Selling Naked
by Jesse Horwitz · 2019
In a nutshell
Written by Jesse Horwitz, this book shares lessons from building a direct-to-consumer startup, focusing on modern marketing, branding, and growth strategies relevant to startup founders.
Selling Naked
Written by Jesse Horwitz, this book shares lessons from building a direct-to-consumer startup, focusing on modern marketing, branding, and growth strategies relevant to startup founders.
Reference
Selling Naked — publisher / official page. Summary adapted from the Awesome Startup Books collection.
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Outlines 22 fundamental marketing laws like Leadership (be first) and Focus (own a word) for startups to build dominant positions and acquire customers by creating categories. Use cases include Starbucks owning 'premium coffee'; vs Traction Channels, prioritizes mental positioning over tactical distribution for long-term customer loyalty. Key for go-to-market strategies in competitive markets.
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Equips startup founders with actionable lead generation strategies through four core channels—warm outreach, content posting, cold outreach, and paid ads—for scalable customer acquisition. Unlike the broader 19 Traction Channels, it prioritizes high-ROI tactics with proven use cases like gym chains generating hundreds of leads monthly and agencies filling sales pipelines. Ideal for go-to-market strategies in resource-constrained startups.
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Guides startups in using authentic storytelling to create believable narratives that drive customer acquisition and loyalty, outperforming generic messaging. Unlike Traction Channels' distribution focus, it builds emotional connections for organic sharing; use cases show brands like TOMS growing via mission stories. Core for go-to-market narrative strategies.
Launch
In the 2021 updated and expanded version of Launch: How to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams, Jeff Walker explains strategies to launch online businesses and gain traction quickly. Walker provides a detailed formula for entrepreneurs lacking resources and funding, based on his own success launching from his basement.
Permission Marketing
Seth Godin teaches how to turn strangers into friends and friends into customers through permission-based marketing instead of interruption.