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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Marketing Communications

Steve Blank

I reminded her that all the Lean tools she learned in class–Customer Discovery, business model and value proposition canvases– contained her answer. Founders ask me all the time whether they should hire a PR agency. Hiring a PR agency too early is a sign that the CEO is treating this as someone else’s problem.

Marketing 318
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Master of Customer Acquisition, Matt Coffin, On Startups …

Both Sides of the Table

Business model: o They bought a lot of ad inventory (banner ads/advertising) driving people to signup forms, converting (fill out form) and sold leads, o Initial strategy was first comparison shopping and then monitoring and upselling on more savings. To make PR big you need to find a way to “make news”.

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Is the Lean Startup Dead?

Steve Blank

These bubble startups were actually guessing at their business model and did premature and aggressive hype and early company launches and had extremely high burn rates – all predicated on an IPO to raise more cash. Startups with huge burn rates – building leases, staff, PR and advertising – ran out of money. IPOs dried up.

Lean 335
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Don’t Sleep on Consumer Tech: AI is Changing Everything

VC Cafe

Attractive Consumer Opportunities in 2025 and Beyond While there hasn’t been a blockbuster IPO for consumer tech companies (mobile apps, B2C model startups) that matches the scale of Uber, Airbnb, Roblox, DoorDash, or Unity over the past 5 years, it feels like the momentum for consumer tech is rapidly changing. Speed is also critical.

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Why the Future of Tesla May Depend on Knowing What Happened to Billy Durant

Steve Blank

Sloan transformed corporate management into a real profession, and its stellar example was the continuous and relentless execution of the GM business model (until its collapse 50 years later). Tesla now has a pipeline of newly announced products, a new Roadster (a sports car), a Semi Truck, and a hinted crossover called the Model Y.

Michigan 301
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How To Create Buzz Around Your Startup

David Teten

Are you trying to build buzz, but don’t have the cash to launch a full-fledged PR campaign? I emphasize that the best PR you can build is through satisfied customers with high Net Promoter scores. In other words, you should focus first on a great product/service, and only after you’ve achieved that worry about PR.

PR 114
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On Bubbles … And Why We’ll Be Just Fine

Both Sides of the Table

Those with strong business models suddenly stand out when the tide goes out. Or Salesforce.com who rose to prominence in this same period where they were ramping up PR and shouting from mountain tops when everybody else in the market was mute. And the bursting of bubbles isn’t bad for everybody.