LAS VEGAS – As editor of the weekly Prosper newsletter, I’m the guy who peeks into educational sessions at Prosper and trolls the Expo floor assessing the mood of exhibitors. When exhibitors are in a good mood, it usually means attendees are focused, engaged, and ready for serious conversations.
Last week’s Prosper show at The Wynn in Las Vegas revealed an attendee mindset that was indeed highly focused. It’s a necessary trait in a brutally competitive landscape. The sheer number of exhibitors attests to the variety of analytical skills needed to succeed.
A great product/brand is great to have, but building that brand requires attention to every single detail. Darrell Spencer, founder of Crowned Skin, told attendees about his meticulous social media strategy (more on that in future issues) that focuses on authenticity above all.
Too much “polish” can lead to a lack of authenticity and a failed campaign. For online sellers, it amounts to a delicate balance waged on basically two platforms.
“When you look at the combined Amazon and Walmart, they represent 89% of the total retail media dollars being spent,” said Jeff Cohen, chief business development officer at Skai during his Prosper keynote address. “There’s two players. Everybody else is fighting for the 11%.”
Any wedge of the total pie is hard-earned, and Prosper brought nuts-and-bolts solutions, in addition to the crucial inspiration to keep going when others are telling you to quit.
Erica Groussman ended up selling her protein bar company for $175 million, but she revealed to Prosper attendees: “We made mistakes, really bad hires, raised an initial round of funding, and went into debt. People who I respected told me to shut it down, that it wasn’t working, and the category [protein bars] was way too crowded—but shutting down was the last thing on my mind.”
Groussman and Spencer told tales of ongoing challenges, relentless work ethic, and successful companies. How many other owners/founders were walking the Prosper floor? My bet is quite a few. I hope to see you in 2027 at The Wynn for the next edition of Prosper.
Greg Thompson (pictured on the show floor) is editor of the weekly Prosper newsletter. His full name is Gregory Paul Thompson, so you can call him the original ChatGPT. Have an idea for an article? Please send a note to [email protected]