20 Top Takeaways from Columbus Startup Week

The Columbus Startup Week experience is known as one of the best in the country. Startup Week is a five-day celeration of the entrepreneurial community. Again this year, it was an incredible opportunity to connect with entrepreneurial business, education, social enterprise, branding, social media, investment, fashion and SmartCity Columbus thought leaders that generously shared their time and talent.

Here are 20 top takeaways from our Tweets.

1. Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

2. Conscious leaders are reflective, learning, evolving people - creating a culture of servant leadership.

3. Purpose-driven business is often messy work. (Hard work – brave, risky decisions.)

4. Is social impact your primary motive over profit? Focus on forming a social enterprise or nonprofit.

5. Understand what your superpowers are, and make sure you can translate that to your audiences.

6. Hire only people who share your core values.

7. Your personal brand is the currency that connects you to your brand. 

8. People work hard for their money. You owe them your best. If you can't give it, don't do it.

9. Use social to close the loop on PR coverage, offers, milestones and HR stories. Then, connect the dots with email lists.

10. 1. Authenticity matters. 2. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. 3. Know your blind spots.

11. "I don't want to work for an a--hole" is not a business vision. To be focused, you must have vision. Focus leads to success.

12. 83% of millennial consumers trust recommendations from peers over advertising - that's where influencer marketing comes in.

13. $500MM was spent last year on influencer marketing. If your influencer is paid, be sure to disclose.

14. Business validation and lead generation are still the top two purposes for your website.

15. Data for data's sake doesn't benefit your business. Set goals (and map a plan that you can measure) so your data has worth.

16. Brands that invest in branding/design services outperform those who don't by 40%.

17. In a crisis, remember: Stay calm, and don't go it alone. Avoid quick responses, and get expert advice.

18. When pitching to a publication, do your homework. Tip: Look at their editorial calendar and plan ahead to match topic.

19. If you pay to create it, pay to promote it.

20. Believe that you can have a huge impact.

Copyright 2017