Random thoughts
If they are big enough, you’ll find them.
I don’t know if that’s an actual saying. It’s something I’ve thought about often, especially when it comes to research, sales, communications, etc.
As long as the company was big enough, they’d make the press and I’d get the change to know more about them.
Not to say that it’s imperative I know about them. Maybe it’s a pride thing. Or maybe it’s how I was brought up in business. Back in my investment banking days, I was taught to be a ‘voracious consumer of information’. That line has stuck with me.
And, I’d think in today’s connected world of social, media, everything, it’d be even easier to find these bigger businesses.
Yet, over the last few weeks, I’ve heard about two gigantic businesses right in our backyard. One is in cloud/technology and the other is in media.
(In my defense, when I ask colleagues and peers about these companies, the look I get is one of fierce misunderstanding.)
Given a recent report on booming new business growth, it’s exciting to think about how new communications models will help us connect with these new and large companies alike.
Articles (and emails)
- The Small Business Boom Under the Biden-Harris Administration (link). “In 2021, Americans applied to start 5.4 million new businesses—more than 20 percent higher than any previous year on record and more than two-thirds higher than the annual average of 3.2 million new businesses applications per year in the five years prior to the start of the pandemic.”
That’s quite an introduction. The report goes on to highlight 1.8 million of these new businesses planned to hire employees. If we take the flip of that number, more than 65% of these new businesses are not planning to hire employees. A lot of big assumptions here (creator economy, freelancers, etc.), however what will the impact be to our society? Our culture? Our healthcare? We could be in store for a massive ripple effect as these companies begin to mature. (PDF)
- The enormous media company you’ve never heard of (link). “Articles that reference this content almost never mention that the two brothers are also media moguls that oversee a pretty vast publishing empire.”
The referenced tweet in the article tells the entire story.
- Amazon is building an advertising behemoth – and it’s coming for Facebook (link). “The reality is, consumers are searching on Amazon to compare products, even if they plan to step into a store or order directly…”
Amazon has an opportunity to redefine the digital advertising experience. Much of its advertising based on intent searches (Adidas shoes) within a confined and controlled space (amazon.com) and within a trusted brand (Prime, for example). Yet, what happens when Amazon begins advertising on TV (NFL) or in stores (Whole Foods) or in the virtual world (Echo Frames)?
Podcasts (and videos)
- Don’t Build a Website. Do This Instead (link). These types of guides pop up from time to time with absolutely zero momentum behind them. In this case, there’s no clear alternative for a website replacement. Twitter + Medium + Gumroad? The majority of websites today do not need to be overly complex. Seriously. Buy a domain and hook it up to a Carrd.co account. Set up an email with your domain. Then, hook all the services you need to run your business through that Carrd.co website. That’s a one-day project, with the majority of that time spend figuring out the name of the domain. (video)
- What is Web3? (link). Harvard Business Review is getting into the action of defining Web3. Good ~3 minute overview. (video)
- Tony Fadell’s Advice For Building The Next Big Thing (link). Stay focused on the work. Take care of your team. Understand timing. The market has to be ready to listen to the innovation you have. It’s all about the why. Start working on a story that’s a pain killer, not a vitamin. (video)