by Lenny with Stopwatch Creative
Here are five ways to gain your very first customer:
Gaining your first customer can be challenging but essential in building your business. By leveraging your network, attending events, utilizing social media, offering a free trial, and cold outreach, you can increase your chances of success and build momentum for your business. Learn how agencies like Stopwatch Creative and platforms for business like CollaborateandElevate.com are making a positive difference.
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Official Press Release from Stopwatch Creative
Great news! We're thrilled to welcome a new addition to our marketing team here at Stopwatch Creative & CollaborateandElevate.com. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest sophomore intern, Lucy Kloiber, who hails from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With her passion for field hockey, we know that Lucy will bring her competitive spirit and drive to the table. We can't wait to see how she'll use her skills on the field to help our team score some big wins in the marketing world. As a sophomore, we understand that Lucy is just beginning her journey in the professional world. But we're confident that her enthusiasm and eagerness to learn will make her an invaluable asset to our team. We're excited to see her grow and thrive in this new environment, and we're committed to providing her with the resources and support she needs to succeed. At Stopwatch Creative, we pride ourselves on being a dynamic and diverse team, and we're thrilled to add Lucy's unique perspective and experiences to our group. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to creating an environment where everyone can thrive, and we're committed to fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and innovation. We're confident that Lucy will feel right at home with our team, and we can't wait to see what she'll accomplish during her time with us. We're honored to have her on board, and we know that her contributions will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. So, welcome to the team, Lucy! Let's get ready to hit the ground running and make some magic happen in the world of marketing. We're so excited to see what the future holds! Learn more about Stopwatch Creative here: https://www.stopwatchcreative.com/ Learn more about Collaborate and Elevate here: https://collaborateandelevate.com/ by Manny Larcher
Too many meetings can be a waste of time for a number of reasons:
Here are 5 reasons to avoid business meetings:
A lot has been written about this problem, Harvard Business Review has put together a helpful list to make meetings more productive ahead of time: 1. Collect data from each person. To get a clearer view of how meetings are affecting your group, use surveys or interviews to gather data and impressions from every individual. That will help you gauge the full extent of the problem: You’ll learn how much resentment is bubbling under the surface and how much work isn’t getting done during the day. 2. Interpret the data together. Next, it’s critical to come together as a team or a unit to digest everyone’s feedback and analyze what is working and what is not. This must be an open, nonjudgmental discussion of the survey or interview findings. Neutral facilitators can help keep the conversation constructive. However, delegating the data interpretation to an outside consultant—or even just a subset of the team—can undermine success. You’ll need contributions and analysis from all team members to generate the widespread understanding and buy-in required for the remaining steps. At the financial and regulatory consultancy we studied, for example, exploratory interviews revealed that meetings were chopping up calendars so badly that very few two- or three-hour blocks were left for deep-thinking work. Without enough quiet time to concentrate, the consultants felt that their creativity and productivity were being sapped. These disclosures served as a wake-up call for the managers who had been scheduling meetings without a full awareness of the impact they were having. 3. Agree on a collective, personally relevant goal. We have found that personally benefiting from the group’s initiative is a great motivator. For example, you might designate a certain amount of time each week for people to focus on independent work—whether in the office or at home. Giving them such flexibility and freedom can provide necessary relief in their schedules, along with an incentive to make the arrangement work. Declaring “meeting free” periods also forces the whole group to reevaluate meetings that were normally scheduled during those times and to ask who really needs to attend. As a result, we find, teams hold fewer meetings overall, and fewer people go to each one. The additional “white space” in everyone’s calendar increases individual productivity and reduces the spillover into personal time. Here’s how this approach worked at a technology consultancy we examined: Members were based in the United States and India, so a handoff meeting was held each day—early in the morning for some and late at night for others to accommodate the 12.5-hour time difference. The long days were causing significant stress and fatigue on both sides: Early-morning calls were required, family dinners were missed, workdays were more than 12 hours long. Once the team had collected survey data from its members and realized the magnitude of the problem, it altered its approach: Each person was given one workday a week when he or she didn’t have to participate in the handoff call. In order to ensure the appropriate information exchange, team members had to find ways to cover for one another and keep everyone updated. Learning how to do that gave individuals the break they needed, but it also resulted in more shared knowledge and versatility in the group. Furthermore, people gained a deeper understanding of their colleagues’ work, which led to better-integrated offerings for customers. 4. Set milestones and monitor progress. As with any change effort, it is important that concrete and measurable progress be assessed and discussed along the way. Small, tangible wins provide something for people to celebrate, and small losses provide opportunities for learning and correction. Consider this example: At a global e-commerce company, a team of 30 employees spanning the United States and China told us that their weekly all-hands meetings were a pain point. Attendees were often on their phones or laptops. Because people were continually distracted, those who spoke had to repeat themselves frequently, making the time spent not only longer but also much less effective. To help address these problems, the team decided on a simple, tractable goal: Allow no outside technology at the meetings. At first several vocal engineers and even the team leader were resistant, feeling that they should have the right to use their devices, especially when meetings became boring or turned to topics outside their purview. For a while after the initiative was launched, friendly reminders (“No tech, man!”) were necessary. But over time the new norm took hold, and even the manager self-corrected when he instinctively started to check his phone. The team began to see the benefits of this experiment. Meetings became more productive, and people were more engaged. As one engineer said, “This no-tech rule is fantastic! Now that people are more focused on the meeting, it’s more efficient.” Another team member started bringing a notebook to jot down thoughts rather than playing games on her phone. This small victory opened the door to setting other new norms, such as preparing materials more thoroughly ahead of time, keeping meetings as brief as possible, and ultimately reworking meeting cadences to better fit the team members’ schedules. 5. Regularly debrief as a group. Finally, we have found that it is critical to regularly and openly take stock of how people feel about the meetings they attend and about their work process more generally. Frustration, resentment, and even hopelessness are signals that people are falling back into bad patterns. Moreover, changing protocols and behaviors takes time, and sustaining momentum requires consistent attention and contact. At a pharmaceutical company we worked with, the global medical-affairs division established two regular “pulse checks” to monitor the progress of an experiment it was conducting with meeting-free days: one check within the subteam and one across the division. At the beginning of each pulse check, participants answered four questions: How are you feeling? How valuable are the ways in which you are spending your time? How well are you working as a team? Is this sustainable? The answers to these questions triggered substantive discussions, rich in emotional, strategic, and tactical content. Early conversations focused specifically on the meeting problem, but over time they increasingly addressed how team members approached their work—and one another. One manager said, “I’m impressed with how these meetings have allowed people to open up, particularly with [the manager] listening….Pulse checks are really insightful—they give me a good dose of reality…and they surfaced issues that resulted in more cross-coverage, people development, and teamwork. It sounds crazy that this little experiment could create these sorts of results, but it has profound implications far beyond the initial goal.” Read more from Harvard Business Review here. by Manny Larcher
Gino Wickman's book "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business" is a practical guide for entrepreneurs and startup founders looking to build a successful business. Here are three reasons why it is a valuable resource for founders and startups:
Founders building in climate: here are 40 VC funds investing in climatetech at the early stage3/5/2023 by Manny Larcher
Climate Tech is a rapidly evolving field that is focused on developing and deploying technology solutions to address the challenges of climate change. In recent years, there has been a surge of activity and investment in this space, driven by growing public awareness of the urgent need to address climate change. Some of the key developments in Climate Tech over the past few years include:
Overall, the Climate Tech sector is rapidly evolving, and there is a lot of optimism about its potential to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Early-stage ClimateTech VCs shared by Outset Capital: https://lnkd.in/gC92PiXj Do you have a fund and investing in ClimateTech? Get yours added here: https://lnkd.in/g2kTvENM by Manny Larcher Beets, also known as beetroot, are nutritious root vegetables rich in various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Here are some potential benefits of eating beets:
What are Betalains? Betalains are a group of phytonutrients that give beets their rich red, purple, and yellow color. These compounds are water-soluble pigments belonging to nitrogen-containing compounds called betalains. Betalains are categorized into two types: betacyanins, responsible for the red-purple color in beets, and betaxanthins, which give beets their yellow color. Apart from their role in coloration, betalains have also been found to have various potential health benefits. They have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help protect against chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Betalains may also have detoxifying effects and can help support liver function. Additionally, some research has suggested that betalains have anti-microbial and anti-viral properties, which could help protect against infections. Betalains are an essential group of phytonutrients abundant in beets and other related vegetables such as chard and spinach. They may provide various health benefits and are an excellent reason to include beets in your diet. Back to the beets benefits.. 6. Immune system support: Beets are high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which can help boost the immune system and protect against infections. Overall, beets are a nutritious and versatile vegetable with various health benefits when included in a balanced diet. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
These are just a few examples of the many ways you can enjoy the health benefits of beets in your diet.
Get creative in the kitchen and experiment with different recipes to find your favorites, enjoy! Ahead of his upcoming fight this Saturday at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane, we wanted to share his top 9 performances: 1. UFC 165 vs. Alexander Gustafsson: This fight is widely regarded as one of the greatest in UFC history. Jones and Gustafsson put on a five-round war that saw both fighters land significant strikes and takedowns. In the end, Jones won by unanimous decision, but it was a close and hard-fought battle. 2. UFC 140 vs. Lyoto Machida: Jones defended his light heavyweight title against Machida in this fight, and he did so in spectacular fashion. Jones landed a standing guillotine choke in the second round, forcing Machida to tap out and giving Jones his fourth successful title defense. 3. UFC 197 vs. Ovince Saint Preux: In this fight, Jones took on Saint Preux for the interim light heavyweight title. Jones dominated the fight from start to finish, using his grappling and striking to outclass his opponent and win by unanimous decision. 4. UFC 145 vs. Rashad Evans: Jones defended his title against former teammate Rashad Evans in this fight, and he did so convincingly. Jones used his length and striking to keep Evans at bay, eventually winning by unanimous decision. 5. UFC 159 vs. Chael Sonnen: Jones took on Sonnen in this fight, and he made quick work of his opponent. Jones secured a first-round TKO victory, and it was clear that Sonnen was no match for the reigning champion. 6. UFC 128 vs. Mauricio Rua: Jones won his first UFC title in this fight, taking on Rua for the light heavyweight championship. Jones dominated the fight from start to finish, winning by TKO in the third round and establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the division. 7. UFC 232 vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2: Jones faced Gustafsson in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 232, and he did not disappoint. Jones dominated the fight, winning by TKO in the third round and solidifying his status as one of the greatest fighters of all time. 8. UFC 214 vs. Daniel Cormier 2: Jones faced Cormier in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 214, and he once again came out on top. Jones landed a brutal head kick in the third round, followed by a series of punches that led to a TKO victory.
9. UFC 165 vs. Vitor Belfort: Jones defended his title against Belfort in this fight, and he did so in spectacular fashion. Jones locked in a beautiful armbar in the first round, forcing Belfort to tap out and securing his sixth successful title defense. In conclusion, Jon Jones has had many memorable performances in the UFC, but these 9 stand out as his best. From dominant title defenses to hard-fought battles, Jones has shown time and time again why he is one of the greatest fighters of all time. by Manny Larcher If you haven't been following the news lately, then you may have missed a few headlines: - JP Morgan opens regional office in Nairobi, Kenya - Google invested $1B to boost Africa’s digital transformation. - Amazon to invest $280m in Africa headquarters - Microsoft invested $500M to accelerate the growth of 10,000 African startups over the next five years. There are several potential benefits for venture capitalists and private equity firms to invest in Africa, including:
Overall, investing in Africa can offer significant opportunities for venture capitalists and private equity firms, particularly those willing to take a long-term view and navigate the unique challenges of the African market. Seinfeld is considered by many to be one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. Running from 1989 to 1998, the show centered around the life of Jerry Seinfeld and his friends as they navigated the ups and downs of life in New York City. So why was Seinfeld such a big hit? Here are a few reasons:
Seinfeld's success can be attributed to a combination of factors - from its memorable characters and hilarious writing to its impact on popular culture and perfect timing. The show remains a beloved classic to this day, and its influence can still be seen in television and pop culture. There are many benefits to being a content creator. Creative expression: As a content creator, you have the opportunity to express yourself creatively through your content. Whether you are writing, designing, making videos, or creating art, you can use your content to share your unique perspective with the world. Building a following: Creating quality content can help you build a following of loyal fans and followers who appreciate your work and are interested in what you have to say.
Here are some of the top tools that we recommened: Organization - Notion Social Media Management - Later AI Assistance - ChatGPT AI Research - BuzzSumo or Answer The Public by - NP Digital Website - Squarespace Newsletter - Substack or Medium Monetization - Gumroad Design - Figma Video Editing - CapCut or Adobe Creative Cloud Calendar Management - Calendly Project Management - Trello or Asana Stock Imagery - Unsplash Podcasting - Anchor or Riverside.fm Are you looking for a way to connect with customers, find the right person for your business, and join a supportive community of like-minded companies without breaking the bank? Then, look no further than Collaborate and Elevate! Our platform has helped hundreds of businesses across 25 states and five countries, and we can help yours too. Whether you're a startup looking to get off the ground or an established business seeking new growth opportunities, we offer a range of tools and resources to help you succeed.
So why wait? Sign up for Collaborate and Elevate today and start connecting with customers, finding new investment opportunities, and elevating your business to new heights!
"Diversity is different people, like me and you. Community is people coming together to collaborate and embrace their differences. This social justice presentation is a lively experience that allows participants to learn resilience from personal reintegration as well as learn new tips and resources on taking action on diversity, equity and inclusion and community involvement."
Danny Ortiz, CEO of The Wave Columbus, and Manny Larcher, founder of Collaborate & Elevate, come together to discuss life, family, money, creativity, and relationships. http://itsbiggerthanbusiness.com/ This episode: Columbus, Ohio-based Tushar Kulkarni, CEO and co-founder of Big Kitty Labs, yesterday! We discussed numerous topics, including entrepreneurship, tech development, personal and work-life balance, and more! by Lenny with Stopwatch Creative
Creating a successful marketing monetization strategy involves several key steps. Here are some general guidelines:
by Lenny with Stopwatch Creative
A monetization strategy is a plan that outlines how a business or organization intends to generate revenue from its products, services, or content. It involves identifying ways to turn non-revenue-generating activities into revenue-generating ones. Monetization strategies can vary widely depending on the business or organization and the type of products, services, or content being offered. However, some common monetization strategies include:
Thanks for sharing! by Sohaib Albadawee 1. To write is to think, and to think is to change the world.2. You can buy status, but good luck trying to buy trust.3. People call it luck, winners call it persistence.4. Talk is cheap, action your ideas.5. 0% chance of you losing.6. Stick to it for 30 days. No matter how big, you'll achieve it.7. In reality, the challenge is emotional.8. Optimists solve problems before pessimists finish complaining.9. The whole world is trying to distract you from deep work.10. The ultimate entrepreneurship hack: Just start.4 Simple User Design Tips for Building a Better Website: Insights from a Marketing Agency Co-Founder2/3/2023 by Lenny with Stopwatch Creative
Here are four simple user design tips when building websites:
Innovate New Albany created Expert Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Manny Larcher is a first-generation American born in Columbus, Ohio, both of his parents are from St. Lucia. He serves as a Deal Flow associate with JumpStart Ventures, which combines capital, services, and connections to help entrepreneurs grow, researchers commercialize, and corporations innovate. As the co-founder and CEO of Stopwatch Creative, a boutique marketing/tech firm incubating platforms like CollaborateandElevate.com, which connects hundreds of businesses of all sizes with opportunities, Manny leads vision and growth. A lifelong learner who genuinely enjoys digging deep into new technologies and the creatives developing them, Manny loves seeing innovative ideas, and the teams behind them flourish. He also serves on the Board with Black Men Talk Tech and Columbus Young Professionals. Great questions for Manny:
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Foundation has awarded Entrepreneur Ready a grant to provide 300 seats each in the City of Miami and New York City for their entrepreneurship acceleration program.
The program supports small businesses and startups founded by minorities and women and is available at no cost to participants. Through the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion after 6-10 months, step-by-step support as they launch their business with the guidance of experienced entrepreneur coaches, and connections to other like-minded entrepreneurs in their community.
About T.I.G.E.R. Talk
The T.I.G.E.R., is an acronym for Technology, Innovation, Growth, Entrepreneurship, and Responsibility. While I was putting my talk together, I came to the conclusion that the Growth, Entrepreneurship, and Responsibility part is the most challenging to work on, so I wanted to establish some core principles that I operate with the group because the technology and innovation side of things in a way, can be simplified, through trial and error. These have been shared with me by mentors, books, and podcasts.
Dr. Mooreland’s interests and expertise are broad and purposeful including Medication Assisted Treatment of Addiction (MAT), adolescent health, and group prenatal care such as CenteringPregnancyⓇ. Dubbed “The Community Doctor,” Dr. Mooreland founded Life Cycle DPC to be fully committed to serving the community well, free from meaningless boundaries and unrelenting paperwork to engage and be fully present in the community with you and your family.
Connect with Dr. Moorland on LinkedIn and learn more about Life Cycle Direct Primary Care by visiting their website. #rsvp to this hybrid event on January 13th - https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/insiders-guide-to-building-a-brand-and-raising-capital/
About: A recognizable and loved brand is a goal most founders hope to achieve. From treating each customer well, creating walking influencers, to partnering with other brands and growing your team, and raising investment, there are many steps that come from including understanding the various platforms, tools, and resources needed at your disposal. In this TIGER Talk, presenter, Manny Larcher will be sharing tips from his decade of experience working with street teams, call centers, door to door, nonprofits, politicians, private businesses, raising capital with teams, starting bootstrapped profitable businesses, retaining customers in numerous geographic markets, pivoting to new industry verticals, assisting founders in raising money from angel investors and venture capitalists, and exploring the future of technology, community, emerging trends, and more! This will be a hybrid event — both in-person at Innovate New Albany and on Zoom, with a Q&A session at the end. About Manny Larcher: Manny Larcher joined JumpStart Ventures in 2022 as a Deal Flow Associate, where he connects early-stage technology companies with Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A funding, as well as nourishing relationships with entrepreneurial resources around Ohio. Prior to joining JumpStart Ventures, Manny had several years of experience working in business development roles at for-profit and nonprofit companies. In 2017, he co-founded Stopwatch Creative, assisting startups, artists, professional athletes, universities and businesses of all sizes with various marketing and technology development services. When the pandemic created unforeseen complications for entrepreneurs, Manny created Collaborate and Elevate, helping others around the country connect to resources and opportunities. A lifelong learner who enjoys digging deep into new technologies and nourishing ideas, Manny understands the ups and downs of building a successful business. He is a first-generation St. Lucian American born in Columbus, Ohio, who studied Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing at Bowling Green State University. Manny serves on the Board of Black Men Talk Tech as well as the Impact & Inclusion Advisory Board of the Columbus Young Professionals. Propelling into Miami Art Week, Lighthouse hosted IMMERSION to celebrate the launch of their open Metaverse navigation engine. Presented in partnership with BoysClub, MetaMundo, and Nifty Gateway, the launch event featured an installation designed by LUISFERN5 with custom augmented reality blending art, architecture, and design into an immersive physical and Metaverse experience. Click Here For All Event Photos The Metaverse is the next iteration of the internet — the spatial internet — and it needs a search engine. Lighthouse’s portal enables users to find friends and experiences across a wide array of virtual worlds, creating a unifying layer connecting places and people across an increasingly fragmented Metaverse landscape. Like Lighthouse’s navigation engine, IMMERSION was curated to connect people and blur the lines between physical experiences, augmented reality, and social media. The beach-side celebration took place at Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel on November 30th from 7 to 11:30 pm with tunes by Chic Bangs and Mija, custom cocktails curated by Boys Club, and an exclusive NFT drop by Nifty Gateway. IMMERSION also brought out the VIP energy with artists Charli Cohen, JN Silva, and REO in attendance as well as Stan Georgiev (Head of Strategic Partnerships, Ready Player Me), Coopahtroopah, The Distrupt3rs, and more.
“Our vision is to accelerate the humanization of the web by fostering meaningful connections across the open Metaverse. We seek to show the world how easy it is to discover experiences, friends, and creators across the spatial web – and most importantly, how beautiful the Metaverse can be. This event celebrates and elevates the Metaverse art scene, propelled by both established artists and a whole new generation of creators.” - Anastasia Uglova, Head of Communications and Ecosystem Development, Lighthouse
The real reason Reddit NFTs work is because they are more like stickers on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Line: native to the platform, introduce social value (read: they're fun!) and with free versions everyone can use to start. And they're big business: messaging stickers generated $200 million in revenue for Line in 2020. Reddit NFTs differ from Bored Apes and the like because every single one builds around Reddit's mascot, Snoo, the cute little alien figure in the Reddit logo. Longtime Reddit users know that Snoo has long been a central part of Reddit culture. Individual subreddits have community members draw a custom Snoo for their logos. Every single subreddit has Snoo. So allowing every *user* to customize a Snoo avatar is an important evolution. Today, for free, you can pick out different outfits and stylings for your Snoo. When you do, there's a tab called "Shop", which has paid ones - those are the Reddit NFTs we're talking about.
It's not hard to understand why someone would spend $20 on one. The ones sold here are amazingly drawn, deeply creative and limited edition. Way better than the free ones. Way cooler. $20 is a small price to pay for the status of having a standout avatar on the "homepage of the Internet". And that is the same underlying driver for buying stickers on Line. That is the "bull case" for Reddit NFTs as a concept. Stepping back, users trading Reddit NFTs will be an important signal for blockchain games. In some sense, Reddit, like many other parts of the Internet, is a game in itself. It has its own culture, storytelling, ways to win or lose. And these avatars are a cosmetic item much like Fortnite skins. Reddit is perhaps conducting the first at-scale test of the blockchain gaming thesis: that users will want to own and trade their in-game items. It's too early to tell if it's working (user-to-user trading volume is quite low so far), but it's an important throughline that's worth pointing out. It's not about the "vocabulary", nor is it about the number of wallets Reddit has created for its users. Reddit NFTs are different because of what they represent in existing Reddit culture. Every brand needs to analyze through that lens.
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