The best marketing can’t be measured

Plus, Ryan Deiss on the business lessons he forgot this year ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  The Memo | Issue #59 Tuesday, September 14th, 2021 Welcome back to The Memo! [If your startup is profitable, you've won.]( Think about it: how many businesses show huge revenue growth on paper coupled with huge losses a little lower down the balance sheet? Revenue is easier to scale, but a business that’s healthy and sustainable for the long term needs to be profitable. Now, let’s dive in... An Operating System to Scale Your Business “I’m breaking down why all companies (and their founders) get stuck. More importantly, I’m sharing how to get unstuck by installing a “Scalable Operating System” (ScalableOS, for short) into your business.” Good companies and great entrepreneurs have one thing in common: at some point, they get stuck. All the product-market fit and entrepreneurial vision in the world can’t stop your company from hitting its plateau. To move beyond the dreaded stall, you need a scalable operating system for your business—ScalableOS. In this 3-part video mini-course, Scalable co-founder and CEO Ryan Deiss breaks down the steps to [build and install a scalable flywheel that keeps your business growing]( including: - Understanding the entrepreneurial life cycle - Finding your founder type - Spinning the flywheel Related: [6 reasons your company isn’t growing as fast as it could]( The Best Marketing Can’t Always Be Measured “Word of mouth will always be the # 1 marketing channel. We just don’t like it because it’s harder to harness.” The other day, I bought a pair of sandals because my sister-in-law told me she loved hers. That brand can’t quantify where my sale came from—but it’s just as valuable as any sale coming from their Instagram ads. With all the data and analytics available today, many business overs and marketers have moved toward quantifiable channels. But, as Drift Chief Brand Officer Dave Gerhardt argues, [word of mouth is still king.]( In this quick-hit LinkedIn post, Gerhardt explains why word of mouth is so powerful and why, nonetheless, marketers today tend to fixate on channels that offer hard data. Related: [You should be spending more on marketing]( Scale Your Business With Podcasting [Sponsored] Podcasts are a HUGE opportunity for business owners right now. There are over four million podcasts with hundreds of millions of listeners. It’s one of the very best ways to create authentic and human touchpoints with your target audience—at scale. But where do you begin? How do you get in on this? Our friends at [Speak On Podcasts]( are here to help. They’re a global podcast booking agency geared especially toward entrepreneurs and startup founders. And they know exactly what you need to do to increase your brand awareness and position you and your business as an authority in your industry. Sharing your message on podcasts is the perfect way to attract ideal customers organically without being salesy. You’re expanding your existing network by tapping into a well-targeted pool of podcast listeners who are just waiting to get to know you. And there’s more! Speaking on podcasts: - Elevates your SEO profile because hosts include your links in their show notes - Gives you long-form content to repurpose into micro-content for social media - Leads to countless revenue opportunities, referrals, partnerships, etc. Want to learn how you can leverage podcast guesting in your business? [Book your FREE Podcast Strategy Session ($250 value) TODAY!]( How To Build A Team That Attracts Investors “When you change direction, penetrate a new market, and when the market chews you up and spits you out… it’s your team that will keep your startup afloat.” Investors and VCs the world over have been quoted saying the team is what sells them on investing in a company… or not. Despite that, too many founders focus more on the product and innovating—both in their day-to-day work and in pitching to investors. But, as founder and CEO Dr. Maria Stern breaks down in this article, [building out the right team is what attracts investors.]( We love this 5-minute read because Maria breaks down why investors care so much about your team, characteristics of a good founding employee, roles to hire for, and tips for building a strong team. Related: [How to delegate at scale]( Founders Are Never Done Learning “Knowing what you're BAD at is more important than knowing what you're GREAT at. Self-awareness means putting people and systems in place to prevent us being our own worst enemies.” We talk a lot about learning from experienced founders in this newsletter. Sometimes, you’re the experienced founder you need to learn from—because it’s easy to forget, second-guess, and have to relearn some of the things you’ve picked up along the way. That’s what happened for Scalable co-founder and CEO Ryan Deiss this year. In the process of teaching, Ryan realized [he’d forgotten a few important business lessons.]( In this brief Twitter thread, Ryan breaks down 4 big lessons he relearned, including: - Companies need a single strategic goal - Knowing what you’re bad at is more important than knowing what you’re great it - And more Related: [The 4 phases of business growth]( One Last Thing... Think about all you’ve learned on your entrepreneurial journey. Are you still putting that experience to work today? - The Scalable Team --- We hope you enjoyed this week’s issue. If you did, could you do us a favor and share it with 3 friends and colleagues? It would mean the world to us. Thanks. :) Share The Memo Step 1: Click the button below Step 2: Share the Memo with friends Step 3: Earn Rewards Refer 3 friends and get listed on our site as a "Founding Subscriber," plus some mystery gifts we know you'll love... :) [Share The Memo]( What is The Memo (a.k.a. the thing you’re reading right now)? Every week, my partners and I send an email memo to our internal executive leaders (the people running our companies) sharing news and insights we believe they should know. Sometimes it's an interesting article...sometimes it's a new thought or idea...but it's always something timely, tactical, and actionable. Now, you can get the same memo... and you don't even have to sell us your company. 🙂 What is The Scalable Company? The Scalable Company is a collective of founders and entrepreneurs who have no idea what they’re doing, and are willing to admit it. You can read our “Accidental Entrepreneur Manifesto” [here]( and peruse our internal “wiki” of resources and best practices [here](.  Sent to: {EMAIL} The Scalable Company, 4330 Gaines Ranch Loop, Ste 120, Austin, Texas 78735, United States Don't want future emails? [Unsubscribe](