how we're building a values-driven, lean advertising startup

How to Build a Successful, Values-Driven, “Lean” Company

Rob FanFounder & CTO

Rob FanFounder & CTO

Dan GreenbergFounder & CEO

Dan GreenbergFounder & CEO

The (quick) Sharethrough Story

Sharethrough Company Growth

Roots in engineering virality for

Facebook applications and viral video campaigns.

2 Hours of Development....

Then....Sharethrough started as a Facebook App Company

Our first app? Hugs.

....20,000,000 Monthly Active Users!

Sharethrough is the first technology company built exclusively for brand content, not ads

Most video campaigns on the AdAge Viral Video

Chart... ever!

Generated over300MM video views

80% customer retention

We win lots of awards :)

We’ve got a ton of experience

Our customers love us

Sharethrough Dashboard

Ad Products

Sharethrough guarantees views and maximizes sharing.

Publisher Network

Your Brand Video

Now....Sharethrough Guarantees Views and Maximizes Sharing

It’s media,

not magic!

Sharethrough in the News...

The Stanford Class that built Apps, and Fortunes.

“Now 25, he works out of a glass-walled corner office in San Francisco. He is C.E.O. of his company, now called Sharethrough, which uses social media to distribute videos across the Web for companies.”

"Sharethrough is building a repeatable

advertising product for branded video content

that doesn't rely on happy accidents."

AdAge Media Maven, Dan Greenberg, on Social

Video

Sharethrough Integrates with Facebook Platform for Social Video Distribution Inside Social Games

"This new initiative marks Facebook's validation of social video, focusing on views, not impressions; choice, not interruption; shares, not just CTRs.”

Sharethrough in the News...

The Stanford Class that built Apps, and Fortunes.

“Now 25, he works out of a glass-walled corner office in San Francisco. He is C.E.O. of his company, now called Sharethrough, which uses social media to distribute videos across the Web for companies.”

"Sharethrough is building a repeatable

advertising product for branded video content

that doesn't rely on happy accidents."

AdAge Media Maven, Dan Greenberg, on Social

Video

Sharethrough Integrates with Facebook Platform for Social Video Distribution Inside Social Games

"This new initiative marks Facebook's validation of social video, focusing on views, not impressions; choice, not interruption; shares, not just CTRs.”

How We Got Here

FAIL FAST

Treat everything as an experiment

Always be transparent.

Building a product is easy

Building a business is hard

Technology is a problem-solver, not the product

Plan everything in terms of MVP’s

Cash is a vanity metric

More cash does not equal more equity value

Sell your VISION and choose early customers

who want to build that vision with you

Make your story shareable(Give customers the language to sell it)

Make everyone your champion

Hire aspirationally

Day-to-day tips

Curate a lean/agile/customer development library

Over-invest in learning opportunities

Document customer archetypes with visible artifacts

Paired programming on all stories

Daily scrums, Rotating pairs daily

Ping pong battlefield

Communicate with visuals instead of words

Stanford d.school whiteboards

Physical, visual, and transparent product communication

Physical, visual, and transparent product communication

CONCERNS

PROBLEMMEETINGAGENDA

DESIGNSTUDIO BUILD - MEASURE - LEARN

How We Scale This Philosophy

Document core values from the ground up

Optimism

Action

Creativity

Personal Growth

Purpose

Respect

Transparency

Core Values

’s

means...

in action...

think big, and think ahead

it’s not...

OPTIMISM

• confidence in the existence of a solution

• don’t get discouraged

• there is always a way

• embrace uncertainty

• ambition

• enthusiasm

• blind positivity, irrational happiness

• denial Our Core Values

means...

in action...

fail fast, learn aggressively

it’s not...

ACTION

• take forward-moving steps, not lateral movements

• fail as a team, not as an individual

• learn by doing

• decisions over perfection

• “be the accelerator, not the brakes”

• proactive vs. reactive

• Carethrough example

• waiting for full buy-in before you start something

• blind action without thought or planning Our Core Values

means...

in action...

demand context

it’s not...

PURPOSE

• make sure everyone on your team understands the major goals• communicate learnings and challenges up and down the company• sharing passion• asking questions• office hours

• blind commitment to the project Our Core Values

means...

in action...

self-awareness & effective communication

it’s not...

TRANSPARENCY

• should be tempered with purpose• lunch and learns• intellectual honesty• customer reporting• company wide file sharing

• always being wide open with everything• ignoring issues, roadblocks, and sticky situations Our Core Values

means...

in action...

write your own story

it’s not...

PERSONAL GROWTH

• aspirational hiring• appreciating the newness of everything• recognizing growth is not always easy• being part of an ongoing story, not a treadmill• the education fund• having mentors and advisors

• being afraid to jump off the bridge Our Core Values

means...

in action...

make everyone our champion

it’s not...

RESPECT

• trust in those around you• speak up• understand your impact on the people around you, directly & indirectly• taking criticism well• empathy• Carethrough

• being nice all the timeOur Core Values

means...

in action...

create new things

it’s not...

CREATIVITY

• bias towards creation, not improvement• thinking differently about problems• building MVP’s, not full-blown solutions• STR exists to facilitate more creativity in the advertising world

• accepting the process as-is• resisting change• always being different, artistic, zany, funny, etc

Our Core Values

Questions/Ideas/Feedback?We’re happy to chat.

dan@sharethrough.com

rob@sharethrough.com