Virtually every tech startup that I met with during my years as a consultant/blogger/media analyst wanted me to help articulate how they were different from anyone else out there.
That was kind of an obvious need, wasn’t it, because in order to get funding from the VC community and adoption by the public, these companies needed to make a case compelling enough to get people to take that first step — which usually was that first click.
After that, it was a matter of a compelling enough user experience to attract repeated usage, hopefully massive repeat usage as in addictive behavior, a willingness to spend money, and communicate to others in a way that attracted still more usage.
But truth to tell, most of them did not have a unique idea that could be fully differentiated from their competitors. Rather, they tended to be poised at the edge of a new consumer or business trend along with several other groups and probably one only was going to succeed in becoming the category-killer.
My work in these cases involved helping to forge their story. And when I think back on it, my contribution in all cases was only as good as the story they actually had to tell.
The groups I worked with fell into two broad categories — for-profit startups and non-profits. Those are seemingly radically different creatures but in fact they have a lot in common.
Resources — both financial and human — are in short supply, at least at the quantity needed to sustain a long-term play. They all had competitors. They all had visionary founders. And most of them were trying to fashion sexy founding myths.
As a journalist, writer and editor, I could improve their use of language, advise them strategically on positioning and help shape their story. But I couldn’t help them succeed on the basis of fiction.
Their stories had to be true. And the product or service they were offering had to deliver on its promise. Due to that irrevocable state of play, my help was only as successful as their truth allowed.
In this case, what is true in business is also true in life.
NEWSLINKS:
Kyiv attacked by ‘kamikaze’ drones (CNN)
Drone strikes rock central Kyiv; Zelensky says Russia terrorizing civilians (WP)
Strikes Hit Staging Ground for Troops in Russia’s Border Region (NYT)
Planning for the chaotic post-Putin world (Politico)
More Proof That This Really Is the End of History — Over the past year, it has become evident that there are key weaknesses at the core of seemingly strong authoritarian states. (Atlantic)
Leaders of democracies increasingly echo Putin in authoritarian tilt (WP)
Republicans Gain Edge as Voters Worry About Economy, Times/Siena Poll Finds (NYT)
Midterm outlook: 65% Dems win Senate; 72% GOP wins House (538)
The sleeper state Republicans are targeting to win the Senate (Politico)
Democratic Senate candidates who are mainly able to build national brands among the type of liberals who pour small donations into the party’s online coffers built up sufficient war chests to fend off the GOP’s ad offensive. Their colleagues in the House, who were written off for much of the election cycle as having little chance to hold the chamber and are overshadowed by the battles for the Senate, do not appear to be so lucky. [HuffPost]
‘Michigan could become Texas’ — Voters see stark choice on abortion referendum (Politico)
Justice Dept. seeks jail for Bannon in contempt of Congress case (WP)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said “the torch has been passed” from the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 to the Justice Department and the American people following the committee’s final hearing last week. The panel is expected to compile a final report that will include legislative recommendations and potential criminal referrals to the DOJ. [HuffPost]
Trump charged Secret Service agents ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show (WP)
The European Union prepared to slap sanctions on Iran over a human rights crackdown and several ministers warned of separate, new sanctions if Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine was proven. (Reuters)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls for military growth as Communist Party congress opens (CBS)
Americans owe $887 billion on their credit cards, up 13% from a year ago, as essentials like food, gas and housing become more and more expensive. Interest rates are also rising, making it more expensiveto borrow money, and there are signs that people are starting to fall behind on payments. (WP)
Tens of Thousands March in Paris to Protest Rising Living Costs (NYT)
The Taliban Have Essentially Eliminated Women From Public Life (Vanity Fair)
Huge, unusually powerful explosion in space just detected by scientists (Mashable)
Retired judge files state Bar complaint against DA Brooke Jenkins — Martha Goldin asks for inquiry into the DA's paid work for nonprofits that were tightly linked to the Boudin recall campaign. (48 Hills)
Florida Coastal Living Reshaped by Hurricane Housing Codes (WSJ)
The case of the disappearing crab (Politico)
How an asteroid impact would transform the food we eat (BBC)
Area Man Considers Self Ally To Women Unless They Threaten His Status In Literally Any Way (The Onion)
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