MaRS Courses and Guides

Strategic foresight: A case study

Strategic foresight is a process of creating useful conversations about possible futures. In this case study, we look at how having a clear view of what’s changing in the outside world empowers an organization with the confidence and agility to reorient its strategy for long-term resilience and sustainable growth. Over … Read More

Article

Pivots: Part 2 | The search for product–market fit

This is from the lost section from The Growth Hacker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Mark Hayes and I wrote that book a few years back and went deep down a rabbit hole on the topic of pivoting. Before long, we had too much pivoting content and it got cut from … Read More

Article

Pivots: Part 1 | Why is pivoting important?

This is the lost section from The Growth Hacker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Mark Hayes and I wrote that book a few years back and went deep down a rabbit hole on the topic of pivoting. Before long, we had too much pivoting content and it got cut from the … Read More

Article

Seven lessons to build your startup brand

Over the past year, I’ve worked with tech startups at MaRS to help them improve their customer and talent brands. Adopting a research-based approach, I developed a three-step audit process to identify aspects of their brand that could be improved and to uncover points of differentiation in their brand against … Read More

Article

Sales process: Selling to large organizations in complex sales cycles | Part 5

In this five-part series, we explore the necessary elements of selling into large organizations. In Part 5, we examine overpopulation in B2B purchasing decisions. Don’t miss Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this series. Overpopulation: Selling successfully when you have an increased number of decision makers When we refer … Read More

Article

Branding strategy: Use a three-step brand audit

Developing your branding strategy and building your brand’s foundation can feel very conceptual and lack the tactile outcomes and actions that entrepreneurs crave. In this article, I share a three-step branding strategy that I use with MaRS startups to help them conduct a brand audit. This brand audit helps them … Read More

Article

Sales process: Selling to large organizations in complex sales cycles | Part 4

In this five-part series, we explore the necessary elements of selling into large organizations. In Part 4, we look at the importance of aligning your sales process with the prospect’s buying process. Don’t miss Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series. It’s time to examine the importance of aligning … Read More

Article

Assessing the right fit: Picking a creative partner for your startup

This article is aimed at entrepreneurs looking to hire freelance talent or an agency to help execute a range of creative initiatives. Startups can struggle when it comes to selecting the right talent to address a range of creative challenges. Being able to determine whether or not an agency or … Read More

Article

How to brand your company to investors

When talking to investors, the best thing you can do for your brand is have a very tight business pitch. For advice on this, we spoke to a seasoned entrepreneur who owns a successful startup in the beer business. His name is Bob Russell and he is a partner in … Read More

Video

Masters of Sales: Sales enablement—with Melissa Madian

Melissa Madian, Founder, TMM Enablement Services, on how innovation companies can drive business through your frontline sales team. My name is Melissa Madian, and I am the founder of TMM Enablement Services, which is a consultancy that provides organisations revenue-generating functions with the process, tools, and training that their sellers … Read More