Birmingham Venture Club

This is the name Tiffany Masterson gave to her skincare brand in 2012. She designed the logo herself with a Sharpie at her kitchen table. This was literally her first drawing. Every marketing consultant she met, and virtually every friend she had, failed to convince her not to use the name.

One publicist, who’d agreed to work with her — based on the strength of her product-line concept — resigned the account when Tiffany refused to change the name. I wouldn’t have resigned the account, but I might have secured her agreement, in writing, that I’d advised her that the name was catastrophically off-target for the brand she wanted to build.

Tiffany launched Drunk Elephant Skin Care in 2013. Within three years, it was the fastest-growing skin care brand in Sephora history. Within three years of that, she sold the company for $845 million.

All of which goes to show how little seasoned brand-building experts (like me) ultimately “know” about what we do — and how important it can be sometimes to listen to your gut, instead of all the facts and research.

Congratulations to our Jemison Award Winner: ProctorU! Their company exemplifies the spirit of the Jemison Award and we wish them continued success! We would also like to congratulate the other finalists: NXTsoft and Illumicare!

At our Annual Meeting we heard from Luke Williams, Professor, NYU Stern School of Business; Founder and Executive Director of the NYU Innovation Lab; Fellow, at Frog Design; and International Bestselling Author, Disrupt. He gave an amazing talk on disruptive innovation and how it applies to both professional and personal growth!

BVC 2019 Jemison Award - Now Accepting Nominations! - https://mailchi.mp/birminghamventure/birmingham-venture-club-august-meeting2-3935943

Register to attend the Birmingham Venture Club's October 31st meeting featuring the Spark Match final and a Venture Capital Panel of experts! https://mailchi.mp/birminghamventure/birmingham-venture-club-august-meeting2-421451

BVC October 31st Meeting - Register Today!

BVC September & October Meetings - Register Today! - https://mailchi.mp/birminghamventure/birmingham-venture-club-august-meeting2-399047

BVC September & October Meetings - Register Today!

REGISTER TODAY! The next meeting of the Birmingham Venture Club will be held from 11:30am to 1:00pm on Thursday, September 26, at the Harbert Center. https://mailchi.mp/birminghamventure/birmingham-venture-club-august-meeting2-392139

Birmingham Venture Club September Meeting - Register Today!

BIRMINGHAM ENTREPRENEURS: Entry Deadline for the Spark Match 2018 Pitch Competition has been moved to July 6th.

Could you use $10,000 (no strings attached) --- not to mention exposure to many of the business community’s leading Influencers?

Spark Match competitors get 4 minutes to pitch their businesses to 150+ attendees, and the crowd votes for the winners. Round One will be held lunchtime July 26 at Cahaba Brewery. Click the link to APPLY NOW! http://www.bvcsparkmatch.com

BIRMINGHAM ENTREPRENEURS: Could you use $10,000 (no strings attached) and exposure to many of the business community’s leading Influencers?

Apply now for the Birmingham Venture Club’s 2018 Spark Match competition — where you’ll have 4 minutes to pitch your business to 150+ attendees, and the crowd votes for the winners. Application deadline is July 6, and round one will be lunchtime at Cahaba Brewery July 26. Click the link to APPLY NOW!

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