article is about the former, less glamorous part of building a business. The part that ...
Congratulations! You've made it to the end of our four-part Funding Series:
Phase One - Structuring a Fundraise
Phase Two - Investor Selection
Phase Three - The Pitch
Phase Four - Investor Outreach
Part 1 - Investor Outreach
Part 3 - The Investor Email Pitch
Part 4 - How to Contact Investors ( ←YOU ARE HERE 😀)
Let’s dive in!
So you've got your list of angel investors, venture capitalists, random private investors, and even your rich Aunt and you're ready to blast all of them with your email pitch...
Please don't! Step.. away.. from.. the.. keyboard!
Most Founders (and we help thousands) wind up tanking their entire fundraising process the moment they hit the "send" button to potential investors. That'...