The Bootstrap Broadcast – Sept 2018

I don’t know about you, but internally I still seem to run on the school-calendar. September always feels like a time for a fresh start; a time to try a few new things after the summer. Perhaps we’re just fuelled by a summer dose of sunshine, but who knows.

In my case, it’s been my fuel to give our website a major overhaul so that it now actually refers to the coaching, teaching and advisory work I spent most of my time doing with start-ups! It’s still WIP, but I’ve stopped hating it, which is a major improvement. Big shout out to Phil at Pip-Creative for our new logo too.

Thanks to those who replied to my shout-out before the summer break about what content you’d like to see in the newsletter going forwards. You’ll see new additions over the coming months with books and templates too.

Let me know if you’ve got a question you want me to cover next time.

Two-minute tactic:
So you’ve probably heard about or seen IGTV (Instagram TV) in action – but does it have a role for your brand? And if so, how do you get started. Here’s how.

Coffee-break content:
When working with entrepreneurs at UCL I spend a LOT of time on this topic… At the start, focus on building your early following, that all-important tribe. Have a read.

Pick-a-mix content on finding & keeping customers:

• [Product] – Can a side-project become a major cash generator or customer-acquisition channel? If you know what you’re trying to achieve, then these brand stories suggest it can.
• [Social] – Instagram OD today, sorry. But I do love to see what other’s are doing as inspiration for what we could do.
• [Content] – I’m a big supporter of creating the same content but re-purposed it in different formats for different channels. It makes so much more of all the time taken to research, and reaches different audiences too.
• [Email] – This goes into some serious-depth on how to set up email campaigns to drive growth – but if you’re in a subscription, SaaS or e-com business it’s a great read.
• [SEO] – Can you improve your Google search ranking without dedicating hours to content? Neil thinks so, with these simple tools.
• [Startup story] – As a huge advocate for running real-market tests for start-up ideas and new products I love the ballsy approach this startup team took to get around regulations

 

Firestarter fix:

• Building Leadership skills in startups – Anything that builds the founder not just the business is on my radar right now (more to follow) but this was an entertaining read – FIX
• This is you on sleep deprivation – tapping into my latest wellness mission –  FIX
• Startup inspiration – How Slack made work comms not boring to the tune of $5bn – FIX