Hybrid Summer For Sales + Paperback For "MBA Disrupted" Is Live

The summer is officially here - and the usual business slowdown is gradually kicking in.

This is what seasonality tends to look like across the globe (at least in the northern hemisphere as the south celebrates differently).

And as global economies are slowing down - businesses tend to have a harder time closing new business and signing deals. With the last 18 months of turbulence in the B2B realm, this isn’t quite what the economy needs - and we’re cautious and mindful of the rules of the game.

That said, July and August last year were extremely busy - busier than anything we’ve seen in the past decade. It was unprecedented as we closed a handful of new recurring contracts in July with lead flow coming out of nowhere.

Post-pandemic seasonality has been off ever since 2020. Economic uncertainty plus fear of covid back then, travel halting down, local businesses shutting down for a few months - all of that adding up to uncertainty and fear. Return to office and travel rules changing as we hopped between different waves. This led to unusual seasonality with strong seasons pushed back a few months and budgets doubling during unexpected times of the year.

Now, election years are always unpredictable, though we know that S&P tends to be going up higher during these and major business decisions are often left for the year to come “just in case”. If a new regime ends up messing international relations or the global tax code, this could lead to complications in disruptive initiatives in the work.

So - our forecast so far is that traditional government/educational institutions plus many B2B businesses and VC funds will still take a longer summer in this economy, but other B2Bs recovering from layoff rounds and other hits + on-site businesses still going strong (very traditional industries and summer jobs) aren’t going anywhere.

We see mergers and acquisitions happening this month and events still going on end of June. So this partial liveliness will remain, somewhere between a summer shutdown and a strong sales motion.

In the meantime, the paperback version of “MBA Disrupted” is live! I’ve shared the longer story of what the print process looked like and some of the challenges there + next steps in the second link below in “My Take” if you want to dive into specifics on LinkedIn.

?? Before we wrap up, I’d love to hear from you:

What are your predictions for the summer and the following Q4? Is the economy about to recover or still slowing down?

Yours,

Mario

My Take

???Channels in 2024 that Work for Businesses - Join me with Richard Laermer, CEO & Founder of RLM Public Relations, as we explore which channels are working for businesses in 2024 . Find out how traditional and digital media play a crucial role in today’s market.

?? Book Publishing Horror Stories - 50+ requests for print and audio over the past month so... Paperback is now available on Amazon! My last book was a limited edition, 100 print copies only, and sold on Kindle for 5 years. If you haven't published a print book before, here's what held me back the first time .

Newsletter Recommendations

?? Stacked Marketer - One of my go-to newsletters and a business that we’ve worked with a while ago on the DevriX front. It is loved by marketers who get hands-on with campaigns, who need to stay up-to-date with frequently changing platforms., who need to get an edge, and who need to achieve outsized results with limited resources, aka performance-focused marketers.

?? Boldpush - А special newsletter for those interested in marketing intelligence and strategy to the most ambitious brands. Props to Julius Solaris for creating one of my top newsletter reads for GTM strategies and actionable content.

Business Strategy

?? Beehiiv gets a new asset - The CEO of beehiiv announced their newest asset - Typedream . Typedream is an AI-based website builder, which will allow beehiiv websites to include new features and a builder suited for AI website building. We’ve tested AIbuilt sites and sometimes they rank better than domains with years of authority.

?? EU charges Microsoft with ‘abusive’ bundling of Teams and Office - The European Union on Tuesday accused Microsoft of breaching antitrust rules with the “abusive” bundling of its Teams and Office products. Last year the tech giant unbundled Teams from Microsoft 365 in an effort to quash antitrust concerns by the EU, but the European Commission said the changes were “insufficient to address its concerns.”

?? Record Companies Bring Landmark Cases for Responsible AI - The Recording Industry Association of America? (RIAA) announced the filing of two copyright infringement cases based on the mass infringement of copyrighted sound recordings copied and exploited without permission by two multi-million-dollar music generation services, Suno and Udio.

?? California’s SB1047 bill - As AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT become increasingly sophisticated, policymakers are grappling with how to ensure that this transformative technology is developed and deployed responsibly. In California, State Senator Scott Wiener has introduced legislation aimed at mitigating the potential existential risks posed by AI.

?? Google automates lead credits - Google is rolling out automated Local Services Ads lead credits in July , streamlining the process for advertisers to receive credit for poor-quality leads.

Global News

?? ?Breaking down some of the overlooked underdogs out there, Newton is watching a looming breakout for biotechnology, noting the iShares Biotech ETF IBB reached levels not seen since late February. A close above $139.81 this week would mean the highest such finish since early 2022 —Newton’s own target is $148.

• S&P 500: $5,469(+0.39%)

???Inflation has cooled somewhat, but homebuyers are still feeling the pinch of high prices and rates. At the close of the?Fed meeting ?on June 12, policymakers again held off on changing interest rates. The next Fed meeting concludes July 31.

• 30-year mortgage rate: 7.00%(-0.02)

• 15-year mortgage rate: 6.46%(+0.03)

????Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Tuesday the time is not right yet to start lowering interest rates, adding she would be open to raising if inflation doesn’t pull back.

?? “Should the incoming data indicate that inflation is moving sustainably toward our 2 percent goal, it will eventually become appropriate to gradually lower the federal funds rate to prevent monetary policy from becoming overly restrictive,” Bowman said in prepared remarks for a speech in London.

?? Here are some of the most prominent headlines this week:

• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange set to go free after 5 years in prison under a plea deal with the U.S.
• U.S. Supreme Court upholds a federal law that prohibits people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from having firearms.
• Donald Sutherland, star of ‘M*A*S*H’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ films, has died at the age of 88, his son says.

Investing Updates

• Fleming - raising €700,000 to provide smart financial & banking solutions for healthcare professionals.
• MyTeam -??raising up to €2M to help sports clubs to become profitable.?
• Mindgram - raising €1,75M to support mental health & well-being in the workplace. Backed by Credo, Portfolion & others.

Note: Got a round going that you want to feature - your own business or a portfolio company? Get in touch.

Now let’s have a look at the latest top Flippa offers

Web & Mobile App Agency - This business provides app strategy, design, development, and support services, and is monetized primarily through ongoing service agreements with existing clients.

• Monthly profit:?$71,945
• Profit margin:?44%
• Business age:?24 years

Classroom Timetable SaaS - This SaaS platform offers scheduling features for teachers and students.

• Monthly revenue:?$12,506
• Churn rate:?<1%
• Business age:?4 years

Rustic Furniture Ecommerce - This business sells various rustic furniture pieces and home decor products.

• Monthly profit:?$17,518
• Domain authority score:?22
• Business age:?7 years

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