The Joeism Blog

I was quoted in this morning’s News & Observer about software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses. The article does a good job of summing up the basics of SaaS. Check it out.
One of the most exciting things about the SaaS business model is how it benefits customers. Because switching costs are low, SaaS-based vendors compete on providing an [...]

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Venture capitalists can be funny and engaging. Yes — it’s true, even show humility. I’m glad that a few firms are bold and confident enough not to take themselves too seriously.
Here are two such examples:

Flash Holiday Card … story of the entrepreneur Snoman turned VC (Blueprint Ventures)
The Anti-Portfolio … listing of all the investments that [...]

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I’m a 559 guy. Last week I went to the mall to find the perfect pair of jeans. I’ve been behind in replenishing my wardrobe with A-players so it was time to make a trip. I’m a Levi’s loyalist. Because I like to keep things simple, I can’t be bothered to try another brand.
After [...]

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This afternoon, while looking for a job description on my computer, I stumbled upon this article from an old Phi Beta Kappa newsletter that I had saved a year or so ago. After reading it the first time, I enjoyed it so much that I actually retyped it in from the printed newsletter.
The article [...]

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"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."–From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Shakespeare was obviously not a technology marketer. I would argue that names do matter and that the name sets the tone for a company and its products. Would Apple be Apple if it [...]

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Email marketing is very effective when done right. The problem is that too often it is done wrong and people end getting frustrated with their service versus identifying the real issue — sending emails is one thing. Doing effective marketing is entirely different.
Email marketing services like Bronto are fairly easy to use and very [...]

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