SparkToro’s Year 2 Retrospective: Can Chill Work, Alternative Funding, and an...
Two years ago today, at the nerve-wracking start of a global pandemic, we launched SparkToro. Since then, we’ve learned a lot, and uncovered plenty of unanswered questions, too. As is tradition, I’ll...
View ArticleSparkToro’s Mission, Vision, and Values: BELUX
Those skilled in the art of BS detection can tell you that 99% of company mission, vision, and values statements are meaningless. For corporate ideals to be more than just...
View ArticleYou can’t hire ambitious people and then ask them to stop being ambitious.
Hiring managers, executives, CEOs—especially those in tech—are proud to say that we only consider applicants with an unrelenting drive for success and a track record of impressive accomplishments....
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SparkToro Year 3 Retrospective: Investor Payback, Systemic Challenges, and V2...
3 Years ago, SparkToro launched in the midst of a world-changing pandemic. In 2021 and 2022 I wrote updates about this business’ journey, both because I love to transparently share the adventure, and...
View ArticleTwo Announcements: SparkToro V2 Coming Soon and Brendan Hufford (Temporarily)...
How is it only August? It feels like two years since January. Especially here at SparkToro, where the year’s had so much upheaval, despite our attempts to maintain Chill Work. Shortly after our pricing...
View ArticleThe Chill Work Manifesto
Shortly after Amanda Natividad joined SparkToro, she coined the term “Chill Work” to describe the unusually patient, mature, laid-back approach we take to building this business. And for the last three...
View ArticleEmbrace the High-Level Individual Contributor: How to Hire for This...
I’m SparkToro’s VP Marketing and here’s how I spent a recent afternoon: I sifted through our Google Analytics dashboard. I was looking for our most popular pages and copying them into a spreadsheet so...
View ArticleA Guide to Hosting Your Next Work Retreat
There’s something magical about the third location. It’s why writers head off to that cabin in the woods. Heck, maybe it’s why you find unlikely productivity on that 4-hour flight with spotty WiFi,...
View ArticleStop Making Your Team Own Tasks. Let Them Own Programs Instead.
In a given week, I would write product descriptions, digital ad copy, pithy social media posts, a couple blog posts, and the abandoned cart email campaign. I loved having a variety of writing...
View ArticleThe Chill Work Guide to Hiring and Managing Agencies
We recently hosted our first in-person SparkTogether event. It was a smashing success without any mishaps. I got a ton of compliments on the execution, but I got too much credit. It’s really all thanks...
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