Tag Archives: Startup

Brand Positioning & Differentiation

What makes Madonna, Coca-Cola and Apple iconic cultural leaders? Why do Apple fans spend hours standing in line to buy the next innovation? It is a brand’s ability to creatively, uniquely and strategically position itself in the market that makes it successful. In essence, they learned to think outside of the box and be different. Continue reading →

Posted in Branding by Ethan Lyon | Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Live Life on Purpose: Interview with Entrepreneur Carl Taylor

An interivew with Carl Taylor … Where do you personally draw your inspiration from?

“People who have been there and done what I want to do. It not only gives me someone and a strategy to model but it motivates me to get on with it. I think “If they can do it, so can I.” Another personal inspiration for me is Superman… it’s a bit strange I know but Superman to me is all about playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses. Superman’s weakness is Kryptonite so he has to avoid it and when he avoids it, he is strong, fast and on top of his game.” Continue reading →

Posted in Strategy & Trends by David Capece | Monday, October 11th, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

8 Realities of Startup Economics

While there is hope in the startup world (Q2 2010 featured the highest venture-backed IPO volume and amount raised since 2007), the investment community remains very discerning in their allocation of scarce… Continue reading →

Posted in Featured, Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Startup Business Model: Internet Publishing

Internet businesses are finally profitable. In some cases, Internet companies are wildly profitable with operating margins of 35%. It’s not just Google that has scaled. 10 years ago, Internet companies went public without revenue. Now, companies such as OpenTable are at 15% + operating margins just a year after IPO. It’s not just Internet platform companies that achieve great scale. 24/7 Wall Street believes that Gawker keeps over 50% of its revenue as operating income. Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sency Betting on Real-Time Local Search

With the buzz around Four Square, Sency has the opportunity to garner attention. Their next milestone is to reach 1 million unique users. As they attract more and more users, Sency will be challenged to evolve from “oh, that’s cool” to “wow, I plan to check back frequently.” Right now, real-time location based search of community chatter is a novelty: interesting, but not vital. There is potential for it to catch on … Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Thursday, May 20th, 2010 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Social Entrepreneur, Ben Lyon

We spoke with Ben Lyon, the founder of FrontlineSMS:Credit*, a non-profit focused on micro-financing. After his experience in the East Timor hotel, his passion, drive and motivation to help those in need brought him back to Africa, only this time, with a… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Guide to Social Entrepreneurship

“Most people are interested in working for and buying from companies that they judge are a good company,” Kate Tierney, the national director of sales at Alter Eco, told MarketWatch. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s time to look beyond profits and think about how you can create sustainable impact. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Thursday, January 7th, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Writing a Business Plan

Entrepreneurs primarily think of a business plan as a necessary document to secure funding. Beyond funding, writing a business plan will help you think through your overall business model, sharpen your focus on the market, and raise up problems that need solving… Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Top 5: Speaking Tips for Great Presentations

Do you ever watch Barack Obama speak and say, “Wow, he is an outstanding speaker?” John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also received similar accolades. Not all speakers were born with natural talented. In fact, Winston Churchill is an example of how hard work can pay off. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact, Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | Tagged | Leave a comment

When Risk / Reward is in Your Favor

Entrepreneurs, and especially pioneers, often travel unknown roads. During the journey, we face opportunities and challenges in pursuit of meaningful rewards. During good times, the rewards take center stage, and we are often tempted to take on more risk. During the lean years, risks become the central talking point, and we become scared of taking any risk. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by David Capece | Thursday, July 9th, 2009 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Startup Strategy: Grow and Harvest Your Business

As business builders and brand developers, we enjoy learning from Seth Godin. I found his recent blog post on the importance of sowing a startup seed and harvesting the crop to be particularly on point (see below for an exerpt). Many entrepreneurs struggle to develop a great product, and even after building a great product the road to significant market share may be difficult and take longer than expected. When businesses finally start to clear hurdles and gain momentum, you must be prepared to maximize returns through harvesting. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How to Define Your Market Position

The goal of market positioning is to find the ideal opportunity in the market based on customer needs, market forces and financial and strategic considerations. Once you find that market opportunity, further develop your product and elevate your brand to deliver outstanding value. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing by Ethan Lyon | Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Using Segmentation to Develop Your Marketing Strategy

While there are many ways to harness the power of segmentation, one of the broadest and most valuable applications is for designing your marketing strategy – a strategy that clearly defines who you’re targeting, what you’re going to offer them, where you’re going to reach them, and how you’re going to sell them on your product & brand. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Top 5 Reasons to Segment

Implementing segmentation has many benefits to a company. After segmenting the market, a customer needs and wants can be identified more effectively, communication with these customers improves, opportunities for growth and innovation are created and profits and market share increase. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Monday, May 25th, 2009 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Top 5: Emerging Company Trends

Telepresence, baby-safety products, digital assets, and link digging are business ideas getting funding in March. We’ve found companies rolling out new, innovative products as they relate to Sparxoo’s Emerging Trends of 2009. Over the next two weeks we are unveiling our 2009 Emerging Trends package, so we’ve picked companies that are getting funding as they fit into our emerging trends. Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends by David Capece | Monday, April 13th, 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding Opportunity in the Dragon’s Den

If you knock on every VC door, you are going to be wasting your time as well as theirs. Look at the list of companies the VC firm has invested in and see if you could be on that list. It’s important to know what to expect before going to a VC firm. Here are some points of review before you knock on that door: Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Thursday, March 12th, 2009 | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Rising Above the Crowd

Venture capital firms may see hundreds of presentations before selecting only a few to invest in. There are several key components to a powerful, yet comprehensive presentation. We’ve composed a list of key elements that will help you deliver your message with maximum impact. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by David Capece | Friday, March 6th, 2009 | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Business Plan: The Building Blocks

There is a myth that no one reads the business plan. There might be some truth in that, however, it is essential that you not take it to heart. In the event that an investor is interested in your business proposition, it is vital that everything they need to know about your business is in one central location. The last thing you want is a half-hearted business plan and the investor is confused as to what you’re trying to sell. The business plan is not usually bedside reading material; however, you want to be as interesting as you are thorough. Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Thursday, March 5th, 2009 | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Writing a Business Plan: Executive Summary

Since the Executive Summary is a teaser, why not make it look like one? Instead of two to three pages of dense text, make it more interesting. Think Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde) pink-scented resume. Well maybe not pink, you get the idea… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by David Capece | Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Business Plans: Shooting the Moon?

The business proposition should be aspirational but real. If your business goals are obviously too lofty and impossible, investors will be turned off and most likely not want to invest. If you wanted to create a space liner that traveled between Earth and Mars, an investor will most likely balk at your idea. However, you can strike a middle ground. Continue reading →

Posted in Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 | Tagged , , | 2 Comments