How Jake Burton Carpenter Revolutionized My Go-to-Market Strategy

One quiet winter evening, as I flipped through late-night TV, I stumbled across a documentary about Jake Burton Carpenter, the visionary founder of Burton Snowboards. He spoke about the early days of building snowboards—a time when the category was so new that no one quite understood it yet. His initial plan was to distribute snowboards through surfing and skateboarding shops. Logical, right? But it didn’t work. These shops had no idea how to sell his products.

Jake shared the moment of clarity that changed everything for him. He realized his true customers weren’t in skate shops—they were on the slopes, at the top of every snowy mountain. So, he pivoted. He spent all his energy educating people about snowboarding in the places where the sport would resonate immediately. He said something that still motivates me:

"When I decided to focus on promoting the sport, the product began to sell itself."

That line changed my life.

In 2008, I launched Shoutlet, a social media management platform designed to help companies manage all their social media accounts in one place. Today, that concept sounds very straightforward. But back then it was groundbreaking—and challenging. Most companies didn’t even know what Facebook was. Facebook Business Pages had launched earlier that year, and corporate America was clueless about using social media to promote their brands. Selling Shoutlet was an uphill battle. Honestly, I couldn’t give it away.

Then I remembered Jake’s words: “Focus on promoting the sport, and the product will sell itself.”

That was my light bulb moment. From that day forward, I became a social media evangelist. Shoutlet became one of the first Facebook platform partners. I started giving speeches, writing for Forbes, Mashable, and TechCrunch, and eventually authored a book. I dedicated myself to educating companies about the power of social media. Through my workshops, webinars, and keynotes, I wasn’t selling Shoutlet—I was promoting “the sport of social media.” And just like Jake said, the product started to sell itself.

It’s funny how inspiration finds you when you need it most. That night on late-night TV, Jake Burton Carpenter ignited a fire in me that drove me to keep pushing, to focus on mastery, and to share what I’d learned with the world. His wisdom reminded me that when you dedicate yourself to advancing the greater mission, success follows.

[Post dedicated to Jake Burton Carpenter who passed away in 2019.]