mark kossick

Cofounder & CEO of @groupspottheapp, a privacy-first communications platform designed to help run your real-life groups. Get your groups on #GroupSpot today.

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

Hi! We’re just getting started at #GroupSpot. We’ve taken the friction out of running groups, both large and small, by delivering communications that are fun-to-use with privacy at the heart of the experience. Take a closer look and #communicatebetter.

[Emery Wells @emerywells]

I built and sold https://t.co/0PDma01Bry for $1.3 billion to Adobe, and along the way, I received plenty of advice that turned out to be entirely off the mark. Here's a look at some of the most glaring misdirections:

1. "As CEO, focus on executive business tasks." This couldn't be further from the truth. The core purpose of any company is the product it offers. As CEO, your primary role is to ensure that this product is the most valuable it can be for your customers. It's not just about overseeing; it's about being integrally involved in delivering quality.

2. "To scale, you need to decentralize decision-making." Actually, the opposite is often more effective. As organizations grow more complex, centralized decision-making can slice through red tape and foster quicker action. Even in environments that champion decentralized processes, top-down leadership often proves to be the fastest route.

3. "CEOs shouldn't get caught up in the details." This is a myth. Consider leaders like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Brian Chesky, and the Collison brothers — all are/were deeply involved in the intricacies of their businesses. Emulating their approach is not misguided; it's a blueprint for hands-on leadership.

4. "10X engineers are a myth, and believing in them is harmful." Quite the contrary. In many teams, a small fraction of the workforce often generates the majority of outcomes. Recognizing and nurturing high-performing individuals isn't just realistic—it's crucial.

5. “You must validate every decision with customer research.” Contrary to popular belief, not all successful decisions stem from extensive customer research. Many of my pivotal choices were guided by my own instincts and preferences for the product. Trusting your vision and building a product that you would use yourself can lead to creating something that resonates deeply with your customers. Personal intuition can be a potent tool in product development.

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

It’s refreshing to hear your appreciation for a founder who’s confident to tell it how it is. I share that same approach with my SaaS startup, however we’re just earlier in the journey. Good to stay true.

[Brian Nichols @b_nicks11]

I spoke to a founder recently that we decided to invest in (great founder with exceptional experience).

They had just crossed $1M ARR and were raising their first round of outside capital.

I sent the founder over some questions on their SaaS product and his answers surprised me.

Not only did he respond with the metrics that they could provide, but he also gave a rationale for why some metrics weren’t as meaningful as an investor would think.

Instead of emphasizing how the company had an UNBELIEVABLE churn rate or expected to have a HUGE LTV:CAC ratio, the founder was honest that their data is limited and the company is still learning what its average performance metrics could look like over time.

The founder didn’t have to prove himself, but it made all the difference in the world to feel like I could trust the founder to tell me the good and bad news objectively.

As a founder, it’s important to be able to tell a story with your company and inspire investors to dream about the future. But investors can do a lot of that themselves too - after all, we see pitches every day. Instead, knowing that I can trust the founder to give it to me straight is one of the reasons we ended up saying yes.

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

BU's lax team upset the #1 team in the country Friday night, Army, 14-9. This came after Georgetown beat then #1 Notre Dame, 11-10, in OT. Both BU & Georgetown are on GroupSpot... Just sayin’. Who's next?

Here's a few other lax teams on GroupSpot. 🥍

[GroupSpot @GroupSpotTheApp]

Congratulations to our newest Ambassadors of the Month: @pennstatelax Super Boosters Tracy Sweeney & Liz Malone! #AOTM #GroupSpot

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@GroupSpotTheApp @pennstatelax Super Boosters at Penn State! Well deserved.

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

From the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish to the Penn State Nittany Lions, we’ve grown our college sports portfolio from two teams (Spring, 2022) to more than 40 teams (Fall, 2023) in less than 18 months. GroupSpot is becoming the platform-of-choice for college teams & boosters. 🙌💪

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

Record-setting August for GroupSpot!

We just set a new benchmark for single month activity, 4,261 new users in August. Looking forward to an equally productive September.

🙏🏻 🙏🏻

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

When it comes to YoY user growth, we’re not slowing down anytime soon. 2023 has been the proverbial hockey stick that every founder and investor hopes for.

Proud of my team at @GroupSpotTheApp. As one of my favorite teams on GroupSpot (Penn State Lax) says "ALL GAS NO BRAKES!!”

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@WillieGeist @GroupSpotTheApp Thank you @WillieGeist for the well wishes and being a great ambassador... always!

Startups are rough those first few years, but the train is leaving the station. Just looking for a few more backers to help us close our round before the end of month. 🤞🤞

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

😀🎂 @GroupSpotTheApp
It starts w/ a min viable product & ends w/ an exit.

TY to those who backed us when GS was an idea on a napkin 4 yrs ago.

TY to new investors who will help us close our capital round June 30. $1M round, $7m val, $25K min.

https://t.co/RHrmJZOH6j

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@GroupSpotTheApp We’re growing our numbers! The train is taking off. New investors also welcome. Reach out to our team to learn more.

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

The CIA runs a test called the Four Temperaments to determine high performance teams. We ran the test on the team at @GroupSpotTheApp, and we have an animal kingdom: lions, cheetahs, bears, and a fox = a well-balanced team w/ diverse skills.
🦁 🐆 🐻 🦊

https://t.co/fIncuxtGlW

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

Loved PA’s Music Educator convention. Music educator, John Luckenbill, joined us. He’s our captain of music groups on @GroupSpotTheApp. He’s holding a sheet of 32 extremely warm leads. Maybe not as cool as playing the trumpet for Michigan State but exciting nevertheless...

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@GroupSpotTheApp @CaitlinClark22 @IowaWBB Love this. 👏🏻❤️

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

Georgetown Football is now on GroupSpot. While we’ve had success with other college booster clubs, this marks the first time parents have paired with their alumni network (Gridiron Club), from group inception to bring their supporters under one roof. @GroupSpotTheApp @HoyasFB

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@GroupSpotTheApp @NWischoff Hi Nichole! Nice to hear from you. Let’s chat. I will reach out…

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@rachelssanders I was looking for a platform to run my son’s football booster club. I quickly learned there's no platform of choice for teams and organizations so we built one that delivers community for members, utility for admins, and privacy for all. @GroupSpotTheApp @mark_groupspot

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

Our Help Center is live! Thank you @jasondebacco for breathing life into my vanilla copy. People finding @GroupSpotTheApp need resources like our Help Center and Guide to buy in and adopt. More bricks = stronger foundation.

https://t.co/CFwijUjucF
https://t.co/Aunmgnw5KE

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

I was just told @GroupSpotTheApp reminds my friend of the old Faberge Shampoo TV ad featuring Heather Locklear loving the product so much she says “I told two friends who then told two friends and so on and so on...”

https://t.co/5EQYZlfdTf

Watershed moment alert!

[mark kossick @mark_groupspot]

@HarryStebbings Try @GroupSpotTheApp