The Two Most Important Questions

Think about it: Who is your customer? What does this customer value? These are two of Peter Drucker’s “Five Most Important Questions” for your organization. I often find myself returning to Drucker’s questions in strategic discussions about a business or...

The Marketing Trap

Successful startup entrepreneurs almost always have impressive skills in two areas: product creation and sales. They find problems in the marketplace and create products or services that satisfy those needs with teams that can deliver the solution with meager...

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – Book Summary

Outliers is the latest book from best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell. He also wrote The Tipping Point, one of my favorite marketing books. Gladwell is an astute social researcher and a master storyteller. His other books and his columns in The New Yorker magazine are...

Working with Informal Advisors and Mentors

Many entrepreneurs and CEOs ask me if they should create a formal Board of Advisors so they can get advice from experienced leaders or well-known figures in their industries. The most common reason to create a formal advisory board is to allow you to promote the...

Simplify the Message

One of the hardest things for entrepreneurs to tackle is the definition of their core business “positioning.” Positioning is known by many names – your focus, your marketing strategy, your elevator pitch, your business description. This description...