Sarunas Strasevicius

There is currently big debate in Poland regarding relation between so called news media and global platforms. I rarely comment on such topics, but this one is close to my heart. Feel free to grill me. I believe most people in this debate are using different definitions to describe what is happening. There are three concepts: media, publishers, journalists. Via Wikipedia: 1. Media (communication) - tools used to convey information or data. 2. Publisher - an organization or person that disseminates content to the public. 3. Journalist - a person who gathers information in the form of text, sound, or images, processes it into a form worth conveying, and disseminates it publicly. This is called journalism. Traditionally, media mainly referred to the press, meaning print. A technical tool. In this press (newspapers, magazines, yellow press), publishers disseminated many things, including journalism, but also other content like sports results, advertisements, stock market data, and even pornography or celebrity photos. These things were often more important to the audience than journalism. This did not make the press something noble (or better) than other media, like TV or radio. Media are just tools. Also, publishers themselves did not necessarily have noble motives related to journalism. It was believed that to be a good commercial publisher, it was worth having good journalism - in my opinion, mainly because it allowed for higher advertising rates in media used by the publisher (thus increasing the value of the distribution tool). In the opinion of others, it was about attracting attention. Some believe it was done for the public good. This belief, as the new medium - the internet - showed up, turned out to be false. Advertisements can be sold just as expensively without quality journalism (you just need good data). Publishers can, but do not have to, sponsor so-called good content or journalism. Publishers can make big bucks without even producing so called content. It also turned out that journalists do not need the help of commercial media to create valuable information and disseminate it (e.g., Oko Press). What we see today is, in my opinion, a mix-up. Commercial publishers (mostly profit-oriented companies) are trying to defend their outdated tools (media) using the argument of defending journalism (public mission). Nowadays, however, these three things are not connected. I believe that journalism in the free commercial model (i.e., open online) has no future. Future lies with paid media (e.g., Oko Press) or media sustained by public funds and taxation of global media corporations (Google and similar). What I am not addressing here is the issue of the fourth estate, i.e., the control function traditionally understood as the press (implicitly - hard journalism, including investigative journalism) towards democratic power and its role in the fight against autocratic regimes. This is a political problem, not a business one.

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IT Mastermind in November in Cyprus - for all those who want to scale to 7 figures or higher ‌ For IT-experts only. For IT-Freelancers. For IT-Entrepreneurs. ‌ VALUE Packed week with topics such as: - IT Positioning - IT Service Offering (Value driven → away from “time for money” trap) - Lead Generation Methods for the IT industry - Sales - Content Marketing - Recruiting and Hiring - Systemating and Automating Processes - Financial Forecasting with a proper Sales Pipeline - … simply everything YOU and your BUSINESS needs to be able to scale further. ‌ 7 figures? Or better 8? You say 9? Good, that we have gues speakers from around the world that can show you how - ranging from 6 to 7, and even 8 to 9 figure business owners! ‌ Hosts: Pierre Wilken Wilken aka Karrierehero and me aka McGibney Mentoring and Coaching as well as our expert team. ‌ Speakers from the IT and other fields - ranging from 7 to 9 figure founder (!): Christian Groß: Serial Founder (7-Figures) with MS Consulting, Software and Tech Events Janos Konetschni: Serial Founder (7-Figures) IT Security, Ransomware Alex Galkin ✪: Competera Founder, Ukraine Uniqcorn in the AI business/ SaaS Founder (AI based Plattform) @‌Justin Devonshire: Serial Founder (8-FigureS) Franchising / Business Expert Florian Wilk: Founder CMC International company formation / International Tax and Legal expert Kai Radtke: Stock-Market Mentor Income through investments Georg Bühler: Bitcoin Experte & Managing Director at Mount Pelion Capital ‌ Of course, we will have free time to enjoy the island. 25 degress in November. Still summer. ‌ But more importantly, we want to bring your business forward. No excuses anymore. ‌ You learn from real (IT) entrepreneurs. One in a lifetime chance. Networking and Synergies guaranteed. ‌ DM me the word ‘mastermind’ got get more information or jump on a quick call. ‌ Tickets available till middle of September. ‌ PS: YouTube Video for Explanation as well as Website in the Comments.

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#BREAKING: I just received the 2023 results for UAB #Bifinity, owned by Binance founder #ChangpengZhao, in #Lithuania. Revenue decreased by about 50% to EUR 229.8m, but the EUR 42.9m loss from the previous year was replaced by a EUR 105m net profit. Bifinity, which appointed a new CEO, Jonas Jünger, last year, also reported paying EUR 30m in taxes in Lithuania over the past 12 months. In the last three years, they have paid approximately EUR 50m in income taxes alone. A link to my interview with Jonas is in the comments.

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How to manage over 60,000 square meters like a pro? 🚀 Managing a lot of properties across Estonia is no small task, and Tulevara was ready to make it smoother. The team needed a tool to help tackle the growing demands of commercial property management. That’s where Hausing Property Management Software came in. Here’s how they’ve leveled up: • 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 • 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 • 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 Read the case study about their experience. 👇

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Today, I want to talk about the importance of diversifying your risks. Just yesterday, I had three calls: two were quite positive, and one was quite bad. The first positive call was good for me as an agency. I have a client who decided to work with a freelancer from Poland. Initially, the freelancer worked well but then simply disappeared. There were always excuses, like, "Hey, there's a problem with my mom," or "Hey, I'm on vacation," etc. My client showed me their chat, which was full of smiley faces from the developer, but there was no attitude to fix the issues or complete the job he started. Now, the client is in a situation where he spent a lot of time and a bit of money, but the job is still not done. The second positive call was about a stable company with $3 million in annual revenue. They hired a developer who was working well until the company decided to migrate to another platform. When they informed the developer that he would no longer be needed in a few months, he completely lost interest in the company. He started searching for a new opportunity, leaving them in a situation where they couldn't do anything with their site for a couple of months. Even the current site required updates. The bad call directly affected my company. Mercury, a U.S. financial organization we used for online banking, suddenly sent a message that our account would be closed. This obviously affected our operations and the way I can pay my employees. So, diversifying risk—having an extra developer, a partner you can rely on in an emergency, or an extra bank account—is just a requirement nowadays. Please, always be ready. Don't take unnecessary risks. Being protected now does not mean you will be protected tomorrow.

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Here's a great example on how AI tools can boots our experience in games. Polish dubbing for Fallout 4 seems to be just a beginning... https://lnkd.in/dP7TxcK5

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How to navigate tough times in custom software development? I am primarily speaking about founders of software companies with roots in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia who operate in the global market. They have never worked under equal conditions as their Western competitors. They have always had to run faster than their rivals to stay in the game. Now, in a low market, it is even more difficult for them to sell their services. Even those whose boat has been afloat for a long time are wary of a strong downturn. At the beginning of this year, I decided I help them specifically. We are publishing a lot of video content on LinkedIn, and this content allows founders to stand out more than their competitors. ☝ According to LinkedIn, only 1% of users from a billion post weekly. In my estimations, only 2-3% of that one percent make one video post a week. My clients publish four of their videos a week. I do not know how long my clients will remain more noticeable than most of their competitors. However, content marketing helps them win right now. PS. I assist them throughout the process, from strategy to a completed package of posts for a month. They spend only two hours a month creating content. #b2btech #FounderLedMarketing

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Why Do Some IT Startups Thrive While Others Barely Survive? What Makes Companies Attractive to the Most Talented Developers? What Challenges Arise in Attracting and Retaining IT Talent? Let's explore the main issues together and immediately find out how to solve them. 1. High Competition in the Labor Market So, the competition for the best specialists in the IT field is growing every year. Therefore, many companies offer high salaries and lucrative bonuses. The question arises, how to stand out among others? You need to make a unique and valuable offer to employees. For example, you could offer the opportunity to work on innovative projects or company-paid training? 2. Creating a Favorable Working Environment A friendly atmosphere and good working conditions – is it really that important? The answer: yes! I, for example, am also one of those people who once quit because of a bad atmosphere in the team. So how exactly do you create a favorable working environment? - Flexible work schedule: Do you allow employees to work at a convenient time for them or from home? - Development of corporate culture: Do you organize team events and create opportunities for informal communication? - Support for professional development: Do you pay for courses, trainings, and participation in conferences for your employees? A successful startup that managed to retain a talented team is our company, DevOcean. We focused on creating a strong corporate culture and providing opportunities for professional development for our employees. As a result, we were able to not only attract but also retain the best specialists in the field. Are you ready to apply these tips in your startup and make it attractive to the best developers? Find out more about modern trends in the IT industry and get valuable tips on the website of the best web development company, DevOcean. We are waiting for you and your cool ideas.

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I am the CEO of Module LLC and today I would like to introduce you to our solution for businesses 🙌 Module is the first Ukrainian no-code app builder. With Module, you can create an app for your needs or business without any programming knowledge 😎 We are the ones making mobile app development accessible and allowing businesses previously deprived of this opportunity to become market leaders and inseparable pieces of the digital world. Our builder is suitable for businesses in the service sector, for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and just for personal use. We have created more than 10 templates so that you don't waste your time on design and other nuances. We also created sets of functions that will definitely make your life easier 👇 - online booking for services - payment in the application - information about your company - employee profile and feedback system - new products and promotions And and much more. To get acquainted, follow the link https://lnkd.in/dkQ6TcTH Our team has been working for a long time and continues to work to make the builder as user-friendly and intuitive as possible. Module is working for your success 🤩 #tech #nocode #app #startup #android #iOS #ukraine #solutions #hr #application #business #builder

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How to choose an object on the primary market? Now let's understand what the primary market is - it is the market of sales from the developer, in simple words. For the right selection of the object from the developer must first of all narrow down the circle of development companies to the list of those who can be trusted, namely: - who has been on the market for the longest time and has been through more crises - who maintains the complexes and has no "debts". - you can go and see who manages their complexes. - analysis of construction documents, although I will tell you honestly that if the developer wants to go bankrupt and get away with the money, then no documents and licenses will help us, except for excrow accounts, which are available in Dubai. Then each buyer needs to be as open as possible about their motivations and budgets, so that the broker can make the most relevant selection of properties. For this you need to understand why you are buying an object, for renting, for personal use, for resale, for citizenship or residence permit, because it can all be different cities / countries / locations / purchase budgets and conditions. A friend of mine recently asked me how he could get a visa for his family in the UAE. One of the easiest options is by purchasing a property he bought on his own with another broker. And when we began to analyze his object, it turned out that his property specifically does not fit any of the options for obtaining a visa, which could have been prevented at the initial stage, when the object was selected, if there was a more in-depth analysis of the request on the part of the broker in the first place. Accordingly, after all the analysis of developers, their prices and the client's request is made already selection of specific units for the client, taking into account such factors as: - price, installment terms - location (as arrivals / departures, as in the infrastructure of the area) - project and apartment level - unit layout (what size rooms, whether they are sufficient) - floor plan analysis of the unit - visiting the location and analyzing the view characteristics (you can fly a drone to the proposed height where the apartment will be) - analysis of neighboring locations for potential construction in the neighborhood and the closure of the view and discomfort of residence - potential rental yields - potential resale yield if it were built now - individual requests If you wanna find good option, you know what you should do ;)

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Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift––that is why it is called the present.” - Let's open the mystery box now! We (CapitalBox) choose to have ambitious, bright, curious future developing high tech solutions that would benefit us all. So in the present of AI - let's create something meaning. Join #AILithuaniaHackathon organized together with Artificial Intelligence Association of Lithuania and Linkedist. Registration: https://lnkd.in/diKQt2xY

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As an owner of an IT company, I understand the unique challenges that come with limited marketing budgets. While paid marketing campaigns can significantly boost visibility and generate leads, many businesses, especially startups and small firms, may find themselves in a position where they simply cannot afford such expenses. However, this does not mean that growth is unattainable. You could consider some of these key strategies 1. Content Marketing: Create valuable content like blogs and case studies to establish authority and improve SEO. 2. Social Media Engagement: Use platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to connect with your audience, share insights, and build a community. 3. Networking: Attend industry events and join local business groups to foster relationships that can lead to referrals. 4. Website Optimization: Ensure your website is user-friendly and optimized for conversions with clear calls-to-action. 5. Free Tools: Utilize free marketing tools for social media management and SEO analysis to maximize efficiency. 6. Customer Relationships: Focus on exceptional service to encourage repeat business and referrals. By embracing these strategies, businesses can thrive even without a paid marketing budget, fostering resilience and innovation for future growth.

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- "Work 7 days a week, grind, weekends are for the losers." - "Disconnect, take a stroll, gain perspective, avoid burnout." There's time for everything in founders life. It's a long weekend in Poland and obviously Linkedin is full of posts praising one or the other attitude, but only you can discern what's best for you. Truth is, that for the bold ones (*aka crazy ones) who venture into entrepreneurship, periods of relentless work are inevitable. Even in moments carved out for rest, the mind often races on. That's how it is, don't fight it. Don't feel guilty about it. The term 'work-life balance' is seldom inscribed in the founder's lexicon. It's a concept more suited to corporate corridors, and it's perfectly fine to embrace that path if it aligns with your values. The entrepreneurial journey seeks equilibrium over years, not days or weeks. It's about **dedicated sprints** towards milestones or just... towards survival, after which one can hopefully savor the rewards. Whether this is the time to relax or to double down is only up to you to decide. Here and now. In your own context. Make the decisions that's rooted in your needs, and stand by them, irrespective of external opinions and "insta coaches". Assess what demands your focus most urgently. Be it your venture, relationships, family, health, or mental well-being, act with intention. If it takes working 12h a day over weekends... be it. If it takes leaving the phone at home and disappearing in a forrest for a few days - do it. In the myriad of life's questions, right answer is most often, "it depends". PS. We will chat about "what's the right time for what" during our Emerging Founders event on Scaling Operations in Google Campus Warsaw next Tuesday, details and tickets in first comment.

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ZenDev and 1000 other companies deliver software development services. We can talk about procedures and processes, focus on domains, etc. Still, the reality is that for many projects, once you go above a certain level of quality, many different companies could have made a similar delivery. We are only as good as the engineers and designers we can attract to our company. I'm grateful that we've been able to hire great people. That said, objectively, buyers of these services could buy from many different vendors. What's interesting though, is that people ultimately, want to buy from people they feel they know and trust. For us, and me personally, LinkedIn proved to be an excellent tool for telling our stories, connecting with people, and building a company on inbound sales for the first eight years of the company. People reached out to us because they felt like they knew who we are, and what we stand for. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. A massive opportunity is not just to wait for people to contact you, but rather, look at who is engaging with your content, and strike a conversation with them. This is not cold outreach, this is warm, as these people know who you are and what you stand for as well. Adam Robinson has popularized this a lot. He calls it inbound-led-outbound.

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🚀 WE JUST ORGANIZED THE LARGEST INVESTOR EVENT IN LATVIA! 🚀 Previous week we brought together over 250 investors and 20 experienced speakers for the biggest investor event in the country, all while I coordinated everything remotely from Spain and kept track from Austria as I build my startup, Dealita. I'm proud to support Investoru Klubs in its mission to elevate the country's prosperity by making investments not just something exclusive, but the new normal. Two important points I want to highlight: 💡 Women in Investing: In March, we addressed the barriers and stereotypes facing women investors. To continue this conversation, we dedicated a special panel to the topic. Through my work with Dealita, I've noticed how rare it is to encounter women investors (my Excel sheet shows a 14:1 ratio). The panel was expertly moderated by Karina Kulberga, and the discussion included the fantastic Lotte Tisenkopfa-Iltnere, Olga Kazaka, and Liene Dubava. 💡 Sharing Failures: It's crucial to share our mistakes. When I share that only 3 out of 70 #TirgziņuTērzes podcast guests willingly shared their failures, everyone is shocked. 😁 In Latvia, we rarely discuss our failures, but we should! At the Investor Festival, we introduced "Investment F*ck-up Stories," where seasoned investors like Kaspars Peisenieks, CFA, Kristaps Mors, and Alina Zela CFEI opened up about their setbacks. A huge thank you to our incredible team: Kaspars Peisenieks, CFA, Kristīne Ieviņa, Andrus Vaher, Keit Ausner, and the amazing volunteer team from Rīgas Ekonomikas augstskola - Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. Together, we created an outstanding #InvestorFestival! 🎉 Investoru Klubs is growing, and I’m honored to help foster meaningful discussions about investing.

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🚨NOT POPULAR OPINION about IT Marketing This week we had a lunch with Vladyslav Tkachuk and discussed challenges in Ukrainian IT Outsourcing Marketing due to decrease in demand for IT outsourcing after it instant boom between 2019 and 2022. During this boom you could have just declared that you have team of developers with relevant experience and get the customer. The main issue was to find enough developers and deliver on your promises. Today IT outsourcing is looking for easy solutions in marketing while facing existential challenges. Everyone wants to find 💊 Magic Pill that allows to travel in time back to 2020 and get clients as easy as then. Usually this pill means new lead generation firm or some innovative approach to PPC or Outreach. IT outsourcing companies today have to differentiate their services in order to win the competition with thousands of similar firms all over the world. Here are two main ways to differentiate your company: 1. Choose one sphere of IT outsourcing and be deeply specialised in this particular sphere. For instance you could specialise in B2B SaaS Development for startups or create HR systems for enterprises. Decide what to specialise on based on your experience. 2. Referrals. When someone refer you company to the customer that skyrockets your chances to close the deal. Today customer with clear need in development receives up to 7 messages a day to schedule a call with development team. When customer is referred to you the game changes. Now it’s you with recommendation or some random companies from LinkedIn who can close the deal. You can either get referrals from mastering your service and satisfying your customers or from companies that agree to refer you to their clients. Btw we could help to receive the second type of referrals

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Free Your HR Team to Focus on What Matters Most: Automate! 🧠🚀 Imagine your HR team spending less time on repetitive queries and more time on strategic initiatives that truly add value. That's the power of automation! At SEB Latvija, our employee virtual assistant EVA has improved how we handle HR inquiries. In just one year, EVA has: 🌟 Handled an average of 30 conversations per day: That's a significant volume of inquiries efficiently managed, freeing up our HR team. 🌟 Successfully answered 71% of employee questions: EVA provides quick and accurate responses on topics ranging from vacation time and salaries to business trips and IT solutions. 🌟 Reduced response times: With an average conversation time of 1 minute 41 seconds, EVA delivers information much faster than traditional human interactions. 🌟 Improved internal communication: EVA serves as a channel for disseminating information about organizational changes and process updates, enhancing communication efficiency. More details in the recent article here: https://lnkd.in/dmzKaST7 #LifeatSEB #HRautomation #HRwaysofworking

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42 million dollars of investment were received by Ukrainian startups in 2024. And why is that? What do you think? Adaptability and creativity are the necessary soft skills for these people. This is a powerful and beneficial combo that supports the impulse to create and develop an idea. When a person boldly steps out of the box and breaks the old patterns. A healthy hunt for living human intelligence was, is and always will be. There are many boot camps and other real opportunities there are for startups. Imagine how many smart investors are waiting for your incredible ideas to get them started and change the world for the better. Start now! And may the Force be with you! (“Star Wars”). #motivation #creativity #adaptability #it #cygnati #webdev #mobiledev #team 

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