What is Spreadable?

If you haven’t heard about Spreadable, it’s a new tell a friend tool from our parent company, Grasshopper Group. But it actually came to be right here on Grasshopper.com.

For those of you who have ever seen or used the Refer an Entrepreneur button on our site, that’s Spreadable!

A few years ago, we wanted a better way for our customers to refer our product. We tried a couple of different tools but nothing really fit our needs, so we built our own. The result?

* A tool that in one year gave us a 20% conversion rate and generated over $100,000 in additional word of mouth revenue! *

And that’s how Spreadable was born. It’s a simple product that integrates with both email and social tools and it’s easy to use. Plus, you can track the results!

It comes with back-end analytics and conversion tracking so you know who’s referring you and what’s happening with those referrals.

I don’t know what you’re currently using for referrals but it’s probably not as awesome as Spreadable. We highly suggest you go check it out!

We’ve gathered a few of our favorite tweets from the past month and are sharing them here on the blog. We also want to send a big thank you to everyone who has helped promote Grasshopper over the course of our six years!

Will Smidlein @nullfear

Stephanie Cedeño @smcedeno

Lou Imbriano @LouImbriano

ELRoman29@elroman29

Greg Hoffmeister@gwhoffmeister

Joe Hobot@joehobot

Feel free to tweet us @grasshopper. Want more information on our virtual phone system? Go see how it works.

Here at Grasshopper we know how important it is for our customers to be able to reach us. We love getting feedback on what we’re doing well and what we can do to improve.

We also love helping other entrepreneurs succeed. Whether it’s getting press coverage, writing about their business or simply providing useful information, our goal is empower entrepreneurs.

Here are a few places you can find Grasshopper:

• Twitter

  @grasshopper not only offers updates on the Grasshopper virtual phone system but provides information for and from entrepreneurs. Get tips on starting a business, running a small business, marketing ideas and more. Follow us now!

• Facebook

  See what’s new on the blog, read what our customers have to say or watch one of our favorite Grasshopper videos. http://facebook.com/grasshopper puts many of the Grasshopper outlets all in one place. Let us know what you would like to see, ask questions or just stop by and say hi! Tell us you like us!

• LinkedIn

  LinkedIn is a great place to network with Grasshopper employees and see what jobs are available at the company. Join the Grasshopper Entrepreneur Network and chat with fellow entrepreneurs or just see what’s new on the blog.

Grasshopper is also out there in forums, blogs, etc working to share our knowledge and learn yours. Send us a tweet, write on our wall or leave a comment here and let us know where you get your info.

In fact, the Twitter accounts of other startups and founders are often treasure troves of relevant, applicable insight. After all, these are folks who have overcome the obstacles you are facing and achieved the goals you are striving for. Who better to learn from? The key to using Twitter productively, of course, is avoiding idle banter and following only those offering concrete, actionable advice. To that end, Grasshopper scoured Twitter for fourteen accounts that any startup founder would be well-served to follow.

Startup Digest

Startup Digest is an awesome service for getting plugged in with your local startup community. They also have a great Twitter list setup for you to follow to filter out some of the noise in your Twitter stream once in awhile and focus on valuable insights from leading tech blogs and entrepreneurs.

Make a Startup

While not itself a startup, Make a Startup‘s Twitter feed is a veritable compendium of startup-specific knowledge. A glance through a typical day’s Tweets turns up such gems as “business models behind the Internet startup” and “3 New Startup Pitfalls to be Aware of.” The ideal person to follow, Make a Startup is someone who wants to understand the deep mechanics of how Internet business and the startup life work. As venture capitalist Paul Graham is fond of saying, “you don’t need to understand physics to be a pitcher, but it never hurts.” That being said, even the “big picture” lessons dispensed on Make a Startup’s Twitter are focused on action, not armchair theorizing.

Perry Marshall

As the world’s premier Google AdWords authority, Perry Marshall works as a marketing consultant to dozens of startups and small to medium sized businesses. The main reason his Twitter is worth following is that he impresses upon readers a constant focus on bottom-line results. While it’s easy to get caught up in fuzzy metrics like “buzz” and “mind share”, Perry’s tweets serve as persistent reminders to focus on whether what you are doing is making money.

His advice on e-mail marketing, split testing and conversion tracking is essential to anyone involved in a startup. Furthermore, his insights on Internet marketing are vital to anyone concerned with bringing more customers into the fray (which, believe it or not, often gets moved to the back burner by startups.)

Startup Report

Startup Report‘s Twitter feed is slightly different than most of the ones we mention, but is eminently worth following nonetheless. Essentially, Startup Report is an up to the minute aggregation of startup news reports – who’s gotten funding, who’s been bought out, who’s gone under, etc. It’s a way for any business owner to take the pulse of what’s going on in the startup world and look for patterns of market activity that ought to influence their decisions. While investors have stock tickers and the Wall Street Journal, those immersed in the startup world have Startup Report.

EntrepreneurUS

EntrepreneurUS is another Twitter account deserving of any founder’s attention. In terms of immediately applicable tips and strategies, it’s tough to beat tweets such as “Watch 25 Entrepreneurs Try To Launch 6 Startups From A Bus In Just 48 Hours.”

EntrepreneurUS also tweets material that is useful to early stage founders, such as how to generate startup ideas if you do not currently have one. And that’s just a sampling of the material submitted on their Twitter on a daily basis. Tune in once in a while and your search for useful business insight will be richly rewarded.

Cool Startups

Described as “a magnet for all the buzz on hot new startups”, Cool Startups is a Twitter feed that is positively packed with valuable how-to information and educational anecdotes on business success. Indicative of the content you will find on Cool Startups are tweets such as “Lessons From Start-Ups on Improving Sales Productivity” and “Startup Professionals Musings: For an Entrepreneur, an MBA is not King.” With such useful advice, it’s no wonder over 2,400 people have decided to follow Cool Startups to date!

Venture Beat

Venture Beat is the Twitter account for those eager to keep up with the latest musings and recommendations of the venture capital industry. While it’s certainly important to absorb all the perspective and wisdom from other founders that you can, it also helps to understand startups as seen from an investor’s point of view. Typical tweets include “an angel investor’s advice for startups” and “Norwest’s Tim Chang wants to invest in the “game-ification” of life.” Perhaps the most useful benefit of following Venture Beat is staying abreast of what types of businesses investors want to invest in.

OfficeDivvy

OfficeDivvy, a startup focused on virtual office solutions, maintains a Twitter feed that offers useful, daily guidance to founders. With tweets such as “Why Business Plans Are a Waste of Time For Startups” and “When to do it yourself, and when to outsource some of your tasks”, founders are sure to find a fresh perspective on the many challenges they face on a regular basis. At time of writing, over 20,000 people have decided that following OfficeDivvy is a worthwhile use of their time.

2BProductive

Some of the more common problems startup founders grapple with are their own mental and habitual roadblocks. No matter how many books or seminars you devour on business strategy, you will never take your business to the next level until you master your own habits as regards time management, goal setting and execution. That’s why 2BProductive is a Twitter feed all of us need to be following.

Every day, 2BProductive dispenses valuable nuggets of insight, including podcasts on action-based agendas, what we can learn from the Olympics for business productivity and more. If you feel that your overall strategy is sound but aren’t sure how to correct unproductive habits, 2BProductive is well worth tuning into.

Daytimer Page

Another Twitter account aimed at providing time management and personal productivity tips is Daytimer Page. While its follower count isn’t astronomical (just over 300 at time of writing) Daytimer Page is a rock-solid resource for anyone looking to improve their own personal effectiveness in the workplace.

Everything from the efficient use of planners to brain dumps to color-coordinated calendars is discussed on a daily basis, resulting in a buffet of tips, advice and strategies for sharp startup founders to choose from. If you feel like time is managing you instead of the other way around, it’s time to follow Daytimer Page and take its advice to heart.

FocusSmallBiz

Focus Small Biz is the ultimate Twitter feed for those seeking hard-nosed answers to practical, immediate questions – such as “what is the best marketing technique for small businesses that budget $50/month?” Other questions tackled by Focus’ daily Twitter feed include “Why don’t banks and traditional lenders provide funds to startups?” and “How to Select a Good Business Webcam.” Why more startups don’t get funding is another frequently addressed topic. Whenever you find yourself struggling to answer a very direct question, it’s a safe bet that perusing the archives of Focus Small Biz will point you in the right direction.

Brand Strategic

For most startups, a social media presence has gone from being “nice to have” to being a baseline necessity. Unfortunately, much of the educational material on doing social media correctly contains more hype and platitudes than actionable advice. A refreshing departure into social media practicality is Brand Strategic, a Twitter feed that dispenses daily tidbits including “11 Free Tools for Social Media Optimization” and “Five insights into the behaviors of social media users.” An occasional glance at Brand Strategic’s updates will leave you feeling confident and ready to implement what you have learned, rather than endlessly searching for answers.

Social Media Solutions

Another excellent Twitter feed to follow with regard to practical social media strategies is Social Media Solutions. Whereas BrandStrategic focuses more on tutorials and resources for using social media for immediate impact, Social Media Solutions tweets examples of major or growing brands using social media in their own activities, allowing you to discern patterns and effective strategies that are working for other businesses.

At time of writing, for instance, readers can learn about Connecticut governor Jodi Rell using social media to release state news, or DirecTV using it in ad campaigns. Those seeking to learn by example from the successful social media pioneering of others need look no further.

VisionQuest MT

VisionQuest MT is a Twitter feed focused on accounting, bookkeeping, and measuring productivity in quantitative terms. Readers will find tweets covering an expansive territory of business topics, ranging from tax breaks to measuring employee productivity to the trade-offs of working at home versus the office. As has been the case with all of the feeds we’ve mentioned, readers can expect a firm focus on actionable tips and wisdom. Most of VisionQuest’s tweets pertain to things you are already doing and have the potential to make an immediate difference for the better.

Grasshopper and the Web 2.0 Show have teamed up to help entrepreneurs like you promote your business.

“Pitch the Show” is a new element to the Web 2.0 Show that gives ANY person the chance to be featured on the show! You will have the opportunity to talk about your business in front of a large audience as well as a monthly special guest who has left their mark in the entrepreneurial world. It’s a great opportunity to gain exposure and extremely simple:

“Call 1-888-WEB20SHOW and give your best 90 second pitch about your business.”

Two pitches will be selected each month and along with exposure on the Web 2.0 Podcast, you will be featured on the Grasshopper blog.

It’s important to remember that Twitter is a big part of this contest as well. By engaging @grasshopper and @web20show on Twitter you can actually influence your chances of getting featured. Here at Grasshopper, listening is a really big part of what we do, and that is why we will be tracking hashtag #pitchtheshow, so make sure to tag your tweets!

For more information check out Web 2.0 Pitch the Show and start pitching your business!

We’ve gathered 14 tweets from smart people around the web, offering some simple words of wisdom on startups:

• Tech startups – be careful about “geeking out” on sales calls. You’re selling solutions to problems not technology. @byosko



• Just finished a call with a CEO who is delaying fundraising till he gets more traction. Very smart. You can’t raise $ without validation @startupcfo

• Avoid analysis paralysis…been noticing we talk a lot about the interpretation of data, not whether to act…this is the way to do it. @MikeMcDerment

• IMHO an amazing co-founder is invaluable – each step in your startup feels more solid, faster, and well thought out. @danmartell

• I don’t think school has much to do with being an entrepreneur. @jasonfried

• Taking the time to document processes and standards for my own team. Sometimes you need to slow down in order to be able to speed up. @startupcfo

• great product expertise can’t be bought. monetization expertise can be. so you look for the product expertise in the founding team @fredwilson

• It is not written anywhere that raising money is the first step in starting a company. Or any step at all. @ThisisStartup

• Price isn’t the only factor ppl use when buying stuff. Don’t use “lowest price” wins as an excuse. @byosko

• (1) Scratch a really painful itch. (2) Tell everyone your idea. (3) Find the right team. (4) Ask more questions #thisisstartup @thomasknoll

• It’s the constant surge to “WOW” the customer to build trust, make him come back & give confidence that we are here to deliver! @nandinih
• #startup founders: highly recommend getting 1-2 other people to be co-founders. share the burden and share the success. @george_revutsky
• How to Kill a Startup: Hire Executives instead of Entrepreneurs from @VCMike. It is all about timing and stage. @dh

And my favorite:

• I have an idea for a new startup. @Orli

What other words of wisdom have you found on Twitter?

If you have ever asked us a question on Twitter, you may have noticed the response coming from an account other than @Grasshopper. Our goal is to provide good information for entrepreneurs, answer questions about the company and service, promote our customers and let everyone know what is happening here at Grasshopper without cluttering the main account.

So what Twitter accounts do we own and what are they for?

• @Grasshopper

  This is where you will find all the news and information on the company along with business and financial tips for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

• @GrasshopperBuzz

  Run by Ambassador of Buzz, Jonathan Kay, the GrasshopperBuzz account gives you news on Grasshopper, answers customer questions and helps our customers with press opportunities.

• @GrasshopperCare

  Have questions on set up? Can’t find the number you want? GrasshopperCare is run by our support team and are there to solve any issues you may have.

• @GrasshopperJobs

  Interested in a career at Grasshopper? Stay up to date on the latest job postings by following GrasshopperJobs.

• @GrasshopperLabs

  With new products coming out every few months GrasshopperLabs will give you an insight into what projects we are working on and what products may be in the works.

• @GaryGrasshopper

  With Gary as our mascot, it is here you will find a mix of everything. Company news, events, job posting, entrepreneur tips. Gary helps you stay connected.

Also be sure to check out our Founders on Twitter @dh and @staghaddos.

Step 1. Choreograph an amazing video with a popular song.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcOFN_VBVo]

Step 2. Feature 172 extrovert students.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z1Pr0ayzik]

Step 3. Seed the video by getting each of those students enthusiastically spreading the cool new video they were a part of to their, on average, 130 Facebook friends who then, in some way or another, pass it on to 130 more people because “OMG look at my BFF Sara in this amazing video!”

Well done, Luc. You just gave all of us something to think about…

*Step 1 may not be easy for everyone.

The twelve people I have listed below are certainly not the only entrepreneurs out there offering valuable information but they are some of my favorites:

Ben Yoskovitz

• @byosko
• Who: “CEO/Founder Standout Jobs. Blogger. Entrepreneur. Father. Opportunity-seeker.”
• Why: Ben interacts with his followers and presents great information for start ups.

Mike McDerment

• @MikeMcDerment
• Who: “FreshBooks CEO”
• Why: Mike does a great job of answering questions about FreshBooks, interacting with his followers and keeping everyone updated on events and engagements.

Dan Martell

• @danmartell
• Who: “Canadian entrepreneur; investor, San Francisco immigrant, lover of metrics and marketing. all around nice guy.”
• Why: A nice mix of social media marketing, humor and business tips.

Elizabeth Shea

• @eliz2shea
• Who: “CEO/Founder of SpeakerBox Communications, a tech PR agency focused on driving business results in B2B and B2G”
• Why: Up on all the business events, technology news and social media.

Jason Fried

• @jasonfried
• Who: “Founder of 37signals. Architecture and tea enthusiast, too. Entrepreneurs: Simple is an asset.”
• Why: Great interaction (esp. with customers) along with some quality business info.

Marcel LeBrun

• @lebrun
• Who: “CEO, Radian6 – social media monitoring, analysis and engagement platform”
• Why: Fun to follow with a mix of person interests and business information. As a CEO great to see so many responses to followers.

Leo Laporte

• @leolaporte
• Who: “I’ve experiments to run, there is research to be done, on the people who are watching TWiT Live.”
• Why: Interesting guy covering everything from music to business to search. Also a Grasshopper customer so I am partial.

Joel Spolsky

• @spolsky
• Who: Software developer and the author of Joel on Software
• Why: Get insight into his company along with solid business advice.

Susan McKenna

• @mckennasmark
• Who: “Owner of McKenna’s Marketing, Tweet Toolbox, BuzzHumor, StinksnThings and other fun adventures!”
• Why: Funny, RT quality information and offers some nice social media tips for businesses

Steve Woda

• @SteveWoda
• Who: “Founder of buySAFE. Entrepreneur. eCommerce. Internet Safety and Security. Economics. Surety Bonds. Wharton MBA.”
• Why: Great articles and RT for businesses and startups.

Mark MacLeod

• @startupcfo
• Who: “I help fund, grow and sell tech startups. Currently CFO at Akoha and Tungle and advisor to other web startups”
• Why: Funny and smart is what you will get from Mark. Information for VC and startup folks

Fred Wilson

• @fredwilson
• Who: “I am a VC”
• Why: Personal insights, music, event info and of course business and startup tips.

I also thought I’d throw in two others you may already know as a bonus:

Zappos

• @zappos
• Who: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh
• Why: Get a glimpse of what life is like in the Zappos office along with some motivational quotes to pick you up.

Jason Calacanis

• @jason
• Who: “I’m a cereal entrepreneur: Founder of Weblogs, Inc., TechCrunch50, Silicon Alley Reporter, Engadget & Mahalo.com”
• Why: A very smart guy doing interesting things. Find events and get startup tips.