Published in Entrepreneur's Handbook·10 hours agoMember-only5 Key Insights from SoFi’s $2.4 Billion Pitch DeckWhen funding isn’t flowing freely, nailing your pitch is more important than ever — In 2020, SoFi raised $2.4 billion at an $8.6 billion valuation. But now, here we are: approaching 2023 and staring down the barrel of a recession, IPO proceeds down 57% year-over-year, and venture funding down 53%. If you’re a startup looking for fresh capital, now’s the time to be on…Startup7 min readStartup7 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Oct 27Member-onlyAt $1.5B, OpenDoor is Now Worth Less than its Parts“You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” — Warren Buffet OpenDoor, the real estate startup and market leader in iBuying, has been caught in a bear run that’s swept the overall stock market. …Business5 min readBusiness5 min read
Published in Better Marketing·Jun 2Member-onlyThe 5 Types of Stories That Every Brand Should TellCraft stories like Apple, Nike, & Disney — Stories are a powerful way to connect with your audience and build a strong brand. But you already knew that. In marketing, we love to talk about storytelling. And as a marketer, I’ve written a lot about the power of storytelling in marketing, the science of branding, the pillars of…Marketing6 min readMarketing6 min read
Published in Better Marketing·Apr 14Member-onlyGary Vaynerchuk’s Most Important Marketing LessonsLessons from an entrepreneur who’s always 10 steps ahead — GaryVee has always been ahead of his time. He turned his dad’s liquor store into a $60 million dollar online wine business by leveraging email, social media, and video to drive attention. …Marketing5 min readMarketing5 min read
Published in Better Marketing·Jan 4Member-onlyThe Brilliance of Verizon’s Iconic Marketing Campaign“Can you hear me now?” — why it worked so well — The cell phone industry is notorious for being one of the most competitive in the marketing world. And for good reason — with a combined market cap of over $300 billion dollars, a single percentage increase in market share can mean billions of dollars in value for the company. But…Marketing5 min readMarketing5 min read
Published in The Startup·Nov 2, 2020Member-onlyThis Mindset Shift Will Make Your Customers Fall in Love With YouAnd boost your ROI at the same time. — In every one of his adventures, Indiana Jones travels to a foreign land to uncover an ancient artifact. Without fail, he runs into opposing forces along the way who are also searching for that same thing but with a far more nefarious use in mind. During one of his adventures…Marketing8 min readMarketing8 min read
Published in The Startup·Oct 27, 2020Member-onlyHow to Spot Opportunities in a CrisisAnd cash-in on emerging, existing, and pivoting businesses — Finding Opportunities In A Crisis We are in the middle of a historic crisis. It’s undeniable. With the outbreak of a global pandemic, all-time-high unemployment numbers, and our economy essentially going into a medically-induced coma, the period of crisis has officially arrived. But I’m not here to preach doom and gloom. There’s plenty of that…Business5 min readBusiness5 min read
Published in The Startup·Oct 7, 2020Member-onlyWhat Marketers Can Learn About Storytelling From the Movie IndustryUsing the power of the individual — Hollywood has developed a technique for effectively telling stories that hold our attention. The way movies suck you in isn’t a fluke or an accident — they’re engineered that way. And more importantly, this technique can be transferred to marketing and make your message more engaging and powerful. That’s what…Business4 min readBusiness4 min read
Published in Entrepreneur's Handbook·Aug 6, 2020Member-onlyHow Jan Koum Built a $20 Billion Business in 5 YearsThe billion-dollar story of WhatsApp — Jan Koum and Brian Acton co-founded the insanely popular texting app, WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook for a whopping $21.8 billion. The funny thing is, they were both rejected when applying to work at Facebook only a year before building WhatsApp. …Startup10 min readStartup10 min read
Published in The Startup·Jul 14, 2020Member-onlyHow WeWork Plans To Be Profitable in 2021Finally, some fiscal responsibility — The Rise and Fall of a Star By now we’re all pretty familiar with WeWork’s infamous fall from near-IPO stardom. But for context, let’s recap real quick: WeWork raises money. A LOT of money. Then more. Then SoftBank comes in with even more. And more (SoftBank’s investments in WeWork total $10 billion). WeWork eventually reaches a potential…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
