When plans go awry.

In the startup world, plans often go awry.  A well-thought out plan can almost never foresee all contingencies.  Interestingly, many entrepreneurs are so overconfident that they even forgot the obvious contingencies.  Nevertheless, when something doesn't go as planned, a decision usually has to be made.  The decision is sometimes as simple as "fight or flight", and sometimes as complex as "steal or die".  From my life, a real-world example is what to do when you build it, they come, but they don't buy?

My startup Karmaback has had some HUGE success.  We've launched amazing innovative products, collected thousands of fans and followers, and are actually pretty good at bringing qualified customers (companies) to our website.  The problem?  How to get those qualified customers to pull the trigger and start running Karmaback Social Sweepstakes or Social Coupons for their fans and followers.

Classic marketing theory would say, lower the barriers to participation.  For example, we don't offer a "Free Trial".  The problem with this is it goes against my principles.  I don't believe that it is fair for a company to reap the benefits of our thousands of fans AND our viral features AND our platform AND our legal, etc. without paying.  Fairness is a core value, a principle, of mine.  So, what do I do?

Well, when plans go awry, here is what I suggest you always do: stick to your principles.  I believe in fairness, and free is definitely not fair.  But "pure variable" micro-transactions are fair.

So, for now, we're going to begin to offer "pure variable" priced products & services, beginning with Social Sweepstakes and Social Coupons.  Pay only for success.  That's fair, and that's a decision.

Meanwhile, I am looking to bring more "free" stuff to Karmaback for companies.   Stay tuned for parts of THIS blog to show up on Karmaback and for white papers, tutorials, and more to be offered for free.  Why?  Because knowledge should be free... or so say my principles.