NetSuite Partnership Through Honesty

A story about how Kara Goldin's honest feedback about choosing NetSuite over Oracle turned into a valuable advertising partnership.

"I was speaking at NetSuite's conference and I told the story that I truly didn't know how to call Oracle when we were moving out of QuickBooks. I didn't know where to start with Oracle, but I'd heard about NetSuite. I thought maybe eventually we'll get to Oracle, but for now let's start with these guys at NetSuite.

We grew with them, told them all their problems, and continued to grow. The CMO said to me, 'I loved watching you on stage telling the story - would you do this ad for us?' I said sure, and that ad has been running for a year.

Between Verizon and NetSuite, which is now an Oracle company, we have conservatively $50 million in ads running with our brand, and we haven't spent a dime on that advertising. Every time that ad runs, people go to our site. These weren't intentional partnerships, but they're authentic and real. That's why I tell entrepreneurs - get out there and tell your story, whether that's talking to press outlets or speaking at conferences."