November 7, 2011
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Company Culture
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Edwinoel Tanglao
Ashton Kutcher promotes his investments with stickers shown onscreen on Two and a Half Men. Leonardo DiCaprio has posted some photos to his account on Israeli startup Mobli, into which he's sunk some cash and for whom he serves as an advisor.
Serial entrepreneur Brian Lee–who works with Kim Kardashian–says that one of the biggest myths of success is that any big-name celebrity will do wonders for a startup.
“A lot people think that they can have an idea, attach a celebrity to it and it will work,” Lee told TechCrunch Disrupt Beijing,
“When you start attaching Ashton Kutcher [or any random celebrity] to a travel site, it doesn’t work," he said, referring to Kutcher’s investment in Hipmunk.
Lee, of course, is a "big big believer" in using celebrities to start companies. He co-founded LegalZoom with O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro, and his current project, ShoeDazzle, is with Kardashian.
But he thinks the key to his success is having the right celebrity: "You have to have a true partnership with that celebrity. It's got to match, and almost match perfectly," he said. When Lee started LegalZoom, Shapiro was perhaps the most famous lawyer in the world. Kardashian and sexy shoes–ShoeDazzle members pay a fee for monthly picks from fashionistas–is hardly a stretch. (How did he hook Kardashian? Shapiro knew her.)
"The celebrity has to really believe in the idea and be a true partner, not just be a name," Lee said.
The true partnership is for everybody's (financial) benefit: "If they really buy into it and really understand what the mission is then they will go that extra distance and do every press tour you want them to do and every interview you want them to do," he said.
Lee—who said he is "not really a fashion person" and confessed that his wife dresses him—got the idea for ShoeDazzle when his wife returned home with a very expensive pair of shoes from a Los Angeles boutique that she said, simply, made her feel beautiful. He talked a bit about his startup philosophy.
"I'm not a big believer in raising a bunch of capital to start a company," he said. "You can get something launched pretty cheaply." Finding traction, of course, is another matter–that's where the celebrity comes in.
"When we started LegalZoom [in 2001] and attached Robert Shapiro...we noticed how much traction we got. He drove a lot of traffic."
These days, of course, it's Kardashian who's no stranger to magazine covers, and who—Lee is hoping—will drive the traffic to ShoeDazzle.
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Edwinoel Tanglao 4 months ago
Marriage is supposed to be forever, or at least, until the death of a spouse. Otherwise, for me, being a true believer in the sacredness of marriage as it is a 'solemn and sacred vow' between a man and a woman to love each other, for richer for poorer, in sickness or good health, until death' do they part. If there was no such ceremony with these vows, then I may call it a farce and falsehood, or some kind of a play or a game of lust or material satisfaction with selfish ends or goals. Even entertaining a 'pre-nup' in the marriage makes it materially influenced marriage which, for me, may not even last, as anything done with material considerations taken is not real love, but material and selfish love, as it is not done with sincerity, or with truthful and noble intentions, with that end in view of making that marriage last forever, As in Matthew 5:37, Jesus said on truthfulness and honoring your words, "Let your 'Yes' be a 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No,' anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Love with accountability and forgiveness should prevail, and not 'selfish love' which can lead to sinfulness and trouble upon trouble in marriage life.God gives us second chances, many times more. Let us not abuse this or we may see ourselves in more trouble than we can handle as in Romans 12:19, it states, "Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of God, for it is written: 'vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.'" Pray that we may be guided in the light of *** Jesus, who is our true Messiah, ever forgiving, but fair and just. If we keep Jesus and his words in our hearts, the more we may find true peace and happiness in this life. Demi and Ashton, Jesus loves you and all of us. He wants you back as he wants all of us back, as he created us all in John 1:3, our ver 'being' need to be attuned to his words and to his will, that we may be stronger against all evil in this life.