Growth Hackers and the Wizard of Oz

by | Apr 25, 2017 | Startups

  The other day, I was approached by a startup founder, “looking for a growth hacker.” Trying not to choke on my laughter I asked, “what is a growth hacker?” He said, “I have no idea, my investors told me to find one.” I couldn’t help thinking of Dorothy, Toto, and...

Always Leave ’em Wanting Less

by | May 1, 2015 | Startups

I keep getting the question, “why do you want to work for someone else?” The answer? I don’t want to be a CEO. I want to run marketing, it’s what I do well. To say I’m passionate about my work is an understatement. A former...

What We Did Right

by | Apr 11, 2015 | Marketing, Startups

With all this talk of failure, it’s important to celebrate What We Did Right so here’s the first installment. Learned to F.S.O.E.Q. (Figured Shit Out and Execute Quickly.) With the digital transformation solidly underway, eCommerce and digital marketing...

Pup E-Commerce? No Problem.

by | Jul 17, 2014 | Startups

I fancy myself as a scrappy, creative entrepreneur. Throughout my career, I’ve always tried to find shortcuts and innovative ways to get 90% of the quality for half the list price. Alas, everyone has a bad day…or a bad year. I took the marketing bait...

The Cart Before the Horse

by | May 13, 2014 | Startups

Google was not a verb in 1997. How important is a name for a startup? It depends on whom you ask. Some “experts” insist a good name is critical and others argue that the name is simply a vessel into which we infuse meaning. Here’s my story. Now I’m in the pet...

To Start or Not to Start?

by | Apr 27, 2014 | Marketing, Startups

The entrepreneurial spirit was not born of logic and analytics. They don’t call us dreamers, innovators and pioneers based on impressive gross margins, Facebook conversions or our (fictional) projected revenues. Startups are born of passion. Although energetic and...