Want To Build A Profitable Business? Start With Loving The Problem

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

Join Brad Friedman and Howard Chang as they chat about marketing, entrepreneurship, and the key to turning your great idea into a successful business.

Howard Chang, an accomplished entrepreneur and change maker, is the driving force behind theturnlab, a thriving marketing and technology firm headquartered in Toronto. After more than two decades as founding CEO of an award winning ad agency, Howard decided to take the radical step to wind down his successful company in order to build a new model of agency that could solve big business problems at the intersection of marketing, culture, and technology. His journey as a serial entrepreneur began at the age of 20, where he experienced early success, amassing his first million by 23, only to face bankruptcy at 29. Undeterred, Howard reinvented himself and went on to launch and successfully exit from three previous startups, demonstrating remarkable resilience and adaptability.

Howard’s companies past and present span diverse sectors, including retail, product design, sports marketing, film and stills production, commercial real estate, advertising and digital technology. His deep-seated passion for innovation and problem-solving has culminated in his latest venture theturnlab, a consultancy led marketing technology firm and his latest startup incubated by theturnlab - Just Boardrooms. Just Boardrooms is an AirBNB style marketplace that aims to revolutionize the way people work by offering a frictionless website and app to bring people together for moments that matter. Simultaneously, theturnlab reflects Howard’s commitment to making a positive impact on the world, with a strong focus on sustainability and social good by operating theturnlab 100% carbon neutral and achieving B Corp certification in 2018.

As a recent cancer survivor, devoted family man and insatiable adventurer, Howard brings a wealth of life experiences to the table. His diverse expertise in sustainability, marketing, digital transformation, branding, and business consulting, combined with his profound insights into the future of work and business purpose, makes Howard Chang an ideal guest for podcasts catering to CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, and COOs. His compelling story of resilience and reinvention, coupled with his invaluable insights, will undoubtedly captivate and inspire listeners, offering fresh perspectives on the dynamic intersection of marketing, culture, and technology. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with Howard Chang, a true industry luminary who has navigated the ever-evolving business landscape with unwavering determination and vision.

In this Episode:

• Howard talks about being “The Accidental Entrepreneur.”
• Howard says we need to understand what problem our business solves.
• Howard discusses the importance of business owners not resting on their laurels as things are changing very fast now.
• Howard talks about the importance of connecting digital infrastructure to your business purpose.
• Howard says “attention” is the currency today.

Quotes from this Episode:
“Your first job is to actually fall in love with the problem, not fall in love with your idea.” – Howard Chang
“I think the worst mistake we can make as business people is to fall in love with our product.” – Howard Chang
“With the integration of AI with a lot of businesses now, the acceleration of product improvement and solution improvement is happening so quickly now, that if you wait A day, a week, a month to look at your product, you’re probably already falling a little bit behind.” – Howard Chang
“It’s important to do some baseline audience research so you don’t waste a lot of money on marketing or product development.” – Howard Chang
“How do we bring people together to create collaboration, to help with the belonging deficit that’s kind of happening with a lot of remote workers that’s causing like mental health issues, that’s causing like product innovation issues?” – Howard Chang
“If you skin your knees, pick yourself up, wash off the wound and just keep moving forward. And even if the moving forward isn’t exactly what you thought it would be, it’s still forward. – Howard Chang

Resources:

Howard Chang:
LinkedIn: Howard Chang
X: Howard Chang
Website: justboardrooms
Website: theturnlab

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Books
“Brad Friedman on Digital Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“The Small Business Owner’s Guide To Inbound Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions,” by Ross Brand with a chapter by Brad Friedman

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