The Most Common Mistake Founders Make with Consumer Businesses

Our reading notes on Gary Vaynerchuk

• The Most Expensive 30 Seconds in Advertising

  At his Super Bowl roundtable with Jim Stengel and brand leaders, Vaynerchuk describes the event as a day to produce material. A participant trying a product, a creator explaining it and a broadcast spot serve different purposes. Planning those encounters ahead of time helps a team leave with something more specific than a highlight reel.

• Why You Need to Forget Your “Mistakes” and Focus on Your Next Thing

  The episode listing describes Vaynerchuk’s conversation with CRWD founder Ryan Chen about paying people to try products, visit a store and give feedback. For someone planning a sampling day, that raises two separate questions. Did someone take the free sample, and did the experience give them a reason to look for the product again?

• The Real Reason Why You're Not Winning on Social Media

  Vaynerchuk’s episode notes connect two jobs a livestream can do. During a shopping session a host can respond to a question as it arrives. Later, the answer can reach someone who missed the session. The edit needs to restore the product, the question and any qualification that viewers saw earlier in the stream.