Karen Appleton - "Explore Many Channels"

Tips for Entrepreneurs

Karen Appleton is the Vice President of Business Development at Box.net as well as a contributor for the Huffington Post's business page and member of the HP Startup Central Advisory Board. In this video from the Tips for Entrepreneurs series, Appleton notes how difficult it can be for startups to stand out in today's dynamic marketplace. Providing the relationship between HP and Box.net as an example, Appleton explains how small companies can benefit greatly from allying themselves with larger ones.

In her role at Box.net, Appleton has seen first-hand how crucial strategic alliances and partnerships are for driving business growth and development. "It's difficult in a lot of ways to be heard, especially by the larger companies and that's so critical for startups today," says Appleton. Box.net first won business from HP after proving themselves to be innovators in cloud storage, but later it was HP who turned to Box.net for advice. Appleton makes the case that this mutual relationship was important in fueling Box's current success. To make these sort of alliances for themselves she encourages entrepreneurs "to be creative, to dig deep, to explore all the resources available and just to be persistent."

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