mokoyfman.com - Latest Comments in Don't Forget The Red States

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Mo Koyfman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:19:48 -0000

very smart and thoughtful point. agree wholeheartedly.

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

min viable — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:35:07 -0000

Agree that blue-->red state "cross-cultural" appeal not a straightforward endeavor--

2 tangential points--

#1. Ron Conway stated in presentation today that "we [himself + ?] don't think companies like this [foursquare] can start in small cities"-->NY attracts entrepreneurs "solving big-city needs around social media"

[ @jonsteinberg posted a one-minute-long clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrTu2_cty5c&feat... ]

Mr. Conway cites size/density rather than geography as principal catalyst--and he proceeds to note that foursquare's take-up has spread not only to SF but also to New Orleans [ LA a red state but pink/"purple" in terms of Republican presidential candidates' margins of victory, per Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PurpleNation.PNG ]--but his specification that foursquare-esque businesses must originate on coast(s) confirms the subsequent challenge of capturing the "heartland" demographic that you identified in your post--

#2. TheLadders CEO recently referenced a comment by Caterina Fake that "Flickr is a wonderful place to be a photograph"--and noted his own plans to take a similar approach to "making our site a wonderful place to be $100K+ job." That "asset"-centric (Cenedella's word) mindset would appear to be operable across red and blue state lines--effectively user-cultural-platform-agnostic (to put it awkwardly!)--

http://www.cenedella.com/stone/archives/2009/10...

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Mo Koyfman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:21:43 -0000

Thanks. We often have blinders on the coasts...

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Mo Koyfman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:21:43 -0000

Thanks! I think that is certainly a good approach, but my point was more about how blue state businesses need to play in red states...which is the harder one to pull off I think...

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Mo Koyfman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:46:31 -0000

Thanks. We often have blinders on the coasts...

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Mo Koyfman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:46:08 -0000

and apologies for the slow resonse...been having some discuss issues myself...

Thanks! I think that is certainly a good approach, but my point was more about how blue state businesses need to play in red states...which is the harder one to pull off I think...

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

Sharing When Uncool — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:17:23 -0000

[Apologies for reposting comment--now using Disqus!]

Great take--see also Peter Lynch's famous fondness for "boring" businesses. Would you attribute any advantage to geography in taking the approach you describe above--that is, building a "red-state" company in a red state, to reinforce the mindset? Thanks.

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

DonRyan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:27:22 -0000

One of the greatest lines from the now defunct "Studio 60" was "don't assume everyone between Fifth Avenue and the Hollywood Strip is an idiot". I thought that was brilliant (living in Ohio). It is also good to remember that there are millions of people living in that area. Hook them on your product and you can become very rich. Great post.

Re: Don't Forget The Red States

min viable — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:25:05 -0000