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As a founder, you and your company's origin stories are more important than you think. Michelangelo Di Battista | Sony | RCA | Getty Images Yes, that's become conventional wisdom in entrepreneurship circles — but it is now being backed by emerging research, including my own work at the University of Iowa and colleagues' work elsewhere. Data shows that a founder's story isn't just appealing; it is central to whether consumers buy what you're selling. There's a good reason for this. We live in an age of manufacturing excellence, where what differentiates a product is not necessarily its quality or durability, or even its specific functionality. Instead, it is a story: Where the product comes from, what makes it unique, and who inspired it. Related: 3 Ways to Use Authenticity to Build Customer Loyalty Consider Toms canvas shoes. Why would a consumer choose Toms over other...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Your product is your company's primary selling point, but it doesn't have to be the only feature. In fact, when companies open up their products to integrations with third-party software, they unlock an entire world of possibilities. In the years since releasing our flagship product, the smart video intercom, the ButterflyMX team and I have made a pointed effort to expand our reach by integrating our software with third-party products. For example, just this year, we partnered with RemoteLock so that our unified access control solutions now connect to more than 80 smart locks to seamlessly provide building and apartment unit access from our mobile app. This has significantly expanded our products' capabilities without the time, energy and financial investment of launching an entirely new product, which has helped grow our business substantially. If you're at the helm of a startup loo...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. As the product-led growth (PLG) motion becomes increasingly more popular, the process will mature as will the strategic process of acquiring customers. The stages of customer acquisition are becoming ever more apparent in line with the flywheels of both the PLG process and the inbound marketing strategy. The PLG flywheel has four stages; activate, adopt, adore and advocate. The inbound flywheel has three; attract, engage and delight. Each of these spins faster the more you learn, test and iterate for long-term success. Yet none of these reflects the principles of product-led onboarding in my mind. Related: How Customer Enablement Drives Product-led Growth The stages of onboarding for B2B PLG organizations To set the scene, onboarding does not start at the point someone signs a contract or inserts their credit card details. Onboarding is widely agreed to start at the first touchpoint in any channel yo...

Photo : Sorapop Udomsri ( Shutterstock ) Children can be fickle creatures. A toy they wanted more than anything else could lose its appeal in a matter of minutes. But through fads and trends, one item has kept kids entertained for generation: A (large) cardboard box. To a kid, a cardboard box that’s big enough for them to fit inside with a friend or sibling has the potential to be anything: A fort, a plane, a spaceship, an office cubicle, or their own personal library. It can also simply be a cardboard box that they sit inside while everyone else is stuck on boring couch or chairs. That’s why we propose gifting your little kid a giant cardboard box—not as a replacement for their other present(s), but as something to add that doesn’t cost much, but they’re likely to enjoy. Here are some ideas. How to gift a cardboard box to your young child The first step is finding the right box. If you happen to be getting a new large appliance sometime very soon, then you’re all set. Otherwise...

These hands are typing “Fuck this crappy keyboard.” Photo : Angelika Smile ( Shutterstock ) MacBooks have, for the most part, been known to some of the best keyboards in the biz. For the most part . From 2015 through 2019, though, Apple “revolutionized” its laptops with the butterfly keyboard, a low-travel keyboard prone (or doomed) to failure. Sticky keys and double-presses have plagued so many users, Apple eventually dropped the design altogether. But they’re not off the hook for their poor design choices. In fact, they might owe you money for your pain and suffering. What happened to Apple’s butterfly keyboard? Apple’s butterfly keyboard was a disaster from the jump, but the company never wanted to admit fault. Soon after Apple implemented the design across their entire line of MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros, users started complaining, and with good reason: While the keyboard’s low travel was polarizing (personally, I’ve always liked it), the design made it all too ...

Whether it's cutting out the noise or getting caffeine into your system faster, these products help you stay locked in. https://www.tausiinsider.com/5-new-products-that-help-you-avoid-distractions-at-work/?feed_id=331236&_unique_id=6452bce2f2d0e