First Steps Consulting – Startup Strategy  

I will start this post with the admission that I have a client relationship with the author of this book, but regardless I think the concepts included in the recently released “Ownership Quotient” are worth sharing. (www.ownershipquotient.com)  

Startups are constantly trying to achieve the marketing impact of large corporations on startup budgets which is only possible by turning customers into advocates.  The Ownership Quotient explores this concept and highlights its impact through compelling case studies from respected firms, and provides a framework for assessing your own effectiveness and developing strategy for building both employees and customers who exhibit ownership. 

I believe this approach to growth is particularly well suited to the coming generation of consumers, because increasingly it is the reputation of peers that drives impressions of products, services and brands rather than the size of the advertising and promotions budget.  Startups succeed because they create evangelists for their product or service, not because they outspend their competitors.  This book should be a must read for those entrepreneurs looking to market on a shoestring (which is every entrepreneur!)