When I was a kid, I was fortunate to have parents and teachers who told me I could grow up and "change the world." Anything's possible - the only limits are your creativity and persistence (they never really tell you about the "luck" part). Wanting to change the world is what drives so many of … Continue reading On Changing the World vs. Making it Better
How to Live & Lead a Rewarding Career (Podcast Interview)
Earlier this summmer I did an interview with David Nebinski for a new Seth Godin podcast fellowship project "Portfolio Career." In it, I shared my thoughts on what it means to have a rewarding career and how you might think about optimizing your pursuit of one. I also talk a little about my own career, … Continue reading How to Live & Lead a Rewarding Career (Podcast Interview)
The Simple $100 Million Dollar Product Strategy
Product strategy is usually hard. Product-market fit is elusive, organizations are complicated, competitors move fast, and culture and technology evolve constantly, forcing strategists to continuously test and refine their work to stay ahead and eke out advantages. But every once and a while though, a startup comes along that nails product strategy with beautiful, pristine simplicity. … Continue reading The Simple $100 Million Dollar Product Strategy
How to Build a Growth Team: Lessons From the Front Lines
I joined a growth roundtable at First Round Capital last week, which included trategyome really sharp thinkers like Gina Gotthilf from Duolingo and Ashley Berman from Birchbox. It ended up being an enjoyable and illuminating conversation about growth strategy, acquisition and retention tactics, and org design. While it was a closed session -- so I can't share … Continue reading How to Build a Growth Team: Lessons From the Front Lines
Is the ‘Startup Disrupting Big Brands’ Narrative Actually Bullsh*t?
I hear it all the time, from coffee shops and co-working spaces to the office hallways of the world's largest companies. The excitement, anxiety, even mythology of startup brand and business model "disruption." Because it's happening all around us and it's inevitable, right? Pick an industry, any industry, and surely it's about to be unbundled … Continue reading Is the ‘Startup Disrupting Big Brands’ Narrative Actually Bullsh*t?
The End of the Org Chart
There isn’t much to do in Maspeth, NY on a weekday afternoon. Nestled next to an expressway on the outer Brooklyn-Queens border, Maspeth’s defining feature is its warehouse district — a collection of gritty, similar-looking buildings next to a small creek and set of train tracks. At peak mid-summer heat, with temperatures north of 90F, Maspeth … Continue reading The End of the Org Chart
Why the Startup You Want to Work at Skipped Your Resume (and Hired Someone Else)
I've interviewed well over 100+ (maybe 200+) job candidates over the past several years, for marketing, sales, engineering, and design roles at my startup, and wanted to share some general principles and advice for younger professionals and first-time job seekers with limited experience looking to "break into tech" and land their dream gig. I definitely … Continue reading Why the Startup You Want to Work at Skipped Your Resume (and Hired Someone Else)
Managing A Startup’s Most Valuable Resource: Time
[The following is an excerpt from my essay "Time Management for Startups: Quantify, Prioritize, and Automate" that originally appeared on Sixteen Ventures. To read the article in its entirety, including Lincoln Murphy's forward, conclusion and other productivity recommendations, please go here.] Whenever I write a guest post or article, I start by brainstorming how I … Continue reading Managing A Startup’s Most Valuable Resource: Time
Growth Hacks: Website Traffic Generation Tips
A common question I see asked a lot by first-time startup founders and marketers on sites like Quora and Reddit Startups is "How do I drive more traffic to my startup's new website or landing page?" When you don't have an active user base, any backlinks, or a marketing budget to run paid ads, generating … Continue reading Growth Hacks: Website Traffic Generation Tips
What Hubspot’s IPO Announcement Says About the Future of Marketing
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported marketing software company Hubspot has started IPO discussions with Morgan Stanley after achieving 50% year-over-year revenue growth in 2013 to $77 million. As most already know, Hubspot’s central offering is a suite of software that helps companies manage their inbound marketing, a strategy focused on creating quality content to … Continue reading What Hubspot’s IPO Announcement Says About the Future of Marketing