The best part of any startup is the aha! moment. Insight and clarity arrive spontaneously, as if by magic, and innovation is born. ... Read on.
I apologize for our recent radio silence. It was due in part to our focus on securing $15 million in Series B funding. But there was another reason, which I’ll reveal with a sneak peek at the press release that’s going out tomorrow. ... Read on.
A recent Business Insider piece provided grisly details of the “death spiral” at Sears, the legacy retail chain that has devolved from iconic to irrelevant. The story came on the heels of an announced 150 store closings, including 108 Kmarts. (That gives you a hint of the problem right there — although it was Kmart that acquired Sears in 2004, the new corporation took the name Sears Holdings.) ... Read on.
15 Dec 2016
The Commitments (Or: Welcome Aboard the Board)
Once, during a panel discussion, someone asked me why I got into venture capital. I told them it was for the privilege of working with entrepreneurs who have the vision to see what doesn’t exist yet, the enthusiasm to will it into being and the courage to fail in front of everybody they know — and many more they don’t know. ... Read on.
#startup #board #targeting #advertiisng
1 Dec 2016
You'll Never Wok Alone
Ask a successful male of a certain age to cite a role model who taught him the value of preparation, discipline and plain ol’ hard work during adolescence, and chances are he’ll name a grizzled American archetype like a football coach. ... Read on.
#career #discipline #rolemodels #cooking #hardwork
During my career, I’ve spent time at every point along the investor food chain. I’ve experienced the purity of being a venture-backed entrepreneur in the dot-com bubble. Then I founded one of the first seed funds in New York City. Now I’ve gone back to the operating side. ... Read on.
#startup #vc #entrepreneur #pinata #investor
1 Nov 2016
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Or: The Ancient Roman Origins of Native Advertising)
Truly original ideas are hard to come by. Search was a big one. The way social media has evolved makes it unlike anything else as well. And marketers have told us that PebblePost’s Programmatic Direct Mail® is a unique new marketing channel. ... Read on.
#digital #tangiblemedia #native advertising #romans
The most common question we get here at PebblePost is: “How did you come up with the idea for Programmatic Direct Mail®?” ... Read on.
#digital #programmatic #startup #tangiblemedia #founder
27 Sep 2016
Wax On, Wax Off (Or: A Mentoring Moment)
The dynamic is as old as business itself. The young hotshot wants to go all in on the current trend. He’s frustrated that the old hand is skeptical. Then one day reality smacks the kid in the face and he realizes the old hand was right. ... Read on.
13 Sep 2016
“My Preference”
Eric Wheeler, Founder and CEO of 33across, and I came up with this joke at a venture event. If you’re in the VC world and familiar with “Lord of the Rings,” you’ll immediately understand the reference. ... Read on.
Chairman and Founder at PebblePost, former VC in adtech, long-time endurance athlete, happy dad to “The Heathens.”
