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An Interview with Entrepreneur Howard Lindzon

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Business models, Distressed IP, Economy, Gerbsman Partners, Intellectual capital, Investments, Marketing, Strategy, Technology, Venture Capital on June 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here is an excellent article from Seeking Alpha.

“In Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, uber-creative yet pragmatic Willie Wonka manages the development and distribution of exciting new candies. Similarly, successful entrepreneur Howard Lindzon appears to be running a factory of cutting-edge candy for the emerging social web.

Howard’s best known for WallStrip: a witty and funny daily video about trending stocks (hosted by the attractive Lindsay Campbell). In 2007, Howard sold the venture to CBS for $5 million. Currently, Howard is working on what he considers “The Big One.” The white-hot web platform is called StockTwits. It is a Twitter-powered platform on which investors and traders can share information. While the foundational engine Twitter has yet to discover a viable business model, Howard has brought the technology to a niche where instantaneous information is profitable to users (and the well-heeled demographic is attractive to advertisers). Thus, a sound business model is at hand.

I got Howard out of bed early on Saturday morning to watch his life flash before his eyes — from his car wash during high school to his multi-million dollar companies. Lucky for me, Howard doesn’t need much sleep to run his Chocolate Factory …

Damien Hoffman: Howard, how did you initially get your entrepreneurial spirit out into the world?

Howard: I was definitely a late bloomer. I grew up kind of spoiled. My parents left me alone. But my first entrepreneurial experience was cleaning cars in high school. During the summer I charged $60 to $80 bucks to take someone’s car for the day and give it a wash, wax, and clean the interior. My operation wasn’t too sophisticated. I just did it to pay some bills so I could play golf and stay out of my parents’ hair.

That was my first entrepreneurial experience. Then I started selling some Native-American jewelry that became popular in the 70s. I went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to buy the stuff. Then I’d sell the jewelry up in Toronto. It was like a license to print money. My dad, who is also an entrepreneur, would give me money to buy the jewelry. I would set up shop in my house and sell to all his friends and their kids. It was an insane mark up. [Laughing] Oh well. I had some advantages other kids didn’t have. I was a lucky kid in many ways.

Damien: Did you remain entrepreneurial through college?

Howard: I went to college and just partied. I didn’t do anything. I was just a rotten college student so I ended up going back later to do my grades. College was just my friends and me partying. I lived with my best friends and just did enough to get by.

Damien: So what was your path when you first got out of college?

Howard: The first job I took was in ’87 right before the stock market crash. I didn’t really know anything. My grades weren’t great. I needed to get a job if I wanted to graduate school. My friend’s dad owned a brokerage firm in Toronto. So we worked in the order room. You know, back then in the olden days.”

Read the full article here.

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Good PR, bad PR…or not PR

Posted in Board Of Intellectual Capital, Gerbsman Partners, Intellectual capital, Market research, Marketing, tagged , , , , on February 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Those of us in this profession that have made the decision to make a living the hard way by asking to be paid only if we actually land positive press coverage for our clients rather than ‘counsel’ them, may be passing on some good income these days. I hope it’s not a sign of the dour economic times, but it’s apparent there are a lot of clients out there in need of some solid counsel rather than publicity. Do Michael Phelps, A-Rod, Jessica Simpson, and continuing fan and press fav, Blagojevich, come to mind?

Maybe it’s a backlash to the seeming adulation and feel-good nature of the coverage of the historic inauguration and charismatic new president, but we, as represented by the media we subscribe to (and ingratiate ourselves to as PR people) lately seem to have veered toward a fascination to report and elevate the weaker and sillier side of our nature. It’s as if we needed a good old-fashioned, what my grandmother used to say, “come-uppence” for being so smug in our reporting of real news that seriously affects our lives and incomes. “Enough” said the media kings and the publicists that feed off of them…”bring back the court jesters!” And of course, there are those amongst us, more than happy to do so.

The fact that we’re in the midst of an important debate with valid issues on all sides of the aisle that will affect all of us in the most personal ways over the next few years does not preclude us from the enjoyment of entertainment news, of sports, of even some fluff to lighten our day. Not at all. We all need and deserve a guilty pleasure or “silly fix” once in a while. But to be transfixed on it, to have it become a story with legs is an embarrassment to the media covering it, the audiences into it, and to the PR-types behind the scenes promoting it for income and profit.

This excerpt is from The Grove Report, for the full article and other excellent posts, please click here

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