Last week we made some very large advancements to Purlem’s back-end.  In a nut-shell, Purlem is now setup so that a team of developers can work on the application at the same time in a secure environment. This is a HUGE milestone for Purlem –  allowing me to finally step away from being the sole developer, and moving my focus towards growing the company.

So… first things first – I need to find a partner.  That, is easier said that done.

Last year I thought I was at a point to bring on partner, so I started a similar search by posting a craigslist ad. I began moving forward with one of the first people that  responded to the ad.  I decided to meet him at a Starbucks to talk further about how he might fit in with Purlem.  And of-course (it’s such my personality), I get all excited that he is a perfect fit.  Not only did he live in Chicago, but he also had  the technical experience, and prior experience working with PURLs!   What?!! This is way took good to be true.  It is meant-to-be!

But there were a couple things wrong with the situation that eventually caused it to fall apart.  The largest problem came from agreeing on the equity split.  For the first few meetings when we spoke about equity, we always said that we would work out somethign that would make sense for both of us.  Little did we know, that in the back of each-others heads, we had compeltely different numbers in mind.

From my research, I found that an average equity split for a CTO in a startup is 7%.  If the CTO were a co-founder, then the number would be more like 20%.  So I figured the agreed upon number would be somewhere in between (as he was not a co-founder, but he was also taking on a little risk joining on to a company so early).

So when it came time to get a lawyer involved and talk numbers, we were at odds.  He was thinking more like 40%!  And although we tried to work back and fourth to come up with a solution, the partnership ended up falling apart even before it began.

Looking back on that experience now, I’m glad it worked out that way.  I was way to hasty with such a crucial decision.  Moving forward with the first person I “interviewed” with (by justifying that it was meant-to-be) was not allowing me the experience necessary to really hire the right person for the job. Sure, he was a great guy, good personality, strong developer.  He is going to do very well for himself.  But was he really the exact right cultural fit for the job?  I wouldn’t know because I just jumped right into it!

This experience taught me to be patient  as I begin to embark on the next phase of Purlem’s growth.

Moving forward with my partner search, I plan on doing more networking at Chicago startup and developer events.  I want to begin to form real-world relationships with people in the community.  I often joke (some-what seriously) that I probably won’t find my partner at the event itself, but enjoying a few cocktails afterwards.

Beyond that, I plan to contract out small development projects to developers in Chicago. Possibly another good way to begin forming relationships with a potential partner and/or employees.

Either way, this first hire will be extremely crucial to the success of the Purlem. Our relationship will set the foundation for the culture of Purlem moving forward, and this time I will not take the decision so lightly.

I just finished reading The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation by Jay Elliot, and if there was one thing I took away, it was Steve’s ability to create emotional connection between his products and customers.

Have you felt it?  I think of the way I feel when I purchase a new mac, or any apple product for that matter.  I hate to admit it… seems almost sinful to have an emotional connection  with any material thing. But there is no doubt about it… it’s there.

So as a business, the next logical question to ask- How can I get my product to have an emotional connection with my customers.  I want to do that!

Jay Elliot does a great job of pointing out parts of Steve Jobs’ business philosophy that have led Apple to what it is today. I think we can all learn a lot from Steve Jobs’ approach to business, and apply some of his principals to our products to create a similar emotional connection with our customers. A few of the principals I took away and will try to apply to Purlem are:

Be insane about the details
There were several parts of the book that spoke to Steve’s intense focus on the details.  One was about how Steve was working with designers of the the new iTunes store,  and spent three hours deciding where to put a single link.  Or how he demanded the newly installed imported tile to be torn out of one of the first Apple stores because it didn’t look quite right.

Its mind-boggling that a CEO of a large corporation like Apple would spend time worrying about details like this.  But it obviously works for him, and helped create to that emotional connection we all strive for.

But can a small business really worry about these types of details?  I mean we have more important things to spend our time on right?  To give the details this level of attention would be impossible!

We’ll that was my first response too.  But I guess if I really dig deep, I know I can make time to focus on the details.  I mean,  if it is a pre-requesit for creation products with emotional appeal, it has to happen.

Focus on making your product easy to use
A story mentioned a couple times in the book was when Jay (the author) received a Model-A Ford for his work on his family’s ranch.  It was very interesting to think that when Ford released his first car, people had no idea how to use them!  I mean common.. everybody at the time was riding horses around! There were no mechanics or driving schools.  Yet, he was able to release the product and make it so easy to use that any fool could drive and repair it.

The Ford story was related to how Steve Jobs handles product development.  To make every product so incredibly easy to use, that people don’t need a manual.  The convention at the time was to write technology manuals at the 5th grade level.  Steve said nope… and the 1st grade level.  In his opinion, they should not be needed at all.

I think about Purlem-  The technology around Personalized URLs can sometimes be difficult to grasp.  From the beginning I have tried to focus on making Purlem easy to use.  In fact, I see that as being our competitive advantage.  But I know we still have a long way to go.   I will always keep the Ford story in mind, and strive for that product where no manual is necessary.

Apply great design to everything
Steve Jobs was known as the “head artist” for Apple.  He knew that the product’s design and interface was as important as the technology itself, and was insistent that the design be perfect.   The design is what makes the product sexy (for lack of a better term), and is the icing on the cake to creating an emotional response.

Steve once asked his design team to act as if they were a new apple product just being purchased.  Walk me through what it is like when I first hold the product, he said. What do I see when I open it, when I turn it on.  Every part of the product, from packaging to the technology itself had to have great design surrounding it.

So again, coming back to reality, is it possible for a small business like yours to integrate this level of design into your products? We’ll yes and no.  Sure, design skills can be learned and refined with time and practice. But those really awesome designs, like the products Apple puts out, come from very gifted designers.

In my opinion, anybody with enough time and practice can create decent, respectable, designs for their products.  But I do think that once you can justify spending money on one of those ultra gifted designers, they will help to propel your product to the next level.  Like Steve says.. always hire the absolute best talent you can find.

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Its hard to imagine that a product like Purlem could create an emotional response.  I mean its a B2B product.  People are probably slaving away at work when they are using it.  Its not like a new ipod or iphone that you can touch and play with. Regardless if it is possible or not, it’s an amazing goal to strive for.

I just discovered FoundersHookup today and my eyes lit up!  This has been exactly what I have been looking for!

FoundersHookup matches high caliber, Internet co-founder prospects together.  In other words – its an online dating service for co-founders to meet each other.

I have I expressed in past posts, Purlem is growing, and brining on a parter/co-founder to help drive the company forward is becoming more and more of a necessity.  I need to spend more time on marketing and PR, and less time on the actuall development of the application.

So I immediatly filled out the application to become a member of FoundersHookup that you can see below.  Cross your fingers, hope I get accepted!

Describe your professional background. Share 5 salient distintictions / achievements.

After graduating from Bradley University with a degree in Multimedia, I found myself in advertising sales with Clear Channel Communications.  My persistence won the position as I ended up being the youngest sales person on the team by over a decade. My time in sales turned out to be a priceless crash course in sales, as I was thrown in with the wolves and expected to perform… and I did.  Within a year I was discovered by Disney Radio and offered a new position and significant pay raise – but I didn’t take it.

I quickly realized that corporate America wasn’t for me.  Sure I could go on a be quickly be making bank, but I realized that I didn’t absolutely love what I was doing.  My love was in Web Design/Development. So I took a leap of faith and went out on my own developing websites for companies around the country on a freelance basis.  A freelance connection led me into the world of print marketing, where I found my new love –  the connection between print and online media.

Three years ago I started Purlem, an online SAAS application that allows users to personalized their landing pages to the visitors.  The underlying technology that drives Purlem is a new marketing strategy that has been growing in popularity over the past few years called Personalized URLs, or PURLs.

There is a major problem with the current PURL applications on the market – they are confusing and expensive.  Purlem solved that problem by creating a simple and affordable PURL application.  Over the past three years Purlem has proven itself as a viable idea with a profitable market.

So far I have spent my time with Purlem learning the intricacies of software development and design.  There has been very little time and money invested in marketing. Despite that fact, Purlem has been growing every month and has always been profitable.

Share whatever you would like about your idea / interests / motivations in starting something.

I can’t tell you how much I love what I do.  I wake up every morning excited to get on the computer and continuing to push the development and growth of Purlem.
Having taken an  idea, and creating something people are willing to pay for, is an incredible feeling.

Business is a passion of mine.  I jump from one business book to another getting through at least 2-3 a month, and business/entrepreneurship is my favorite cocktail conversation.

The biggest personal benefit of starting Purlem has been the flexibility it has provided.  For the past 2 years my wife has been a “traveling” nurse. This means that every 3 months we pick up and move somewhere new around the country.  Our travels have taken us all across the country and has been a truely unbelievalble expreince that changed both of our lives.  There is no way that we would have been able to experience this together if it was not for Purlem.

Describe your ideal co-founder

The ideal co-founder is somebody that can help lead a fun and energetic culture around Purlem. From the beginning my goal was not only to create a profitable company, but to build a culture around it that people want to be a part of.  So the ideal co-founder will be a perfect culture fit.

Secondly, and just as important, the co-founder would have to be as excited about the possibilities of Purlem as I am.  They have to love the product and be willing to do whatever necessary to see it succeed.

From a technical stand point, the co-founder would be a strong developer that would be able to take the reigns on the future development of Purlem.  I don’t plan on leaving development completely behind (as I love it), but I do need to spend more time on marketing an PR to continue the growth of the company.
I often joke that I’m not likely to find the ideal co-founder at a meetup event, instead, I’d find him/her at a bar socializing after the meetup.

Support is going to be a major factor of Purlem’s success moving forward.  Personalized URLs (PURLs) can be very confusing, if not intimidating, so having a sophisticated and easy support channel for Purlem’s customers is crucial. When setting out to find the perfect support solution for Purlem,  I was quickly able to narrow my search down to 3 options:

Email
Yep.. just plain old email. Many internet startups are able to successfully handle support over email. Usually used in combination with something like Text Expander to automate some of the more repetitive tasks.  For Purlem, the largest down-side of using plain old email is that it does not provide a resource for users to visit  and get answers to their own questions.  Since having a comprehensive self-help resource was essential for Purlem, this was not an option for us. (Although free would have been very nice!)

HelpSpot (http://helpspot.com)
HelpSpot is a very good help desk used by many internet companies. I liked that I was able to  host the entire platform on my server (for SEO purposes). Installing the help desk was fairly painless.  And at only $199, the price was right.  One of the things I didn’t like about the platform was their “self service” forms feature.  It seemed like it could be a little confusing for many users.  On top of that, it did not have that web 2.0 look that I was hoping for.

Zendesk (http://zendesk.com)
After a 30 day trial of Zendesk, I decided to make it Purlem’s primary support platform.  It had everything I was looking for in a help desk – Community Forums, Support Tickets, Easy “Ask a Question” option, and Chat capabilities.  Most importantly, it is extremely easy for people to use.  Type in a question, if there is no match, have the option to chat or submit a support ticket.  The look is very slick and has the Web 2.0 look that fits well with Purlem’s site.  Good job Zendesk- I love my help desk

Ed Mayer was an international authority on direct mail and direct marketing from the mid-1930s. He developed the 40/40/20 rule that has been a staple for the direct marketing industry ever since.  The rule states that 40 percent of your direct marketing success is dependent on your audience, another 40 percent is dependent on your offer, and the last 20 percent is reserved for everything else (including the purl).

But from my experience from seeing a large number of successful, and unsuccessful, PURL campaigns, is that the new rule is more like 60/30/10.

Audience/List (60)
Having a highly targeted audience is crucial to Personalized URL (PURL) campaigns.  So what is a “highly targeted” audience?  Ideally it is a list of prospects that are already familiar with your business and have given you permission to reach out to them.  This is the audience that will pull a 30%+ response rate.  If you don’t have the time or resources to acquire this type of audience, your response rates will be significantly less.

Offer (30)
The offer can also make or break your Personalized URL campaign.  Giveaways, sales, rebates and bonus will give the recipient a reason to visit their PURL.  Try to approach the offer from your customer’s perspective. What do they think will be valuable? Don’t give away the farm, but make it significant enough to drive responses.  But wait! There’s more!

Everything Else (10)
Everything else is the design, medium, and copy that you choose to deliver the message. Yes, this is where PURLs fit it.  With your PURL campaign, your medium will likely be a postcard and related Personalized URL landing page.  The design and copy for both these mediums to be related. Simple is usually better, and the design should make the call-to-action obvious. But the rules for “everything else” ends there.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that PURLs will not make or break a campaign.  Sure, it can give a campaign a significant boost, but without the right audience or offer, your PURL campaign is sure to fail.

First Rate Mortgage Inc (http://www.firstratemortgagecorp.com) recently used Purlem to send out a PURL Campaign to 20,000 recipients. The list of FHA Loan prospects was gathered through Targeted Credit data leads.

The Postcard, seen below, was sent to the prospects.  The strictly text-based card is an interesting approach.  As Kevin Wade at First Rate Mortgage points out, it looks like a voter registration card and it pulls in some good response rates for them. (Not to mention lower printing costs!)

The PURL Landing Page is actually a series of pages made up of a few questions each.  Made to gradually lead the prospect deeper and deeper into the site. Everybody that responds to the PURL is given a deal based on selected criteria.

First Rate Mortgage has been sending postcards to prospects for years.  But now, for the first time using PURLs, they experienced an additional 1% in their response rate.  A significant increase considering the number of postcards that are sent out.

Congratulations First Rate Mortgage Inc on a successful PURL campaign!

First Rate Mortgage Personalized URL Postcard

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First Rate Mortgage PURL Personalized URL Landing Page

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First Rate Mortgage Purlem Results Page

Just finished reading “Landing Page Optimization” by Tim Ash.  I was looking for  some specific examples of what makes a good landing page, and how I could apply these best practices to Personal URL (PURL) pages.

What I got from the book was “You have to figure it out for yourself through testing.” Okay, okay.. I guess that’s true, but not really what I wanted to hear.  I was looking for the “magic bullets” but didn’t find any here (and maybe that’s because they don’t exist).

The specific advice and examples the book did give were very obvious and commonsensical.  But I guess it is good to be reminded of the essentials.  Here are some examples:

• The landing page should be focused on the “maybe” visitors.  The “yesses” will always buy, and the “nos” never will.
• Appeal to the emotions of the “maybes.”
• Remove the clutter.  Only show parts of the site that will drive conversions of the “maybes.”
• Be gunuine and use genuine photos.
• Place important objects above the fold.
• Use inverte pyramid format for copy writing.
• Visitor’s make judgements quickly.
• Coherency is crucial to establish confidence with the visitor.

In regards to testing the landing page, Tim recommended starting by focusing on the pages that can provide the biggest bang for the buck.  Within those pages focus on the top left and center areas of the site for possible improvements. Again, nothing new here.

The last few chapters coverers statistical analysis and sophisticated testing techniques and plans. Although interesting, it is not a realist approach for a  business with a limited budget and time.  You could spend months with this stuff.  How about just act on what you think will work, test, and build on your success.  (I’m not a fan of plans).

If there was one thing I took away from the book was to know who your visitors are and focus on developing content and direction to each “persona.”  For example, Purlem has different groups (personas) of visitors.  There are the small business owner, marketer, and printer.  All have a different goals and needs.  My site does not do a good job of providing content for each different persona, so maybe this is something I can focus on.

Came across this billboard in the Denver airport yesterday.  Thought it was a great use of QR codes.  Maybe these will catch on in the States sooner than I expected.

Use DirectSmile to create attention grabbing PURLs!