Ryan Holmes

Ryan Holmes
Ryan Holmesis a Canadian computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and CEO of Hootsuite, a social media management tool for businesses. Holmes began developing Hootsuite in 2008 through his agency Invoke Media...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth30 December 1974
CountryCanada
build companies developing exit few finite homegrown locally recruiting remains skills successful tech
Tech companies have a finite lifespan: For the successful ones, an IPO or exit is never more than a few years off. But by recruiting locally and developing homegrown talent, companies can build something that remains after they're gone. People, skills and a culture of innovation persist.
companies embraced social teams
Customer service teams at many companies have already embraced social media, often out of necessity.
companies harness managers
Companies and managers that find a way to harness social media stand to gain.
companies exist feed larger relationship tech
Tech companies don't exist in a bubble; they draw from and feed into a larger community. Ideally, the relationship is symbiotic.
adopted companies demand manage monitor social
No surprise that, as companies have adopted social media en masse, demand for software and applications to manage and monitor social use has exploded.
beyond blogs chatting close community companies customers deep existing job leads listening media mine nurture openings sales social support using
Importantly, companies are using social media to do things that go way beyond just chatting up existing customers on Facebook. Sales departments use social to nurture leads and close sales. HR posts job openings and vets applicants. Community and support squads mine networks, blogs and forums with deep listening tools.
along approach bring centers companies embrace homegrown identify prospects recruit silicon tech valley younger
Silicon Valley isn't the only game in town. Tech is increasingly decentralized. Around the world, new tech centers with younger companies are able to embrace a different approach to talent: recruit locally, identify homegrown prospects and, in a phrase, bring them along for the ride.
access client companies given information policy social turning
Social media has given companies access to unprecedented amounts of information on client behavior and preferences - so-called Big Data. But making sense of it all and turning it into actionable policy has been elusive.
affords best built capable longer might move role
Entrepreneurs, by disposition, are built to think big. When a role no longer affords those opportunities, it might be best to leave it in capable hands and move on.
almost came code designers early existing expected involved lipstick
Early in my career, I was involved with engineer-led projects, where designers came in late in the game and were expected to put lipstick on an existing code base. This almost never works.
blogs close job leads listening mine nurture openings sales social
Sales departments use social to nurture leads and close sales. HR posts job openings and vets applicants. Community and support squads mine networks, blogs and forums with deep listening tools.
creates everybody exit industry
Everybody getting a significant exit creates a legacy and creates something that you can pay forward and bootstrap an industry in a substantial way.
basic design easier far practical represents
At the most basic level, prioritizing design also represents a practical consideration. It's far easier to design first and engineer later.
among generate proven revenue
LinkedIn and Flickr, among other sites, have already proven freemium can generate revenue in the social media context.