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Tribal or Transformational? How to grow your startup when new business rolls in

Startup CEOs need to know how to act once they realize that a new revenue stream is growing faster than the original business concept. You’re faced with a choice: transforming the business you created or launching a new, separate venture. I call it the choice between going “tribal” (creating a new tribe – a distinct group that acts independently from your core business) or “transformational” (transforming the current team and business).

As CEO and founder of two of the fastest growing digital advertising companies in the country, I’ve had to make that decision twice. We used the tribal concept when we created a new video-focused advertising company, AdKarma. When we decided to transform our original digital advertising business, we tried to use the transformational model. But after meeting internal resistance, we integrated elements of going tribal to create a new company, Division-D.

In the end, we considered three essential questions to help us choose the right road for our future:


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About the Author

Bobby CampbellBobby Campbell is a successful entrepreneur with a deep understanding of how to monetize emerging digital markets. He’s CEO and founder of several leading digital media companies including 3 Interactive, AdKarma, and Division D. Campbell graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Creative Writing and Political Science. You can follow him on Twitter @BobbyAdkarma.