Entrepreneurship

Pitch Competitions

Pitch competitions create hype within conventions, conferences, and trade shows. Business competitions can also be standalone events. When a founder’s storytelling becomes award winning, pitch competitions can enrich your business. Feedback, awareness, complimentary services, and cold hard cash are all up for grabs.

As you explore business competitions, recognize the commitment required for each event. While application fees are rare, applying for pitch competitions can be time consuming. As you apply for different types of events, repetition makes the process more efficient. Save content before submitting each application for a head start on future submission forms. Along with bettering the application process, consider the competitive environment you’ll be occupying.

How can your initial application solidify a positive first impression? What will be required to participate in a meaningful way? Will the audience respond to a presentation meant to share or a pitch built to impress? How much time will you be given? Who are the judges? How can your narrative be catered to the judges’ scoring criteria? Will there be time for questions? If so, what questions should you be prepared to answer? With these considerations in mind, it’s time to prepare the transmission.

NEXT WEEK: Slide Deck Design

By Ben McDougal, ago

Feedback is Data

Customer discovery paves the path to profitability.

This really is the work for entrepreneurs starting a new business. Customer discovery requires curiosity, patience, humility, hard work, thick skin, an interest in being wrong, discernment, and a willingness to adapt.

For many entrepreneurs, impartial feedback can be scary. Customer discovery puts our ideas on the hook and conversations with strangers may contradict past assumptions, but that’s the point! Interacting with the market you seek to serve allows us to learn from “no” in a way that gets us to “yes.” As you collaborate with those who criticize what you’re building, learn why naysayers disagree with your hypotheses. Be humble and make your concepts more compelling to change their minds.

Collecting such real-world data is human and intellectual capital that will attract more network and financial capital. The more you learn from others, the more you’ll recognize—and be able to meet—true demand. This can be a protracted process, which can make it feel unnecessary, but honest feedback will strengthen your value proposition and allow you to eventually go further in the right direction.

When learning from the perspective of others, remember that feedback is only data. This data should be collected, organized, and examined like a scientist. Inference is more effective with more data, so the more feedback you have, the easier it can be to make decisions.

As you translate feedback into action, you must also find your own way. Even with good intent, people who provide you feedback are doing so based on their own experiences. The experience of others is based on the past and is unlikely to harmonize with your exact situation. There are many ways to build your business, so perpetually gather as much feedback as possible and use diversified data to guide your company toward product-market fit.

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My community visit with 1MC Joplin was sweet, this feature article was a neat chance to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, I’m gathering my own feedback by presenting Pour Over Publishing at 1 Million Cups Des Moines, and the much anticipated YDNTB audiobook is almost done!

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Organization

Think of the last time you moved into a new home. A clean slate is easy to work with, but can quickly become cluttered as you make it your own. As entrepreneurs develop more creative content, organization is a habit that helps you scale.

The best way to do this is on the front end. Take the time to name and organize your growing collection of files in a way that’s easy to navigate. This sounds simple, but cluttered folders with unrelated files form fast. Need proof? Take a look at your recent downloads or the mess that is a “My Documents” folder.

To boost efficiency, be quick to start new folders and subfolders. Such organizational diligence adds value now and later. You’ll build faster with quick access to what you need. You’ll also be able to more effectively return to past projects. Organization is hard on your own computer. It’s much harder with more people adding all their own materials into a library of files. If the team uses the same library, establish naming conventions and organizational standards.

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Thanks to all who made this YDNTB audiobook release party so special!

Another good organizational habit is to maintain external storage. This supports unlimited growth and ensures everything you build is backed up. It takes a bit of time, but storage space has become basically free. Throw that external hard drive in your bag and treat it like it’s part of your computer. Cloud storage is another good backup method, but online connectivity may be required. For added security, store one more external hard drive outside your home or office. A safety deposit box is a good off-site option. Don’t let data lose spark interest in a better backup plan.

Data management is important, but organization plays a role in other areas as well. Nobody likes working with people who miss deadlines or go silent without reason. Stay organized with your calendar, email, phone, social media landscape, and workspace. This reduces the distraction of clutter and creates a healthy space to do your best work.

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This concludes our 6-week skill building series. To see how everything fits into the broader marketing discussion, pop over and snag You Don’t Need This Book.

As your multimedia marketing skills evolve, merge them to generate all the feels. Learn how to write so it’s easy to read. Snap photos that tell stories. Shoot contrasting collections of video that are enjoyable to watch. Bring narratives to life with captivating graphic design. Get creative and stitch it together with sharp organization. This concoction of multimedia marketing skills is a potent formula for endless stories that sell.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Creativity

With status quo so easy to find, creativity may be your only chance to stand out.

Those who seem more creative have allowed themselves to be creative more often. Like training your mind to be an idea machine, creativity is a skill that comes with practice. The more you let yourself get creative, the easier it becomes. Start with a will to explore your past, current, and future environment through the lens of pure wonder. As this mental habit forms, try new things, conceptualize crazy ideas, doodle, or just daydream a bit more often. These exercises create space to explore creative ideas without limitations.

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Creatives don’t need to be inspired. Every day is a holiday. Celebrate it and let your practice inspire the art.

When you enjoy being creative for fun, you can focus that spirit into your work. As creativity flows through your work, the storytelling becomes more interesting. If you then combine interesting content with consistent execution, the potential to be remarkable is unlocked.

UP NEXT: Skill #6 – Organization

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Graphic Design

Graphic design brings everything together. Multimedia marketers use graphic design to transform raw content into branded stories. A powerful position awaits entrepreneurs who combine graphic design with other multimedia marketing skills.

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YDNTB just received another big endorsement!

When it comes to learning graphic design, first find software you like. I prefer Adobe Photoshop, but Canva is a free option that’s grown in popularity. As you explore graphic design software, you’ll learn a lot just by tinkering. Simple effects like backgrounds, banners, borders, gradients, and text overlays will soon become child’s play. These everyday enhancements strengthen the continuity of your content creation. You can also watch tutorial videos or take a class to go even further, but for most busy entrepreneurs, the basics are enough to make the marketing message more consistent and thus, easier to connect with an audience.

The ability to bring your own ideas to life saves time and money. The time saved from less creative collaboration can be spent delivering more content. The money saved can be used to push stories further. Fewer cooks in the kitchen also makes pure brand alignment a breeze.

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My go-to resolutions for photos/graphics I plan to share throughout social media, is 16×9 paired with a complementing square version.

As you build new projects, maintaining brand alignment must become second nature. To achieve consistency, use the same colors, fonts, and logo pack for every project. If you’re a lone wolf or working with a small team, a dedicated document to highlight brand guidelines will help maintain long-term alignment. A more official document with assets and guidance on how to use everything, often called brand guidelines or a brand kit, will add increased value the more different designers interact with your brand.

This rigidity can feel less adventurous and even lazy for true creatives. If that feeling creeps in, think of brand guidelines like skipping past the small talk. You now have more creative freedom to mix up the story! This combination also makes stories more remarkable. The added variety keeps things interesting, while the consistency avoids brand confusion.

Be distinctive with graphic design, but stay consistent to the aligned narrative that sets you apart.

UP NEXT: Skill #5 – Creativity

By Ben McDougal, ago