The Growth Wire

5 Practices of Bad Managers to Avoid In Your Growing Company

Ryan D — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:55:03 +0000

Synopsis: You find bad managers in every office, but what happens if you’re causing some of the problems? It could stifle your growth. Keep a watch out for these bad management traits. Stress is a double edged sword. It can often bring out the best in us. It can also lead us to act and react... Read more »

Management Lessons From Larry Page

Ryan D — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:27:22 +0000

Synopsis: After Google’s Larry Page’s announcement that he suffers from vocal chord paralysis, questions of management styles have arisen. How do you manage your company? Have you ever tried it any other way? We discuss. Google CEO Larry Page has trouble speaking at times. For years, people questioned if something was wrong as analysts found his... Read more »

What Should You Think About As You Set Your Startup Up For Growth?

Ryan D — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:34:09 +0000

Synopsis: When it comes to startups, people seem really concerned about matching what past companies have done. Does it matter? And what should you care about in order to transition your company into a thriving business? It’s a question that we would all love an answer to: What makes the ideal startup experience? What factors drive... Read more »

Want An Original Ad? Here’s How You Can Mimic Arrested Development’s Latest

Ryan D — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:07:22 +0000

Synopsis: If you happen to be a fan of Arrested Development, they have launched a fake menu on Seamless. How can your company mimic the style of this unique promotion without the name recognition? Yesterday, as I was sitting down to order food online, I went to Seamless.com. Like usual, it popped up a number of... Read more »

5 Important Rules When Building a Brand Identity

Ryan D — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:36:38 +0000

Synopsis: Building a brand identity is one of the most important things you can do for your company. Here’s what you need to keep in mind as you set about clarifying how customers perceive your organization. How do your customers see you? What image pops in their head when they hear your name? What experience are... Read more »

Three Things Andy Enfield Must Do to Lead USC and How it Pertains to Your Business

Ryan D — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:48:23 +0000

Synopsis: Sometimes, in order to learn, you must watch others. Authors of The Ascending Leader Diane Egbers and Karen Schenck discuss traits important in any growing leader through one such example: The new head basketball coach at University of Southern California. Andy Enfield went from a $157,000 salary at FGCU to $1,000,000 and a much bigger... Read more »

Is Your Target Too Small? Why Limiting Your Advertising Reach Can Hurt Business

Ryan D — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:29:14 +0000

Synopsis: Targeting has become all the rage in advertising. And it’s an important step to take, but make sure you’re not targeting too closely. We discuss how you’re limiting yourself, if you do. If there’s one buzzword that stands above all others in advertising, it has to be ‘targeting.’ It’s everywhere. No matter where you turn,... Read more »

The Intern Battle: 6 Strategies to Find Quality Summer Help

Ryan D — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:10:42 +0000

Synopsis: Sometimes finding a quality intern can be a struggle for a new business. But with the right strategies, you can stand out from the crowd, convincing college students to apply. We offer some suggestions below. If you’ve had a few moments to look outside lately, you might have noticed that the weather is starting to... Read more »

5 Steps to Run A Successful Customer Recommendation Program

Ryan D — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:50:19 +0000

Synopsis: Running a recommendation outreach program isn’t something that will just happen. You must take the right steps. Here’s how to get customers gushing about your services. A stamp of approval is hard to come by, but when battling for customers it can really make the difference at the time of purchase. There’s a number of... Read more »

10 Areas Of Focus When Your Company Has Downtime

Ryan D — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:49:57 +0000

Synopsis: Every business experiences them, but how do you react? We discuss the best parts of the business to focus on when your company sees a little downtime. Sometimes when the business is booming, the thought of downtime seems almost appealing. But then when it finally slows, and it usually will at some point, there’s nothing... Read more »

Does Value Matter To Your Customers? Yes, But They Might Not Admit It

Ryan D — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:50:12 +0000

Synopsis: In a new survey, customers and vendors claim that value is one of the least important parts of the relationship. Is that true? Or is it just expected? Depends on how you define it. Customers and clients are fickle. We all know that. One day they want one thing, the next another. It’s our job... Read more »

Advertising That Does More Than Grow Your Top-Line

Bill Hansen — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:55:43 +0000

Synopsis: Advertising does wonders for more than just sending customers your way. It also impacts how you recruit and retain talent. We discuss how. Your advertising is driving new customers through your doors today. That’s great! But what if it could do more? A lot more? Human talent is one of the most critical assets for... Read more »

Big Data’s Place In Your Advertising Efforts: Watch Out For The Pitfalls

Ryan D — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:53:32 +0000

Synopsis: With the growth of big data, more and more companies are using the information to enhance their marketing and advertising campaigns. We discuss a few of the ruts to watch out for, as you look deeper into the data. Have you heard the term “big data,” recently? Maybe you saw it online, or read about... Read more »

10 Interview Tips For Rapid Growth Companies

Ryan D — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:15:19 +0000

Synopsis: There’s a number of ways you can go wrong in your hiring tactics. But here are the best solutions to ensure that your new employee will fit in perfectly, even if you’re hiring quickly to keep up with the demand of your business. The new employee search can be a tricky endeavor for a growing... Read more »

Has Social Media Marketing Gotten Lost In Its Own Clutter?

Ryan D — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:45:53 +0000

Synopsis: A new report highlights the growing clutter on social media. This means for your company to break through, you need to go back to the basics. Here’s how. By now, your small business probably has a Twitter handle or Facebook page. Raise your digital hands if you’re having any luck connecting with customers on the... Read more »

Do You Need A Business Partner? These 5 Questions Will Help You Decide

Ryan D — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:34:59 +0000

Synopsis: When in the early stages of a growing business, the question of whether you should have a partner will most certainly arise. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to see if a partner is right for you. When it comes to dating, one is the loneliest of numbers, but can the same be... Read more »

Child Abuse Ad Uses New Targeting Technique to Reach Children

Ryan D — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:13:46 +0000

Synopsis: A new technique for targeting children called lenticular technology, has been unveiled in an ad for child abuse prevention. It’s neat new tool in the long line of making sure you’re targeting your customers with individualized experiences. Some see it, some don’t. It’s the next step in creating targeted, personalized advertising. And a campaign to... Read more »

No Mentor, No Problem. 4 Tips For Those Without A Business Mentor

Ryan D — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:48:01 +0000

Synopsis: While many business owners want mentors, quality confidants aren’t easy to find. Here’s how to get the benefits of a mentor, even if you haven’t managed to find one, yet. When you’re in the middle of building a company, there’s so much to do that it can get overwhelming. From ensuring marketing tactics are on... Read more »

B2B Content Marketing: 3 Tips That Will Save Your Company Cash

Ryan D — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:28:00 +0000

Synopsis: While it’s sometimes hard to quantify B2B content strategy’s effectiveness, there’s still plenty of ways to ensure you’re reaching the right audience and decision makers. We talk about three goodies. It’s not always as easy to test your business-to-business marketing initiatives. Purchasing decisions take a whole lot longer while selling products that often have a much higher... Read more »

When Is It Time to Hire an Advertising Agency?

Ryan D — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:45:38 +0000

Synopsis: Hiring an advertising agency is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. But how do you know when it’s the right time to find one? We explain. If business owners have one downside, it’s that they have a hard time letting go of control. It’s not easy to allow others to work on projects... Read more »

Mountain Dew Shows What Not to Do When Trying to Reach a New Target Audience

Ryan D — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:12:44 +0000

Synopsis: Mountain Dew showed us how not to run an ad targeting a specific audience this week, when they had to pull them for racial insensitivity reasons. Where did the company go wrong and how can you prevent a similar mistake? It’s amazing sometimes what gets passed with a stamp of approval through the advertising higher-ups... Read more »

How Transparent is Too Transparent? What Should You Share With Your Employees

Ryan D — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:07:28 +0000

Synopsis: A growing trend in business is to share company financials and employee pay. Is this a good idea? And what should you keep in mind, if you’re considering taking this step? How much information is too much information? This can often come up in employee interactions, as one crosses the line. Of course, many companies... Read more »

Will Social Media Grow A Business In A Month?

Ryan D — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:18:56 +0000

Synopsis: Mashable has launched a live test study of one small business’s attempt to grow its social media presence in a month. Is that enough time? And will it have an impact on the bottom line? It’s the eternal question when it comes to online promotion of a company. We hear about the success stories. We... Read more »

5 Tips to Get Media Coverage Today

Ryan D — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:10:43 +0000

Synopsis: An important avenue for growth is getting media coverage. But how do you go about getting in front of the journalists that might write about you? We discuss. One of the great ways to get your company noticed by your audience is to have someone write about you in a local or national publication.... Read more »

The Pros and Cons of Bootstrapping Your Startup: What’s Best For Your Company?

Ryan D — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:57:24 +0000

Synopsis: For a young, growing business, the decision to find investors will dramatically impact the future of the company. Below we lay out some pros and cons to bootstrapping the early days instead. For a young business, one of the tougher decisions early in its run will be how to grow. Is it better to bring... Read more »

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media During a Tragedy

Ryan D — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:48:36 +0000

Synopsis: Social media can become a dangerous place for your company to interact on during a tragedy. Here’s how to handle your platforms, when a national or local disaster occurs. It seems as if anytime something horrific or truly tragic happens, there’s inevitably a business that steps on it, by trying to sell their product while... Read more »

$2 Billion In Government Contracts Are Up for Grabs This Summer: Here’s How to Win Them

Ryan D — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:50:04 +0000

Synopsis: This summer, nearly $2 billion in government contracts will be open for pitching from small businesses. Here’s what you need to know, in order to win your piece of the pie. One thing business owners are always on the look-out for is the next opportunity. And one place to look may just be the federal... Read more »

5 Tips to Crowdfund Like Zach Braff

Ryan D — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:04:11 +0000

Synopsis: Over the weekend, director Zach Braff joined the legions of successful crowdfunders. How can your business follow in his footsteps? We discuss below. Sometimes, in order to find funds for your next project or product release, you need to turn to the community. Director and actor Zach Braff made headlines this weekend, doing just that... Read more »

8 Tips To Ensure Your Next Viral Video

Ryan D — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:28:12 +0000

Synopsis: With the competition online to stand out being so intense, the chances of your online video going viral are slim to none, unless you use these techniques we outline below. It may be the most vague term in all of the online world. “Viral Video.” What does that mean? How many views does it take... Read more »

Can You Harlem Shake Your Company Into the Minds of Customers?

Ryan D — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:38:21 +0000

Synopsis: Creative marketing campaigns can build buzz about your company. But make sure you’re taking the right steps to ensure people show and that potential customers see the end result. We talk about how below. It feels almost impossible not to simply fall in love with truly creative marketing events that businesses pull off. There’s so... Read more »