Guest Posts
Context. I have written this blog post when working for a CRO agency.
A WHEN, WHERE AND HOW GUIDE TO CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION FOR STARTUPS
Sure, you came up with an outstanding idea for a product, but don’t pat yourself on the back just yet.
This is only the first of the 5 phases of a startup lifecycle. And while it’s important that you get it right, what and how you chose to do next can make or break your business.
To state the obvious, growing a business takes time, dedication and not least some fundamental know-how. It’s the latter we’re going to address in this article.
Knowing when to optimize conversion rates is almost as important as knowing how to do it.
WHEN SHOULD YOU START OPTIMIZING?
Rush in and you’ll just be burning money and wasting time with nothing to show for it.
According to Morgan Brown, the perfect moment to start optimizing is in the second stage – when you already have an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).While there is no doubt you should put conversion optimization into your strategy as user growth starts to scale out, it’s crucial to remember that what works for a company that has hundreds of thousands of visits per month, won’t work for a startup that barely has 2000.
With this in mind, let’s explore the most effective and accessible ways startups can boost their conversion rates.
Read more at: https://growthmarketingconf.com/when-should-you-start-optimizing/
Context. wrote this piece after attending London's FutureFest in 2015. Below, there area few thoughts on the atmosphere, the speakers and the topics they approached.
FutureFest 2015: I’ve Seen The Future and It’s as Scary as It Is Thrilling
What’s the future going to look like in a few decades? This is a question all of us have been concerned with, during at least one sleepless night. The most optimistic of us look forward to it like it could solve every single problem we’re facing right now, others, more pessimistic, dread the replacement of humans with machines and the nefarious consequences that might derive from it, both economic and social.
But when it comes to getting a realistic, down to earth vision, the only ones you could rely on are experts in finance, technology and entrepreneurs.
Last weekend, Nesta aimed if not to answer this question, at least excite and challenge perceptions of the future with its flagship weekend event, FutureFest, which took place in London, at Vinopolis on the 14th and 15th of March.
The spacious venue was split into 4 main areas: IMMERSE, EXPLORE, DISCOVER and DEBATE, each of them hosting famous speakers that approached themes such as: future money, future democracy, future machines and even future music.
In the Immerse area, Professor Adrian David Cheok discussed the everysense, everywhere communication and its implications, showcasing Kissenger, the kiss messenger, a pair of robots able to transfer kisses over distance by measuring things like pressure and duration and digital scent technology.
Moving on to the Debate area, there was a heated panel discussion going on about the fate of human skill and sensibility under radical automation. Creating versus removing jobs from the economy and the dilemma of investing in humans, as opposed of investing in the machines, the importance of algorithms in our lives, as well as our tendency to push to the extreme of what’s comfortable were all analyzed and debated during almost an hour.
And because we live in a capitalist society, the future of money was painted by John Lanchester, well known for award winning novels like: “Whoops! Why everyone Owes Everyone And No One Can Pay “, “Capital” and “How To Speak Money”( which I couldn’t resist the impulse to buy). He expressed his belief that in the coming years, cryptocurrency will take over and become the main payment method for all transactions.
The cherry on top which got hundreds of people queueing outside the Explore scene, was the live discussion between Dame Vivienne Westwood, Luciano Floridi, Breffin O’Connor, Geoff Mulgan and EDWARD SNOWDEN.
The “Famous Whistle-blower” talked about ways of reconciliation between Government and citizens and the way their relationship has been affected and the degree to which surveillance prays on the weak.
He also admitted that the UK’s Government is far worse than US’s when it comes to surveillance, revealed a list of publications that still have classified documents, among which: The Washington Post and NY Times and recommended end to end encryption as the best protection measure.
When asked about how he sees his own future, he replied that the situation he finds himself in forces him to think more about today than tomorrow.
Dame Vivienne Westwood talking about how to end vulture capitalism
Among the conference’s top attractions, there was Neurosis, a mixed reality thrill ride featuring a six-degree-of-freedom motion simulator and virtual reality headset to immerse the rider in a surreal environment, controlled by his own brain activity, My Robot Companion- a robot capable of taking the appearance of any face it sees, or even combine features from multiple faces in order to promote bonding with it and Cash Flow, an interactive audio-visual installation by Ithaca Audio exploring the role of money and democracy in the media.
The weekend’s conclusion? The future will be governed by cryptocurrency, robots will be ubiquitous beings who will rather supplement, than replace people and the important jobs will be linked to creativity.
Context. In the following blog post I shared my experience working for a startup, back when the word was fairly new and generated a lot of buzz.
8 Things I Learned Working For A Startup
We live in the Golden Era of startups. We’re surrounded by “rags to riches” fairy tales, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and the startups that fail (those make up almost 90 % of all startups, just so you can get an idea) (http://www.wamda.com/2013/02/90-percent-of-tech-startups-fail-infographic), never make the headlines.
If you’re seriously considering working for a startup, we have good news and bad news. Good news is that it can be very rewarding and you will have a major impact on its level of success. However, it will take a lot of extra work, it will be chaotic and most probably you won’t be able to call in sick.
Below, there are 8 things I learned working for a startup.
#1 The founders make a huge difference
Before taking the job, you should research the founders and find out about their educational background, previous businesses and experience when it comes to managing money.
Also it’s up to them if their employees will work in a pleasant environment stocked with everything they need, or if they’ll starve, desperately trying to cling to every penny, so try to figure out how people who already work there view their situation.
#2 It’s all about risks and rewards
If you choose to work for an early stage startup, it won’t pay as much as a regular job, but you’ll be offered equity. However, the startup might not ever make it. That’s why most of the people who work in startups are genuinely excited about their product/ service.
You gotta have faith, baby!
#3 Be prepared for long hours
Don’t you think for a moment you’re just going to show up at the office, do one or two things and watch cat videos on YouTube for the rest of the program.
In fact, most startups don’t even have a fixed schedule. They focus more on what you do, than on the number of hours spent there.
Important product launch tomorrow? Your dinner will probably consist of a sandwich eaten hastily in front of the keyboard.
But that’s okay, because…
#4 Every role has impact and high visibility
Even if the startup you work for will fail, or it will simply prove not to be your dream job, you’ll have a lot to show for it when all is said and done.
Working with just a few people, means your work it’s ten times as visible, because it will all be done by you, not a whole team of people. Also your freedom is virtually unlimited, leaving you room to try all the good ideas and implement all the features that go through your head.
You will know very clear when your ideas succed and when they fail.
#5 Be prepared for a huge amount of responsibility
Due to the fact that you can count your colleagues on two hands, at best, there is no one to fill in for you. You can’t half ass a project, hoping that someone will fix it for you and there are days when calling in sick is not an option.
Your failures are as visible as your success.
#6 You’ll become a Jack-of-all-trades
And you’ll be rocking all of them. Startups don’t typically afford highly specialized people for all the positions, so if you’re a PR, you’ll become also a copywriter, social media manager, party organizer and marketing manager.
#7 You might not get paid
You simply have to acknowledge that sometimes the pace at which startup burn money is baffling. That brings us back to number two. Risk vs. reward. You got to have faith…and patience.
#8 You have a huge impact on the culture around you, just as it has a huge impact on you
It’s preferable to work for a startup which culture you like, to begin with. But if you feel that you would like one or two things done differently we have great news: It’s totally up to you to change them!
As the culture of a startup shapes and define you until a certain point, you can totally do the same. By definition, the culture of a startup hasn’t reach maturity and startups are in general very open to suggestions.
Do you have something to add to this list? What were your previous experiences with startups?
Categories: Tips
CyberGhost VPN
5 Tips For Preserving Your Online Privacy While Traveling for Holidays
It’s the season to be jolly! And travel. A lot.
Right now, most of you are probably making plans to escape the concrete jungle and head on to a city break somewhere quieter or to go see your family and friends.
However, there are a few important measures you should take in order to fully enjoy your holidays without getting your bank details stolen, accounts hacked, or house ravaged.
Read more at: http://blog.cyberghostvpn.com/5-tips-for-preserving-your-online-privacy-while-traveling-for-holidays/
What You Missed at TechCrunch Disrupt Europe 2014
The European version of TechCrunch Disrupt, the flagship conference of the well-known publication that bears the same name, took place on the 20th and 21st in London.
The city was chosen due to the its reputation of being a magnet of talent, and the plethora of successful startups that emerged from it during the past few years, covering finance, fashion, media, design and entertainment.
Around 1600 people from all over the world, among which: tech aficionados, investors, startups, tech journalists, VCs and angel investors had the opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere at Old Billingsgate Market.
Read more at: http://blog.cyberghostvpn.com/what-you-missed-at-techcrunch-disrupt-europe-2014/
Stop Pointing Your Finger at Jennifer Lawrence and Accept You Might Be Next
This week’s incident is on everybody’s lips. You most probably know what we’re talking about, but in case you’ve been stranded on a desert island for the past couple of days, let me sum it up for you: the internet was overwhelmed by the nude photos of celebrities like Jenifer Lawrence, Rihanna, Kate Uptown and at least a dozen of other female stars.
Their iCloud accounts have supposedly been hacked, and while there are heated discussions and countless speculations on how it was done, the only conclusion you need to draw from this is that it can happen to you, too.
Read more at: http://blog.cyberghostvpn.com/stop-pointing-your-finger-at-jennifer-lawrence-and-accept-you-might-be-next/
8 Amazing Apps And Plug-Ins For Keeping Your Privacy In Check
A few days ago we were talking about the public’s acquired taste for privacy which seems to apply to pretty much all things online, from social media networks to search engines. You are probably using a VPN already (if you’re not, here’s a great deal for you), but you can never be too careful.
That is why, listed below, you can find 8 apps that work wonders when it comes to adding an extra layer of security to your digital life. Best part? They are completely free!
Read more at: http://blog.cyberghostvpn.com/8-amazing-apps-and-plug-ins-for-keeping-your-privacy-in-check/
The Future of Privacy Is Now and it’s Happening in Europe
“Privacy is back, not just as social norm, but as a business model.”-was the quote that got my attention in a Slate article from last week. The piece was centered on the implications of Mark Zuckerberg’s sudden change of attitude from: “Privacy is no longer a social norm”, just a few years ago to today’s attempts to win more users over, through adding extra features that guarantee more confidentiality and changing the default settings.
Needless to say that working for CyberGhost and being a sucker for privacy, I instantly started to look into the subject. It didn’t take long to come up with a list of recent startups whose sole business was either anonymizing their users, or securing their data. Companies like Duck Duck Go, Abine, Signal, Secret, Whisper and Snapchat are surprisingly popular among teenagers.
Read more at: http://blog.cyberghostvpn.com/the-future-of-privacy-is-now-and-its-happening-in-europe/
