If Your Business Model Relies on Ad Revenue, You’ve Got a Problem

If Your Business Model Relies on Ad Revenue, You’ve Got a Problem
I do a lot of advisory work with startups, both in the general community through Chicago’s largest tech incubator, 1871, and in the more academic world of University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Regardless of where the entrepreneur is based, I can’t help but cringe when I talk to a startup team whose business model is...

Marketing Strategy via Baby Steps: Do

In a recent TV interview, I cited “Do, Reach, Say” as three common marketing mistakes I see companies making. I thought it might be helpful to write a post about each of those elements, starting with Do. How is “Do” a marketing mistake? It is shorthand for the fact that many companies do not stop and think about what they...

5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Web Design Firm

This month, my friend Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media Studios is kindly letting me repurpose a post he wrote for his own blog a few months ago. I think he offers some great advice here, and I often refer my clients to it. From Andy: Full disclosure: I sell websites. Every day, I meet with companies who are looking for a web-design firm, and...