Have you ever had someone who just makes an impression on you ? Without even personally speaking to them, they leave you with a good impression of who they are? The name of his panel alone should let you know about the kind of person he is, Keeping Loyal Consumers Engaged by Shaking Sh*t Up . Yes, humorous isn’t it. I had the pleasure of asking a few questions to the panel speaker, Ben Lerer.
Ben Lerer is the Co-Founder/CEO of Thrillist and Co-Founder of Lerer Ventures, a New York-based Angel fund investing in media and technology. A very successful online magazine for men that is localized in 20 markets throughout the United States. Thrillist also just purchased the popular online men’s member-only retail site JackThreads. So it is safe to say that the man has to know something about how to be successful. He was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 5 Entrepreneurs of the Year” amongst his other awards received just last year alone. So it is safe to say when he talks you should listen because he clearly knows what he is talking about. His panel has to do with what happens when you build up a loyal consumer base and have a strong foundation. What steps do you take to keep your success from plateauing? Well you have to evolve in order to keep your business growing. Think of it as P90x but for business, so instead of changing workouts to get the body of an action figure you will actually be evolving your business to keep it growing.
“These days the barrier to entering most businesses is lower than ever before. This means that there are more companies competing for the same (and increasingly distracted) consumer mindshare. We’ve done a good job staying relevant and I thought people would appreciate hearing about how we’ve been successful as it might help them find their own forms of success”
That’s the answer Ben gave me when I asked him why he felt this was such an important topic to speak on. It’s not often that a
successful business man will be telling you how you can be successful yourself, so aspiring entrepreneurs listen up. Not only has he been successful but you can see how his personality has infused into his business. I wanted to know how he built a business culture that so closely mirrors his own personality. He replied with an answer that speaks to his humility,”Thrillist’s personality is a lot bigger than me — its really an amalgamation of a ton of personalities who have been here building this thing with me. As long as we continue to have great people on the team…I know we’ll be able to keep the swagger that has defined us since our inception.” I know what you’re thinking. Any man who can use amalgamation has to know what they’re talking about. Don’t be ashamed to google it (I had to, as well). Ben will show attendees how his company has continued to be successful by letting their audience shape their business and listening to feedback and the data that has helped them become a success.
So in closing Ben’s panel promises to be a must see for entrepreneurs who are wondering how to build a successful business and how to continue to grow after you have achieved a level of success. I asked Ben finally what he is looking forward to with his trip to SXSW. He replied,”Lots of open bar parties.” Now that is my kind of guy. I will be attending the panel for sure. You should as well.
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Visit the Lerer Ventures Website