The Danger of Profitability: It Masks Deeper Problems
From the outside, Cogent Entertainment Marketing looked like a success: It got early into the influencer marketing game, quickly signing big clients and making good money. And because profits were hig...
12 Feb 201823min
Going From B2C to B2B: Why Poppin Transformed Itself
What happens when you’re trying to sell to consumers, but your best customers are actually other businesses? Furniture-maker Poppin’s answer: It radically transformed itself to meet this new customer....
5 Feb 201819min
How Transparent is Too Transparent?
Beck Besecker believes in transparency. So much so, that he calls Marxent, “aggressively transparent.” That means everyone can talk to everyone else. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has access to manag...
29 Jan 201814min
How A Young, New, Female Boss Took Over Her Male-Dominated Company
Chrissy Monaco was basically raised at Monaco Ford, her dad’s car dealership. Then in January of 2017, she took over as co-owner and new boss—now in charge of men she’d known all her life, some of who...
22 Jan 201818min
He Said Yes Too Many Times, Then Learned to Say No
Entrepreneurs love to say yes—to new ideas, to new opportunities, and to new markets. But yes can be dangerous: The wrong yes will compound itself, stretching a company thin and clouding its sense of ...
15 Jan 201825min
How to Win in a Ruthless Industry? Try Being Nice.
Tami Halton Pardee started out working in Hollywood—an industry known for crushing hours and sociopathic behavior. Then she left to work in real estate in Los Angeles—another industry known for crushi...
8 Jan 201814min
How Tough Mudder Expanded Its Loyal Fanbase
Every entrepreneur wants a loyal fanbase, a group of repeat customers who will evangelize their favorite brand. But superfans come with challenges: They love a company exactly the way it is, and they ...
1 Jan 201821min
What’s Holding Your Company Back?
In its first four years, Tyson Lawrence’s logistics company reached $5 million in sales. “Everything I touched turned to gold,” he says. But then the golden touch disappeared, and his growth stalled. ...
25 Dec 201718min
