Hey All,
If you read one thing this week, make sure it's the first article. It's not often you hear someone so opinionated about their business.
Hope you're having a great week. Enjoy this week's articles and if you're feeling inspired, pass it on.
Craigslist's Ongoing Success Story via @business
This 2007 interview with Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster is old but not outdated. Just check out his answers to these questions ...
Why aren't you doing more to monetize the site?
We've been told by salespeople that we could bring in many millions of dollars by adding text ads but our users aren't asking us for text ads so we don't have them.
Have you ever considered a redesign?
People have suggested that, but they're usually Web designers.
Simplicity has emerged as a big theme in business. How does it apply to your work?
We're in the top 10 companies in traffic with a staff of 24, whereas the other companies on that list have staffs of more than 10,000.
We don't have sales and marketing. We mainly have engineers. We don't have meetings. We're not trying to maximize revenue. When you're not trying to maximize revenue, it's surprising how little staff you need.
Content Is Customer Success via @GregoryCiotti
This is a great post from Greg Ciotti that really gets to some of the issues content marketers face today.
If you’ve been fortunate enough to have a truly exceptional teacher in your lifetime, you know that only part of their magic was teaching the material. The other part was getting you to care. Don’t just show customers what to do, remind them why they should bother.
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs via @davidgraeber
I'm not sure what to make of this article but it's an interesting look at the "knowledge work" that we all do.
In the year 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that technology would have advanced sufficiently by century’s end that countries like Great Britain or the United States would achieve a 15-hour work week. There’s every reason to believe he was right. In technological terms, we are quite capable of this. And yet it didn’t happen.
The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2015 via @anaisfreely
You might want to keep this one if you need data for a future post. (487 stats!)
12 Documentaries on Netflix That Will Make You Smarter About Business via @Jenna_Goudreau
Some really good stuff in here if you're looking for something to watch this weekend.
Have a great week!
Jimmy