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Innovation and Personal Branding
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Exploring the worlds of professional development, entrepreneurship, learning, and networking.
Curated by
Ally Greer
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Scoop.it!
Even if newly-minted entrepreneurs are talented and qualified, they often aren't taken seriously right off the bat. Here are a few ways to change that.
Ally Greer's insight:
I'm admittedly a pretty big fangirl of Dorie Clark and pretty much stand behind everything she says. I really love these ideas in particular though. While this post is quite oversimplified, it's an easy-to-digest introduction to the things you need to be doing - both online and off - to present yourself as an expert. Try them out, you might be surprised how the world's perception of you can change! 
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"I’m always amazed at how many startup founders describe their company with: “We have this really cool product with features like…” and then mention foosball tables, yoga rooms, and Chief Fun Officers. But when they start with: “Millions of people have a problem that we solve by…” I know they’re starting at the right place. There’s nothing wrong with startup perks, but they’ll be gone when the “cool product” becomes a solution that could never find a problem."
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A lot of brands don’t make it because in the process of trying to get many things right, they don’t get anything right.
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A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others; in my book Employee Engagement 2.0 I open every chapter with an enlightening quotation. Below are my top 100 leadership quotes of all time.
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The co-creator of Twitter and Blogger has decided that "the internet is simply a giant machine designed to give people what they want." Here's what this grand unified theory means and where it came from.
Ally Greer's insight:
Brilliant writeup on invaluable advice from Evan Williams, the co-creator of Twitter. Williams stresses that the internet is nothing more than "a giant machine designed to give people what they want." “We often think of the internet enables you to do new things,” Williams said. “But people just want to do the same things they’ve always done.” Williams has an amazing point, especially for people looking to create new startups using the web. The Internet isn't a magical thing that makes you able to promise things to consumers that you weren't able to do before - well, it is, but just not in the mystical way it's sometimes painted. The Internet makes things easier. It takes steps out of age-old desires like getting from one place to another or buying a book (Hello, Uber and Amazon). Highly recommend taking the time to read this piece on Evan.
Syed Imad's curator insight,
October 8, 2013 11:38 AM
Certainly very true considering how the net has managed to create a huge impact on our lives. Some people even term it as a basic necessity of life in addition to food and water.
Survival without the internet seems very much unlikely!
Ev Williams's meaningful statement comes at the right time! 
Lee Tyree Network's curator insight,
February 6, 2014 12:55 AM
Lee Tyree Network! Likes this... @leetyreentwk
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Ally Greer's insight:
I can always get behind Richard Branson and his startup stories and advice. This is a great event he held during Social Media Week at Virgin entitled "Sex Up Your Startup - Q & A with Richard Branson" and even includes some advice to a young entrepreneur to "put a little something extra [in her] cookies and expand in Colorado and Washington."
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What are the habits of successful people? Surely they are just like you and me! Not quite, the habits of successful people can be broken down very concisely like this:
Ally Greer's insight:
I love how the beginning of this post tells the story of an unnamed entrepreneur and how he found success out of seemingly inopportune beginnings (ok fine, it's Richard Branson). When it comes down to it, the most successful people didn't think about what they were doing before they did it - they just dove in. If we overthink everything, there will always be a way to convince ourselves that we're not ready; this is what holds most of us back from success and happiness. Whether it be personal, business-related, or anything else in life, take a leap and let the chances of success overcome the risks of failure. What's the worst that could happen?
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My story of entrepreneurial failure and success on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ally Greer's insight:
Scoop.it's CEO Guillaume is sharing his story as a part of SlideShare's #mystartupstory. What a cool adventure!
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From
tech
Don’t have time to read? Here’s a quick but comprehensive summary of Matt Blumberg’s “Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business,” released on September 3, 2013 (part of Brad Feld’s Startup Revolution...
Ally Greer's insight:
Love the concept of "a book in 5 minutes!" This pseudo book review takes all of the best tips and informatin from Matt Blumberg's book and puts it into an awesome blogpost worth reading if you're a startup founder, want to be one, or are just fascinated by people who are.
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“No joke. This is going be a bullet FAQ on starting a business. If you're a lawyer, feel free to disagree with me so you can charge someone your BS fees to give the same advice.” Via Guillaume Decugis
Guillaume Decugis's curator insight,
August 20, 2013 12:06 PM
Funny and witty though I disagree with some of the points. Worth reading anyway because these questions will always come up when you start a company.
EZIA's curator insight,
November 14, 2013 7:55 PM
Really like the direct points in this article - No BS
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We’ve all heard that founding teams are more likely to succeed than solo founders...
Ally Greer's insight:
Here's an interesting perspective fro entrepreneur Denny Britz. Though it's easy to think that when a group of people seems headed for success, they will do anything to make it happen, sometimes external factors can have a significant impact. You're as good as the people with whom you surround yourself.
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Ally Greer's insight:
If you're looking to get started on LinkedIn and aren't sure about the main things to focus on, take a look at these clearly defined actions by Brian Murray of Likeable Media!
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The Midwest is more than great BBQ and Tornado Alley. It’s a veritable pool of ingenious startups that are giving their coastal neighbors from New York to Silicon Valley a run for their money. From foodie startups to companies revolutionizing education, it’s crucial for investors and consumers alike to keep an eye on this surprising hot spot of entrepreneurship. Heading into 2014, here are five innovative Midwestern startups to watch.
Ally Greer's insight:
These are some great companies doing cool, innovative things outside of Silicon Valley!
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Ally Greer's insight:
Great LinkedIn Influencer series on "the best advice I ever got." Various CEOs, thought leaders, professionals, etc, share the best piece of advice that they've received during their careers.
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"Life really begins when you have discovered that you can do anything you want."
Ally Greer's insight:
I just love the ideas in this piece curated on BrainPickings. Taking a somewhat unconventional post-college path myself, I'm a firm believer in not doing what you're told you're supposed to do, and following your passions towards down a life path filled with the things that you want to do. Another cool idea from this post include the four types of tasks included in any job - Creative, Administrative, Executive, and Line. I find the parallel nature of almost any job in the world to be extremely fascinating. There are so many types of careers out there, many of which feel like they go over our heads (similarly to the way others may feel about ours) and the fact that they can all be broken down into four basic parts is truly amazing. Take a look through the rest of the article, you won't regret it!
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From
tech
The end of the year is a time for reflection - figuring out what went well this year, what you could have done better, and how you’ll improve in the new year.
Ally Greer's insight:
Some great tips in here from startup founders and entrepreneurs. The overarching themes seem to be those which we hear pretty often: work hard, focus on what's important, never give up.
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"Weigh in on the debate: is thought leadership ever altruistic? Or a thinly veiled disguise to market oneself?" Via Marc Rougier
Ally Greer's insight:
Completely agree with both Marc and Mr. Dragon. The success and whether or not people "buy in" to your thought leadership efforts truly depends on your motivation - which isn't hard to hide. Practicing thought leadership should come from a sincere desire to help others and share your experience which has led to earned knowledge, rather than just trying to make money off of something you claim to know. As Marc points out, though, if this is truly your motivation, the sales will follow.
Marc Rougier's curator insight,
November 13, 2013 3:49 PM
Ric Dragon take on Thought Leadership is straight to the point, pragmatic and ROI-oriented. And honnest. He exposes an important difference betweenThought Leadership and the classical sales tricks: creating long term, altruistic value, not expect immediate return. Thought Leadership is way more than a sales tactic. It's about being authentic, innovating and inspiring. It's a good thing that it's also a valuable way to develop a brand - and therefore, sales. 
Elisa & Elena's curator insight,
November 13, 2013 6:15 PM
Beautiful article on selling something you claim to know versus actually caring and sharing you knowledge and making a profit as a result. Thought leaders is what you need to be.
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Ally Greer's insight:
From Personal Digital Curator to Curiosity Tutor, I can't wait to see where these types of jobs go and what even cooler positions they lead to in the future!
Marc Rougier's curator insight,
September 30, 2013 5:13 PM
Digital Curator, Curiosity Tutor, Hackschool Counselor... Wish they are right!
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There were several factors that contributed to YouTube becoming the #1 video sharing service on the web. But a lot of initial adoption was driven by the fact that it had pirated content hosted on it. If you wanted to watch the latest episode of Lost for free, YouTube was your best bet: no queued downloading through torrents, just stream it from the server. Via Guillaume Decugis
Ally Greer's insight:
From Guillaume: " Of course this form of bootstrapping doesn't scale but we know it doesn't matter: http://sco.lt/6n1fhh "
Guillaume Decugis's curator insight,
September 29, 2013 3:29 PM
How to solve the chicken and egg issues hat marketplace services have. Faking it before making it can work. And can actually prove necessary not only to get traction but to give the right culture or identity to a service. Of course this form of bootstrapping doesn't scale but we know it doesn't matter: http://sco.lt/6n1fhh
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Courtney Boyd Myers and Erica Berger are the founders of 3460 Miles, a bi-weekly newsletter that connects the New York and London tech, design, and social good communities.
Ally Greer's insight:
Even though I'm still a little bitter about NYC's tech scene after last week's NYMag post, I still think that there's lots to love about "Silicon Alley." The people on this list are doing awesome things, and if you live in NYC (or if you like tech), they're definitely worth a follow.
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The only reason that typesetting works is that a small collection of letters can be re-used again and again to print millions of different words. This seems obvious, but it was actually the conceptual breakthrough that led to the long...
Ally Greer's insight:
I can get behind almost every single thing ever written by Seth Godin. I love his idea of comparing our skill sets to our own personal 'alphabet' of assets/letters that we can reuse and combine in an infinite number of ways to create new things.
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Richard Barnson shares his common sense secrets of success.
Penelope's curator insight,
August 28, 2013 8:28 PM
Many are fascinated with Sir Richard Branson and all that he has been able to accomplish in his lifetime.
I love to read about and learn from successful entrepreneurs; what is their daily routine, what kinds of decisions do they make, and what trials have they have had to overcome to make it to their mountaintops?
Take a little time out of your day for some inspiration from one of the world's most intriguing CEO's. Here are a few:
“Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn’t you have fun at work?”
“The time to go into a new business is when it’s badly run by others.”
***This review was written by Penelope Silvers for her curated content on "Storied Lives"***
The original article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2013/03/16/11-quotes-from-sir-richard-branson-on-business-leadership-and-passion/ 
Anna V. A. Resurreccion's curator insight,
October 4, 2013 5:49 AM
Posted this for my curated food business magazine
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Deb Nystrom, REVELN's curator insight,
August 15, 2013 12:44 AM
Useful retrospective on what mattered to the Apple great leader. ~ Deb
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This happens all the time. A founder develops a breakthrough idea and starts a company to build it.
Ally Greer's insight:
I find it hard to dislike anything that Ben Horowitz writes, and this post certainly fits that tendency. Horowitz describes the "Product CEO Paradox," which states that the only thing worse for a company than an overly engaged CEO is a disengaged CEO. Here, he provides a few tips and lessons on how to step back when your product succeeds and ensure that you're not being overbearing on your team so that they can work on future success. This advice is mostly geared towards the CEOs of larger companies who have already found success with their products, but the overall lessons are important to note as no one likes a micromanager.
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This is an incredible piece of reporting by Nicholas Carlson. It tells the story of Tim Armstrong, the current CEO of AOL, and how he went from recovering a bankrupt strawberry field in college to being a top salesman at Google to starting his own company and then joining AOL Time Warner as CEO (which is where the story just begins).
In a few short years, he spun off from Time Warner with AOL, bought The Huffington Post for over 300 billion dollars, fought patent wars and an epic proxy war, survived a potential shareholder takeover, and worked endless hours to defend his own company as a part of AOL's investments.
I love reading about executives and their stories and am fascinated by the successes and failures that have led them to where they are today - and you should be too.
A super long read, but beyond worth the time.