Ryan Buchanan (Thesis)

🚀 New launch for DonorDock: The Spreadsheet Freedom Fund. This could be a game-changer for many nonprofits out there. 🎉 We're launching the "Spreadsheet Freedom Fund" to help organizations move away from the chaos of spreadsheets by offering a tech grant to DonorDock. If you're tired of the endless scrolling and the risk of errors that come with spreadsheet management, this grant is for you. We’re offering 45 free subscriptions to DonorDock's CRM and fundraising tools to empower nonprofits with better tools for donor stewardship. 🙌 Starting TODAY, applications are open! Whether it’s your nonprofit or one you know that could use a transformation from spreadsheet struggles to CRM simplicity, I encourage you to apply or spread the word. Let’s help those doing good do even better. Check out more details and apply through the link in below! https://lnkd.in/gxVnYJNq #NonprofitTech #Fundraising #CRM #SpreadsheetFreedom #DonorDock #Nonprofits #grants #techgrants

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🥪 PB & J, 🦸‍♂️Deadpool & Wolverine, 🦾R2-D2 & C3PO ⚡️⚡️⚡️... Community & Innovation? Yes! I'm back beating the drum about underutilized communities and myopic community strategies. Your community innovation strategy doesn't have to *just* rely on ideas. With so many new community and collaboration platforms hitting the market (more on that soon), don't stay stuck in a rut with your Enterprise platform's ideation features. The trick? Start by matching your desired innovation outcomes with specific community methods - THEN find a platform (or existing tools) to support the needed interactions. #innovation #strategy #community

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Amid economic recovery, early-stage #entrepreneurs face challenges as VC funding tightens. 2023 brought VC struggles; surviving startups now consider mergers, acquisitions, or PE. In #MedicareAdvantage, rapid business cycles pose challenges often overlooked during capitalization. Acknowledge the resilience of early-stage warriors; 2024 brings hope for their success. #entrepreneurship #startupresilience #VCchallenges #startupstruggles

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Brit Morin, Jessica E. Lessin, Sam Lessin and Dave Morin had a really interesting conversation on a podcast this week about media businesses, the tribulations of the The Washington Post and how it's losing piles of money and subs. The discussion dipped into something Chris Anderson coined 20 years ago, perhaps before their time, called "long tail" content. Essentially his thesis called on creators to hyper-focus only on their niche, becoming the expert in hacking heat pumps or the best practices of dog grooming. Now, I'm one of those always looking to appeal to the broadest audience possible so naturally I've pushed against this framework, considering it too limiting. Then I met and worked under Robert Allbritton at POLITICO, where in spite of many in the company not on board with the philosophy, he talked about starting the company to deliver value to a sliver of the audience: those most powerful in the halls of government and soup of politics (and charge significant money for it). Needless to say it was a winning approach, because it's unlikely Axel Springer paid a billion dollars a few years ago for the ad-supported general news side of the house - as terrific as that content is. It was the subscription "Pro" product that overdelivered to that wonky sliver. And while the chatters on the pod did not say so, a similar strategy could well work for the Post: Turn 80% of the operation toward finding a little white space in the "political and policy makers" space, and become an absolute authority there ... and then, of course, license all that to the LLMs ;-) (But that's a story for another post.)

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I've always loved billboards. And I have to say they are getting better and better. "Traditional OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising, encompassing billboards, transit ads, and street furniture, boasts an enduring legacy of reaching broad and diverse audiences with high visibility and continuous exposure." And with digital advertising (DOOH) messages can be adjusted and changed far more quickly than traditional billboards, providing much more opportunity for brands. "The real-time flexibility of programmatic buying allows campaigns to be adjusted swiftly based on weather conditions, local events, or consumer behavior, providing unprecedented agility in campaign management." It can also be an alluring, colorful, interesting way to grab attention. https://bit.ly/4cUr7Fz #DigitalAdvertising #Marketing #OutOfHomeAdvertising #OOH

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🚨 Long Post Alert 🚨 I’m not sure about you all, but I’m tired. I’m tired of being bombarded with images of people suffering and not seeing change. I’m tired of watching systems that need to be dismantled garner more power than ever before. And I’m tired of trying to convince people that, despite politics, people are owed fundamental human rights. While open discourse is undoubtedly important, we need less talk and more action. Many of us have genuine intentions to do good and drive meaningful change, yet the tangible outcomes, more often than not, fall short. So, I did something about it. I’ve shifted my focus from merely talking about the issues to actively addressing them because, simply, humanity cannot afford to wait any longer. I’m proud to launch The Dweller Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on tackling some of the most critical issues facing humanity today and laying the groundwork for a better tomorrow. Dweller’s mission has people at the center, and initiatives are rooted in providing humanitarian aid to those affected by conflict and natural disaster, supporting and rehabilitating the unhoused, offering educational scholarships to usher in the next wave of leaders, taking on climate change through sustainable farming initiatives, combating food insecurity, and using the fruits of the earth for healing and pain management. I believe in the power of collective action and the profound impact we can make when we come together. Here’s how you can help: ▪ Donate: Your contributions directly support our initiatives, providing immediate relief and long-term solutions to those in need. ▪ Volunteer: Join our team of dedicated volunteers and be the change you wish to see in the world. Your time and skills are invaluable to our mission. ▪ Spread the Word: Share our story and help us reach more people. Together, we can amplify our impact and drive meaningful change. ▪ Collaborate: If you’re an organization or individual passionate about any of our focus areas, we would love to partner with you. Collaboration is vital to broadening our reach and effectiveness. Our journey has just begun, and we are committed to making a lasting difference. Let’s work together to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Check us out at dwellerfoundation.org. #TheDwellerFoundation #philanthropy #consciousleadership #sustainability

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In this episode of Solopreneur Stories I had the pleasure of chatting with fractional CMO Ari Mason 💭 Ari's mission? Humanizing the workplace, helping mission-driven brands grow, and weaving culture throughout the GTM strategy. Ari and I dove into topics including: 🏔️ The Utah tech scene and Silicon Slopes 🌱 What it’s like to navigate new engagements  👥 Organizational culture 🤝 The importance of collaboration  💼 Some of the limitations to individual contributor paths  🚀 Integrating culture into go-to-market strategies And other topics, like saying no, the power of authenticity, and working with cool people 😎 Big thanks to Ari for joining me and sharing her wisdom  🙌 🎧 You can listen to our full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eKANvp36 💪 ***** Are you running your own operation and interested in being featured as a guest on the podcast? I'd love to hear from you - please shoot me a note. Know someone in your network who might be a good fit to hear these episodes or be featured? Comment below and tag them in. Want to hear about certain topics and have specific ideas explored? Say the word. ✌️ #podcast #solopreneur #solopreneurstories

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Exciting news in Common Room's Uncommon community: I'm elated to welcome Joel Primack to the team as a fractional Community Lead & Social Strategist 🎉 Joel is an experienced community and GTM professional that many of you know and love here on LinkedIn, and, more importantly, he's a thoughtful, consistent, and trusted contributor in our Uncommon community. Joel’s work will help us continue to build the most effective ways for Community, DevRel, and GTM leaders to work together and drive business impact—from both a strategy perspective and a product perspective. As part of his role, you’ll see Uncommon hosting more consistent community+GTM learning events, amplifying more conversations and content from community, DevRel, and GTM leaders, and making sure that we’re creating a welcoming space of valuable exchange that leads to positive personal, community, and business outcomes. In Uncommon, our goal is to deliver value, share value, create value, and make it easy for leaders to show their value to their businesses. With that goal in mind, I’m so excited to officially welcome Joel so we can continue to build toward that vision with everyone in the community together. Not in Uncommon yet but keen to join? We eagerly await you: https://lnkd.in/gcuewrcv 🎉

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Episode 💯 of The GTM Podcast just dropped and embraces the notion of ‘building in public’ across our thesis, strategy, and tactics. Scott Barker and I pull back the curtain on the media brand that sits on top of GTMfund: GTMnow. There’s always more than meets the eye to anything. First, why does a VC even have a media company?! GTMfund’s flywheel strategy integrates the fund, community, media, talent, and labs to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that continuously drives value. The fund is at the core of the flywheel. But the fund itself wasn’t enough when getting started. There's thousands of venture capital firms out there. And just like any business, you need to find a way to differentiate yourself... The flywheel does this - and media is a big part of that. Media is a part of that…just how big is big? Everyone is always surprised if I share that there are actually 7 (yes, 7!) objectives of the media company. They all work to support the fund. We dive into those behind the scenes details, along with my personal learnings from navigating an acquisition, the media production process, some tools I'm using, and much more. And OF COURSE, it wouldn’t be the 100th episode if we didn’t highlight the Top 10 episodes on The GTM Podcast! Listen in to see whose episodes hold the record 🏆 Available under 'The GTM Podcast' on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen 🎧

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I appreciated this article. As a founder, it's critical not to lose sight of your customers' most powerful motivations when you're building a values-based brand.

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#AI, #NLP, listening and #EarlyRadar were big themes this afternoon at Kroger's 84.51˚office where five local startups talked up the future to twenty or so national brands. Nichefire showcased breakthrough work forecasting actionable trends and the next "secret sauce" (literally) for marketers while NativeAI highlighted the power of #NPL to unlock more value from feedback loops. InfoTrust saves brand builders a ton of money and time through next-gen data analytics and Narratize is accelerating time to market with #GenerativeAI for impactful scientific, technical, and medical content. From my end, representing BrandRank.AI , I noted that "search and discovery as we know it are being disrupted" and that brands MUST get in front of the "Prompted Moment of Truth" shopper journey. I also added a little "Gamification" to the mix, asking the audience to guess the brand behind AI-generated visual metaphors (e.g. Kroger is an increasingly green and healthy "Busy Bee," Walmart is an industrious beaver) -- this to stress the urgent importance for brand builders. "Thinking and acting like algorithms." Thanks John Stieger for organizing this session (and your indefatigable support of local startups...for 5+ years I might add). Mark Wood of Cintrifuse thx for your support of the event as well and great to see you. 🔥 Judy Zitnik thanks for the partnership, deck collaboration, and always spot-on feedback/suggestions. 🔥Michael Howard 🔥Khalil El-Amin Catherine O'Shea Sarah Sanders Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD #CincyAIWeek Hank Hudepohl Kelly Cohen Summer Crenshaw Bill Hildebolt

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I had an industrial (B2B) client tell me yesterday that the product insights I provided for them back in 2012 & 2014 led them to significantly redesign their products, and that these products soon became marketplace "rock stars." The result: their competition needed to play catch up for many years, including redesigning their own products to stay relevant. I've often been asked, "What's your favorite type of research?" My response: "Research whose insights are used to effect profitable change." #marketresearch #productinsights #voiceofthecustomer #mrx #cx #rrd #precisiondialogue #effectprofitablechange

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Wondering what's new in the world of early-stage innovation research? Katie Sheehan's team has helped many brands use conversational research to better explore unmet needs and whitespace territories, understand their real potential in the market, and refine ideas. Register for the next Reach3 Insights masterclass webinar featuring Katie and Matt Kleinschmit to hear what they're learning and best practices you can use right away: https://lnkd.in/gwrpUxga #innovation #marketresearch #productresearch

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Reflections from Last Week's Church for entrepreneurs Meeting: Last week, I had the privilege to attend a startup church meeting led by Gerald Duran. It was a refreshing experience to be surrounded by like-minded founders and VCs. I think half the battle for founders in today's world is finding those that are in your camp, who are in your tribe, who believe in you and have a higher power belief system. (without this what do you have as a member of faith?) "God has a way of choosing nobodies." "The Underdogs." "The future does not care about yesterday, where are you today." "Getting VC funding as a Christian is harder in 2024" "much harder but the tide is shifting" "Every founder has a failure story. Own it." "We're pirates with the skills of a Navy SEAL" (startup founders) "Forget AI and focus on SI - Spiritual Intelligence" "Doors open/Doors close: God chooses who He chooses and He doesn't care about others' opinions" "Ephesians 6: Put on the full armor of God" Course: Develop the faith to move mountains - free course at Cana Global (take it/lean in). https://lnkd.in/eNqgJnGX

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Let's celebrate the great marketers you work with by nominating them for AMA Chicago's #MarketerofTheYear Award! Applications open today -- please share with your networks so we can recognize them the amazing work they do for your organizations! Details and link to the application, below. #marketingawards #marketingleaders #marketingteam #celebratemarketing

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To fellow founders and brands - we're here to help. 💪🏼 While we're deep into building our next venture, we recognize the unique nature of what we're building affords us the opportunity to dedicate time to support the right clients and brands. For context, our team has supported over 100 clients and brands, designing and commercializing hundreds of products across nearly every category and service. The diversity of problems we've solved, the relationships we've built, bring immense value to the table. We're creatives at heart and dynamic operators by discipline. We're built for speed on all things go-to-market. Our unique, open book approach ensures every decision you make leads to the intended results. Every consideration affects every pillar of your business, don't forget it. If you need an experienced team to advise (and/or execute) on go-to-market strategy, including brand, creative development, product design, storytelling, customer acquisition and retention, e-commerce, retail strategy (or why you shouldn't), and operations - drop us a line. Similarly, if you're raising capital, preparing for M&A - we've done it all too often. We've been in your shoes and fully understanding the implications of timing and strategy of these decisions. Lean on us. We’d love to explore how we can work together and have fun doing it, together. #BusinessGrowth #BrandStrategy #GoToMarket #ProductDesign #CustomerExperience #DirectToConsumer #Retail #Operations #Consulting #M&A #startup #raisingcapital #ventures #consumergoods #cpg Mavrics™

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Does your CEO really want to know how many MQLs and SQLs your marketing produced this month? Probably not. Today's marketing playbook vastly differs from the one that worked so well two years ago, including what gets reported internally. I was recently invited to speak to the Arizona Innovation Marketing Association, and I chose to discuss how my marketing playbook has changed. In my talk, which I titled, "The Rebellion of ROI: Why It's Time to Throw Out Traditional Marketing Playbooks," I shared five game-changing shifts forcing a complete rethink of the playbooks we used two, even five years ago. And the first big shift is to admit your CEO doesn't care about MQL's or SQL's. I call it a shift because they used to care about them. Not that long ago, marketing teams were being told Sales needs more "top of funnel LEADS." So Marketers created a bunch of gated assets and threw a gazillion "Marketing-Qualified Leads" over the wall to Sales. Except they quickly learned that someone downloading an eBook is almost never ready to book a sales demo. And in the end, while Marketing could claim success by generating thousands of leads, CEO's and CFO's were focused on driving revenue, not leads. This led to questions like "so how many leads do we need to produce $X in revenue?" In Q2 of last year, I stopped reporting lead numbers. The traditional "MQL" was simply too disconnected from revenue. At the same time, we also took the radical step of ungating all of our assets, which naturally caused our lead count to plunge. Instead, I shifted to reporting inbound pipeline and outbound pipeline produced through marketing outreach efforts (our SDR sits in Marketing, not Sales). The only leading indicator we report is inbound demo requests. Guess what? I've not been asked for MQL or SQL counts in more than a year. The reality is investors are no longer funding growth without profitability, so aligning our marketing efforts to revenue helped prove that our modest marketing investments are producing pipeline. Reporting on pipeline also enables us to report Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) tied to pipeline and revenue (10X and 29X respectively for last year). How has your marketing reporting changed in the last two years?

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