A Review of Entrepreneurs Who Think, Grow, and Develop Master Plans

Growthink.com

Dave Lavinsky founded Growthink in 1999. He is the President and Co-Founder and has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs to start their companies though various business plan development techniques.

If he is not making public appearances, you can find interesting, thought-provoking background information about critical & key components that investors seek in one’s business plan. He states that investors seek: credibility, operational success, quality content in your business plan and it helps if you have more than one referral/recommendation from a trusted source. He outlines how to be a successful entrepreneur by incorporating details on services such as: Strategic Business Plan Consulting, Exit Strategy Planning, Private Equity Investing, Market Research and Feasibility Studies, and Investment Banking.

Dave is what the business world calls a ‘serial entrepreneur’ having launched businesses ranging from nutrition to an online music website.  He has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davelavinsky https://twitter.com/#!/davelavinsky

MasterPlans.com

Bryan Howe founded MasterPlans in 2002, as a Sole Proprietorship company. He currently holds the title of President for the 24-member MasterPlans team of associates.

I found the MasterPlans website to be very helpful, as Mr. Howe and his team suggests the components needed, if a start-up business should require more than what the business plan suggests. One main suggestion is to establish a partnership with companies that share your same focus in being the best at what you do. By doing so, this will allow you to establish credibility, and capital outside of what an investor has to offer.

As a guiding principle, Mr. Howe suggests that you always remain on the offensive end of the competition. He says: “If your competitor is constantly defending his or her position, you don’t have to worry about yours.” He has a MBA in Finance from Portland State University and earned his Bachelor’s from Lewis and Clark College.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanhowe https://twitter.com/#!/bryanhowe

References:

 http://www.growthink.com/category/blogs/dave-lavinsky http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky http://www.masterplans.com/about-us.php http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/02/08/tidbits3.html?page=all

         

Nyquil Has Teamed up with Drew Brees, Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

Over the past few weeks, I have notice more and more television commercials, staring professional sports figures. This marketing tactic is nothing new but with time, innovation, and, more creative influence, companies are able to afford better opportunities to connect with their audiences.

For instance, Nyquil has teamed up with Drew Brees, Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. The Nyquil brand has been around since the fall of 1968, with its well-known product description as: "The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, best-sleep-you-ever-got-with-a-cold medicine.” The Saints won the 2009 Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts.  This victory came shortly after the devastating natural disaster; Hurricane Katrina struck the state of Louisiana and left the city of New Orleans in routines. 

As far as endorsements are concerned, marketers increasingly turn to athletes to promote their products. After leading his team to the 2009 Super Bowl victory, Drew Brees became an admirable role model to fans of all walks.  Now that traditional marketing tactics have taken a backseat to the new, innovative, highly popular digital marketing tactics; marketers believe that it is getting more difficult to reach a wide group of consumers and gain credibility by using television commercial campaigns.

Spectators may wonder what Nyquil’s marketing objective is and why they chose to endorse an NFL star instead of a star from any other professional league. Well, flu season starts during the fall months and so does the NFL. The concept of the advertisement is that NFL Quarterback Drew Brees has too many fans depending on him to let cold and flu symptoms keep him under the weather. Guess what he consumes as a preventative?  The campaign message really connects with fans and these fans are attached to this athlete. It also helps to add a sense of humor, and relatable sports content within the advertisement. As an official sponsor of NFL, Nyquil also hosts the "Most Dedicated Fan" campaign, which requires the most dedicated fan to follow a three step protocol. Step 1: Show and Yell; Step 2: Rise to the Challenge(s); Win, Brag, Etc. This competition requires a lot of fan engagement, which results in Nyquil raising a great deal of awareness for their brand. I find it to be a valuable campaign, do you?

Take a look!

References:

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5607.html