One of My Biggest Mistakes

Where to start….

Well, let’s say this blog is a long time coming. I should have started it awhile ago, but didn’t feel I had the time to update it so as to add value to folks. Now I’ve decided to make the time. Hopefully you’ll find it useful.

What makes me qualified to be a marketing pundit? Well, I’ve been in marketing for over 25 years. Lead gen, strategy, marketing programs, corporate marketing, PR, management - you name it, I’ve done. I’ve worked for small and large companies, for start ups and established companies. Okay, you get the point.

I hope to provide you with ideas, lessons learned and tools to help you continue to be a successful marketer.

(I should also put in a disclaimer at this point to let you know I am the supreme embellisher (I think that blog name was already taken), so take some things with a grain of salt.)

Let’s start with one of my biggest mistakes. Back in the 80’s, while working at Stanford, I was introduced to the World Wide Web (as we called it way back then). I had to use it as part of my job in working with government contracts. I thought, “Holy shit, this thing could be huge!!” So I told my friends (who are no longer my friends I might add), that I was going to buy www.coke.com and www.oreo.com (my favorite meal). At that time buying domains cost thousands of dollars and my friends convinced me it was insane to make that kind of investment. So I didn’t. Which is part of the reason I’m not retired today. But I digress.

The lesson I learned was to embrace technology. Also that being the first one out of the gate or being an early adopter (of technology in particular), can be tough, and expensive if you’re wrong. But in this business, in this day and age, you have to take some risks and try things. Hopefully you work for a manager and company that is willing to try new things..

Okay, enough for now. Next up, marketing in a down economy, tools of the trade, and so much more.