The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup
Noam Wasserman - 2011
Friendships and relationships can suffer. Bad decisions at the inception of a promising venture lay the foundations for its eventual ruin. The Founder's Dilemmas is the first book to examine the early decisions by entrepreneurs that can make or break a startup and its team.Drawing on a decade of research, Noam Wasserman reveals the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them. He looks at whether it is a good idea to cofound with friends or relatives, how and when to split the equity within the founding team, and how to recognize when a successful founder-CEO should exit or be fired. Wasserman explains how to anticipate, avoid, or recover from disastrous mistakes that can splinter a founding team, strip founders of control, and leave founders without a financial payoff for their hard work and innovative ideas. He highlights the need at each step to strike a careful balance between controlling the startup and attracting the best resources to grow it, and demonstrates why the easy short-term choice is often the most perilous in the long term. The Founder's Dilemmas draws on the inside stories of founders like Evan Williams of Twitter and Tim Westergren of Pandora, while mining quantitative data on almost ten thousand founders.People problems are the leading cause of failure in startups. This book offers solutions.
The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less
Mark Joyner - 2005
Do you know what to say in those three seconds?The marketing methods of the past are losing effectiveness as consumers are getting smarter and smarter and have less and less time. What is needed is a new way of doing business-a method that is simultaneously socially responsible and far more effective than old marketing. This new way is The Irresistible Offer.The Irresistible Offer is the missing link in many marketing books. --Joe Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker CorporationThe Irresistible Offer reveals secret after proven secret guaranteed to pump fresh power into your sales process. --John Du Cane, CEO, Dragon Door Publications, Inc.As the world's fastest reader (Guinness Book certified) I've read just about every business and marketing book in existence. The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner is, by far, the easiest and most powerful. If you want to make a profitable business (any business small or large), The Irresistible Offer should be your starting point. --Howard Berg, The World's Fastest ReaderI've read every book on marketing printed in the last 150 years. This is the first breakthrough in over fifty years. --Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor FactorIf I had to choose one modern marketing genius to learn from, it would be Mark Joyner. The Irresistible Offer belongs in the hands of everyone wanting to wildly succeed in business. --Randy Gilbert, a.k.a. Dr. Proactive host of The Inside Success Show
Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
John Jantsch - 2006
it sticks where you put it. So are the ideas in this book. If you're ready to make a commitment and are willing to make something happen, John's book is a great place to start."--Seth Godin, author of "Purple Cow""For all those who wonder why John Jantsch has become the leading advisor and coach to small businesses everywhere, " Duct Tape Marketing "is the answer. I have never read a business book that is as packed with hands-on, actionable information as this one. There are takeaways in every paragraph, and the success of John's blog is living proof that they work." Duct Tape Marketing "should be required reading for anyone who is building a business, or thinking about it."--Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large, "Inc. magazine," and author of "Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big""Duct Tape Marketing is a worthy addition to the growing library of how-to books on small business marketing -- concise, clear, practical, and packed with great ideas to boost your bottom line."--Bob Bly, author of "The White Paper Handbook""With the world suffering from depleted reserves of trust, a business that sells plenty of it every day tends to create the most value. The great thing about trust as a product feature is that it delivers exceptional returns. With this book, John Jantsch has zeroed in on exactly what small businesses need to sell every day, every hour."--Ben McConnell, co-author of "Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force""John Jantsch has provided small businesses with the perfect perspective for maximizing all marketing activities - offline and on. Jantsch has the plan to help you thrive in the world of business today. Read it, all your competitors will."--John Battelle, cofounding editor or "Wired" and author of "The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture "Duct Tape Marketing" is a great read for anyone in business. It has fresh ideas laid out in a practical and useable way. I highly recommend this book for growing any business."--Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI and Co-author of the "New York Times" bestseller, "Masters of Networking "
Hook Point: How to Stand Out in a 3-Second World
Brendan Kane - 2020
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
Bob Burg - 2007
Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman. Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of “go-givers:” a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial adviser, a real estate broker, and the “Connector,” who brought them all together. Pindar’s friends share with Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving. Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns. Imparted with wit and grace, The Go-Giver is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that brings new relevance to the old proverb “Give and you shall receive.”
Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success
Tom Eisenmann - 2021
In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures.- Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder's talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly.- False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to "fail fast" and to "launch before you're ready," founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions.- False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand.- Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to "get big fast," hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures.- Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both.- Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong.Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise--from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles--Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them.A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.
Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition
John Michael Morgan - 2011
Discover the aspirational currency that makes your brand one that people want to be or want to be friends with. Learn how to be real with your audience and make strategic associations to establish credibility. Brand Against the Machine will help you stand out, get noticed, and be remembered.Brand Against the Machine is the blueprint for how to market your brand to attract better clients and stand out from the clutter that is traditional corporate branding and marketing.Instant Positioning Method: How to instantly stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a resource, not just another service provider The 20/60/20 Rule: Why it's important to take a stand and why it's okay to have haters--because it creates a stronger bond with those who love you Ditch your traditional corporate branding and marketing, and exchange it for something memorable. Your customers will thank you for it.
Absolute Value: What Really Influences Customers in the Age of (Nearly) Perfect Information
Itamar Simonson - 2014
Most marketers still believe that they can shape consumers’ perception and drive their behavior. In this provocative book, Stanford professor Itamar Simonson and bestselling author Emanuel Rosen show why current mantras are losing their relevance. When consumers base their decisions on reviews from other users, easily accessed expert opinions, price comparison apps, and other emerging technologies, everything changes.Absolute Value answers the pressing questions of how to influence customers in this new age. Simonson and Rosen point out the old-school marketing concepts that need to change and explain how a company should design its communication strategy, market research program, and segmentation strategy in the new environment. Filled with deep analysis, case studies, and cutting-edge research, this forward-looking book provides a totally new way of thinking about marketing.
Slicing Pie - Funding Your Business Without Funds
Mike Moyer - 2012
In the early days you can use equity to get the things you need to start your company including help, equipment, supplies, rent and even credit. Slicing Pie explains how to calculate the fair amount of equity to the right people. Learn the tricks of the trade including: - Calculating a theoretical value of your company- Assigning value to the various inputs to your business- What to do when a founder leaves your company- How to handle equity when you have to fire someone This unique guide answers the tough questions for budding entrepreneurs and helps make sure they get started on the right foot.
Invisible Selling Machine
Ryan Deiss - 2015
it's downright simple! In the Invisible Selling Machine, entrepreneur, Ryan Deiss, walks you through all 5 phases of the prospect/customer lifestyle, and shows how each step can be automated and perpetuated to invisibly convert strangers into friends, friends into customers and customers into raving fans. This book is for startup founders, small business owners, marketing professionals, consultants, service professionals, authors, speakers, and even brick and mortar butcher, baker and candlestick makers. In short, if you want to grow your business and your customers just happen to have an email address... ...this book is for you.
Content That Converts: How to Build a Profitable and Predictable B2B Content Marketing Strategy
Laura Hanly - 2016
This book provides that system — a step-by-step process that can be executed in any business to generate qualified leads and more conversions with content marketing. In Content That Converts, you'll learn: - How to get clear on your audience, offers and messaging (and why those three elements are so important) - How to develop a recurring content system, and how to create long-form content assets (such as books and courses) that establish you as an industry leader - How to distribute your content effectively with email and SEO, to expand your reach and create conversion opportunities that translate to sales - How to hone your conversion potential over time with the principles of influence and market sophistication, and how to write powerful sales copy as a result “Laura is a content machine that pumps out excellence onto paper.” Jeff Root, SellTermLife and #1 Amazon Bestseller “Using your strategies, we’re getting more sales and people are much more engaged. Good work!” Scott Desgrosseilliers, Wicked Reports "Laura has a great ability to draw out the nuances of how things are done in any business. Her writing is fantastic and the delivery is spot on." Tristan King, owner of Blackbelt Commerce, top-rated Shopify agency in the world
Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small
Nick Westergaard - 2016
Yet, it’s also a challenging time, with much work to do and an ever-changing array of platforms, features, and networks to master—all on a tighter budget than before.Don’t get discouraged, get scrappy! Shattering the myth that only big brands can do big things, Get Scrappy will help you:
Demystify digital marketing in a way that makes sense for your business
Do more with less
Build a strong brand with something to say
Find inspiration in unexpected places
Create relevant and engaging content and promote it via Twitter, Facebook, and other channels
Integrate strategy and message across touchpoints for a unified brand experience—both online and off
Spark dialogue with your community of customers
Measure what matters
The result is a reliable, repeatable system for reinventing your marketing as marketing reinvents itself. Featuring frameworks, hacks, tips, idea starters, and more, Get Scrappy is the map you need to take your marketing from good to great.
3 Months to No.1: The "No-Nonsense" SEO Playbook for Getting Your Website Found on Google
Will Coombe - 2017
The same ones he used to build a Top SEO Agency in London. 7 Years & 500 clients later, he hands you the Playbook."SEO For 2020 Onwards"Is This You?Total SEO Virgin?Entrepreneur?Business or Blog Owner with Big Plans?Or Perhaps THIS is You...Mom & Pop store ownerHard worker in need of technical knowledgeFrustrated Google Ads spenderSEO professional looking for time-saving hacksAffiliate marketerSEO forum & blog reader in need of some structure...If So, This Book Was Written For You"Features FREE Video Series + SEO Blueprint"What Does This Book Deliver?Over 3 hours of invaluable 'walk through' video tutorials to SHOW you what to do, as well provide you with a step-by-step, week-by-week SEO Blueprint and Checklist.If you've got a solid work ethic, you're eager to learn, and your business model is sound, '3 Months to No.1' will give you all the tools and know-how required to get your website to the very top of Google where the profit is. Through a refreshingly no-nonsense plain English approach to SEO, successful London SEO Agency owner Will Coombe unveils how to...Discover SEO's greatest secret - that it isn't rocket science!Save thousands by doing SEO yourself, or with your in-house teamFilter profitable traffic to your siteLearn what on earth to do with your social mediaEffectively direct and monitor people doing SEO for youGain the industry knowledge to call out anyone full of 'BS'Who is Will Coombe?Before co-founding a successful Digital Marketing Agency in London over 7 years ago, Will Coombe flew passengers round the world for a living. Working for a major UK Airline he helped over 250,000 people reach their final destination. In the end though, his was Google. Now a professional speaker on the subject of making businesses profitable through SEO, Will reveals how and why he went from 'airline', to 'online'; and how you too can leverage his years of experience getting clients' websites to the very top of Google.He may have hung up his wings, but Will's years of experience making technical jargon easily accessible to anyone who entered his cockpit is put to good use in '3 Months to No.1'."Learn. Take Action. Get Results."A Carefully Curated SEO Guide for 2020 OnwardsThis book doesn't hold 'secrets' you can't find scattered throughout the Internet. Instead, it cuts through the noise and guides you to the ultimate return on time investment for SEO. It tells you what to focus on and when. '3 Months to No.1' finally gives you a step-by-step Playbook. One with the fresh and down to earth approach of someone who came from no background in SEO or digital marketing at all."How High Will Your Revenue Go in 12 Weeks?"You'll Discover...- Online marketing 101- Personal advice for your business- How to uncover money-making keywords- Configuring WordPress for SEO success- How to nail the technical elements- How to win links- A crash course in content marketing- Social media account use (finally!)- SEO if you're a local business- eCommerce SEO (inc. Shopify, Magento, & WooCommerce)- Google penalty diagnosis & avoidance- Why it's quicker to go 'white hat' and not try to cheat Google- + more..."Grab a Copy Now..."
How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know
Byron Sharp - 2010
Tackling issues such as how brands grow, how advertising really works, what price promotions really do & how loyalty programs really affect loyalty.
The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight to Impact + Wealth
David C. Baker - 2017
Three foundational chapters form the basis of the entire book: experts develop insight by isolating patterns in data; they convert those insights to wealth by crafting a unique positioning for which few available substitutes exist; and their confidence grows as the marketplace embraces their application of expertise. The next fifteen chapters--building on that foundation--each answer a single question, starting with the role of expertise in a developed society, how important it is for experts to love the hard work required to hone their expertise, and how to see all that in the context of their own purpose in the world. We pause to dig deeper by examining the very narrow overlap between expertise and entrepreneurship: the narrow slice of humanity for which this book was written, with a nod to how easy it is for those entrepreneurial experts to be pulled off mission to explore new things. What are the critical positioning mistakes to avoid? Are there helpful ways to keep your deep, narrow expertise from blinding you to a broader, wider relevance? How might you frame your expertise in horizontal or vertical terms or a combination of both? There are core principles for this and they start with distinguishing between strategy and implementation. What are the earlier and then later tests to validate your positioning? What are the most effective ways to demonstrate your expertise, and conversely the activities most important to avoid? If you are an entrepreneurial expert selling advice for a living, you ll absorb deeper and deeper insight each time you scour it. It emerges from the trenches, and is written for experts in the trenches. Following the three foundational chapters (A, B, C) that open the book, there are fifteen chapters that build on that: The Role of Expertise in a Developed Society; The Interplay Between Expertise and Fulfillment; The Why for Your Entrepreneurial Expertise; Combining Expertise and Entrepreneurship; The Relevance and Sustainability of Expertise; Positioning Mistakes and Why We Make Them; Practicing Expertise Within a Broader Context; Distinguishing Between Vertical and Horizontal Expertise; Principles for the Less Exchangeable Positioning of Expertise; Distinguishing Expertise from Implementation; Five Early Tests for the Positioning of Your Expertise; Demonstrating Expertise; Not Demonstrating Expertise; How Expertise Unfolds: A Recap; and The Long Game: Maintaining Relevant Expertise. The book is fully illustrated in color, is a hardback (case bound), and has a full-color dust jacket.