Kate Torgersen

Want to know what the future of travel planning looks like? It's right here: StayWatch by Sponstayneous is like Google Flight alerts but for Airbnbs. This new request just came in for a last-minute stay this weekend in Santa Cruz. Tina is looking for a 3 bed, 2 bath stay for 5 guests between $100-$500/night. There's so much choice...too much choice... Her "ideal" 3 bed/2 bath stay is wildly different from her brother Tom's. Plus, she's flexible by 1-2 days on either end and wants stays that match her criteria emailed to her every 12 hours. Run-of-the-mill filtering options across the OTAs are just too broad. Today's travelers will leverage agents to do the research and filtering for them and send them the right stays at the right time — agnostic of booking platform. Agents will learn what "luxury" means to Tina... They'll learn the type and even the BRAND of amenity that she cares most about and serve her listings that feature Fellow products and Brooklinen sheets. AI won't kill curation businesses — it'll fuel them. This is just the first step for StayWatch, folks! Keep watching 👀

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As I'm getting ready to be in Santa Clara to connect with people Face to Face, there's something pretty cool digitally- Matcha.so 🍵 pods and what Melissa Moody 🍵 is working on Small groups are the most effective way to tap into your valuable network. And we can all use support to reach our goals- this is where Matcha Pods come in Matcha Pods make it smooth (and fun) to invite, schedule, message async, and meet live with small groups of your peers around a shared goal or topic of interest. How it works- 1. Pick a shared goal or focus area. 2. Invite up to 5 other people who are working on or interested in the same thing. 3. Set a timeline and cadence that works for your group. 4. Up-level each other with async messaging and recurring virtual video chats.  5. High-five each other because, finally, your meetings are aligning with your key business goals. Want to try it? Right here ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gsGxN_2M Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, but I'll get rewards at no additional cost to you if you use the referral link :-)

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Small Changes, Big Impact! Are you a brick-and-mortar business striving to reach new heights? Here's a story to inspire you! One of my clients, a family-owned catering business in the SF Bay Area revamped their website but struggled with local SEO. After optimizing their SEO, their business doubled in 6 months and they had to expand to meet the demand. Sometimes, the smallest tweaks can lead to big changes. Don’t be discouraged—success might just be a few strategic steps away. Believe in your potential, make those necessary adjustments, and watch your business soar! Book Your $0 Consultation Today! [email protected] #ChiefExecutiveOfficer #BusinessGrowth #SuccessStory

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A stroll through San Diego led me to Geppetto's, where a life-sized puppet and friendly staff turned me into an unexpected customer. 🌟This IS the magic of independent retail. 🌟 With consumer spending down, small businesses need innovative strategies beyond discounting to thrive without sacrificing profitability. Curious about how #indieretailers are navigating these challenges? Check out my latest article in Total Retail. #Retail #SmallBusiness #CustomerExperience #Innovation #IndependentRetail #SMB #boutiqueowner #retailer #fashion

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Founder Pro Tip: As you come up with your initial napkin idea...and before you invest a dime in prototyping a finished product... ...stop. Spend two days doing market research on Instacart, Walmart.com, Amazon.com, etc. to see if a major consumer brand (e.g. Starbucks, ConAgra, etc.) has already scaled your thing. ...Did they? ...Look again. Be honest... ...If so, just stop now (unless you are worth $100M+) because you are way too late to the market. Find another idea...work harder. I just watched someone on LinkedIn with a large national media platform proclaim he invented something that Starbucks spent millions developing 15 years ago, an innovation they already own. Oops. I feel bad, but nothing I can do now. The odds of independently originating a late idea are massive in today's over-supplied market. #business #startup #entrepreneurship

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ROI is making it RAIN!!! (aka incremental revenue) No Seattle jokes please;) We are working with large scale publishers in News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Travel, and Autos verticals. High volume, high frequency. STOP READIG NOW if you are not interested or incentivized by incremental revenue. Now that we have dropped nonrevenue incented/operation types, let's talk about increasing revenue. If you are selling 100% of your supply you are in a rare, probably non-optimized group. Most publisher do not and should not fill more than 75% of supply directly. Using the bottom 25% to leverage floors higher, increasing bids/ecpm. ROI allows publishers the opportunity to efficiently monetize 100% of their supply. Accomplishing this by selling unfilled outside of the direct adstack in a secondary auction or post-bid strategy. We will deliver real time market data on supply value, allowing publishers to understand supply value and flooring. Selling and optimizing your unsold is a simple and import part of a balanced programmatic strategy. ROI is the only company that is doing this and has been doing this from the beginning of programmatic. Let's talk, let's drive incremental rev!

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If anyone is in North County San Diego, on Thursday May 2nd, we will be hosting a tech entrepreneur and investor meet up at 5:30pm. We’ll have a couple speakers, one of which is a fin-tech start-up raising a round, followed up by a presentation on the state of the stock & crypto market. We host these events quarterly and usually get a lot of founders and investors to attend. If anyone is interested, please message me and I can send you the details. LaunchPad San Diego #startups #startupincubator #entrepreneur #investing #crypto #meetup

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When You’re Starting, Just Sell. What do Google, Salesforce, the U.S. Department of State, and the Athena Grill in Santa Clara (California) have in common? They were all clients of e-Nor, the firm that I cofounded in 2003. It’s probably not hard to guess which of these came first. When you’re starting out in business, just sell. Don’t worry too much about pricing or about the stature of the companies that are willing to work with you. Even if you’re positioning yourself as a premium service provider and your hourly rate target is high, it’s OK to offer deep discounts to the first clients. Until you’re established, you basically need to do whatever it takes to close those first deals and get those first “logos” onto your website and into your marketing materials. If you can get the clients to provide testimonials after the discounted deals, all the better. Each logo and testimonial should be a stepping stone to the next. As you build a client base, you can feature the higher-profile logos. And you can gradually climb to the hourly rate that you were originally targeting. Working for free In these two instances, it could be strategic to even work for free: - to impress a prospect who could become a large client - to enter a new market For free work, limit the scope. You could offer a sample audit or another micro-sized service that would allow you to demonstrate your expertise while avoiding a big time commitment. And run away from anyone who directly asks you to work for free. They’re not your kind of client, and they’re not going to help your business. Giving back Since we’re discussing pricing, I’m compelled to point out a case in which I do unequivocally advocate providing your services for free. If you know me at all, you know I’m a big fan of giving back. Even if cash flow is slow and your budget is tight, you can always offer your services, expertise, and insights for free to causes and projects you find meaningful. Whether it’s a local nonprofit or a national advocacy group, countless organizations could greatly benefit from your expertise but may not have the means to afford it or even seek it out. The benefits are the rewarding feelings you’ll receive from contributing. Always give expecting nothing in return; it always amazes me how much comes back when you give freely.

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I’m watching the Dimmo launch and taking notes. Next-level momentum on day 1. A few initial differentiators from an outside observer: 1. Stellar storytelling from Sarah Brazier, combined with YEARS of building trust in the sales space. 2. Getting partners and early customers involved; we’re already seeing compelling UGC. 3. A product that makes things better for both sellers and buyers—along with a simple message that hammers that home. It’s almost “oh, DUH, of course this makes sense.” 4. A feedback CTA (“check it out; let us know what you think”) instead of the hard sell. 5. Content-backed launch. Between Dimmo Day and the “10-minute tech pitch” podcast (which they’ve been running since February), the Dimmo audience already has a lot they can dig into to test out the value of this approach. 6. A non-conforming brand. Who doesn’t love the pink dinosaur? 👏👏👏

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How can you build an elite and engaged community of senior B2B marketing executives? Drew Neisser shares how he built CMO Huddles - the best community of Chief Marketing Officers - that support each other on the never ending quest for curiosity. Remarkable Marketing Podcast

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👀 If you're in a fundraising round, BrightPulse Marketing put together a blog post to help you secure that funding, including actual pitch decks from brands like Yammer and Peloton. ✅ Check out How to Use Marketing Concepts in Your Fundraising Pitch: bit.ly/4ha0W0A #StartupMarketing #Entrepreneurs #BrightPulse #Startup #Solopreneur #Fundraising #Preseed #Seriesa #Funding

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So good it almost gave me chills; Here's my 2024 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor: After 14 years helping B2B companies align their messaging and story, 2024 challenged me to practice what I preach - taking the CMO role at Aryaka to drive breakthrough category and value messaging from the inside. The journey proved that message alignment isn't just theory - it's the foundation of market leadership. We transformed Aryaka's position in Unified SASE while I transformed from advisor to execution leader. Key moments that shaped our story: → Built and aligned global marketing team around clear category vision → Leveraged GenAI to accelerate content creation while maintaining quality → Secured Network World's Best SDWAN/SASE recognition → Developed breakthrough messaging for AI-ready networking My "year of doing hard things" wasn't just metaphorical: → Completed SbtGrvl Blue 100-mile gravel race → Recovered from serious cycling accident → Learned that setbacks often lead to comebacks Three posts that captured our journey: "After my long run with my strategic marketing consulting practice, this opportunity was too exciting to pass by" - On taking the CMO role at Aryaka https://lnkd.in/gQBJ9wr6 "The real skill now is in creating insightful content and prompting the engine with the right requests" - On transforming marketing execution with GenAI https://lnkd.in/g-iaRYT7 "Winner winner chicken dinner!!!" - On Aryaka's recognition as best SDWAN/SASE solution https://lnkd.in/gXCDQjhy Looking ahead: 2025 will be about scaling Aryaka's category leadership in Unified SASE while continuing to pioneer the integration of AI in B2B marketing execution. The network is eating the firewall, and we're leading that transformation. To the amazing Aryaka team and the broader B2B marketing community: alignment isn't just about messaging - it's about turning vision into reality through focused execution. Sometimes you have to get off the bike to learn how to ride better. Sometimes you have to step into the arena to prove what you've been teaching others. #LinkedInRewind #2024wrapped -- Get your 2024 LinkedIn Rewind! Go to coauthor [dot] studio in your browser

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🔥 HOT TAKE 🔥 If you’re a DTC founder and your agency isn’t on a performance-based model, you’re likely overpaying for mediocrity. Stop funding their next fancy team retreat, and demand results.

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Optionality’s Fall will be Fierce! We slacked a bit over the summer, too. We took a break from webinars and podcasts in July and August. But now we’re back with that new school clothes feeling, and we’ve got some opportunities to share with you. 🔥 September’s fireside webinar: This Friday, September 13 at 12PM PT Hear from journalist and author Brigid Schulte about why work stopped working for so many of us and what we can do about it. Her new book (Over Work) covers both problem and solutions. 🤝 Announcing our first Optionality IRL event October 2nd in Silicon Valley! Thanks to our host, Extreme Networks and its WIN Alliance (their women’s ERG), it’s time for us to start meeting IRL. We’re collaborating to celebrate Optionality member Maria Ross and her new book, The Empathy Dilemma, exploring how empathetic leaders can balance the practice of compassion with performance and protecting one’s personal boundaries. 🕛 September Office Hours: for Premium members, Wednesday, 9/11/24, at 12PM PT. This month, a member is going to workshop her learnings on effective cold email outreach (no, this isn't a paradox!) 👩 👴 👵 Working Groups: Currently, we have a working group dedicated to helping members bring a book to life. And we have a working group dedicated to personal positioning. If you're great at helping other people articulate their personal brand, differentiation, and value proposition but SUCK at doing it for yourself, this is the working group for you. 🧞‍♀️ And don’t forget The Wisdom Exchange! A place to get just-in-time advice, learn a new skill, or get a helpful nudge toward making progress on any number of goals. Link for more details and registration for any/all fall activities: https://lnkd.in/gAMfTE5z

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Join Me this Thursday 6PM with Nate Zaru for Creating Product Videos that Drive Sales Workshop. PLUS networking happy hour at Gambit Lounge. Learn and mingle with the top marketers in the San Francisco SaaS world! Join us for a workshop on how to jump into 2025 with an unforgettable product video. You’ll learn what makes the best product videos and what mistakes to avoid. Bring your projects and case studies. Hosted by Nate at MyProductVideo.com with yours truly. AGENDA: 6:00-6:30 Welcome and networking 6:30-7:15 Workshop Presentation 7:15-8:00 Happy hour networking What You’ll Learn: The New Opportunity of Product Videos Why SaaS is different and how to leverage it The Story Comes First Crafting a narrative that defines your brand Work Backwards from Your Dream Context and Formats Planning with purpose for maximum impact Focus on One BIG Idea and a Strong CTA Simplify your message for clarity and action Show People—People Love People Harnessing the power of human connection Show the Product Without Showing the Actual Product Building intrigue and interest creatively Remix and Repeat Strategies to keep your content fresh

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Five years ago, two broken legs and a global pandemic sparked a move to 🏔️ Aspen. It had been a long-time dream to be able to live in a ski town, but those two events made it happen sooner than expected.  I had spent nearly 20 years in 🌉 San Francisco, leading marketing and product teams at companies like Salesforce, Okta, and OwnBackup. With the rise of Zoom and distributed teams, I could work from anywhere. What better place to be than Aspen, Colorado? #Aspen 🏔️ is a town of just 6,000 full-time residents. The population swells threefold during peak season, with waves of people 🛬 coming in from all over the world. For a small town, it attracts people from just about every industry imaginable. People who made their fortunes in Coal ⛏️, Diamonds 💎, Cosmetics 💃🏻, Retail 🛒, Finance 🏦, Insurance🌪️, Real-Estate 🏠, Casinos 🎰, Entertainment👨‍🎤, and Software 🌐.  They’re folks who are drawn to the outdoors, the beauty, and the culture.  After I healed up from my accident, I decided to take full advantage of my good fortune and make the most of living in a 🏔️ ski town. I would build a habit and get out ⛷️ most every day for at least one gondola run. I’m still working as hard as I did in San Francisco, focused on 2-3 companies at a time. However, working with distributed teams gives me more flexibility. If there is a 45-minute window in my day, I throw on my ski 🎿 gear like a fireman, ride my bike 🚲 10-mins in the snow, get a 15-min gondola 🚡 ride up, and then it’s 7-8 mins to ⛷️ ski down. I’m back at my desk 🖥️, ready for my next call in under an hour. For me, it’s a habit that fully resets me. I get a gondola 🚡 ride where I get to meet people and hear their story, or it’s a quiet gondola cabin, all to myself. I emerge at 🏔️ 11,212 feet and am thrust into the 🌡️ elements. And then zip down ⛷️. Every day is different. The people 😀, the weather ☁️, the snow ❄️ conditions. For the past two ❄️ seasons, I’ve gotten my 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ day pin, a little trinket that SkiCo gives out for people who reach that milestone. This year, I’m on pace to get there again. Each week, I thought it’d be fun to break up this experience into a short series of posts. I’ll share some of the interesting characters and fun traditions in Aspen. If you want to get on the list, comment “100DaySeason.” Or just say you want it, if that’s weird. Send me a connection request, and I’ll DM the link.

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Conquer Writer's Block by Mind Mapping https://lnkd.in/gkC2uv-T Ever stare at a blank page willing words to appear? We've all been there! I wrote this article sharing How I use mind mapping in my writing process from a frustrating slog to a creative adventure. Learn how to: ➡ Brainstorm freely & generate tons of ideas ➡ Organize your thoughts for a clear & logical flow ➡ Craft a captivating article structure that practically writes itself So, if you are struggling with writer's block, give mind mapping a try. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Work at a natural pace. In Cal Newport's new book "Slow Productivity" he walks through 3 components to accomplishment without burnout. 1. Do fewer things 2. Work at a natural pace  3. Obsess over quality Working at a natural pace is an area I'm focused on as I transition to whatever is next in my career. Most of my career's natural pace was driven by anxiety, coffee, HIIT workouts and more caffeine - which I'm pretty sure isn't what he means. In my late 40's though, that just doesn't work anymore. Nor do I want it to. It's a tricky philosophy though because if you're in the startup world I don't know how you build something meaningful and work at a natural pace. I've never seen it happen. It appears this is a philosophy that needs to be applied to a specific time and place vs. everyone, everywhere. Anway, I don't have the answers, I'm just exploring different questions. What I do know is working at a natural place seems to be more appropriate for where I am today. 

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Founding a company is the best, dumbest decision of my career. This year I've gone on tour, given speeches, hosted signings and released the two most successful books since I started Carrara Media in 2019. The photo here is from a launch party I organized in Seattle. We sold out. It was lit. ✨ There have been extremely high highs. But this is not one of those feel-good, "It was all worth it" posts. Let’s cut the bullshit. We are changing the way people view car books. There is no doubt about that. No one is speaking to Millennial and Gen Z audiences the way we are. And the books we have planned are going to be bigger. I’m sure of it. And yet every day I think about quitting. I hate to admit that. But the truth is I felt it was my only option. I have had so much career turmoil that after 15 years as a journalist the only path I could envision was one I carved myself. My choices were either to take the hard path or walk away and lose a part of my identity. I chose the hard path, and the toll has been brutal. This is not glamorous – usually I’m panicking, and some days it's really hard to see light. It stops feeling character-building and starts feeling masochistic. It becomes unnecessary. It becomes foolish and dumb. I try hard to not feel foolish and dumb. I keep going because I love working with talented authors, whose stories deserve to be published. I love breaking down walls. I love reminding myself that I publish books – no small feat in itself! But I’ll let you in on the real secret. Most of all, I keep going because I believe there’s not a single person out there who can do what I do. Not in the same way. I believe the industry missed something in me, when they chewed me up and spit me out, that they couldn’t have found if they had a map. I believe that even if people wanted to copy us, they would never be able to. They could never do it like us. If they could, they already would have. Our new projects are so big, so full of potential, and so poised to completely disrupt everything we know about what this genre can accomplish. They are coming to life and they are going to explode. I know we are the right home for them. If we succeed, it won’t be because of me. It won’t be because I “bootstrapped” or “ten-X’d” or because I’m built different. I'm not some nerdy cartoon supervillain, battle-hardened to emerge as a change agent / thought leader. It will be because I listened to the right voices, and I believed in the right authors, and I found the right partners. I am looking for those people now. I rely on so many people, and I need so many more. I need help with every aspect of this business. If you think you can help, then I need your help. Please reach out. This is already the dumbest move of my career. I think that debate is probably settled by now. But it can still be the best move of my career. The jury’s still out on that one. If it’s gonna be your dumbest move, why not make it your best move, too? Wish me luck.

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