Erin Bury

The plural of anecdote isn’t data… I heard Matthew d’Ancona say this on the Two Matts podcast, I thought it was smart. We come across a lot of supposed data, which is often just sentiment generated from social media, it often seems to be little more than the aggregation of the views of a few people. Noisy opinion seems, quickly, to become fact. It might be old fashioned, but I think ‘slow’ data may have greater depth and purpose than instant sentiment and social data sources that can often lead the witness. We recently looked at Shoreditch for a project, the sentiment data reflected a stereotypical view of younger people working in digital industries, however the ‘slow’ 2021 Census data shows 58% of residents were born outside of the UK. I think this is far more valuable as a key to unlocking the real makeup of the area, which is a varied mosaic, for example, the Boundary Estate, one of the earliest social housing schemes juxtaposed with start-up culture. We need to understand the difference between fast and obvious data to slow and complex insight that take time to produce. I saw on LinkedIn that Elon Musk said “If you go back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic - being able to talk to people over long distances, to transmit images, flying, accessing vast amounts of data like an oracle. These are all things that would have been considered magic a few hundred years ago.” I think this might be rubbish. The difference he is alluding to is merely temporal, we have always been able to do most of these things, they just took a lot longer (apart from flying!) People have always travelled and communicated over vast distances, but it took years rather than seconds, but they probably ensured what they said was meaningful rather than just sharing a recipe on TikTok. We also had people with real wisdom, scholars who spent a lifetime studying one specialist subject.  The access to more data hasn’t made us wiser, it’s possibly made us more confused and obdurate. Apparently 90% of the world’s data was generated in the last two years, I’d suggest almost zero per cent of the world’s wisdom was generated in that period. I don’t think it’s an accident we’ve had no great philosophers since the birth of the internet; data doesn’t equate to wisdom. #Data #Insights #Wisdom #Census

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Should I or shouldn’t I? Did I really want to admit my age to the whole LinkedIn world? But when one of Canada’s top broadcasters for the CBC – who now runs a Podcast called “The Art 2 Aging” – invites you to be interviewed, I had to say yes. So, aside from letting a few million people know that I am 69 years old, being interviewed by Chris Henry (who is a skilled and award-winning broadcaster) was an incredible gift. In this 30-minute Podcast session, we covered everything from: • how I overcame my fear of starting my own business and manifesting what I wanted • why spirituality is an important cornerstone of my life • how hiring for diversity across gender, age, experiences and skillset has made us a better agency • how to harness the power of GenAI for “good” • how Gina Livy changed my attitude toward food and my body and set me off on a path of wellness that I am happily following today I usually don’t like listening to myself being interviewed but, Chris, damn you’re good. Thank you for this experience. For those of you who listen to the podcast, let me know if anything stood out for you and what was YOUR greatest teacher in your career and life so far. The link to the Podcast is in the first comment. https://ow.ly/3MIP50TE5Ve #BusinessSuccess #Entrepreneurship #Resilience

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These entrepreneurs faced risk in their platform-dependent business. So they opted to sell their Shopify app: Canadian entrepreneurs Derek Morin and Bogdan Radu knew there was a risk to building apps for someone else’s platform. In 2016, they launched Tabarnapp to enable automatic discounting in Shopify. Their metrics by 2022: • Over $1 million in annual revenue • 80% net margin • 60,000 downloads of their flagship app, Automatic Discount • 2,500 recurring clients paying $10 to $1,000 monthly But they recognized the risk. “We realized that at any point, because we were platform-dependent, we could go bankrupt or we could be disrupted by Shopify,” Morin said. Changes to the platform — plus an increased competitive landscape — sparked the idea to sell the company. They sold Tabarnapp to software company Staytuned in November 2022 in a mid-7 figure deal. All the details in our story... https://lnkd.in/eUGEB9K5

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We built a job board for marketers. It's called Good Marketing Jobs. It's an original name. GMJ. To acces: https://lnkd.in/dqAVedDx. Why? - Working with 1,000's of brands we've come across some stellar marketers, growth hackers (nice buzz word), ecom managers, etc. - I get a daily message asking "do you know anyone good" So here it is. How it works? - Find a role that is a good fit for you - Request a warm intro - I'll make a direct intro to the team! Send me feedback, create chaos in the comments, share it, or get an intro.

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Thanks to the Meta news ban, "Canadians are simply seeing less news online." More than a third of Canadians can access journalism through workarounds, but about a third of news operations have given up on social media altogether. When you think about the social commitment of news - helping people get truthful, verified information about the issues of the day, providing a forum for a civil exchange of views, helping diverse communities learn about themselves and one another - this is a tragedy for democracy. News organizations must rebuild their relationships with audiences and work together to show why news is valuable and worth seeking out, vs. relying on chance encounters. We must show what trustworthy news looks like and point to exemplary colleagues. Thanks for this important analysis, Sara Parker Aengus Bridgman Christopher Ross and Zeynep Pehlivan.

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In this episode of UpYourStack Podcast, I chat with Maddie Bell from Scheduler AI. She’s tackling the challenge of "Speed to Lead." It's all about quickly responding to new leads, as the likelihood of converting them into customers decreases the longer you wait to engage with them. Responding promptly demonstrates attentiveness and increases the chances of securing the lead. Now, imagine having an AI agent that handles this for you! Here are some highlights from our chat: AI-Driven Availability Matching: Scheduler AI intelligently matches meeting times based on participants' availability, reducing back-and-forth emails and accelerating the scheduling process. This leads to a more efficient workflow and timely meetings. Customizable Meeting Types and Templates: Scheduler AI offers customizable meeting types and templates, allowing teams to tailor the scheduling experience to different customer needs and scenarios, ensuring every interaction is relevant and personalized. Analytics and Reporting: Scheduler AI provides detailed analytics and reporting on scheduling activities. These insights help RevOps leaders understand meeting patterns, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to improve overall efficiency. Enhanced Customer Experience: Scheduler AI enhances the customer experience by ensuring that meetings are scheduled at convenient times with minimal hassle. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and better relationships. Maddie’s story is inspiring, and Scheduler.ai is solving many pain points that growing organizations face when trying to respond to leads promptly. I hope you enjoy this episode! Check out the links in the comments section to listen to the podcast in your preferred format. HubSpot obo.

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Want to hear what customers think of FERMÀT? We got to chat with Maximilien Langlois, Head of Growth at Dose on today’s FERMÀT Friday podcast. Dose is a DTC wellness brand that needed help increasing its subscription orders from ad traffic. Here's how it's going... Dose built a FERMÀT funnel that drove faster first-order subscriptions than their existing post-click experience—from day 1 of implementation. How? From ad to cart, Dose is telling the story of what building a daily routine with their wellness shots looks like for customers. That routine is then tied to subscribing, which the funnel artfully serves as a solution throughout the entire customer journey. Because the funnel is easy to experiment with, Max and his team can find winning combinations quicker than they can on their site. Efficiency metrics are also super visible, so he can read the data quickly. As a result, Max told us he doesn't mind a higher CPA on an ad that directs to FERMÀT because the subscription take rate is so much higher. These conversations are so valuable to me. When your customers are super smart, you learn new things about your own product by talking to them. Take a look at the full episode to learn more from Max:   https://lnkd.in/gtZRvENf

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There's a lot of wisdom in Tim Lynn's recent interview on The Hard Part with Evan McCann, but one bit (https://lnkd.in/g-r2nZ5H) particularly resonated with me as he explained what Startup TNT is doing: "It's sort of this cycle back into building the community, which then builds the companies, which then pay taxes, which then feeds the communities. That cycle is really where it becomes useful," he said. "It's not just a simple customer relationship. It's an entire ecosystem play. So that's tricky." This feels similar to what we're doing at Taproot Publishing Inc. When you buy a membership or an ad, or when you sponsor a roundup or the new Taproot Edmonton Calendar, you get something in return, but you're also contributing to a more informed and connected Edmonton region. It's an entire ecosystem play, as Tim puts it. The Taproot Edmonton team's work helps the whole community work better. Paying attention instead of just extracting it is not the easiest path. But we're not interested in easy. We're interested in being useful. Many thanks to those who already support that work. If you don't yet but want to, I'll put a couple of links in the comments. Also, the finale of Investment Summit IX is on June 13 if you want to see Startup TNT's ecosystem-building in action. Here's our preview:

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Nobody launches Consumer brands because they're obsessed with building a tech stack. Most of the time, people launch Consumer brands because they have a passion for their space, or a story to tell. And luckily the Shopify ecosystem made it so that any artisan can sell anywhere, and any consumer can buy from any artisan. It's beautiful—and I want to make it even more accessible for shops. They won't have the same ad budgets as legacy brands, but we may be able to give them something else. See, I used to work at Turo. There, we had access to funding, tech, and software in ways I didn't realize were possible beforehand. As a result, we grew—fast. I saw first-hand what being so well-resourced like that did for our business, and now I want to do the same for artisans globally. That starts with data. I want to give the tech all the big players use, to everyone. It will level the playing field—at least with data—and make ecommerce a meritocracy, not a game of budgets. If we make data a commodity, ecommerce as a whole is better off. That's our mission with Polar Analytics, so follow along if that sounds interesting!

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This post from Alexis Grant is clear, concise and to those who have this on their radar, includes valuable nuggets. Bottom line: once you’re on your journey, moving at highway speed, pay attention as traffic, accidents, potholes and better routes etc can appear and approach rapidly, requiring decisions to be made. Huh? Ok, forget all that. Just read her post.

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🚀 New Episode Alert! I'm excited to share the latest episode of Startup Mindsets featuring Mike Liu from FreeFuse Inc. and Alex Londo of Klarissa.AI In this conversation, Mike breaks down how FreeFuse is transforming customer engagement and training with interactive media, bringing a whole new level of personalization and impact to digital experiences. 🌐 Imagine being able to create paths and journeys within a single video—content that feels like it was made just for you! But it doesn’t stop there. FreeFuse is also diving into automation with custom GPTs, helping teams streamline workflows and connect more effectively with their audiences. 📈 Alex also goes into how Klarissa's product helps frachisees have AI-Powered Answers for Customers and Employees. Check out the episode for insights into how interactive media can unlock new possibilities for businesses of any size. It’s a must-listen for founders, marketers, and anyone passionate about rethinking customer engagement! 🎧 Listen to the episode here on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7B9mZgh 📖 Join the exclusive: FreeFuse x Startup Mindsets Community: https://lnkd.in/g2JbYbxb Learn more about Freefuse: https://lnkd.in/grAs-yna #StartupMindsets #FreeFuse #InteractiveMedia #CustomerJourney #Automation #Podcast

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Beware! Hackers Exploit AI Tools Like ChatGPT Ameen Sait chimed in with his expertise on today's call. Fractionals, message me to find out how The Fractinal Referral Network can elevate your business.

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I launched two communities last week. One FREE whatsapp (75) group for solopreneurs / entrepreneurs / mentors I've met at workshops along the way. One PAID slack (2) group (until 2026) where I am corralling top fractional CXOs to foster a community with integrity, with spaces where no one is ever "the smartest person in the room", and in a "house where we set the rules". I am a part of a few communities that I really cherish and participate in actively. The best communities support themselves, and that comes at a cost. Every brand has a community whether you treat it as one or not. Having built communities of 200k people, I know that it's no small task. The FREE one has only been up for 1 day and I have already had to play referee and keep people from spamming the same links multiple times in a matter of minutes. Thats the problem with FREE communities. They're very self-serving. In a PAID group, members are looking to get value from the community. There's a different mindset when you pay for something. You want to get the most out of it. Here is how we deliver that value: #RadicalInclusion Anyone CXO can join. We welcome and respect all leaders of any Age, Race, Orientation, & Gender. You just have to be experienced. #Gifting The value of sharing your gift is unconditional. Sharing your knowledge and experience helps to rise all tides. #Decommodification Creates social environments that are unmediated by spam and scams to protect our community from exploitation. #RadicalSelfReliance Each individual can discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources. #RadicalSelfExpression Arises from the unique individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. #CommunalEffort Though creative cooperation and collaboration we strive to produce, promote and protect our network, spaces, works, and communication that support it. #CivicResponsibility As a civil community, where members who organize events should assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance & respect to others. #Participation Transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deep personal participation. We achieve that by being through doing. Everyone is invited to share. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart. #Immediacy Seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in community, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. Yes, these principles are from one of our communities that inspired us to start https://lnkd.in/eFJZ3y9J If you know where its from, you're already in our good books. If you're a fractional CXO and you are looking for your tribe, look no further. If you're a solopreneur/entrepreneur/mentor/coach you are welcome to join the FREE group, DM me for the link. Stay Tuned! 🚀

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Cool-tech Callout (tm) Wanted to share a bit about Bold Metrics Inc., a company I've been fortunate to advise for the last little while (and which I was lucky to partner with for a few years before that). They're a bada** data science and product team that leverages actual data about you, they don't just ask where else you shop ... Brands love them b/c they drive $$$$$$$ (new sales and retention) - like an average 18% decrease in returns and a 232% increase in conversion. They’ve already partnered with major players like Vuori (my fave), Mizzen Main, and Columbia Sportswear to name a few. #Apparel Tech #AIRevolution They have developed transformative digital twin AI technology that revolutionizes the way we shop for clothes, making it easier and more personalized than ever before. I asked Daina Burnes, ceo of Bold Metrics for an overview and she shared a blurb if anyone interested ... Bold Metrics’ AI body data platform is a digital twin solution that assists apparel shoppers in finding their optimal size and fit, while concurrently aiding retailers and brands in boosting Average Order Value (AOV) and Conversion Rate (CVR), while decreasing returns. From just 4-6 simple shopper inputs, the Bold Metrics generative AI technology accurately determines critical points of measure to create unique digital twins of shoppers with over 50 body data measurements. The technology combines shopper body data with brand-specific garment data, providing tailor-level accurate size recommendations that show how an item will fit across critical points of measure — allowing shoppers to choose their best size based on their personal fit preference #ApparelTech #AIRevolution

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Some Shopify brands are customer-centric, and then there's DOLAN. When you meet a customer-centric Founder, it's unmistakable. Jodie Dolan built an impressive scrubs brand that emerged in a competitive market with a best-in-class product and an organizational framing that truly puts the customer at the center of *everything* they do. As a size-inclusive brand, that obsession over the customer experience led her to provide her web visitors with the confidence to convert with The Dolan Difference. If you can't find your size, they'll straight up make you a custom pair. Now that's an unwavering commitment to the customer. Keep up the impressive growth, Jodie Dolan and Philip Atkins!

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It's been a while since I've posted here, so obviously this is important (slight tone of sarcasm - but really). At Ecom North this past weekend, Canada's first and biggest (1000+ attendees), I met a lot of amazing entrepreneurs, brand owners, and agency owners. A couple common mistakes really stood out to me with the younger/newer entrepreneurs that tend to shoot themselves in the foot: 1. Needing to fulfil every requirement under the sun before getting started. Real example: A very nice lady I was speaking to was getting into the CPG supplements space, she's been working on it for months, still doesn't have a product, already wants to rework her logo, and is way too concerned about all the liabilities and insurances she should have. All before validating her business and just putting an offer online, in front of a prospective market. When building a new business there are thousands of little invisible requirements that are frankly, just that. Invisible. All you really need to focus on first, is what you're selling, and who you're selling it to. You only run into all these little invisible "requirement roadblocks" when you go looking for them. 2. Not knowing, and not being able to admit it. I get my best advice from people who are the best in the world at what they do by simply presenting my constraints, what I've tried, and then admitting I need help or I don't know something or how to do something. A young entrepreneur who was also trying to build a supplement brand was speaking to me and aside from saying his supplements were organic and natural couldn't answer my questions of "who's your customer avatar? (who are you selling to", "What's your angle? (what story do you tell them)", and "What's your specific unique selling proposition (Why should they choose you?" His answers were a slurry of "healthier option" and "organic" and "natural ingredients" and many, many, "you know???"s. No man, I don't know. That's why I'm asking you. Please tell me, and if you don't know, let's find out together, but I can't help you if you don't ask for it. Lastly, in case you haven't heard yet, yep, I've built a supplement brand. I am my customer avatar, and I'm sure there are more high performers who need a healthy dose of mental enhancement and recovery so they can move the needle with their best work. The substances we've launched are the results of my 10+ years of testing every (healthy) substance known to man in attempts to overcome my ADHD distractibility and maintain high productivity without burning out. We worked with leading FDA compliment labs in the USA to create these. The only downside is that they're kinda pricey, and the capsules are a bit big, but boy do they work, and that's what I'm excited about, functional substances that actually work.

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🤖 Meet AdQuick's AI Media Strategy Copilot for Out-of-Home Advertising!🤖 Last week at the COMMB/DailyDOOH Ad AI Conference in Toronto, we gave the advertising world a peek at something truly transformative: AdQuick's AI Media Strategy Copilot—and it blew everyone away! 🎉 This powerful AI-driven tool takes the complexity out of OOH advertising planning, helping brands and agencies craft smarter, more strategic campaigns faster than ever before. Whether you're looking to reach niche audiences or go big with national exposure, our AI Copilot has you covered. Here’s what makes it a game-changer: 🔍 Smarter Planning: Instant recommendations for optimal locations, formats, and timing based on your goals. ⚡ Real-Time Insights: Leverage market data and real media strategy to make informed decisions on the fly. 💡 AI-Powered Strategy: Say goodbye to guesswork—get customized, high-impact OOH ideas in minutes! At the live demo, the room was buzzing with excitement as Arsalan Nasir showcased how easy and intuitive it is to design an entire campaign plan with AI as your co-pilot. If you couldn't join us, don't worry— we dropped the video below. It's also available for free on the AdQuick website. Just click the chatbot in the lower righthand corner and ask it to design a specific media plan for (product/service type) in (city name). 🎥 Special thanks to Jason Kunkel-de Cesero and Chris Cowlbeck for getting the recordings of the presentation! #AdTech #OOH #MediaPlanning #AI #AdQuick #AdvertisingInnovation #OutOfHome #CampaignStrategy #AdAIGenerator #OOHadvertising #oohmedia #adai2024 #adaiconference #outofhomeadvertising

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My favorite learnings happen in the comments section of posts. David, who co-founded Google Drive and is an exec at Shopify, shared a story about teaching his children to use with AI through voice—just as they would with other people. How do you speak well to a human? How do you develop a good relationship with someone? Provide context. Be structured in your thinking. Ask thoughtful questions. Be vulnerable. The more open you are, the better the relationship, right? The same applies to AI tools. The more open you are with AI, the better it will work for you. We’ll lean into this a lot with our voice journal app we’re building. It’s already the case with other tech products—like how LinkedIn improves job search, connections, and content recommendations based on what it knows about you. The debates around privacy and personalization are going to heat up A LOT. Maybe the lessons on how to interact with people and AI are universal.

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