Given that this is a quiet week leading into the New Year’s holiday, we thought you might enjoy this repost of Episode 322, "What I’ve Learned in 10 Years as an Entrepreneur" from March of 2021. Here’s what Tim had to say at the time:

"I started my company ten years ago this month. And, that’s got me thinking a fair bit about what I’ve learned in the last 10 years as an entrepreneur. While some of these lessons are things you probably already know — or that I knew — what the last decade has driven home is how important these particular lessons are. It’s not that any one of these is earth-shattering. In fact, they’re fairly foundational. But what they all share in common is that, in a world where we’re facing dramatic change every single day, it’s even more important that we keep our foundation stable. We can’t adapt to the world around us if the ground is crumbling beneath our feet. And when you put these lessons together for your business, you’ll find the firmest ground you can stand on. And the greatest benefit for the long term."

He continued:

"…hopefully, they’ll help you learn how you can succeed for the next ten years… and beyond."

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 322: What I’ve Learned in 10 Years as an Entrepreneur Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

As always, here are the "regular" show notes, detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Take note, there are a lot of links this week based on the wide-ranging discussion. Be sure to check out all those that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Where Digital Might Take Us Next (Thinks Out Loud Episode 321)

* A Year of Digital: The Pandemic, One Year On (Thinks Out Loud Episode 320)

* Shopify’s Monster Year Highlights a Generational Shift to Digital (Thinks Out Loud Episode 318)

* We’re Living Through a Generational Shift to Digital (Thinks Out Loud Episode 317)

* How Are You Holding Up? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 316)

* What Will The Next Decade of Digital Look Like? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 314)

* There’s No Going Back. You Can Only Go Forward (Thinks Out Loud Episode 312)

* 4 Big T...

One of the most successful ways to "live in the future" is to learn from the past. And, of course, to apply the learnings you take away from the past. But how can you do that most effectively? What methods exist to help you learn and grow?

This episode of Thinks Out Loud looks at the STAR and STAR/AR frameworks for delivering feedback and how you can apply those to your business this year… and next. We explore why that matters. And we look at how you can use those frameworks to build the future you want to live in.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 333: What Do You Want Next Year to Be? Here’s How to Be a STAR Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* STAR Method for Interviewing and Feedback | DDI

* How to Use the STAR Model to Provide Feedback

* It’s Possible To Commit No Mistakes And Still Lose | Laidlaw Scholars Network

* We Live in the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 274)

* Why Digital Leaders Bet on the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 327) – Tim Peter & Associates

* Revisiting "What Are We Doing Here?"

* Thinks Out Loud Thanksgiving 2021 + Bonus Content! (Thinks Out Loud 332) – Tim Peter & Associates

* Day One at Amazon and Developing a Digital Culture (Thinks Out Loud Episode 325) – Tim Peter & Associates

* Taylor Swift’s Playbook Shows Why the Modern Marketing Team is a Media Company (Thinks Out Loud Episode 324)

* What I’ve Learned in 10 Years as an Entrepreneur (Thinks Out Loud Episode 322)

* How to Build the Business Case for Digital in Your Budget (Thinks ...

Tim is out this week due to a death in the family. In light of that, we thought you might appreciate his comments in an episode from 2018 called, "What Are We Doing Here?" We’ll be back with a regular episode next week.

Here are the show notes from the original episode for you.

Revisiting "What Are We Doing Here?" – Headlines and Show Notes

* Hope is Not a Business Strategy… Is It? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 223)

* Authenticity

* How Not to Fail – Thinks Out Loud Episode 132

* Dream Big

* Do You Feel Lucky?

* A Good Week

* Happy…

* Birthday Reflections

* Success Has Many Fathers…

* Sacrifice

* Do You Have a "To Don’t" List?

* Today shouldn’t exist

* If only…

* The 5 Lessons I Learned Last Year

* How to succeed at anything. Really.

* Commitment

* What’s stopping you?

* Call your dad…

*

With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, we’re doing something a little different this time, focusing on giving thanks to you, our listeners, for tuning in week after week. We’ll be back with a regular episode next week, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy this look back at some of our past episodes that the Thinks Out Loud audience listened to, liked, and shared on social over the last year.

Have a safe, healthy, and Happy Thanksgiving, Big Thinkers! We’ll be back soon.

If you’re looking for the links, here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 332: Thinks Out Loud Thanksgiving 2021 Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* The Five Drivers of E-commerce and Digital Transformation for Your Business (Thinks Out Loud Episode 293)

* Three Content Distribution Concepts to Help Your Company’s Content Marketing Succeed (Thinks Out Loud Episode 329)

* Is Content Still King or Have the Gatekeepers Won? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 328)

* How Digital Helps You Answer Your Guest Questions Post-COVID

* AI Won’t Steal Your Job: Smart People Who Put AI to Work Will (Thinks Out Loud Episode 208)

* We Live in the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 274) from February 2020 One of the last episodes before the pandemic hit.

* Why Digital Leaders Bet on the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 327)

* How to Build a Digital Company (Thinks Out Loud 302)

* How Are You Holding Up? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 316)

Free Downloads

We have some free downloads for you to help you navigate the current situation, which you can find right here:

* Digital & E-commerce Maturity Matrix. As a bonus, here’s a PDF that can help you assess your company...

We’ve long claimed around here that "it’s all e-commerce." But, with digital transformation top of mind for so many companies, it’s fair to ask, "Is e-commerce enough?" Can you claim that you’ve become a digital company simply because you’ve introduced e-commerce into your operations? Or is digital transformation more than just e-commerce?

This episode of Thinks Out Loud looks at the difference between e-commerce and digital transformation. We also explore why that difference matters for your customers, your employees, and your business overall. And we look at a few frameworks to help you make the transition from e-commerce-oriented, to true digital transformation.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 331: Why Digital Transformation is More Than Just E-commerce Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* A Digital Transformation First Step: What You Can Do Right Now (Thinks Out Loud Episode 294)

* Two Years of Digital Transformation in Two Months (Thinks Out Loud Episode 287)

* It’s all e-Commerce: How Social, Local, and Mobile Affects Sales Online and Offline – Biznology

* Thinks Out Loud Episode 13: It’s All E-commerce

* Thinks Out Loud Episode 14: What E-commerce Really Means

* We Live Online Now (Thinks Out Loud Episode 288)

* Digital Transformation: A Brief Introduction (Thinks Out Loud Episode 178) – Tim Peter & Associates

* The Five Drivers of E-commerce and Digital Transformation for Your Business (Thinks Out Loud Episode 293)

* Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Have a Secret Plan Right Now. Here’s Why You Should Care (Thinks Out Loud Episode 286)

*

Every quarter, we pay close attention to what the Big Tech players — Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft (AGFAM), plus Shopify and others — have to say about the state of digital. Their earnings calls often reveal key digital trends that we all need to know about if we’re going to compete. And, obviously, the last year in particular has revealed more than most.

So, what is the current state of digital? What do Apple and Google and Facebook and Amazon and all the rest tell us about the shift to digital? Was 2020 a one-time event? Or is there a deeper shift going on? What do their messages to the market tell us about the state of the industry? And, most importantly, what do they reveal about how you can compete with these digital leaders?

This episode of Thinks Out Loud looks at what each of these companies told us about the last quarter and what that means for your business. We examine key trends that their public statements tell us about customers and competition. And we break down how you can use this information to grow your business in Q4… and beyond.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 330: Key Digital Trends Revealed By Big Tech’s Q3 Earnings Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Apple (AAPL) Q4 2021 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

* Alphabet inc (GOOGL) Q2 2021 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

* Facebook (FB) Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

* Amazon (AMZN) Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

* Microsoft (MSFT) Q1 2022 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

* Shopify Announces Third-Quarter 2021 Financial Results

* Shopify (SHOP) Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool

*

Content is still king. Period. But the king can’t rule if no one ever sees it. Which is why a content strategy that doesn’t account for content distribution isn’t much of a strategy at all.

So what does a successful content distribution plan look like? And what should your content distribution plan include? Thats the topic of this episode of Thinks Out Loud.

We’ll look at what works in content distribution. We’ll talk about what you need to do to ensure your content reaches the right customers. And we’ll help you build a plan that works today… and how you can be ready for tomorrow.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 329: Three Content Distribution Concepts to Help Your Company’s Content Marketing Succeed Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Is Content Still King or Have the Gatekeepers Won? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 328)

* Content Shock: Why content marketing is not a sustainable strategy

* Content Shock and Content Ignition: A Conversation with Mark Schaefer

* Content is Still the King – Tim Peter & Associates

* Is "Content is King" Dead? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 306) – Tim Peter & Associates

* Is Content a Strategic Product for Your Business? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 319)

* The Single Biggest Myth in Digital: Content is Expensive (Thinks Out Loud Episode 275)

* What Connects TikTok and the Hub and Spoke Model of Digital? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 299)

* You Don’t Need a Website

* Digital Gatekeepers and the Death of Organic Traffic (Thinks Out Loud Episode 247)

* Whose Brand Does Google Want To Build?...

It’s that time of year again, one where someone suggests that content marketing as we know it is dead. And when it’s someone like Rand Fishkin, it’s worth listening to what he has to say. But… is he right? Is content marketing still king? Or have the gatekeepers won? Are we dependent on gatekeepers — and the rules they put in place — to get our messages in front of our customers?

How about… no?

I’m not trying to diminish anyone here. Rand asks an important question. But maybe the questions we want to ask are, "How should we think about content marketing today? How can we make content marketing work for our business?" Those are the topic of this episode of Thinks Out Loud.

We’ll look at what works for content marketing, not only for content creation, but also content distribution. We’ll talk about what you need to do to ensure your content reaches the right customers today… and how you can be ready for tomorrow.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 328: Is Content Still King or Have the Gatekeepers Won? Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Rand Fishkin on why the incentives to publish no longer reward the web’s creators

* Rand Fishkin’s "Lots for you, a little for me" methodology)

* Why Your Content Isn’t King Any More | Mark Schaefer — LinkedIn

* Content Shock: Why content marketing is not a sustainable strategy

* Content Shock and Content Ignition: A Conversation with Mark Schaefer

* Content is Still the King – Tim Peter & Associates

* Is "Content is King" Dead? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 306) – Tim Peter & Associates

* Is Content a Strategic Product for Your Business? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 319)

* The Single Biggest Myth in Digital: Content is Expensive (Thinks Out Loud Episode 275)

When is it a bad idea to bet on the future? How about… never. First, we’re seeing massive shifts in customer behavior during the pandemic — behaviors that look likely to last. Second, the emergence of Millennials and Gen Z as significant market segments suggest that those new behaviors are just the beginning. Third, and most importantly, the big guys of digital — Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft — are all placing big bets that threaten to reshape the landscape for every business in due time.

So, maybe a better question is "How can you bet on the future to win?" And that’s what we’re talking about in this episode of Thinks Out Loud.

We’ll take a look at who’s leading the way towards the future, some useful frameworks for how to think about betting on the future, and how to place smart bets for your business… bets that you can win.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 327: Why Digital Leaders Bet on the Future Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

Here are the regular show notes detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Be sure to check out all the links that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Day One at Amazon and Developing a Digital Culture (Thinks Out Loud Episode 325)

* Scott Brinker on Twitter: "Important to balance across this spectrum. But if you buy the premise that business environments are evolving rapidly — which I do — I think it’s better to lean to the left. https://t.co/7eS7wbtOfH" / Twitter

* Swap and go: electric trucks to run between Sydney and Brisbane using exchangeable batteries | Transport | The Guardian

* Amazon to let Whole Foods shoppers pay with a swipe of their palm | Reuters

* Amazon is opening a hair salon with an AR color bar | Engadget

* Online Grocery Delivery from Kroger (KR) to Be Done by Robot Warehouses – Bloomberg

* Almost a fifth of Facebook employees are now working on VR and AR: report

* The tech industry is looking to replace the smartphone — and everybody is waiting to see what Apple com...

A protestor outraged by the introduction of the European Super League held a sign that said, "Fans, Not Customers." The nascent soccer competition felt its customers’ — excuse me, fans’ — wrath and shut down, all within four days of announcing its existence. Four. Days.

That’s extraordinary. And it’s a testament to how fans feel about the brands, the organizations, the experiences they identify with. And given that few brands would ever feel the same outpouring of emotion from their customers — and they are customers in these cases — it’s a sign of how far most brands have to go. Worse, digital often plays a small role in driving those passionate responses… or only encourages negative passions.

Airbnb and others are trying to change that. In fact, Airbnb has pivoted away from performance marketing — the go-to method for most digital marketers — in favor of brand marketing. They’re trying to cultivate a passionate fan base, one that will choose them first. And, consequently, lower their customer acquisition costs and reduce their dependency on Google and other gatekeepers.

In this episode of Thinks Out Loud, we’ll look at Airbnb’s plans. We’ll discuss how digital can contribute to your customers’ brand experience. And we’ll review whether digital can help you create not just customers, but fans for your brand too.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Thinks Out Loud Episode 326: Are You Using Digital to Create Customers or Create Fans? Headlines and Show Notes

Show Notes and Links

As always, here are the "regular" show notes, detailing links and news related to this week’s episode. Take note, there are a lot of links this week based on the wide-ranging discussion. Be sure to check out all those that matter for your business once you’ve given the episode a listen.

* Digital Transformation is All About Customers (Thinks Out Loud Episode 323)

* Day One at Amazon and Developing a Digital Culture (Thinks Out Loud Episode 325)

* Reaction to the Super League? Super Anger | The New York Times

* Airbnb’s brand vs. Booking.com’s performance marketing – is there a playbook for recovery? | PhocusWire

* Digital Gatekeepers and the Death of Organic Traffic (Thinks Out Loud Episode 247)

* Gatekeepers Gonna Gate: Apple, Google, and Antitrust (Thinks Out Loud Episode 258)

*