A New Book To Help You Create Ideas That Fly

I’ve spent the last two years writing, speaking and consulting about how to succeed by making your ideas resonate with the people you want to serve. My new book Meaningful: The Story Of Ideas That Fly is the culmination of that work. Our new digital landscape has spawned an entrepreneurial culture and the belief that…

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The 5 Building Blocks Of A Brand

A brand used to be an identifier, over the past seventy years it’s become so much more. Seth’s 2009 definition says it best. “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” We can agree then that…

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A Brand Of Magic

The chairs were out of stock. A delivery was expected some time in December, it might clear customs by January. The sales assistant described the import logistics and company policy. She detailed the 55% deposit terms on all orders placed and made sure to add her name to the written quotation the customer had not…

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Problem/Product Fit

Before you write the code, buy the domain name, design the logo, rent the office space or print the business cards ask yourself these questions. 5 questions for every entrepreneur to answer 1. Who is your customer? 2. What does she want to do, but can’t? 3. How exactly does your product or service help…

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Who Do You Think Your Customers Are?

It was a beautiful spring day in one of the most coveted (and expensive), Melbourne suburbs to live (and buy a home) in. The tree-lined streets were beginning to sprout pink blossoms and the afternoon sun warmed the porches of restored Victorian homes. There on one of those porches, behind a well-kept garden, in a…

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3 Things Your About Page Should Do

Writing an about page for your website is hard. The reason we get stuck is because we worry about what we need to write, instead of focusing on why we need to write it in the first place. Remember it’s less about blowing your trumpet or filling whitespace with information and more about helping your…

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The Marketing Paradox

The goal of most marketing is to get people through the door, bums on seats and products sold. Because much of our marketing effort is front-loaded it’s easy to believe that once we’ve closed the sale, we’re done. And so we latch on to stories of six-figure product launches and multi-million dollar capital raises—often making…

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How All Marketing Should Be

This is the story of two homes that are for sale. “Elegantly renovated, exclusive address. This gracious residence set amid professionally landscaped gardens (approx 600sqm), close to schools and parks, offers formal sitting room, expansive living dining, flowing onto the verandah……” You get the idea. Contrast that with this one. “This has been our home…

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The First Rule For Making A Better Product

Do you remember a time when you went to dinner at that restaurant everyone was talking about? You probably booked the table days, if not weeks in advance and told friends how excited you were about going. When you arrived the staff were polite, you got a good table and the meal was well cooked.…

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The Reasons People Buy From You

“People tell us who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.” —Donald Draper, ‘The Summer Man,’ Mad Men, season 4 Our customer’s motivations have two things in common—they are surprisingly few and they are also universal. What’s driving your customer to buy your product…

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