ceo communication audit - collis ta'eed, envato

CEO COMMUNICATIONS AUDITCollis Ta’eed, Envato

DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

2


This audit has been prepared for Collis Ta’eed, CEO at Envato.

It is a broad review of CEO communications with the aim of building front-of-mind thought leadership.

This audit reviews:

Current communications:

Where you’re starting from today

(from page 4)

How the market thinks about you

and your business (from page 6)

The key fundamentals of

thought leadership (from page 10)

Your current narrative as

communicated to market

(from page 16)

Prioritisation of key audiences, themes

and topics (from page 19)

Coherence of content style,

language and tone (from page 25)

Summary and recommendations (from page 29)

Introduction and overview

CEO Communication Audit - Table of contents:

Communications requirements differ substantially by stage of the organisation and individual profile. We’re reviewing CEO communications relative to current stage of the company and existing public profile.

1. Current communications – Where you’re starting from today.

• Quick CEO capability review across speaking, inbound (media), outbound (publishing) and social channels

2. Current awareness and positioning - How the market thinks about you and your business

• Benchmarking you vs. comparable organisations and leaders for current awareness (and brand vs. CEO awareness)

3. Thought leadership fundamentals - Great CEO communicators are trusted, interesting and visible

• Detailed review of five recent CEO communications for thought leadership fundamentals (interest, trust and visibility)

4. CEO and company narrative - Identifying and strengthening your current narrative

• Review of your current narrative as communicated to market

5. Stakeholder review and prioritisation - Identifying your key audience(s)

• Prioritisation of Envato’s different audience groups for CEO communications

6. Topic prioritisation - Identifying the most important themes and topics to communicate to stakeholders

• Defining broad theme/topic prioritisation based on audience group prioritisation

7. Content analysis and recommendations - Reviewing the coherence of language, tone and style

• Recommendations as to the tone and style of thought leadership content to achieve best results

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Envato Collis Ta’eed

Early

sta

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Ind

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y aw

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Hig

hLo

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Gen

eral

mar

ket a

war

enes

s

Hig

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CEO – Low

industry awareness

Company –High Industry

awareness

Current brand and CEO awareness:

1.  Current communicationsWhere you’re starting from today


4

CEO communications capability– Collis Ta’eed

5


Speaking capability

Why it matters? Speaking is the bedrock of all communications. Speaking capability is the foundation on which all other channels and mediums depend.

We start with a quick assessment of communications capability, across the four key communications pillars for the modern CEO.

Rare Occasional Frequent

Frequency of speaking appearances:

Fundamentals:

Presents as enthusiastic and full of energy:

Tells stories:

Is interesting (never boring):

Naturally uses facial expressions and hands (isn’t stiff or wooden):

Uses a full range of emotions:

Controls the room / engages the audience:

Uses humour appropriately:

Has vocal control and is engaging to listen to:

Inbound (media) capability Why it matters? Traditional PR skills still matter. As the content creation and consumption cycle accelerates, it’s critical to deliver concise, clear, on-topic messages for print, radio, TV and online publications.


Frequency of media appearances:

Fundamentals:

Has clear rationale for speaking to the media:

Guides the journalist to what’s really important:

Stays authentic, doesn’t change speaking style for the medium:

Is visually engaging and interesting to watch:

Is prepared. Knows the questions that are likely to be asked:

Comfortable and never perturbed. Often having fun:

Maintains control and is not reactive:

Outbound (publishing) capability

Why it matters? In today’s media environment, every individual is a publisher. Given the fractured media landscape, it’s never been more important to build a direct (owned) channel to communicate to all key stakeholders.


Frequency of publishing:

Fundamentals:

Has built an engaged audience:

Publishes frequently to build rapport:

Publishes proactively, not just reactively:

Writes conversationally (doesn’t use corporate jargon):

Uses descriptive, engaging headlines:

Integrates multiple multimedia (video, images):

Provokes discussion and sharing:

Social (engagement) capability

Why it matters? Key stakeholders (including customers, partners and employees) increasingly expect to find the CEO on social media. People increasingly look to build trust in individuals before brands.


Frequency of social engagement:

Fundamentals:

Active on LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube:

Provokes discussion:

Demonstrates curiosity:

Incorporates personal passions. Talks about more than just work:

Connects to corporate resources where appropriate:

Stays positive (doesn’t engage with trolls):

Shows emotion:

2. Current awareness and positioning

How the market thinks about you and your business


6

Where is Collis Ta’eed most commonly positioned at present?

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On this slide, we’re looking to see how a broad set of your stakeholders think about and position Collis Ta’eed. On the left, we’ve visualised individuals who feature alongside Collis in prominent press articles. Larger bubbles represent more frequent mentions alongside Collis. The group is large and relatively diverse, with entrepreneurs from different countries and different fields, investors and influencers all represented.

Source: Google News Archives, Top 50 results (see page 33)

Where is Envato most commonly positioned at present?

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Source: Google News Archives, Top 50 results (see page 33)

On this slide, we’re looking to see how a broad set of your stakeholders think about and position Envato. On the left, we’ve visualised organisations who feature alongside Envato in prominent press articles. Larger bubbles represent more frequent mentions alongside Envato. From a broad stakeholder perspective, Australian tech/creative start-ups are the most logical comparables for Envato.

(32%, 46%)

(25%, 100%)

As a result, we’re benchmarking the following comparables

Melanie Perkins Matt Barrie Scott Farquhar Collis Ta’eed

Relative CEO and brand awareness:

Internal metrics

LTM revenue:

C. $50 M

Valuation: na

Employees: 260

External metrics

Search volume (Brand)

16%

Search volume (CEO):

0%

Alexa rank: 1,141

Internal metrics

LTM revenue:

$26 M

Valuation: $456 M

Employees: 470

Internal metrics

LTM revenue:

$600 M

Valuation: $8bn

Employees: 1,988

Internal metrics

LTM revenue:

na

Valuation: $165 M

Employees: 177

External metrics


25%


100%

Alexa rank: 827

External metrics


32%


46%

Alexa rank: 1,513

External metrics


100%


97%

Alexa rank: 428

50% 75% 100% 25% 0%

0%

50%

100%

75%

25%

Brand presence

CEO presence

(100%, 97%)

(27%, 0%)

CEO centric Risks around succession

and long-term awareness

Brand centric Not humanised, risks

around trust,

•  This chart benchmarks relative awareness for both brand and individual CEO

•  All numbers are Google search volumes for “Organisation” and “CEO name”. 100% represents maximum search volume for any term over last 12 months.

Source: Annual reports, Google Trends (LTM max search volume), Alexa

We’re benchmarking the following comparables:

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3. Thought leadership fundamentalsGreat CEO communicators are trusted, interesting and

visible


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Great CEO communicators are trusted, interesting and visible

3. Visible

1. Interesting 2. Trusted

2. Trusted Signals we look for: •  Shows appropriate vulnerability •  Individually relatable •  Consistently communicates the

same narrative over time •  Connected to society as a whole,

not just the business •  Has a clear purpose

See page 14 for a relative assessment

1. Interesting Signals we look for: •  Human first •  Talks with full range of emotions •  Tells stories •  Short messages, consistent long-

term narratives •  Talks about the future •  Appropriate mix of crazy and

inevitability •  Avoids robo-speak / corporate

language

See page 13 for a relative assessment

3. Visible Signals we look for: •  Is accessible across a range of platforms •  Addresses multiple audiences •  Has public views on corporate, industry and

societal issues •  Regularly quoted by third parties See page 15 for a relative assessment

Interesting and visible is a trap that many politicians and CEOs fall into. It’s relatively easy to build this position with strong reactionary positions. Whilst this positioning does lead to airtime and profile, it leads to very little influence and action because there’s no underlying foundation of trust.

Trusted and visible is a position that’s hard to achieve without substantial conferred status and trust (i.e. the position of Governor General). Anyone with this positioning will always achieve stronger communications performance by being more interesting.

It has never been more important to get the right balance of interest and trust. Old media PR strategies typically focused excessively on interest factors, which translate poorly in an always on, authenticity

driven new media environment

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Content examples we’ve analysed in depth

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As a basis for this audit we’ve picked five typical market facing communications featuring or authored by Collis. This analysis is our basis for understanding current CEO communications to stakeholders (including story, narrative and style) The content we’re using in this audit:

•  Inspiring logo designs from freelancers around the world

•  24 November 2016 •  https://envato.com/blog/

inspiring-icon-lettermark-logo-designs/

•  Designing a website ten years ago

•  22 August 2016 •  https://envato.com/blog/

designing-website-ten-years-ago-collis/

•  Widespread WordPress plugins and themes security vulnerability

•  23 April 2015 •  https://envato.com/blog/

wordpress-item-security-vulnerability/

•  Will the Internet replace traditional education?

•  16 September 2012 •  http://thenextweb.com/

insider/2012/09/15/will-internet-replace-traditional-education/

•  Entrepreneurs of the year: Collis and Cyan Ta’eed

•  17 October 2015 •  https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=ofI0kpdKAIk

How Collis performs on the interest benchmark

Human first:

Talks with full range of emotions:

Tells stories:

Short messages, consistent long-term narratives:

Appropriate mix of crazy and inevitability:

Avoids robo-speak / corporate language:

Communicates concisely, on consistent topics. Evidence of long-term narrative.

Evidence of your personal values and beliefs. Talking about your personal life, sharing and celebrating special events.

Regular evidence of communication with a full range of emotions.

Communicates through stories, not messages.

Strategic content that is equal parts crazy and inevitable. Takes strong opinions.

Talks in simple, conversational language.

Talks about the future

26 (93%) Total score: (/28)

Talks strategically. Does not only communicate on a reactive basis.

How each factor builds interest:

In a social media era, it’s expected that all opinions can be condensed to 140 characters. The length of story is shorter than ever. But those messages must sit inside consistent long term narratives – otherwise the messages will come off as shallow, short term and un-coordinated.

As humans we’re built to be interested in humans first. Whatever your job, role or company, humans are most interested in human stories. As a result, it’s important to communicate as a human first. Before you’re a CEO, you have to show that you’re a real person, just like your audience.

Humans respond to stories that engage them on an emotional level. Communicators that highlight appropriate emotions will always outperform dry corporate communication. Talking with a full range of emotions doesn’t mean consistently “happy”, “sad” or “angry” – rather expressing emotions on the extreme end of the spectrum as appropriate.

People have always communicated through stories, rather than repeating messages or sound bytes. Today’s stakeholders are suspicious of corporate messages that are increasingly dry and fail to capture the imagination. Communicating through stories ensures memorability and action.

The most interesting thought leadership content balances equal parts crazy and inevitability. As a thought leader, you're speaking about ideas that are dramatically different to current "best practice". This means that there's always a risk that you'll be perceived as somewhat 'crazy’. You can mitigate this risk by positioning your ideas as the inevitable future - whether the reader/listener accepts this or not.

All stakeholders have become increasingly suspicious of “corporate speak”. CEOs must communicate in simple and conversational language that builds a human connection and rapport with all their audience. Buzz words and corporate speak do nothing but drive disengagement.

Today’s stakeholder is suspicious. To be a leader you must set direction for the future. Thought leadership is about moving beyond the reactionary day-to-day… instead focusing more on a long term agenda for the future. For the company, the industry and society as a whole.

What we’re looking for:

Consistently Regularly Occasionally Rarely

4 3 2 1

Source: Benchmarked on basis of publically available articles and reports.

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Messages are consistent regarding Envato’s purpose and current priorities. However there doesn’t appear to be a consistent connection to where the company is going.

Regularly uses personal stories and anecdotes - mentions of family, friends and personal passions.

Enthusiasm and excitement are always present in Ta’eed’s content. It’s clear that Collis is passionate and excited about what he does.

Excellent use of story telling techniques.

Collis is very strong at talking about the future with the right mix of speculation and inevitability. A major strength.

Talks in easy to read and accessible language. A great and accessible communicator in both video and text.

Annual posts looking forward at trends in the space are well executed and received. Opportunities to do more frequently

Assessment:

4

4

4

3

3

4

4

How Collis performs on the trust benchmark

Shows appropriate vulnerability:

Communication that shows appropriate vulnerability (failures, mistakes and shortcomings in the context of your current success).

Individually relatable:

Connected to society as a whole, not just the business:

Has a clear purpose:

Consistently communicates the same narrative over time:

Source: Benchmarked on basis of publically available articles and reports.

Consistent messaging, stories and narratives over the medium to long term.

Does the audience feel like they know you as a person? Do they understand and empathise with your passions, wants and flaws? Do you talk with your audience or down to your audience?

Discussing issues bigger than the business (whether industry, societal or personal).

Strong and believable individual purpose.

21 (88%) Total score: (/24)

Content that shows you're vulnerable strengthens your credibility and signals that you’re both genuine and honest. Both of these signals lead to trust. If you’re willing to share your failures, mistakes and shortcomings, it makes it easier for any audience to connect with you and trust what you’re saying.

Consistency is critical for building trust. In the same way that we don’t trust people that we’ve just met, we don’t trust narratives that we’ve just heard. It takes time and repetition to build trust. This is established through consistently communicating the same narrative over an extended period of time. Whilst your messages and stories can change over time, these should stay inside a consistent overarching roadmap to build trust (this is your narrative).

Trust is built on a foundation of individual likeability. We like people who we can easily relate to. Relatability can be easily measured by asking questions such as “Would you like to have a beer with this person? Or “Would you invite this person round for dinner?”

Focusing on issues bigger than just the business helps stakeholder trust. It improves relatability by demonstrating alignment of interests - you’re motivated by the greater good (for employees, the industry, society). Talking about issues beyond the business makes it much easier for stakeholders to find points of agreement and alignment with you as the CEO.

Many stakeholders are sceptical of CEOs as being excessively profit motivated. Having a clearly stated and believable purpose makes your motivation clear to all stakeholders. This purpose needs to be simple and a “higher calling” to be believable. If this purpose isn’t contextually coherent with the CEO and company’s actions, then it can appear duplicitous and damage trust (rather than improve it).

How each factor builds trust: What we’re looking for:

4

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Not afraid to discuss past mistakes / failures – ie. Content looking back at designs from 10 years ago.

There is a strong narrative around the future of the market and Envato’s purpose. Could be strengthened with more reference to future direction of the company (i.e. 2020)

Collis is easy to relate to. Friendly and approachable in both video and written content.

Evidence of strong passions for education, diversity in the IT field.

Purpose is authentic, strong and consistent - both Envato and Collis are driven to serve the Envato community.

Assessment

4

3

Consistently Regularly Occasionally Rarely

4 3 2 1

4

2

How Collis performs on the visibility benchmark

Is accessible across a range of platforms:

Addresses multiple audiences:

Has public views on corporate, industry and societal issues:

Regularly quoted by third parties:

Communicates well across a range of topics and stakeholders – with a substantial focus on the community.

Occasionally quoted in company and entrepreneurial coverage.

Collis has a presence across the big 3 CEO platforms (LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter). However engagement is sporadic.

Evidence of strong views around the future of IT and education, occasionally communicated.

9 (35%)

Search volume: (score /10)

2

0

Total score (/26)

Current low visibility relative to comparables (see page 9)

Presents your expertise across a broad range of issues. Shows custom understanding and perspectives related to the issues of each stakeholder group.

Visibility is substantially driven by how others talk about you. We’re looking for evidence that you’re regularly treated as an authority in your space.

In an increasingly fragmented media environment, consistent presence across multiple channels increases visibility and provides proof of authenticity. Stakeholders expect a CEO to communicate through a range of channels (not just press releases).

For both visibility and trust the CEO must engage the full spectrum of corporate, industry and societal issues. Speaking across a broader range of issues increases the number of opportunities for you to appear, and for your audience to see you.

Ultimately, the best predictor of future visibility is current visibility. The more visible you currently are, the more opportunities for future visibility will present themselves.

How each factor builds visibility: Assessment:

Source: Benchmarked on basis of publically available articles and reports. Consistently Regularly Occasionally Rarely

4 3 2 1

15


Addressing a broad range of stakeholder groups including customers, employees, investors, NGOs and government.

Regular quotes by third parties show that you’re providing interesting and relevant commentary on topics that media and influencers find interesting.

Authentic communication across multiple channels of communication including press, owned media, events/conferences and social media.

Communicates on across a full range of business, industry and societal issues.

In this case we’re measuring current visibility relatively, through Google Trends search results.

What we’re looking for:

2

2

3

2

4. CEO and company narrativeIdentifying and strengthening your current narrative


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What is a CEO narrative (and why does it matter)?

Difference

Purpose

Future Past Narrative

What’s the difference between messaging and narrative? Messaging •  Emphasises key messages that are

used repetitively through all communications

•  Messages tend to be rote delivered and have low ability to respond to context

•  Can sound scripted Narrative •  Emphasises an underlying story that’s

used repetitively through all communications

•  A narrative is flexible and adapts to the context

•  Easily remembered •  Sounds authentic

Your individual narrative should build on the strengths and differentiators of the business. It must be intellectually

aligned but individually unique and meaningful.

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Thought leadership and all CEO communication is grounded on a strong narrative. A narrative combines your past, future, difference and purpose into a short and compelling framework to guide all your communication.

Identifying ways to strengthen Collis CEO narrative

Past Key narrative questions: 1.  Where has the company come from? 2.  What was the problem the company set

out to solve? 3.  How has your journey shaped you and the

company today?

Purpose Key narrative questions: 1.  Why is the CEO driven to make this

company succeed? 2.  What is the company’s purpose? 3.  What values differentiate the company and

its culture? 4.  What are your obsessions?

Difference Key narrative questions 1.  How is Collis meaningfully different to

other CEOs in the competitive set? 2.  What do customers uniquely love about

the business? 3.  What opportunities are open to Collis and

Envato as a result of the positioning of competitive set?

Future Key narrative questions: 1.  Where is the company going in the future? 2.  What’s the publically stated direction of

the company? 3.  What’s the world changing ambition or

goal of the company? 4.  How is the unique future that Envato is

creating meaningfully different from the competitive set?

Key company and market commentary: “I think focusing on building a good product as cheaply as possible without taking a lot of investment was probably the key.“ - Smashing Magazine, March 2010 “I’m very concerned about improving. I feel like if we’re going to do something, you should try to be doing it as well as you possibly can and if you want to improve something then you need to a) be constantly testing out new ideas and seeing out how they work, b) trying to find new ideas either from inspiration or from synthesizing other people’s ideas, and c) you should be constantly reflecting and thinking what worked there, what didn’t work there? -Management Disrupted, August 2016 “We have got company values and the very first value that we try to adhere to is that want to succeed by helping the community succeed. So we’ve decided that when the community succeeds, that’s the way that we’re going to do well and if there are ways to do well that aren’t about the community, then we’re not going to do them” -Envato, January 2014

Key company and market commentary: “We’ve been having meetings inside the company… to bring all those community ideas in and take it all and mush it into some awesome picture of 2020 and then we’re going to be working really really hard to get there” -Envato, January 2014 “I suppose that’s why I wanted to jump on video and ask the community, after all if we’re helping the community succeed, it kind of makes sense we should ask the community: What does success look like to you as a community member?” -Envato, January 2014

Key company and market commentary: “We started out as a company by creatives for creatives, I suppose. Building a flash marketplace was our first product, back when flash was cool and I suppose we started as market place for other flash designers” -Envato, January 2014 “Myself, my wife and my best friend from school started the business. It was obviously pretty blue-tack and sticky tape as far as an operation went. For a long time, we worked out of my wife, Cyan, parents’ house. They live in this big old sort of factory place. We lived downstairs in the basement because we were saving money. It was pretty different back then compared to today. Today there are maybe 300 staff. About 200 here in Melbourne and 100 spread around the world. We’ve come a ways. -  Management Disrupted, August 2016

“In 2008 we launched ThemeForest to the world. Our pitch was low price themes with no support, targeting professionals. In the six years since, ThemeForest has grown to be the world’s largest and busiest theme market.” -Envato , August 2014

Key company and market commentary: “We run a platform for creativity” -Envato, October 2014 “And since 2006 when FlashDen first went online, one of our goals at the Marketplaces has been to build the best creative marketplace online.” - Envato, 2014 “Today Envato Market serves one and a half million active buyers from around the world, connecting them with the work of thousands of talented authors. We have always been an author focused community, our core value being that When The Community Succeeds, We Succeed.” - Envato, September 2014

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Past, purpose and difference are all clearly defined and strongly communicated. The future narrative is much less clear, despite a

number of references to work around the 2020 vision.

5. Stakeholder review and prioritisation

Identifying your key audience(s)


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What are the key audience groups for all CEO communication?

The next page presents an audience prioritisation analysis for Collis Ta’eed…

There’s six broad audience groups that CEOs must engage through communication. The relevance and prioritisation of each audience group depends on both industry and company stage:

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1. Customers

•  Targeting potential customers. Where sales are based on trust, it makes sense for the CEO to leverage a digital platform to build recognition in advance of physical sales activity.

2. Partners

•  Engaging potential and current partners. Given partnerships are built on trust, it makes sense for the CEO to leverage a digital platform to reinforce build relationships/dialogue and reinforce commitment to key partners

3. Recruiting

•  Targeting potential and existing employees. Builds trust and alignment.

• Most relevant where there is a large recruiting requirement from a relatively small or unknown organisation.

4. Investor relations

•  Targets existing and potential investors. Most relevant in public markets – however there is relevance ahead of fundraising events to build awareness and demonstrate traction.

5. Regulators

•  Targets regulators and their stakeholders.

• Companies facing specific regulatory challenges. Whilst the end target is regulators, an approach here may focus on the general public or other stakeholders.

6. Industry influencers

•  Targeting industry analysts and thought leaders.

• Designed to translate to recognition in ‘industry leader’ lists, speaking at conferences and front of mind recognition.

What are the key audience groups for Collis Ta’eed and Envato?

Industry influencers/analysts Regulators/Government Investors Employees

Customers

None/Low Some influence Many/most read

Influence of influencers on customer behaviour?

0 5 10

Leading player Emerging player New entrant

Current industry positioning?

5 10 15

Current investors - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+

Low Medium High

Risk of medium term changes in industry based regulations or requirements?

0 5 10

Insignificant/Low

Moderate Substantial

Current impact of industry or company specific compliance/regulation on profitability?

0 5 10

0-10 10-100 100+

Number of external investors?

0 5 10

Unlikely Possible Highly likely

Additional capital requirement over next 24 months?

0 5 10

Below expectation

At expectation Above expectation

10 5 0

Returns to current investors?

Customers maintain multiple relationships with competitive set

Strength of competition?

5 10

Recurring Project One-off

Nature of customer relationship?

5 10 10

Customers maintain only one relationship with

competitive set

Next 12 months revenue growth goals?

Channel Physical sales Inside sales

Primary means of customer acquisition

5 10 10

B2C (Impulse) B2C (Complex/high value) B2B Product complexity / trust required

0 5 10

Digital

10

0-10% 10-30% 30-100%

3 5 10

100%+

20

Size of organisation

Low Moderate High

Level of industry and organisational change

0

5 10

Extreme

20

0-30 30-100 100-500

0

2 5

500-1000

10

1000+

20

0-3% 3-10% 10-30%

Forecast employee growth over next 12 months?

0 3 10

Low Moderate High

0 5 10

Competitiveness in target talent markets?

30%+

20

Current customers Potential customers

Current Employees Potential employees Potential investors Current investors

Low Moderate High

0 3 5

Current customers

Potential customers

Current employees Potential employees

Current investors

Potential investors

Hig

hest

pr

iorit

y

Hig

h p

riorit

y

Mod

erat

e

prio

rity

Low

pr

iorit

y

Employees

Industry influencers

Investors

Regulators

21


Partners

Negligible Low

Risk of partner churn?

0 5

Typical time to close?

Non-exclusive Exclusive Nature of partner relationship?

0 10

0-3 months 3-12 months 12 months+

3 5 10

Current partners Potential partners

0-20% 20-40% 40%+

Percentage of current revenue delivered through partners?

5 10 15

Moderate

10

Part

ners

Current Partners

Potential Partners

Highest

priority

High

priority

Moderate

priority Low

priority

low priority

moderate priority

high priority

highest priority

0-5

5-10

10-20

20+

Current customers – Total score:

low priority

moderate priority

high priority

highest priority

0-5

5-10

10-20

20+

Current customers – Total score:

low priority

moderate priority

high priority

highest priority

0-5

5-10

10-20

20+

Potential partners – Total score:

low priority

moderate priority

high priority

highest priority

0-5

5-10

10-20

20+

Current partners – Total score:

Potential investors - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+ Current employees - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+ Potential employees - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+ Industry influencers - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+ Regulators - Total score:

low priority

0-5

moderate priority

5-10

high priority

10-20

highest priority

20+

B2C (Impulse) B2B Product complexity / trust required

0 5 10

Liquidity of investment?

B2C (Complex/high value)

6. Theme/topic prioritisationIdentifying the most important themes and topics to

communicate to stakeholders


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What are the themes that CEOs should communicate on?

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Priority for Collis Ta’eed High High Highest High High Highest Low Low Low Moderate

Proportional allocation for Collis Ta’eed

13% 13% 18% 13% 13% 18% 3% 3% 3% 8%

1. Product/service level

• 1A. Customer problems and benefits • 1B. Highlighting customer success / case studies

• 1C. Key customer problems • 1D. Product direction / launching new product and services

• 1E. Differences vs. competition • 1F. Differentiating beliefs

2. Company level

• 2A. Financial results • 2B. Celebrating success • 2C. Working at company • 2D. Company culture • 2E. Purpose and vision

3. Industry level

• 3A. Competitive landscape • 3B. Industry level challenges and opportunities

• 3C. Industry level regulation and policy • 3D. Future of the industry

4. Society level

• 4A. Company benefits to society • 4B. Economic trends • 4C. Public policy discussions • 4D. Personal views on societal issues • 4E. National and global issues

Nearly all themes are relevant for multiple audience groups, for example:

We can make a broad proportional communications audience allocation:

Customer – Current

Customer – Potential Partner - Current Partner -

Potential Employee -

Current Employee -

Potential Investor - Current

Investor - Potential Regulators Analyst/

influencer

1A. Customer problems and benefits Highest Moderate High Highest Highest Moderate Highest Moderate High Low

Audiences and topics come together for a weighted topic allocation on the following page…

Based on your audience prioritisation…

There’s four broad theme groups that CEOs are expected to communicate across:

23


Our recommended theme allocation for Collis Ta’eedCustomer -

Current Customer - Potential Partner - Current Partner -

Potential Employee -

Current Employee -

Potential Investor - Current Investor - Potential Regulators Analyst/

influencer

Weighted proportional

topic allocation

Priority High High Highest High High Highest Low Low Low Moderate

Recommended allocation for Collis 13% 13% 18% 13% 13% 18% 3% 3% 3% 8%

Product/service level 35%

Customer/partner problems and benefits 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 3 5%

Highlighting customer/partner success 4 4 4 4 3 1 2 2 1 4 5%

Key customer/partner problems 4 4 4 4 3 1 2 2 1 3 5%

Product direction / launching new products and services 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 1 4 6%

Differences vs. competition 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 1 4 6%

Differentiating beliefs 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 1 4 6%

Company level 24%

Financial results 2 2 2 2 4 1 4 4 2 4 4%

Celebrating success 3 1 3 1 4 4 3 4 1 3 5%

Working at company 1 1 1 1 4 4 3 4 1 2 4%

Company culture 2 3 2 3 4 4 3 4 1 2 5%

Purpose and vision 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 6%

Industry level 22%

Competitive landscape 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 6%

Industry level challenges and opportunities 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 5%

Industry level regulation and policy 3 2 3 2 2 2 4 3 4 4 5%

Future of the industry 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 2 4 6%

Society level 19%

Company benefits to society 2 2 2 2 4 4 3 2 3 2 5%

Economic trends 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 2 4%

Public policy discussions 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 1 4%

Personal views on societal issues 2 2 2 2 3 4 2 1 2 1 4%

National and global issues 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 1 2 1 3%

24


7. Content style analysis and recommendations

Reviewing the coherence of language, tone and style


25

Content style recommendations for Collis Ta’eed

Idiocentric: Reader centric:

Practical: Theoretical:

Complex: Simple:

Balanced: Opinionated:

Primarily dedicated to discussing personal feelings and emotions. Inside out, rather than outside in. Characterised by more frequent

use of “I”, “we”, “our”

Focused on what the reader can take from the content. Outside in, rather than inside out. Characterised by more frequent use of “you”, “your”

Arguments justified with theoretical rationale. Concepts rather than examples.

Arguments justified with practical case studies and real examples.

Easy to scan. Many subheadings. Easy to jump in and out of the article.

Flowing article that is interdependent. Will struggle to get value without reading in depth. Will tend to be longer

May take multiple readings to get full value.

Strong opinions. Generally tells only one side of the story. Clear view about what is right and wrong.

Sits on the fence. Tells both sides of the story.

Collis is an very strong written communicator. He’s developed a unique voice and writes in easily accessible language. His content is well structured and works to drive engagement. The fundamentals are strong – The challenge is about scaling up and doing more of what’s working.

Content design

R

R

R

R

C

C

C

C

R

C Collis Ta’eed– Current positioning

Collis Ta’eed– Recommended positioning

26


Content style recommendations for Collis Ta’eed

Corporate: Personal:

Formal: Conversational:

Written on a personal level. Could be a conversation. Uses the simplest language choices to convey meaning.

Uses deliberately sophisticated language. Will not always use the simplest language choice.

Simple, descriptive language. Shorter sentences and paragraphs. Speaks like an old friend, assumes trust and agreement. Regular use of “you”, “your”.

Longer sentences and consistent paragraphs. Theoretical, official and formal language.

Doesn’t assume agreement on any points.

Measured: Excited:

Disciplined: Playful:

Mature: Young:

Enthusiastic, eager. Lots of energy. Speaks in an “off the cuff manner”.

Regular and measured language. Thoughtful and planned language. Consistent. Restrained.

Regular jokes, may be self-depreciating. Happy and friendly tone. Evident the author had fun writing the post.

Controlled, consistent, habitual Unlikely to be self-depreciating

Eager and enthusiastic language. Advanced, implies mastery

Self-aggrandising : Self-deprecating:

Regularly makes fun of self. Does not present as being on a pedestal.

Only references to self are in a positive context. Difficult for the reader to empathise with.

Collis’ language is fit for purpose – it speaks to an energetic and accessible CEO and company.

Language

Tone

R

R

R

R

R

R

C

C

C

C

C

C

R

C Collis Ta’eed– Current positioning

Collis Ta’eed– Recommended positioning

27


Collis’ tone is well suited for the Australian market. However, given the global nature of the customer and partner base, it may be worth moving towards slightly less self-depreciation (typically doesn’t play well for the US market).

Summary, recommendations and next steps

Bringing it all together


28

Executive summary: Collis Ta’eed and Envato

1. Envato has a strong profile, but Collis is under-represented relative to comparable startup CEOs •  Despite a strong and growing company profile, Collis is substantially less visible than comparable CEOs •  Collis is broadly a strong and authentic communicator, but doesn’t publish or engage frequently with the broader market

2. Collis has strong thought leadership fundamentals (and outperforms the majority of CEOs) •  There’s a lot that Collis is doing right. Collis outperforms the majority of CEOs on both interest and trust fundamentals. •  For thought leadership, the biggest challenge is visibility. This comes down to Increasing the frequency of stories across a broader range of topics.

3. Ta’eed’s narrative is generally well structured and communicated, however could be strengthened with more focus on a consistent vision for the future •  Collis has a well structured and delivered narrative. Past, purpose and difference are all clearly defined and strongly communicated. •  The future narrative is much less clear, despite a number of references to work around the 2020 vision.

4. Collis’ most important stakeholders for thought leadership are likely to be partners, employees and customers •  Collis has a relatively focused key stakeholder group of partners, employees and customers. •  On the basis of recent communications, it appears like most of the focus has been in communicating to partners. This could relatively easily be extended to

incorporate employees and customers

5. Collis’ current content largely focuses on product and company themes. More industry and society level content will drive visibility and thought leadership •  Based on the suggested audience prioritisation, we’d suggest that CEO communication from Collis should be allocated in the following themes/proportions:

Product/service level 35%, Company level 24%, Industry level 22% and Society level 19%.

6. Collis has a strong and authentic communication style – Don’t change what’s working! •  Collis delivers strong engaging content. He is a great communicator, with a natural style and voice. •  The opportunity for Collis and Envato is to do more of what’s working, rather than making broad changes to the way that content is executed.

29


How we can help deliver sustainable thought leadership

1. CEO communications audit

(this document)

2. Thought leadership strategy

3. Supported CEO blogging

‘Build a comprehensive plan’ •  Get started with a comprehensive

review and plan for success. •  Built on detailed stakeholder

interviews, internal workshops and detailed analytics review.

•  Findings presented in 90 page report with detailed analysis, review and implementation recommendations.

‘Implement and measure’ •  Put strategy into action with our

thought leadership content creation service.

•  Turnkey content delivery – we turn a one hour video interview into a month of content (five video supported articles), Saving you at least 24 hours of writing time each month.

•  Options to build the presence of your CEO and other executives within your business.

‘Identify the opportunities’ •  This audit presents an introduction

to CEO thought leadership strategy. •  We’ve conducted a desktop review

of strengths, weaknesses and potential positioning for thought leadership.

•  Includes individual communications performance and benchmarks against a group key competitors.

30


The next step is building a detailed strategy

4. Content plan (themes and topics) •  Building a detailed plan of

content themes and topics to capture thought leadership

•  Includes a medium term roadmap of content to be delivered (when and to who)

1. Audience prioritisation

•  Reviewing which audience groups are the most important, and how they think about your business and CEO today

•  Ensures clear prioritisation of the right messages for each audience and stakeholder group

2. Narrative and messaging strategy •  Building a strong narrative

framework (past, future, difference, purpose) to anchor all communications

•  A strong narrative aligns the way that stakeholders think about the business/CEO, and makes all communication more effective

5. Distribution strategy

•  Plan for which channels / mediums should be used for which messages

•  Timing and frequency of communications

•  Concrete return analytics and measurement framework

•  Key actions for increasing sharability of content

3. Content personality, voice and style •  Selecting the right style of content

that speak to customers in a way that builds expertise and trust

•  Assess tone, complexity and voice to ensure you’re building a long term, trusted relationship

•  Includes a content design framework and benchmark to guide all content creation efforts

The TLP approach to thought leadership strategy

•  We use analytics, client interviews and a detailed

workshop process to build a comprehensive thought leadership strategy

•  Heavy focus on validation through customer and stakeholder interviews

•  You receive a comprehensive 90 page report, designed for turnkey implementation and impact through our supported CEO blogging process

•  Results delivered within 14 days

Key components of any successful thought leadership strategy:

This audit is a starting point for CEO thought leadership. Validation and planning are critical for success

31


1. CEO communications audit

2. Thought leadership strategy

3. Supported CEO blogging

‘Build a comprehensive plan’

‘Identify the problems’ ‘Implement and measure’

Appendix


32

The press articles supporting this analysis

33


Article Title URL Individuals Organisations1 Five tips for building the perfect startup team from Envato founder Cyan Ta’eed http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/five-ways-australias-coolest-tech-company-excels-at-people-management/ Cyan Ta'eed

2 Meet Cyan Ta'eed: Australia's most influential woman in tech? http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/item/7444-meet-cyan-ta-eed-australia-s-most-influential-woman-in-tech Cyan Ta'eed

3 Design marketplace Envato offers subs for heavy duty users http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/design-marketplace-envato-offers-subs-for-heavy-duty-users/news-story/01a4713cc7804ca5255a9a8151c346c3 Jun Rung, Cyan Ta'eed

4 BRW young rich list: Loaded, and with plenty more in common http://www.smh.com.au/business/innovation/brw-young-rich-list-loaded-and-with-plenty-more-in-common-20161027-gscc9a.html Cyan Ta'eed, Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Ori Allon, Simon Clausen, Greiner, Richardson, Paul Blackburne, Sean Tomlinson UNSW, Australian Graduate School of Management, University of Wollongong,

5 Envato’s Cyan and Collis Ta’eed to give YourGrocer a helping hand http://www.smartcompany.com.au/marketing/online-sales/48862-envato-s-cyan-and-collis-ta-eed-to-give-yourgrocer-a-helping-hand/ Morgan Ranieri YourGrocer

6 The secrets behind Envato’s success and what the founders would’ve done differently http://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/leadership/62739-the-secrets-behind-envatos-success-and-what-the-founders-wouldve-done-differently/ Cyan Ta'eed Blackbird Ventures, Google

7 Stop worrying and become a great tech entrepreneur: How Cyan Ta’eed did it http://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/leadership/48218-stop-worrying-and-become-a-great-tech-entrepreneur-how-cyan-ta-eed-did-it/ Cyan Ta'eed

8 Melbourne tech giant Envato celebrates its 10th birthday with a new $1 billion goal http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/global-tech-giant-envato-sets-1-billion-goal-ahead-of-tenth-birthday/ Cyan Ta'eed

9 99Designs, DesignCrowd dominance highlights our marketplace hub http://www.afr.com/leadership/entrepreneur/99designs-designcrowd-dominance-highlights-our-marketplace-hub-20160229-gn6od1 Alec Lynch, Mark Harbottle, Tanguy Peers, Craig Blair, Matt Barrie DesignCrowd, Blackbird Ventures, 99Designs, Accel Partners, The Australian Financial Review, Carsales, SEEK, REA, Freelancer.com, Airtasker, ebay, AirTree Ventures, Pawshake

10 Is this the best Australian tech company? http://www.startupsmart.com.au/news-analysis/is-this-the-best-australian-tech-company/ Cyan Ta'eed Atlassian, Campaign Monitor, Canva, Themeforest, AirBNB, Groupon, Box.com, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Aconex, WiseTech, JB HI FI

11 Entrepreneurs shun investment offers http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/startup/entrepreneurs-shun-investment-offers-20130410-2hl2r.html Cyan Ta'eed, Jun Rung, Dan Pink ThemeForest, CodeCanyon, Videohive , GraphicRiver , FlashDen, ActiveDen, PhotoDune, iStockphoto, Microlancer, TED Talk, 12 With a female co-founder, is this Australia's best tech company? http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/item/7368-with-a-female-co-founder-is-this-australia-s-best-tech-company Cyan Ta'eed Atlassian, Campaign Monitor, Canva, Themeforest, WordPress, AirBNB, Groupon, Box.com, Australian Securities and Investments Commission , Aconex, WiseTech, JB HI

FI, 13 This Australian startup has paid out $300 million to its marketplace over almost 10 years http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-australian-startup-has-paid-out-300-million-to-its-marketplace-over-almost-10-years-2015-8 WordPress , ThemeForest,

14 How this Melbourne startup assembled a dream team of strategic advisors http://www.startupsmart.com.au/profiles/how-i-did-it/how-this-melbourne-startup-assembled-a-dream-team-of-strategic-advisors/ Michael Doubinski, Morgan Ranieri, Francisco Trindade, Bandith Nhephis YourGrocer, StartupVictoria

15 BRW Young Rich 2016 list is getting younger http://www.afr.com/brand/afr-magazine/brw-young-rich-2016-the-kids-are-all-right-20160920-grk33m Kayla Itsines, Tobi Pearce, Nick Molnar, Melanie Perkins, Jack Delosa, Jason Day, Nick D'Aloisio, Mike Cannon-Brookes, Scott Farquhar, Jun Rung, Vahid Ta’eed, Amanda Hayward

The Bikini Body, Pearce and Co, Afterpay Holdings, Canva, Summly, Atlassian

16 Melbourne startup Envato has reached a major milestone http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/melbourne-startup-envato-reaches-a-major-milestone-how-it-got-there-and-what-comes-next/ Ben Chan

17 Young Rich List retailers experience growing pains before hoped-for better days http://www.afr.com/business/retail/young-rich-list-retailers-experience-growing-pains-before-hoped-for-better-days-20160609-gpf2u0 Ruslan Kogan, David Shafer, Justin Cameron, Gabby Leibovich, Hezi Leibovich, James Packer , Andrew Bassat , Adam Schwab, Jeremy Same, Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht SurfStitch, Kogan.com, Catch Group, Goldman Sachs, Menulog, Lux Group, Australian Securities, Investments Commission, Canva, Marketplacer

18 Australia's Big Tech CEOs Have Just Been Dared To Take The Ice Bucket Challenge http://www.businessinsider.com.au/australias-big-tech-ceos-have-just-been-dared-to-do-the-ice-bucket-challenge-2014-8 Mike Cannon-Brookes, Scott Farquhar, Matt Barrie, Matt Mullenweg Atlassian, Freelancer, Automattic ,ALS Association, Motor Neurone Disease Australia

19 Envato becomes the first Australian startup to release its diversity figures, encourages others to do the same

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/leadership/43588-envato-becomes-the-first-australian-startup-to-release-its-diversity-figures-encourages-others-to-do-the-same/ Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Freelancer, 99designs, Campaign Monitor, The League of Extraordinary Inclusiveness

20 YourGrocer gets some fruitful mentoring from Envato founders http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/yourgrocer-gets-some-fruitful-mentoring-from-envato-founders/ Morgan Ranieri YourGrocer, StartupVictoria

21 Five Australian business ideas that made millions http://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/funding/45418-five-australian-business-ideas-that-made-millions/ Chris Strode, Tim Fung, Jonathan Lui, Carolyn Cresswell , Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht Invoice2Go, Airtasker, Carman’s Muesli,

22 This Australian tech company has an awesome way to stop talent fleeing overseas http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-australian-tech-company-has-an-awesome-way-to-stop-talent-fleeing-overseas-2015-6 James Law

23 Canva, Freelancer, Atlassian, 99Designs, Envato and the visionaries who started them http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-deal-magazine/canva-freelancer-atlassian-99designs-envato-and-the-visionaries-who-started-them/news-story/5ddbc9a323ec58f63d718e256e9afac1 Melanie Perkins,Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Matt Barrie, Ken Kroeger, James Chin Moody, Scott Farquhar, Mike Cannon-Brookes, Mark Harbottle,

Canva, Felicis Ventures, Freelancer, Ken Kroeger, Seeing Machines, Sendle, Atlassian, Mark Harbottle

24 How online market Envato helps artists make millions http://www.afr.com/it-pro/how-online-market-envato-helps-artists-make-millions-20141107-11j8q9?fb_comment_id=711582352258656_713497845400440 Tim McMorris, Muhammad Haris, Jun Rung, Vahid Ta'eed eBay, Adidas, Toyota, iTunes

25 Manny Stul takes out Australian EY Entrepreneur Of The Year http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/manny-stul-takes-out-australian-ey-entrepreneur-of-the-year-20151015-gkadia.html ,Glen Richards, Kayla Itsines, Tobias Pearce , James Spenceley, James Muecke, Timothy Power , Brian White, Tony Johnson Moose Enterprise, Greencross Limited, The Bikini Body , Vocus Communications, Sight ,3P Learning, Ray White Real Estate, EY Oceania, 26 Envato, The Australian Company Behind ThemeForest, Has Paid Out $224 Million To Its

Usershttp://www.businessinsider.com.au/envato-the-australian-company-behind-themeforest-has-paid-out-224-million-to-its-users-2015-1 WordPress, Themeforest, Netflix and Google Australia

27 Stuff-ups the key to success for start-ups http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/stuffups-the-key-to-success-for-startups/news-story/a67454bb7b88ab2c7eec9ce99f7b2e33 Mike Cannon-Brookes, Matt Barrie Blackbird Ventures, StartMate, Atlassian, Freelancer,

28 Instagram fitness sensation Kayla Itsines could be Australia's next Entrepreneur of the Year http://www.businessinsider.com.au/instagram-fitness-sensation-kayla-itsines-could-be-australias-next-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2015-5 Kayla Itsines, Tobias Pearce, Peter Hurley, James Muecke , James Spenceley , Robert de Castella, Mark Sowerby, Juliette Wright, John Van Lieshout, Andrew Sudholz, Ian Carson, Richard Smith, Peter Botten, Lockie Cooke, Dale Alcock

Ingogo, Emma and Tom’s, Sunfresh Salads, Udder Delights Group, Hurley Hotel Group, Sight For All, Vocus Communications, Indigenous Marathon Project and SmartStart for Kids, Blue Sky Alternative Investments, GIVIT Listed, Unison Projects, Japara Aged Care and Retirement, SecondBite, PFD Food Services, Oil Search, ICEA Foundation, ABN Group

29 Envato named Australia’s Coolest Tech Company in JobAdvisor competition http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/envato-named-australias-coolest-tech-company-in-jobadvisor-competition/news-story/1a749cce439064790a5cb53d6533114a Justin Babet, Karen Lawson, Naomi Simson Job Advisor, WordPress, Alexa, Nitro, Atlassian, Vinomofo, Dropbox, Adobe Systems, Tyro Payments, RedBalloon, Commonwealth Bank, Gumtree, eBay, Kiandra IT, Uber, AdRoll, Redback Conferencing, Innovid, Buzinga, Airtasker, Yahoo!7, iiNet Lightspeed Research

30 IN GOOD COMPANY: Top Australian business leaders share how they foster innovation http://www.businessinsider.com.au/in-good-company-top-australian-business-leaders-share-how-they-foster-innovation-2015-11 Jonathan Barouch , Zach Johnson, Steve Jobs, Nathan Besser, Phil Morie LocalMeasure, Spark Bureau, Mirvac, Pixar, Suppertime, Pollenizer

31 The top take aways from The Sunrise Conference http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/leadership-advice/the-top-take-aways-from-the-sunrise-conference/ Mike Cannon-Brookes, Bevan Clark, Matt Barrie ,Evan Thornley, Tibra Capital, SpringSource Blackbird VC, Atlassian, Retail Me Not, Freelancer, Look Smart, Google, Tibra Capital

32 This Australian Tech Company Has Paid Out Over $180 Million To Designers Around The World http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-australian-tech-company-has-paid-out-over-180-million-to-designers-around-the-world-2014-5

33 Food deliverer YourGrocer’s fresh funding http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/food-deliverer-yourgrocers-fresh-funding/news-story/74a490d3a239dafa9d40bb1b0f4cdb8d Michael Doubinski, Emelia Jackson, Morgan Ranieri YourGrocer,Menulog, Thankyou Water, Coles, Woolworths

34 Envato office-hops across Melbourne CBD http://www.afr.com/real-estate/envato-officehops-across-melbourne-cbd-20150421-1mq6j435 Where are the women in IT? http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/managing/where-are-the-women-in-it-20141003-10pp2n.html Melanie Perkins, Cat Walkerden, Westpac, Dell, Canva, Information Technology and Telecommunications committee of management , FITT, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Google36 The trailblazing women founders of Canva, Job Capital, AgentArts and Envato http://www.afr.com/brand/boss/is-the-next-unicorn-lurking-among-these-businesses-founded-by-women--20160215-gmv1uf Jo Burston, Kerri-Lee Sinclair, Melanie Perkins, Cyan Ta’eed JobCapital, Canva, QSR International, Inspiring Rare Birds,

37 How your SME can tackle diversity issues in 2015 http://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/recruitment-hiring/45164-how-your-sme-can-tackle-diversity-issues-in-2015/ Lisa Annese Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Apple, Diversity Council of Australia

38 Booming tech companies outgrow office space http://www.afr.com/real-estate/booming-tech-companies-outgrow-office-space-20150417-1mn5vd Scott Farquhar, Chris Ridd, James Shanks, Charlie Wood, David Bowden, Michael Cook Atlassian, Xero, GVA Franklin Shanks, Campaign Monitor , Google Australia, Dropbox Australia , JLL, Investa39 SA’s Receiptful raises $500k to grow user base http://disrupt-africa.com/2015/05/sas-receiptful-raises-500k-to-grow-user-base/ Adii Pienaar, Matt Mullenweg, Joel Gascoigne, David Hauser, Andrew Wilkinson, Vinny Lingham, Daniel Guasco, Wayne Gosling, Manuel Koser, Justin Drennan, Riaan Conradie,

Roy Rodenstein, Guillermo Rauch, Jesse Rasch, Michael Leeman, Mark Levitt and Henk Kleynhans.

WooThemes, WooCommerce, Receiptful

40 Niki Scevak says Australians need to learn about our startup successes in order to grow http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/niki-scevak-says-australians-need-to-learn-about-our-startup-successes-in-order-to-grow/ Niki Scevak Atlassian, Blackbird Ventures, Freelancer

41 Why you should humanise your business brand http://www.smartcompany.com.au/marketing/45191-why-you-should-humanise-your-business-brand/ Trevor Young, Expermedia,

42 Love and Startups http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sramana-mitra/love-and-startups_b_3230133.html Julia Hartz, Kevin Hartz, Victoria Ransom, Alain Chuard, Amy Pressman and Borge Hald, Wendy Tan White, Joe White Cisco, 3Com, Eventbrite, Wildfire, Medallia, Moonfruit

43 Thankyou Group’s Daniel Flynn wins emerging entrepreneur award: “I was just a kid who got an idea”

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/47940-thankyou-group-s-daniel-flynn-wins-emerging-entrepreneur-award-i-was-just-a-kid-who-got-an-idea/ Daniel Flynn, Manny Stul, Andrew Sudholz, Ian Carson, Richard Smith ThankYou Group, Moose Enterprise Holdings, Controlled Entity, Japara Healthcare, SecondBite, PDF Food Service

44 ActiveDen, the Biggest Flash Files Marketplace, Is Shutting Down http://news.softpedia.com/news/activeden-the-biggest-flash-files-marketplace-is-shutting-down-493946.shtml

45 My Blog Is Also Paying My Bills http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/technology/personaltech/26basics.html Stephanie Nelson, Clayton Dunn, Zach Patton, Jonathan Accarrino, Darren Kitchen, Molly Wizenberg, Kelly DeLay, Steve Pavlina CouponMom, Groupon, LivingSocial, BlogAds, BuySellAds, Federated Media, New York Times, The Bitten Word, Amazon, Methodshop, Hack5.org, Orangette, The Clouds 365 Project, Freelanceswitch, Tuts+

46 WordPress: The Free Software With a Big Economy and How You Can Get Involved http://thenextweb.com/dd/2011/05/21/wordpress-the-free-software-with-a-big-economy-how-you-can-get-involved/ Matt Mullenweg, Mike Little, Michel Valdrighi, Chris Pearson, WordPress, Joomla, Automattic ,bbPress, Akismet, BuddyPress, Gravatar, WordCamps, ActiveDen, AudioJungle, WordPress Foundation47 WordPress.org bans Themeforest members from participating in official WordCamp gatherings http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/01/23/wordpress-org-bans-themeforest-authors-from-participating-in-official-wordcamp-gatherings/ Jake Caputo, Chris Wallace , Matt Mullenweg , Japh Thomson WordPress Foundation, bbPress, BuddyPress

48 Blog Action Day creates unity for social action, says organizer http://news.bahai.org/story/658 TechCrunch, LifeHacker, ReadWriteWeb, ProBlogger ,

49 Envato says flexible work practices have helped its global spread http://www.afr.com/news/special-reports/smart-business/envato-says-flexible-work-practices-have-helped-its-global-spread-20161110-gsn14k50 Tech entrepreneurs Cyan Ta’eed and Melanie Perkins recognised in BRW’s Young Rich List ahead

of supermodel Miranda Kerr and Grammy-winner Sia

http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/finance/tech-entrepreneurs-cyan-taeed-and-melanie-perkins-recognised-in-brws-young-rich-list-ahead-of-supermodel-miranda-kerr-and-grammy-winner-sia/ Mike Cannon-Brookes,Scott Farquhar,Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Justin Dry, Dave Greiner, Ben Richardson, Simon Clausen, Sam Prince,Hezi Leibovich, Sam Salter, Jason Wyatt, Ruslan Kogan

Atlassian, Canva, Vinomofo, Campaign Monitor, Startive Ventures, Life Letters, Zambrero, Catch Group, Marketplacer, Kogan

About Thought Leadership Partners

34


At TLP, we’re a specialist agency that builds thought leadership content for C-level executives.

Watch a short video introduction, or read on below:

https://youtu.be/hndoVYfuQdk

We do this through first person videos and blogs, directed at customers, investors and employees.

CEOs that we talk to generally recognise the rationale for thought leadership to:•  Build personal and brand authenticity and trust•  Engage key stakeholders in ongoing conversations•  Shape the industry agenda

But at the same time, we hear from CEOs that they just don’t have the time to sit down and write a blog post. The 4-5 hours it takes to publish a high quality article is time that busy executives just don’t have.

We’ve listened to this and built a video interview led process. Instead of writing, you sit down in front of a camera answering questions. We transcribe that content and a journalist reshapes it into first person content to be published (with video) under your name.

How our process works:1.  We do extensive preparation, on the right topics and articles for you

to publish2.  You’re interviewed on camera about these topics (your commitment

is a one hour interview once a month)3.  Our journalists build five topic focused, transcription driven blog

posts out of the interview4.  Because all content is built on your voice, there’s never ghost-writing

issues with depth and credibility5.  You publish five, 500-700 word articles highlighting your expertise

with video highlights6.  We deliver fortnightly analytics, optimising for engagement from the

right stakeholders

Over and above everything else, our clients love two things about what we do:•  How we genuinely understand the pressures and stakeholders of the

C-suite. We know that every hour has an opportunity cost. We’re incredibly time efficient in producing authentic thought leadership content that drives the success of your business.

•  We’re substantially more analytical and quantitative than any other player in the Comms/ IR / Marketing space. We bring this focus to strategy, campaign design and performance analysis.

+61 3 9111 5659 | www.thoughtleadershippartners.com | Level 17 / 31 Queen St, Melbourne


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Leadership & Management