Kristen Luciani's Blog, page 21

Don’t Go It Alone

Entrepreneurs aren’t superhuman. Sure, they have drive, vision and dedication but that doesn’t always guarantee success. It’s easy to get derailed and frustrated when things don’t go smoothly as planned. And trust me, they never do. The road to greatness is fraught with challenges so why not rely on help from others who share your […]

Steamy Shower Scenes & Swag

How many mailing lists do you subscribe to? Of all the emails that clutter your inbox, how many do you actually read or even OPEN, for that matter? I’m sure the number is looooooooow. (It certainly is for me.) So why bother sending them? They’ll probably get deleted on sight anyway, right? Probably. But if […]

You Have Five Seconds To Impress Me…GO!

I’m long-winded by nature. If something can be stated in five words, it will take me thirty to get there. Luckily, I’ve tempered this in my writing.  But speaking…yeah, takes me a while to get to the point. So it’s no surprise that I hate the words “elevator speech.” This is the golden opportunity to […]

I Want A New Drug

Some people say you should write what you know. It makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, you can deliver a more compelling story if you’re familiar with the subject. My editor told me from day one to expand out of my comfort zone and do just the opposite. When I wrote Unlikely Venture, I had […]

This Love Affair Will Cost You

There is a really good reason why feedback is so critical in the product development process. MONEY. Hmm, interesting.  Tell me more. If you go down a path without prospective customer feedback, you run the risk that you will never be able to gain traction in the marketplace. You WILL feel strongly about your product. This […]

How To Make The Lust Last

Kevin Hale, partner of Y Combinator and founder of Wufoo, recently gave a fab presentation at Stanford as part of the “How To Start a Startup” course. I LOVE these sessions. It’s so great to gain perspective from those who’ve been successful putting their lessons into practice.  You know the saying “those who can’t do, teach?” Not the case with this […]

I’ll Be Wearing Valentino When I Collect My Oscar

Gillian Flynn is living my dream. Not only is she an A-list New York Times best-selling author, but she’s also headed for the Oscars with the film adaptation of “Gone Girl.”  Red carpet, designer gown, borrowed Harry Winston jewels…yes, she is a freaking rock star in my opinion. My books take me about three-four months […]

Shark Tank Needs To Invest In ‘High & Dry’

Wow. I just saw Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec invest $1.2 million for a 20% stake in a company called Red Dress Boutique. Daymond John didn’t get into it at all and clothing is his niche. Wonder why… ‘Shark Tank’ Sneak Peek: Red Dress Boutique Seeks $600,000 Hmm…just checked the website.  TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE?! […]

I Built The Perfect Product, Now What?

I was overly anxious to get my beloved Krina handbags out to market…and social media was only a glimmer on the horizon…we’re going back about ten years.   So my partner and I had to rely on human contact to make any inroads in the fashion industry – a super-important but near-impossible task.  After all, the first step […]

How To Land The Sale

People want to buy but they don’t want to be sold. Words to live by for a sales person. You want to establish a customer base but that takes time. You have to nurture customer relationships because that’s how you become successful long-term. You don’t want to sell one product to one customer. You want […]