September 29, 2008
A Home Run Out Of The Park: Lumineers
Every once in a while, I stumble onto an entrepreneurial company that is such an enormous success that you can only call it a home run — out of the park. I had the rare opportunity to meet such a company in the last several months.
Filed under Business Growth, Creating Buyers, Growth Minute, Guru Marketing by Joel Block
September 26, 2008
Case Story: Thinset Tile Lock Company (Part 2 of 2)
On Wednesday, I posted the first part of a special case story that I want to share with you. If you didn't see that yet or if you just want to refresh your memory, you can see Part 1 here:
Filed under Growth Minute, Guru Marketing, Raising Capital by Joel Block
September 24, 2008
Case Story: Thinset Tile Lock Company (Part 1 of 2)
Let's take a look at a case story focusing on one of my early stage clients. I selected this particular company because it not only represents the kind of work that my advisory firm (Growth-Logic, Inc.) does, but it should serve as a tremendous motivator for all companies and vendors that are trying to get off the ground.
Filed under Business Financing, Business Growth, Growth Minute, Raising Capital by Joel Block
September 19, 2008
The 90-Second Rule
Have you ever sat through a presentation where someone was trying to sell something to you and it droned on and on for such an extended period of time that you nearly fell asleep? Unfortunately, I've sat through my fair share of these types of presentations, and as a result of being the recipient of this type of talk, I've developed the 90-second rule to help prevent the awful results that are received when somebody rambles on.
Filed under Business Growth, Creating Buyers, Raising Capital, Strategic Networking by Joel Block
September 16, 2008
Growing Your Business: The Value Of A Blog
It is extraordinary — that a blog, which is like a diary that's kept on a public place on the Internet — could be so powerful and help to advance a business so profoundly if it's used correctly. My blog, the one that you're reading right now, is read by thousands of people several times a week, and has produced some very extraordinary outcomes. My goal here is to tell you about a few successes that I'm having with my blog, because I want you — in your quest to be a successful entrepreneur — to incorporate blogs into your marketing strategy. The whole concept of social networking and Web 2.0 requires that you interact with people. The beauty of a blog is that it allows readers to interact directly with the author, and after a while, readers get to feel like they know the blogger personally. I've had so many people call me after reading this blog for some number of weeks or some number of months, and say, I feel like I know you. I trust you. I'd like to ask you a question; I have a problem that I think you could help me to solve. That kind of interaction does not happen in any other medium aside from the blog, and that's because the blog is so personal, it's so intimate, and potentially, so interactive. I've have a number of great successes because of the blog. Some time ago, I published an article on how great American Express is, and how they helped me through a difficulty that I had after I'd lost my wallet in Las Vegas. Well, one of the readers of this blog happens to know a senior executive at American Express, and they forwarded that posting to American Express. The executive was thrilled to receive the letter (i.e. the blog entry) and she responded to me and indicated "that we're happy to be able to have reduced your stress in a very stressful situation. I'll be sure to forward this to the people at the Platinum desk for their review right away." How else could I possibly have gotten my story into American Express, and who knows where it'll go? Maybe it'll go into somebody's inbox, maybe it'll turn into a commercial that I show up in some number of months or years from now. Or maybe nothing will happen. Here is another blogging success story. I recently got a phone call from a gentleman with an English accent who told me he was calling from London and represented a television reality network. He told me that they were doing a new show, and that they were looking for a business guru and after reading my blog and studying my materials, they felt that I was well-suited for the position and they wanted me to audition for the part. How else, except for the Internet and my blog, would such a producer in the United Kingdom have found me for a show that's going to be taped right here in my home city of Los Angeles? I didn't get the part, but the opportunity came from the blog. It doesn't happen overnight, but if you work the blog and you work a system, you're going to have great success. I'd say that three-quarters of all my leads for my business now come from my blog. People call me with ideas and issues that they want to discuss; not all of them are great ideas, but I can recognize the great ones from the not-so-great, and I've developed a filtering system within my company so that I don't get bothered by every possible opportunity that comes along — instead, they get filtered through my organization. So, as you are working hard every day to build your company, or as you're building your career, rely on modern techniques and the principles of marketing. Throw out the old books. A lot of what you learned in college doesn't apply anymore. You have to use the Internet. You have to use the social marketing tools and techniques that are out there. You'll be glad that you did, and if you need any help in implementing these strategies, please call our office because we'll be happy to help. More on Growing Your Business: The Value Of A Blog
Filed under Business Growth, Growth Minute, Guru Marketing, Strategic Networking by Joel Block
September 12, 2008
Meet My Friend: Jerry Knotts - Conduit To The Money
The question that people ask me, more often than any other, is "where can we find money for our deal?". That's a tough question to answer because it's a moving target. Different investors like different deals and even if you have a deal that is interesting, it might not pass muster because it is structured badly - or the strategy to accomplish the goal just might be weak. In this game, some people figure it out while unfortunately, most do not.
Filed under Business Growth, Growth Minute by Joel Block
September 8, 2008
Growing Your Business: How Much Rope Is Enough?
As a business manager, I often wonder how much rope to give my team. I was at breakfast with someone today who gives his team so much rope that he has hardly any idea about what is going on in his own company. In my opinion, his way is not management. It is neglect. But my focus is on the other end of the spectrum. The side that can border on hovering or as they said in a recent movie, helicoptering!
Filed under Business Growth, Growth Minute, Guru Marketing by Joel Block
September 2, 2008
Growing Your Business: The Picture Of Perseverance
Perseverance takes many forms, but every once in a while somebody perseveres with such precision that the word needs to be revisited and shared with those who are trying to reach a goal.
Filed under Business Growth, Film Financing, Growth Minute, Guru Marketing by Joel Block
