After designer Casey Smith took a year-long maternity leave, she shut her business. Writing on her company’s blog in 2018, she describes the move as “a huge mistake.” When she re-opened, she found she had no plan, no marketing strategy, and heard nothing but crickets. “It was an awful experience that I would never want to relive,” she wrote. It was also a result that every business owner and...
The Hidden Riches of Dormant Businesses
Demanding Perfection Cramps Creativity
In August this year, Samsung rolled out a new mascot. The little blue alien will function as the Korean company’s avatar in the metaverse and represent the firm across digital channels. It’s cute, with big eyes, pale blue skin, small horns, and a wide chirpy smile. The idea, the company said in a press release, came from a joke that people make whenever Samsung releases a new, unique product:...
The Reason You Think Too Much (And how to stop)
An anonymous writer to the New York Times recently encountered a problem. They work at a non-profit in a unit of about ten people. The head of the group wanted the team to gather at a one-day retreat to set a strategy for the next fiscal year. But the office was undergoing renovations so the team needed a new venue. They settled on a common meeting room at the condo residence of a subordinate...
Why Good Start-Ups Go Bad
“Thefacebook is an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges.” That was the first mission statement written in 2004, of the company that would become Facebook then Meta. The mission statement has changed a few times since then, describing the company as a “social utility” and as a way to give “people the power to share and make the world more...
Don’t Quit That Job!
Hank Li describes himself a “compulsive job-hopper.” Writing on eFinancialCareers in May this year, Li explains that he quit his first post-graduate job at a Singaporean bank after two years. His next position at a global bank lasted only eight months and at his third job, Li didn’t finish the year. With three jobs in just under four years, Li, a pseudonym, looks like a loyal employee compared to...
A New Model for Start-Up Fundraising
As they prepared to make their funding pitch, Waze’s founders knew they had a valuable solution to a common problem. Their technology would present a map showing drivers which route to take to reach their destination. But by collating the driving speeds of all their users, the app would also pick the routes that avoided the worst traffic. Users would get where they wanted to go. They’d arrive in...
The Best Way to Boost Your Team
Premier League soccer team Manchester United have had a slow start to the 2022 season, losing two of their first six games. But their position might have been even worse. In a pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano, the Spanish team faked a long pass, sending United’s defense scurrying back towards the goal. Rayo Vallecano then played a shorter through ball to Alvaro Garcia who forced a save out...
The Challenges of a Subscriber Business Model
The Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants is a long way from a start-up. The organization was founded in 1904 and aims to bring together its 7,600 professional accounting members, organize networking opportunities and provide training courses. But in 2018, the society underwent a small revolution. Instead of mailing out invoices and waiting for its members to mail back their dues in...
The Ingredients of a Successful Meme
When war came to Ukraine,Kate-Yeonjae Jeong found out the same way most young people discover what’s happening in the world. The 17-year-old high school student from Houston learned about the Russian invasion on TikTok. In an essay published by The New York Times, she explained that in late February she was going about her usual routine—“homework, short respite on TikTok, repeat”—when between...
B2B Digital Marketing Doesn’t Work for Everyone
In December 2021, Plexus Holdings, a drilling technology firm based in Aberdeen, Scotland, signed a new contract. The deal, with Cameron, a supplier of wellheads, extended a license agreement for Plexus to provide special equipment that prevents gas leaks during drilling operations. The agreement was an expansion of a series of previous deals between the two firms. “Following our recent...
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