When we started Publictivity, it was originally an application for the Public Relations industry.  Over time, after listening to valuable feedback and seeing what others had to say, we realized that Publictivity is useful for all companies and a ton of different industries.  We’re going to start posting short 3-4 minute videos showing how Publictivity is useful for different industries.  Here’s the first video for Public Relations:

Sleep.. hahaha, what is that? Anyway, everyday I go through and think what this company should mean to a cusotmer. I’ve always been huge on a company getting it right, and it’s something I desperately see Publictivity doing. So here’s my list:

1. No Friction Simple Pricing- I’m sick of software, especially on-demand software that has 5 different levels of pricing, minimum user requirements, and strings attached. We’re going to make Publictivity simple. Try our software for 60 days, if you like it, pay us for what you need. A set fee per user per month, that’s it. No minimum user level either. 1 person shop? Great 50 person shop? Just as great. Last I checked our goal is to save you time, not waste it with thinking heavily through the pricing format.
2. Deliver What We Say- I can’t stand companies that don’t deliver what they say. so many bait and switch tricks out there. You’re going to get exactly what you pay for. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
   
   
3. The Customer is Always Right- this motto seems to have vanished. Lately it is: the customer is right except for sections 5 and 6 in the service agreement. No, you pay us money, and sometimes the rules have to be bent to meet your needs. You trust us enough to power your business, we’ll trust you enough that you’re not trying to screw us.
4. Personality and Care- some have told me “this will all change when you get big”. No, we’re always going to care about the customer in a very personal way. I’ve wasted most of my day today dealing with inconsiderate assholes that have no common sense or regard for his fellow man/woman. Everyone in this company will provide top notch software with top notch customer care. In a world where boring drones pick up the phone and don’t care whether you get what you’re need, Publictivity is going to surprise.
   
   
5. Innovate- I’ve talked about it before, but sooo many companies could care less about giving the customer the innovation and future feature sets they want. It really boggles my mind. People Want “A”. If you give them “A”, they pay you $. Somehow companies love to give “Q”. Who wants Q, when no one asked for it!!!!

Sorry if this is partially a rant, but I’m just sick of the way companies conduct business now.  It’s truly sickening.  Some of the horror stories I hear are unbelievable.   I hope the guys at AlwaysBeta get this story on digg.  Power to the customer and the good ole’ days of satisfaction.  gooodnight :-).

[tags] publictivity, web 2.0, customer service, customer care, northwest airlines sucks [/tags]

I think I’ve just watched the most mindblowing and inspiring video ever. It’s a documentary explaining the process of making a Ferrari. Here are some of the highlights:

• Ultrasonic testing to make sure paint is even
• If the paint isn’t even, it is repainted
• Touchpoint sensors touch 800 points on the paint to make sure it is done right
• Electric shocks help melt metal. One day of electricity used on this one part could power a house for a year. Yes, a year.
• The entire engine is crafted by hand by one individual, taking a day’s work.
• Everything is inspected beyond belief

I won’t spoil the rest/ I don’t remember everything. This really inspired me and got me to thinking: What if we approached every inch of Publictivity like building a Ferrari? From the design to the code to the marketing to the team to the image. Honestly, I think it would create a monster like none other. We’re talking complete and utter perfection with no exceptions. Apple and Steve Jobs work along the same lines as well. So next time, when you think of just half assing it and going with “whatever, just think again. Do you want a used Honda or do you want a brand new Ferrari? Take pride in your work. Don’t settle for anything less than perfection.

[tags] ferrari, entrepreneurship, web 2.0, publictivity, steve jobs, apple, product development [/tags]

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Credit FloridaVentureBlog/PayPerPost.com and Tim Draper. Donate To The BizWorld Foundation
I think I’ve learned to enjoy taking risks and going for uncertain change. I went through this today in a small way when looking for a new apartment. I had two choices:

Normal Apartment with a normal layout

or

A Loft apartment with a pretty different layout from what I’m used to.

What did I go with? The Loft. Why? I wanted to go for something different. I wanted to take a risk. honestly, I’ve never lived in a loft, but it’s something different. I think the same holds true for entrepreneurship and running a company: You Need To Take Risk. Want to know a bullshit statement, and I’m sick of hearing it from people who have no clue about or passion for running a business:

99% of All Businesses Fail….

NO…99% OF PEOPLE FAIL.

There’s a lot of reasons a business can fail, but its really comes down to the founders. It comes down to whether they really want to go to the point of no return. I’m talking to the point where up is down, down is up, you’re broke, and living a life that can make you filthy rich one second or dirt poor the next. People put in some half ass effort, and always have their fallback plan in the back of their mind. I think we’d see a lot more successful businesses if entrepreneurs could just act as if they will die unless their business succeeds. That’s right, value your success as much as you value your life, and see how much more productive you get. I think the entrepreneurs that see starting a company “as fun” and only a real business until things take off will fail. I will bet on that 100%. Guess what? Your business will not “take off” unless you consider this as serious. Your business will not take off until you risk it all. This may sound obsessive, but any true and/or successful entrepreneur will tell you: your startup must consume you. It all comes down to is risk. Will you risk it all? If so, take the risk, and don’t look back. Enjoy the ride, because it will change your life. It’s a ticket paid with blood, sweat, and tears.
[tags] entrepreneurship, publictivity, loft, web 2.0, risk, failing, winning,payperpost,tim draper, riskmaster,bizworld foundation [/tags]

Everyone always asks me, “What’s the secret to building a business as a successful entrepreneur?” I often get questions about venture capital , hiring, bringing a product to market, and more. Everyone always thinks that it is some insane formula, that is a big secret. Psst… there is no holy grail or secret. It’s just really simple: Surround Yourself with Individuals That Get It. By Get it, I mean understanding the vision of the Web 2.0/ Internet Market, The Current Market You’re In, and most importantly your company’s vision. Within one meeting, you’ll tell if someone “gets it” or doesn’t “get it”.  This is something you learn naturally, not in a textbook. Here’s some signs to look for as to whether an individual “gets it”:

A Key Hire

You don’t need to educate them on anything. They’re up to date on the industry and what’s going on specifically in the case of their role. ie- If you’re a developer, you understand the Web 2.0 way of things. After a short description of your product and vision, they start chiming in, as if they’ve been with you all along. I will tell you, it is priceless.

A Co-Founder

Co-Founders have a special bond. They have the distinct ability to be in sync with each other. Both of you have the same vision, and working together allows it to become more powerful.  Frank and I have never once had an argument that ended in a childish manner or the two of us hating each other. Things might have gotten heated, but we looked at the facts, and decided what is best for the company. Don’t argue, solve.
An Investor

They believe in where you’re going. They don’t see innovation as scary or as a major risk, but the reason they want to invest. Scoble mentions VC’s laughing at Seagate’s original 5 mb hard drive as “too large and un-needed”. The VCs who eventually invested weren’t scared, but motivated by this innovation. They also believe in the founders and Mgmt team. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received recently came from Dan Rua at Inflexion Venture Partners: There’s three things an investor looks at: Magic (the product), Markets (how big of a market, and Management (the people and their ability to make the vision come true). I think the third is by far the most important. It’s the jockey, not the horse. Of course you need the other two, but it comes down to Management. My brother asked me: Why Can’t Someone Just Copy What You’re Doing? I said, it’s simple: Our DNA is unique. Unless the competition hires us away, which would never happen, then it won’t be the same. The management of a company is the DNA of the company.

Biz Dev

They understand you’re company’s vision, and more importantly, how the synergies between their company and yours can improve both visions. They want to innovate. They want to give value, not just take value and run.  Giving is a beautiful thing.

Your Competition

Didn’t expect this one, did you? :-).  Healthy competiton is a must have as a startup. Competition forces innovation.  Your competitor needs to get it, and innovate as well.  This pushes a company so much further. Think about it… Would you really innovate as much, if you knew your competitor was a dinosaur that hasn’t been innovating and trying to one up you? (Holding my tongue back on a comment I could make here. If you’ve been talking with us, you’d know what I’d say)

I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite a while.  Whether someone gets it or not, is the simple litmus test I apply to any decisions I make as CEO.  If you get it, I want to work with you.

PS- I’m finally back to blogging. The past 10 days have been hectic.  A very large decision coming up for me in the next two weeks.  Its outcome can only further Publictivity.

[tags] web 2.0, enterprise 2.0, office 2.0, publictivity, getting it, blogging, robert scoble, seagate, venture capital,entrepreneurship,seagate, al shugart [/tags]

Sarah Travel from Bessemer Ventures just started a new blog. Cool thing is, she’s young, and sounds like she can kick ass (Well, her picture on the blog says not to mess with her, so I’ll take her word).  Always good to see some fellow early/mid 20 somethings doing some cool things. Check the blog out, as she has a good take on Guy Kawasaki’s VCAT. Okay, back to work.
[tags] venture capital, blogs, bessemer ventures, blogging, web 2.0, publictivity [/tags]

I think there are two key traits I’ve learned over the past two years that a startup needs: Focus and Scale. They are two intertwined characteristics. Your focus is strengthened by your scale, and vice versa. I’ve touched upon this aspect before, but have never done an in-depth post on the issue.

Focus

Your focus should be drilled into your head. It should probably be envisioned in your mission statement. Focus is the goal of your company and its products. Your initial focus should be very narrow, targeted, and niche. For example: We provide learning tools to educational institutions that focus on preschoolers. Notice that Focus is made up of two things: what and who. In this case, the what is: learning tools. The who is: educational institutions. The what is usually shaped and molded to fit the who. These two aspects are what change with scale.

Scale

Scale, is the explosive growth of your company towards new verticals and markets. Scale expands the  who, while keeping the inherent goals of the what. In my mind, there are three levels of scale a company/ startup should go through in order to be succesful.

Initial Scale

This is going to be your first trial run. In the first few months, it will be where you start to grow and acquire your first customers. It is going to be very very small, but don’t be scared. In our example company, it might be preschools only in Florida. Eventually you will expand your initial scale to different regions: the southeast, the east coast, start over in the west coast, then make it nation wide. This in itself is one hell of a feat. If you can saturate your first market with your initial scale, awesome. You’re already a great company. Take your time with your initial scale, as this will teach you the most important lessons.

Expanded Inter-Vertical Scale

So you’ve saturated the first part of your vertical. In our example companies case, it was the preschool market. Some companies will just stay at this level, and be happy. If you want a homerun, you try to keep growing. Your next step is expanded inter-vertical scale. This is the first point you hit, that slightly changes your who. Our example company is still providing educational tools (the what), but they begin to provide their product to new markets within their vertical (the education market). It might be the college level, the high school level, disabled learning level,etc. This is where it might also make sense to raise a round of capital. It really depends if your revenues can sustain rapid growth or not on their own. At this point, you want the fertilizer to grow. You may hit some speedbumps as well. Expect that some inter-verticals will go well. ie- college market, but not the high school market. Once you’ve spent some time on inter-vertical scale, take a look at the results. More importantly, look at what you’ve learned. If so, it’s time to move ahead.
Mass Consumption and New Markets/Verticals Scale

This is the holy grail. This is where your company is dominating, and ready to reach its maximum potential. If you pull this off, or even begin to take the journey, you may be ready for an IPO. You are going to change the who for sure, and also modify the what slightly. In our example company, they may begin providing learning tools to educate and train. This could start to include the workforce, police academies, the government, and more. The same philosophies and strengths they applied to the educational market could be applied to new markets and verticals. This is very hard to do, and takes planning from day 1 as a startup. This is where your revenue charts are really making that “J curve”.

A quick example- Facebook.com

Initial Scale- The college market. Began with the ivy league, and eventually expanded to all colleges. Included 2 and 4 year schools.

Expanded Inter-Vertical Scale- High School and graduate/workforce market. Simply an expansion in the who to include more people

Mass Consumption and New Markets/ Verticals Scale- Opening up to regions and everybody. This is Facebook’s big test, to see if they are “that” hot. This fully scales their who and their what.

[tags] scale, focus, entrepreneurship, web 2.0, publictivity, startups, facebook [/tags]

Guy Kawasaki had an amazing post today, honestly one of the best posts all year regarding Venture Capital. It was entitled The Venture Capital Aptitude Test. Basically, it is a test to see how suited you might be for Venture Capital. He also goes into the fact that a good venture capitalist isn’t built upon an MBA or financial formulas, but an understanding of how a company works. Lastly, Venture Capital should be for those at the END of their career, not in the beginning. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but my goal in life is to exit a couple of startups, take time off to teach or contribute to society in a nonprofit manner, and then spend time as a VC to help young companies and the entrepreneurs behind them. Part III was the most interesting part of the test/ the one that was open ended. Here are my answers to the ones, I feel I have an answer for.

How do I introduce a product with no budget? (add 2 points)

Many ways to do this. If you’re talking about getting it funded from the getgo, get customers early on as funding. Sell them the product at a highly discounted rate, and get what you need from it. If you’re talking launching, there’s tons of ways. The first is to go and pick a niche to focus on. Find a small and select group to start your product off with. Find a group that you can work with hands on to build your initial critical mass with. Don’t go for everyone because you can’t afford it, and you won’t do it… trust me. Another way is through Public Relations. you don’t need an expensive firm at first. Do it yourself. Get your hands dirty. Put together a compelling story, and promote the story. More importantly, focus this with the first step. Target publications and bloggers that are focused on your niche. It’s much easier for niche publications to “get it”. Lastly, make the technology work for you. In consumer cases, allow it to have viral triggers that allow the content to be spread. If it’s for the commercial or business side, make it dead easy to use, and a piece of software that will force your customer to talk about it in a way that says “You need to try this software”. Let your customers be your sales force.

How do I determine if there’s really market demand for my product? (add 1 point)

Well, I don’t know if this is a question that should be here. If a VC has an entrepreneur ask that, I think they’ve invested too early. When an entreprenuer starts, they need to do their own diligence. Talk to people within your market. See if this product really helps them or fits their needs. If it doesn’t, then find a way that it can. take every ounce of feedback you can get.

What do I do if customers hate our first product? (add 1 point)

In the step listed above, you’re usually going to talk to very small portion of customers. It may turn out that the rest of your market, sees it a different way. There’s a demand for your problem, but your solution needs to be made better. Stay focused, don’t change the problem you’re fixing. Change the solution you’ve built. Once again, take in feedback like a madman and apply it.
How do I get Walt Mossberg to return my call? (add 2 points)- Couldn’t tell you, sorry.

How do I get to the folks who run Demo? (add 1 point)

I’m lucky enough to know a couple of companies and CEOs that have presented at DEMO. If I didn’t, Id first try to network and find a way in. It’s a small world. If that doesn’t work, I’d then try to talk to Chris personally or someone on her team. If you can find a way to meet her in person, that helps so much better. Remember the focus of Demo, and that it is to show groundbreaking new technology. Highlight that, show her why it’s going to be demoworthy. Her job is to sell seats to that conference. Show her why your technology is going to be worth it to the people paying her big bucks. She will not put crap on stage. Show her why you’re better than the large percentage that gets rejected. There are also different “product categories” each year at demo. See if you fit into one perfectly.

How do I get a plug in TechCrunch? (add 1 point)

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, AND I REPEAT DO NOT PITCH MIKE LIKE A NORMAL REPORTER WITH BUZZ WORDS AND A PRESS RELEASE. Believe it or not, Mike is quite an accesible guy. He knows everyone, and there’s a good chance you can find a way to talk to him if you live out West. If not, try to catch his attention. Once you get your couple of minutes of Mike’s time, show him why you’re product rocks. Show why it is different, and how it can benefit his readers. It’s just like DEMO. Mike has pageviews to deliver, and a crappy product won’t deliver it. Also, if you can, give him the first scoop. He’s a fan of that, and honestly, it’s the best place to have the news break.

How do I get the folks at Fox Interactive to return my call? (add 1 point)- Couldn’t tell you specifically. Haven’t dealt with them. If it were Yahoo! or Google, I’d say network, network, network.

How do I dominate a segment when there are five other companies doing essentially the same thing? (add 2 points)

Start small, focus, and differentiate. Don’t go after the entire market. If you’re trying to compete against an 800 pound gorilla, don’t try to take out the entire gorilla. Go for his legs. Once you start small, focus on his legs and keep hammering away. If you take his legs out, he’ll fall. Lastly, differentiate. Don’t go after the gorilla with the same things he has. Guess what? He can hit you back with the same thing, and harder. Hit him in his legs from an angle he doesn’t understand. Provide something new and innovative, but for the same space.
How much time, energy, and money should I spend on patent protection? (add 1 point)

This could be an opinion question in some respects. I think it depends on the company. If you’re a biotech, well, then a lot. If you’re a consumer space product with social networking, don’t focus too hard or put too much money. Explore your options. Protect yourself, but don’t become a boy in a bubble.

We bet on the wrong architecture for our product, what do I do now? (add 2 points)- Not entirely too sure on this one.

What kind of people should I hire: young, old, unproven, proven, cheap, expensive, local, remote? (add 1 point)

So the first thing that matters is making sure someone gets it. Make sure they get your company, your mission, and passion. Set the older and proven individuals as guides and cleanup to the younger unproven guys. Make sure they keep them on track and away from mistakes. Let the younger and unproven guys more onto the creative side initially. Let them formulate the initial ideas, but let the older and proven guys make it perfect. Local or remote depends on the company. Weblogs Inc is mostly remote. A lot of development can be done remote, but make sure the developer is disciplined.

How do I get them to leave their current jobs without throwing a lot of money at them? (add 2 points)

You better be a damned good CEO. I’m talking top notch. You have to be able to sell the dream with your passion. Make these guys see what you see. Make them dream. Most importantly, they’re going to work for you. They’re going to work with you. Make them feel important and not just another number. Let them feel like there will be creative freedom and leadership available with them in the startup. Show them the potential of the company, and the rewards of taking a risk with a lower salary, but great options. This still scares a large amount of people after the first bubbles, but if you sell them the dream and show that the company has a plan, you can do it.

How do I tell my best friend that he can’t be chief technical officer just because he was a cofounder? (add 2 points)

A company isn’t about, you or him, it’s about the company. A cofounder should understand that decisions have to be made to better the company. Egos are checked at the door. Make your best friend understand, that he’s done an amazing job, and brought the company to where it was. Let him know, that someone else who is better equipped can take the company to the next level. Also let him know, that he will have tons of input, and still involved creatively. Don’t just cut him out.

How do I get to the buyer at BestBuy to return my call? (add 1 point)- Haven’t dealt with them personally.

How do I handle a customer who wants to send back his purchase for a full refund? (add 1 point)

Don’t pull a Vincent Ferrari. Find out the problem, and see if there is some insight you can provide, that they might not know. Also be willing to bend on pricing. a little bit of profit, is better than none. If worse comes to worse, let them go, and let it be easy. Your reputation is just as important. Their customer experience, even though they didn’t keep the product, will get around. Make sure it gets around in a great light.
How do I fire people? (add 2 points)

This part sucks, it sucks a lot. You need to not let it get personal. Take a step back, and understand this is the life and job you selected. Something happened, that has brought it to this point. Make sure you have exercised all other options before going here. Don’t fire someone off of emotion, and more importantly don’t keep someone off of emotion. If you do fire them, be straight forward, but also kind. Let them know the positives, but also let them clearly know why they were fired. Don’t let them go home without understanding the reasoning behind it. Also make sure any benefits, severance, or help possible can be offered. If you’re able to write a reference, note that you will.

How do I lay people off? (add 2 points)- I’ve had to fire people, close friends and cofounder, but never lay off. I have an idea, but not a correct answer.

So biff, taylor, tiffany, and sebastian, go become an entrepreneur. Forget most of the things you learned with your MBA or undergrad degree. If you need to calculate formulas, then it should be useful. Listen to your gut, not a textbook. Learn from your successes, but more importantly learn from your failures. You will fail. you will fail multiple times. It will be one of your greatest lessons. For no textbook or case study can ever teach you this. Go out, change the world, be an entrepreneur, and then maybe after that go become a VC. Just because you cranked out some numbers at JP Morgan over a summer internship, doesn’t qualify you as a venture guy or gal. Honestly, I think it hurts you. Hope this was helpful.

[tags] web 2.0, guy kawasaki, venture capital, venture capital aptitude test, publictivity, ceo, tech crunch, VC [/tags]

I was sitting down watching Nip/Tuck as usual last night, and I saw the trailer for an inspiring movie: The Pursuit of Happyness.  It stars Will Smith, as a father whose wife leaves him due to financial problems.  To make sure he can provide a great life for his son, he becomes determined to make something of himself and get a great job.  Turns out, he lands an internship with Dean Witter.  I don’t know too much about the plot, since it’s not out yet, but it seems inspiring.  It motivates me to see movies where the main character is driven to make something out of himself. Often it’s making something out of nothing.  I’ve included the trailer below. PS- It takes place in San Francisco.

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[tags] will smith, web 2.0, publictivity, the pursuit of happyness, movies, entrepreneurs, trailers, youtube, san francisco [/tags]

It’s always boggled my mind, literally perplexed me, why companies don’t give the customers what they want. It’s almost like they go out of the way to make a product as bad as possible. These are companies worth billions of dollars with tons of resources. Is it stubborn executives who think “they get it”? Is it just the desire to be mediocre? There are three recent examples that come to mind in regards to this topic.

YouTube/ Verizon

So this deal was announced today and is what prompted me to write this article. You’re telling me, I’d have to pay 15 dollars more on top of my data plan to get this. If I was that out of my mind, drunk, or brainwashed, I’d then only be able to watch a select few videos. This is ten steps backward. User Generated Content, or as the cool kids like to call it (UGC), is all about choice, freedom, and the luxury of consuming what you want. I hate to sound like a broken record, but walled gardens don’t work. Did youtube or verizon talk with anyone about this? bottom line: No one wants this. You messed up a big hit.  Don’t limit me, and make it cheaper/ included with my data plan. Maybe the other carriers will do this.
Amazon Unboxed

I love Amazon. I think they’re an amazing service and company. The Amazon Unboxed service is just a failure. Why didn’t they just use common knowledge, or at least look at what people dislike? No one wants layers of DRM, and tons of new software to install. Windows only, blah. Worst of all, it has some privacy issues to the software. Do they remember that whole RootKit thing, or? They COULD redeem themselves with the Tivo partnership. I would get a Tivo just for that. Know what that would require….? giving the customer what they want.

Zune, um yeah. WTF

Where do I begin? MSFT created some decent buzz. They had people listening. Do you know how many other people would kill for that attention? SanDisk or Creative would love for that hype- they come out with a million players a year, that are actually pretty damn cool. So Zune releases and what happens

• Doesn’t work with your new multibillion dollar operatinf system that is dropping in a month or so
• Install crashes and takes forever
• The sharing music capability is cool, except for that whole thing for usability called critical mass.
• Requiring everyone who used your play4sure format and spent lots of money on the media to purchase everything all over. You know what I do at that point? Fire up LimeWire Hardcore.
• No podcasting. Not a major problem, but just a little tweak that is needed to play in the space.

Maybe I’m over-reacting? Maybe I’m just too optimistic? Or maybe I’m just an entrepreneur and potential customer that doesn’t get it? Companies like Apple innovate and give the user what they want. I’m not playing fanboy here. It’s just true and the first thought that comes to mind. Please let me know your thoughts and comment who gives customers what they want and who doesnt give customers what they want.

[tags] zune, microsoft, amazon, unboxed, youtube, verizon, verizon youtube, web 2.0, publictivity, customer experience [/tags]