Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

Startup Competition: Why You Should Ignore It

Do you feel like you’re always on the defense, trying to improve your product to overthrow your competition? How can you stop getting bogged down by what your competitors are doing? Investigating what your competitors are doing can be time-consuming and distracting. According to David Hansson and Jason Fried, the founders of software company 37signals, you will be better off ignoring your competition altogether, especially in the startup phase. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of ignoring startup competition.

Mike Weinberg: Sales Management. Simplified.

Is Mike Weinberg’s Sales Management. Simplified. worth reading? What is the key to sales success? In Sales Management. Simplified., Mike Weinberg discusses how to successfully manage a sales team, including setting goals that push people to excel, using shadowing to identify team weaknesses, and training your people to make good sales calls. He also discusses a factor that he sees as crucial to managerial effectiveness: managing your time wisely. Below is a brief overview of the key points.

How to Foster a Culture of Empowerment at Work

Why is it important to empower your employees? What are some ways to empower your team in a meaningful way? Employees who feel strong and empowered under your leadership will perform well. Conversely, employees who feel powerless and incompetent will underperform, feel disengaged, and might even be looking for opportunities to leave an organization. To foster a culture of empowerment, follow these principles.

Understanding the Multi-Sided Platform Business Model

What is the multi-sided platform business model? How do companies that run on an MSP business model create value for their customers? A multi-sided platform business model (MSP) is where a platform connects several distinct groups of customers with mutual interests. This business model is not a new development—it has existed for centuries. However, it started gaining prominence only in the last decade or so thanks to the advancement of the internet. Keep reading to learn about the concept of the multi-sided platform business model and its key characteristics.

How to Market Your Brand: 3 Tips for Success

What makes an effective marketing strategy? What are some things you should keep in mind when designing a marketing strategy for your brand? A good marketing strategy builds both trust and awareness. If you have just awareness but no trust, your sales will be inconsistent and modest. If you have trust but little awareness, you’ll likely not sell enough. Keep reading for tips on how to market your brand for maximum trust and exposure.

Promoting Your Startup on a Tight Budget: 10 Principles

Have you just launched your first product? What is the most affordable way to publicize it? As a startup, it’s unlikely you’ll have much to spare on promotion. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to promote your business without spending any (or much) money. In this article, we’ll share 10 principles of startup promotion on a tight advertising budget.

Empowering Leaders Enable Others to Act

What do Posner and Kouzes mean by “enable others to act” in the context of leadership? What can you, as a leader, do to develop a sense of agency in your subordinates? “Enable others to act” is the fourth principle of Posner and Kouzes’ outstanding leadership. There are two overall guidelines to achieve this: 1) foster collaboration amongst your team members, and 2) build their sense of self-determination by strengthening their competence and confidence. We’ll discuss these two concepts below.

Business Model Canvas: The 9 Elements Explained

What are the nine elements of the Business Model Canvas? How are the elements related? There are nine elements in the Business Model Canvas: 1) customer groups, 2) customer touchpoints, 3) customer interactions, 4) value proposition, 5) key resources, 6) network, 7) key activities, 8) revenue streams, 9) expenses. These elements are interdependent components that impact the effectiveness of the other elements. So, changes to one element can reduce or amplify the effects of other elements. In this article, we’ll first briefly define what the Business Model Canvas is. Next, we’ll explore each of the nine overarching elements that you

5 Sales Management Tips: Help Your Reps Succeed

What distinguishes a good sales manager from a mediocre one? What are some sales management tips that can help you become the former? Sales managers have a lot on their plate. They inspire sales reps to do their best while sourcing top talent for the business. They set ambitious yet realistic sales goals and hold their team accountable for them. They ensure a healthy sales culture by ensuring fair compensation and celebrating top performers. These five sales management tips will help you set your team for success.

The Ultimate Strategy for B2B and B2C Sales

What is the key to securing B2B sales? How does the business-to-business sales approach differ from business-to-customer’s? B2B and B2C sales approaches are polar opposites. With business-to-business selling (B2B), it’s important to make sure you’re talking to the right person at the company. For business-to-customer sales, you need to cast a wide net in your marketing efforts to reach lots of people at once. Keep reading to learn about B2B and B2C sales strategies.