The Ultimate Start-Up Guide: Marketing Lessons, War Stories, and Hard-Won Advice from Leading Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors by Tom Hogan and Carol Broadbent
Tom Hogan is one of Silicon Valley’s marketing pioneers, with over 25 years of high-tech marketing experience, including positions as VP of Corporate Marketing at such companies as Oracle, Borland, Lucent and VitalSigns Software.
He and his co-author Carol Broadbent are are the co-founders of Crowded Ocean, Silicon Valley’s top marketing firm for start-ups.
The Host’s Perspective:
Surprisingly, at the beginning of the book, the authors explain why the legend of Steve Jobs may have been the worst thing to happen to start-ups and their CEOs.
The reason is that too many start-up CEOs seem determined to emulate every aspect of how Steve Jobs ran his business and behaved. And the authors explain why, in most instances, the approaches of Steve Jobs rarely ends well for start-ups.
The truth is, most start-ups fail. And they die remarkably young: The authors note that the typical start-up lasts 20 months and burns through $1.3 million in financing before closing its doors. There are many, many reasons why startups fail, most of which have to do with rather basic business, marketing and sales principles, and the authors have carefully studied and documented why startups fail and how the successful ones consistently get it right.
Unfortunately, however, the authors explain that the founder who brags that he didn’t spend a dime on marketing and sold his company for a gazillion dollars is responsible for more company failures than you can count.
If you are a startup founder, employee, investor or have anything to do with startups, or are considering joining that world, reading this book will be one of your best investments you’ll ever make.
Listen to the Interview:
Show Notes
The Ultimate Start-Up Guide: Marketing Lessons, War Stories, and Hard-Won Advice from Leading Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors by Tom Hogan and Carol Broadbent
Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Business by Eric Ries
Inbound Marketing: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online by
Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Tom Hogan’s and Carol’s Broadbent’s Company (CrowdedOcean.com)
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