We know it's not good form to toot your own horn, but sometimes you just have to. We're proud to announce that BLR founder and CEO Bob Brady has been named B2B Publisher of the Year, and inducted into the Mequoda Hall of Fame at the Mequoda Publisher of the Year Awards.
The Mequoda Group provides research, training and educational services exclusively for the publishing industry, including best practices for online media management and Internet marketing strategy.
The following report appeared in the Mequoda Daily:
Brady told publishers in the room that it's extremely important for your staff to understand the purpose of your company as a whole. "We have a .NET programmer who understands how marketing copy is a part of our efforts at BLR. Just the same, if you have an editor with no sense of marketing, you're losing an opportunity."
"I think one of the big reasons I've been successful at this, is that I was free to make mistakes, and there was no one around, because I own the company, to fire me," Brady joked. "In the culture that we're all in, we need to allow mistakes as long as we learn from them. You need to make mistakes and immediately know what you can improve next time."
Brady reminisced about the first time he used a CD, which was basically an encyclopedia on disc. He said, "I went in thinking, what can I do with a CD? I make books! But then I thought, I have 600 page books, that cost me $25 to mail. A light went off that this was a real opportunity."
Brady went on to explain that the Internet happened in the same fashion for him. "Being outside the company, talking to the "propeller heads", and people who are experimenting with new things can help you in your own business".
On the topic of creating new products, Brady told the audience that "the customer doesn't know what they want, it's our job to take on the challenge and figure that out."
Congratulations, Bob -- well deserved.
