Category: Startups and Technology
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Ushio
Ushio, a Japanese company, has come up with a UV lamp which eradicates COVID-19: Link Just one of these lamps costs almost $3000.
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Timeless Talk
In my search for time-filler podcasts (background noise), another speech by Steve Jobs gained airtime thanks to Fast Company Magazine. Before unleashing Apple’s torrid pace of innovation, Jobs’ product launch of NEXT Computer highlighted how much storytelling it took to bring something new into the world. Evocative storytelling is making a comeback given how much […]
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Customer Success Hint: Don’t survey too early
Don’t survey customers until they receive the purchased product or service. I got surveyed by Literati support before receiving their book club service. I loved the concept of receiving a monthly allotment of well-curated books for children (and adults) starving for non-digital content. Well, it’s been over ten business days. Literati has apologized for the […]
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Stroly
Stroly, a Japanese startup founded by Machi Takahashi, enables a layer of personalization for businesses and artists branding places on a map. Stroly is pivoting towards virtual tourism. Interesting idea. Learned about this from the Disrupting Japan podcast Cool art map here created by Gio from Stroly
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The Art of Engagement
Deep immersion in things that don’t involve consumption like eating, watching movies/sports, and listening to podcasts uplifts the soul and changes daily habits. 🤔 Sometimes, doing the opposite of expectation triggers the inspiration to blaze a path that never existed. In a time when no one knows what the future brings, the journey from consumer […]
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Lunchclub.ai
When the startup Lunchclub raised a $4M seed round last year from Andreessen Horowitz, I don’t think anyone imagined business networking would become virtual and random due to Covid-19. Lunchclub has done an excellent job connecting folks globally based on my experience. Special shoutout to my friend Dev Ramnane for the invitation to join. I […]
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Contiq
Contiq is one of my latest Customer Success clients. I like what they do. If you are a content creator who sends out tons of decks to prospects and customers, then this is an enterprise solution for you. It will help you manage your teams in sales, marketing, customer success, and professional services. Business content, […]
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Run the World (online)
In-person networking could become a lost art. I’ve signed up for a new app called Run the World. This new startup designed to improve serious collaboration/networking just raised $15 million in series A. I’ve written about how hard it is to network online with anyone outside of your immediate sphere. Let’s see how this goes. I […]
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Virtual Abyss
Virtual events and meetings were difficult to establish for a long time. Now they’ve become an essential part of the New Normal. Here are some observations: Networking with other attendees is almost impossible. Aside from adding someone to your LinkedIn network, it’s tough to build a professional relationship virtually. The event organizer struggles to develop […]
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Scrum for Startups
The red stapler approach is not required for startups. Good tips here after having worked with tiny startups and experienced similar dilemmas: link
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Less Annoying CRM
I wonder if the future of SaaS software will bend towards helping local companies and college graduates. Globalization may be put on hold. I know it doesn’t matter where the code was written, but I get comfort recommending customer success solutions which help folks stay employed in the US. I like Less Annoying CRM because […]
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Silicon Valley Survivors
Here’s a fascinating analysis of startups who not only survived the prior recession but thrived beyond anyone’s forecasts. Looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, many new startups have the profile to master new technologies and match them to the needs of society. The hard skills matter, but soft skills win the world over. Link
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Salesforce survey
This nonprofit survey by Salesforce was conducted in February just before Covid 19 took grip of the world. The tech projects which looked impossible to get off the ground due to budget or skills shortage deserve higher prioritization as a means to engage the community, donors, and skills-based volunteers. Link An incredible subset of the […]
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The New Normal for Entrepreneurs
Good talk from Saastr by Garry Tan of Initialized Capital. Before getting Series A from Garry Tan, Torch.io was a customer success client of mine. As Garry mentions here professional coaching is something we could all benefit from. The squishy things like coaching, meditation, and wellness turn out to be what’s most needed. The health […]
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Maximizing Lightning Experience
Salesforce will stop supporting Classic. There’s never been a better time to move to Lightning.
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The Revenue Collective Survey Says…
Buy gold…actually not a bad idea. 🤣 Link All joking aside, the metrics sourced by Revenue Collective and shared by VC Tom Tunguz validate Gainsight’s earlier survey that churn management and sales have become much harder. It might take the Way of the Buddha to make it through the tunnel for this year and 2021. […]
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Improving UX for Salesforce
Years ago, I demoed a side-by-side comparison showcasing the click-through efficiency of using Salesforce vs. Oracle CRM (Siebel). We called Salesforce a Maserati going up against a Volkswagen. Today, Salesforce competitors highlight commensurate challenges of using Salesforce’s clunky UI. Nonetheless, Salesforce will continue to dominate as add-on tools improve its performance. The startup Addapptation looks […]
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Founder Institute Webinar
The Founder Institute (FI) lives on as a startup accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs. I was in the Silicon Valley batch back in 2011. FI has grown exponentially. It motivated me to stay in the startup game. I found a niche around customer success. My idea back then was to develop a mask company (link). This […]
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What is Customer Success for Good?
Customer Success (CS) is one of the fastest growing job titles in the world. CS lives to achieve customer happiness across an organization. The CS team is empowered to make a difference. Social impact can become part of CS’s mission when business is great. Success means there’s less hand-holding and more party-throwing. Success is a happy […]
Connecting Good People 