In a fast-moving world, we're constantly being asked and pushed to learn new skills, change jobs and embrace opportunities as they come along.
In many cases, we're forced to adopt a "fake it until you make it" approach. You learn things on the fly - Google, anyone? - so you can do the job while gaining some kind of expertise.
You hear a lot of people describing themselves as "imposters" because they're not convinced they really can do their jobs, even though they seem competent. In a recent blog post, Seth Godin made a great point: we're all imposters. "Superman still lives on Krypton and the rest of us are just doing our best." Godin hits the nail on the head. We live in volatile and uncertain times. Industries and markets are being disrupted. Jobs are disappearing. Retailers are going out of business, jobs are moving to other parts of the world, and artificial intelligence is poised to impact everything.
At the end of the day, all you can do is do your best, try your hardest, and put in a good day's work. And never feel like an imposter.
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- Hiring for startups is always a challenge. Steve Blank provides insight into how startups should look for senior executives. Blank says it starts with deciding whether you're hiring someone to help search for a business model or help execute a business model. [link]
- In a fast-moving world, words still matter. The folks at Vertical Response put together a list of 30 "magic" marketing words we should be using. Some of these words include "free", "you", proven", "instant" and "guaranteed". [link]
- Want to keep your startup employees? Provide them with great benefits. [sponsor]
- Every business needs a strategic marketing plan to have a roadmap for success. Sadly, too many plans only exist in an entrepreneur's head. At the very least, your business should have a one-plan marketing plan. Here's how to create it. [link]
- It may seem counter-intuitive but Alexander Osterwalder says lengthy business plans increase the risk of failure. The big problem, he says, is creating a detailed business plans creates expects among management or investors that you're going to implement it, even if the plan turns out to be wrong. [link]
- Nitesh Agrawal looks at the nine things that he learned from the most successful non-technical founders. One that stands out is "surround yourself with A-players and learn from them", which is a healthy approach for entrepreneurs who believe they're the smartest people in the room. [link]
- Brandon Evans argues that being a startup founder is a minimum-wage job. He suggests a new model for VC investing that includes changing the success metrics, raising less money and using existing structures rather than starting a startup from scratch. [link]
- What's it like to blow through $336-million of venture capital in three years? The Hustle tells the story of Fab.com's Jason Goldberg. A big part of Fab's demise was the acquisition of three "clone" competitors and over-hiring. [link]
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Tesla is changing how we see electric cars, it's also breathing life back to Cobalt, Ontario, which became a ghost town after the last silver mine closed 30 years ago. So why the interest in Cobalt? It's cobalt. [ link] |
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Raising capital is a dream for many entrepreneurs. Jeff Booth's departure as BuildDirect's CEO shows the downside of raising VC or debt. The Vancouver-based company recently filed for bankruptcy protection. [ link] |
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Within the restaurant industry, staffing is always a major issue. Pluggd wants to become the Uber/Tinder of the restaurant staffing world by connecting restaurants and employees. [ link] |
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MaRS is expanding into NYC through a partnership with Grand Central Tech. MaRS@GCT will offer support services and workspace to Canadian companies looking to establish a foothold in the U.S. [ link] |
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Does your business need a jump-start? The Brand Reboot course shows you how to do customer discover, identify and showcase your key benefits and differences, and stand out from the competition. [14 videos and free workbook]
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Your startup employees should have benefits. IPFS helps you make that happen. [ sponsor] |
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Want to reach entrepreneurs and investors? Send me an email to talk about advertising and sponsorship options. |
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Who Writes This Newsletter?
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Mark Evans is a consultant and best-selling author who helps fast-growing companies grow even faster with marketing that actually works. My consulting and coaching and CMO-for-Hire services leverage processes, frameworks, and creativity to drive strategic plans and tactical execution. |
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