Duct Tape Marketing

JULY 31, 2024

Kelly Campbell specializes in guiding leaders to integrate trauma awareness into their leadership styles, fostering supportive and effective team environments. We discuss the critical role of trauma-informed leadership in creating a supportive and innovative work environment. But a “supportive environment,” for sure.

Leadership 87

Leadership Employee Retention New York City 87

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2023

With today’s rapidly changing environment, I see many business leaders reverting to the “ command and control ” leadership model, in an effort to be more responsive, rather than leading with their heads and heart. I believe that a fully engaged team is the key to both productivity and agility in the face of change.

Leadership 280

Leadership Agile Demand Search 280

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2022

Fortunately, it’s a skill you can start to develop at any stage in your career, which will pay off now, as well as in future leadership roles. The result will be more productivity, but also a business culture where everyone is happier and feels more satisfaction with accomplishing your dream as well as theirs.

Leadership 297

Leadership Technical Review Startup Social Media 297

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

Every one of you business owners I know periodically introduces new products and services to sustain growth, fight off competitors, or take advantage of new technologies. The cost of any new product these days must include education and rollout marketing, perhaps equal or greater than the development costs.

Product 354

Product Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Dividend 354

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2020

I found some good insights and details on this approach in the classic book, “ How To Be A Great Boss ,” by Gino Wickman and René Boer, who speak from years of experience working with leadership teams of both small and large companies. Work on habits that improve your productivity, and find better tools every day.

Leadership 380

Leadership Demand Management Founder 380

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. In the investment community, these leadership elements are often called “goodwill.” Execution leadership. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Actually, building and nurturing the right team is the hard part, requiring communication, hiring, and leadership. Your leadership skills do not develop without effort. In addition to locking in his leadership position in electric vehicles, he has also used his patents to negotiate faster growth in his market.

Intellectual Property 432

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Technical Review Angel Investor 432

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes. If you are always hard to find, too busy or unavailable behind closed doors, no leadership or mentoring relationship can work effectively. Marty Zwilling.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2022

New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on getting the product right, and assume that the right culture and ethics will come later simply by hiring good people. I saw a good summary of these in the classic book, “ Ethical Leadership ,” by Andrew Leigh, an expert in this area. The reality is different. Ethics can’t be managed.

Software Review 291

Software Review Offshore Entrepreneur Leadership 291

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

Provide effective leadership. Remember that leadership is both upward, as well as downward to direct reports and employees. A good CEO provides leadership to the Board of Directors, company investors, and stockholders. In it, he says "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

In reality, too many choices actually dilutes customer interest in your existing market, and makes your job of production, marketing, and support much more complex. New entrepreneurs, especially technical ones, are excited by early adopters, and tend to focus on their feedback, which will always suggest more product features and options.

Technical Review 400

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Advisory Board Cofounder 400

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

The explanation from software leadership is often unsatisfying or unclear. Other common scenarios that we’ve seen: Scaling and new markets: Your company and product are established, and now you’re scaling or going after new markets. Our goal is to build a decent understanding of your business, your product, and your technology.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Every organization must constantly review its hiring practices, training, and leadership to make sure the focus is on people who are motivated, open-minded, and empowered. It all starts with agile leadership.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2023

I found some good insights and details on this approach in the classic book, “ How To Be A Great Boss ,” by Gino Wickman and René Boer, who speak from years of experience working with leadership teams of both small and large companies. Work on habits that improve your productivity, and find better tools every day.

Management 291

Management Leadership Demand Founder 291

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2020

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. In reality, more features will more likely make the product confusing and less usable to all. Broad product offerings require too much infrastructure.

Startup 424

Startup Bandwidth Distribution Agile 424

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. The problem is that innovations in most business areas are coming so fast these days that yours can be overrun while still being scaled up across geographies and other products. Product-line expansion. Geographic expansion.

Dilution 355

Dilution Startup Merger Flash 355

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2021

Many product innovations come from quality improvement focuses, like the Japanese Kaizen initiative. Thus I recommend the minimum viable product (MVP) approach with iteration, to test innovations until the product or service really meets today’s customers. Innovation must be driven top down by visionary leaders.

Technical Review 431

Technical Review Leadership Operations Networking 431

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

For example, early adopters may be easily sold, but new technology product success really hinges on adoption by certain demographics, perhaps more influenced by celebrities or mommy bloggers. The last thing you need in a startup is a false start, where you can’t deliver on a product change deadline, or a new marketing channel.

Metrics 387

Metrics Technical Review Leadership Framework 387

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Most people need manageable product, time, and price specifics related to them, to appreciate the value of the big picture that you paint. Show results with a minimal viable product (MVP). Peer relationships and good advisor relationships are key to any balanced leadership, especially for right-brained people.

Technical Review 332

Technical Review Metrics Leadership Technology 332

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2023

The most valuable assets of a new startup are the people on the team, and the most challenging task of the entrepreneur and team leaders is to spend their leadership time and energy productively. Most new startup founders start out by assuming they need to spread their leadership efforts evenly across all team members.

Employee 267

Employee Leadership Cofounder Matching 267

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2022

Based on many years of experience in business as an executive and consultant, I have long been convinced that emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) in leadership wins over logical intelligence (IQ) every time. It is especially important for you to recognize your life’s purpose , and understand how it is driving your leadership.

Leadership 352

Leadership Partner Developer Management 352

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 11, 2020

It’s not leadership. The military has three of the four pieces of the puzzle you need: strategy, access to technology, leadership. Leadership was not the problem. Strategy, technology, leadership – those were fine. The second is a preference for product over strategy. It’s not technology. Organization Design.

Technical Review 369

Technical Review Taiwan Technology Design 369

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

leadership, mentorship, competitiveness, communications, relationship-building?—?and In any job you either find leadership opportunities for your best people BEFORE they ask or other people start asking them to become leaders somewhere else. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up.

Partner 361

Partner Management Cofounder San Francisco 361

Duct Tape Marketing

JULY 11, 2024

Beginning with the Metronome effect, In our conversation, Shannon Susko defines the Metronomics framework and explains how it can revolutionize the way CEOs and leadership teams approach growth, strategy, and execution. Key Takeaways Like a Metronome, the CEO sets the speed of things. Book your call today, DTM World slash scale. (01:03):

Framework 90

Framework Leadership Widget Metrics 90

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

In my view, the quality of incubator leadership is the single biggest potential value provided and learning opportunity for entrepreneurs. Every successful incubator has strong leadership and staff with business and investment credentials. Expert mentoring and training. Overall the learning opportunities are essentially the same.

Incubator 366

Incubator Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

Everyone sees your energy applied more productively, and has the urge to help. A positive mindset of being able to add value is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and is seen by others as leadership, rather than giving orders. No one fully trusts someone who claims to have never failed, or continues to repeat an approach that doesn’t work.

Leadership 435

Leadership Marketing Developer Entrepreneur 435

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

Every consumer today wants to be an insider and development contributor to the finished product, or at least feel connected to it throughout the process. It’s also about you, and your ability to take bold and innovative steps to provide the leadership we all desperately seek. Real-time in-process updates vs after-the-fact stories.

Customer 433

Customer B2C Technical Review Social Media 433

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

Silicon Valley 284

Silicon Valley Technical Review Leadership Metrics 284

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

I believe it all starts with you as a leadership role model, and the mindset and expectations you broadcast to your team. In fact, that feeling of autonomy makes everyone more productive, more loyal, and feel valued. I’m often asked for the secret to this attribute in developing a team culture.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Partner Matching Channel 277

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2020

Again, the solution is a partner who is the voice of reason, who filters all of the visionary’s ideas, and helps eliminate hurdles, stumbling blocks, and barriers for the whole leadership team. The organization can’t keep up the pace of change, and soon loses motivation, productivity, and all sense of where they are headed.

Founder 329

Founder Cofounder Bandwidth Matching 329

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. The entrepreneurial mindset is a function of motivation, priorities, and risk versus reward, all of which you set or enable by your leadership and example. The reality is that all entrepreneurial skills are learnable skills.

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2023

For example, only a few people today still think of Amazon as an online provider of books and related goods, now that they have exploded their business world-wide into every product arena, added web services (AWS), television and film production (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), a bricks-and-mortar grocery chain (Whole Foods), and more.

Partner 350

Partner Operations Metrics Leadership 350

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Analytics 303

Analytics Hiring Open Source Employee 303

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. In reality, more features will more likely make the product confusing and less usable to all. Broad product offerings require too much infrastructure.

Startup 287

Startup Bandwidth Distribution Agile 287

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2022

A design mindset is not product-focused - it’s solution focused and action oriented towards creating better customer experiences and value. In businesses, this requires a new internal culture and leadership. None of these are a birthright or require advanced degrees – they can be learned by anyone.

Design 267

Design Dividend Leadership Framework 267

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

It has a huge impact on productivity, as well as morale and loyalty to the company. Trust causes the brain to release oxytocin, which stimulates productivity and raises motivation. He cites eight leadership actions, which I also recommend, from a non-scientific perspective, as a mentor to entrepreneurs.

Leadership 431

Leadership Non-Compete Social Media Employee 431

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220