Thank Goodness It's...Monday?

I doubt you've ever heard anybody say "Thank Goodness It's Monday" or "TGIM".  But now, Think Big Partners is bringing you a reason to enjoy your Monday morning. 

You've all heard the phrase, "laughter is the best medicine."  So why not start off your week with a bit of humor?  It's cold out.  The sun hasn't been out since November.  It's time to shine a bit of light on this January morning with the help of the cast of The Office.

That's right, The Office.  For those of you who have not seen this awkwardly hilarious NBC comedy, you are missing out on some huge laughs; laughs that may be big enough to crack a smile on even the grumpiest Monday-morning face.

So, entrepreneurs, try taking some tips from Andy Bernard (AKA "Nard Dog"), Dunder Mifflin's worst paper salesman.  Click the link below to see Nard Dog's strategy to growing a small business.  And if you don't learn anything about small business whatsoever, at least you'll have a good laugh.

Happy Monday, entrepreneurs.  TGIM!

HOW TO GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS with Andy Bernard

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City's mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison's work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on Helium, BrooWaha, eZine and Newsvine.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Sustainable: ecoEnvelopes Sends Green Business Upward

Entrepreneurship just got a little bit greener.  Thanks to ecoEnvelopes, small business owners, big companies, and even individuals can utilize sustainable, 2-way envelopes that are good for the environment, and of course, good for business.  Established in 2002 by “eco-warrior” Ann DeLaVergne, ecoEnvelopes has evolved into a business that breaths and thrives within its values.  To learn more about this fascinating company, I conducted a question-and-answer session with ecoEnvelopes President, Gale Ward.  After talking with Gale, I learned that entrepreneurs should not only focus on making some green, but also on building a green business.

TBP:  What is ecoEnvelope’s mission and vision? 

GW:  Our vision is to learn from nature—how to create, recycle and give back.  It’s an odd vision, but it’s part of our environmental platform.  Our mission is to reduce our impact on the planet in very simple ways.  There are little things that we do in our lives every day, that if we just do a little bit differently, we can truly reduce our impact on the planet.  It’s kind of a simplistic view of things.

TBP:  Awhile ago, I interviewed Denise Pech with Starch Tech—a company that makes biodegradable, “green” packing peanuts for shipping and packing.  Are there any other “green” businesses like this out there that ecoEnvelopes looks up to?

GW:  If you look at companies to admire, you have to look like the one in your own backyard—Sprint.  You have to admire their authentic, environmental sustainability.  It’s true, and it’s authentic.  You have to look at companies like American Express where the head of procurement literally walks the forest and understands the carbon footprint.  So there are companies, many of which are the global fortune companies that understand their leadership roles in sustainability.

TBP:  What’s next for ecoEnvelopes? 

GW:  There are three new things for ecoEnvelopes in 2011.  One is new retail products designed for the small business (we will be selling in places like OfficeMax), second is green wedding invitations, and the third is going to be new mail voting solutions which turn a 4-envelope mailer into a 2-envelope.

TBP:  What advice do you have for an entrepreneur starting a green business?

GW:  The most important thing is to understand and evaluate that you have something that could be valuable to someone.  There are a lot of fabulous ideas, but fabulous ideas that aren’t tied to an ROI will not be successful in the long-run.  The challenges that most entrepreneurs face are the overwhelming volumes of data, information, and requirements that come at them on a daily basis.  I think it’s absolutely critical to focus on the key things that are going to build a successful company—a good product, a good value proposition, and sales.

TBP:  What three characteristics make for a successful entrepreneur or small business like ecoEnvelopes?

GW:  Perseverance, optimism, and flexibility.  You need to encounter hurdles with a happy, positive framework through solutions as opposed to being overwhelmed.  You also need to be able to listen to the market and understand what the perceptions are.  Also, you have to adapt to what you learn.  That’s something that I think small companies do better than big companies—they listen, they learn and they adapt more rapidly.

TBP:  How does ecoEnvelopes Think Big?

GW:  We Think Big because we believe we’re part of a bigger movement.  There are a lot of individuals and companies looking to create better products, better services and a better future for our planet.  We can look at the world and discover where we can make simple changes that can make a huge difference.  The unique thing about us is the way that Ann [DeLaVergne, founder] looks at life.  We look at simple things that can be done differently, made differently, or used differently.  A lot of these ideas and opportunities are simple ideas that can make a big difference for everyone.

ecoEnvelopes is a small business that specializes in sustainable and economically-friendly envelopes.  ecoEnvelopes are manufactured with FSC and SFI certified papers with 100% PCW content and are US Postal Service approved.  In the Kansas City market, you will be able to find ecoEnvelopes in OfficeMax locations and green wedding stores soon.

The interview with Gale Ward was conducted and written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on BrooWaha, Helium, eZine and Newsvine. 

Harbors, Crab Cakes and Now Entrepreneurship- Announcing Think Big Baltimore!

“I recently read a book stating that the average US citizen lives a much more luxurious life than Louis XIV,” began Tighe Greenhalgh, organizing partner of Think Big Baltimore. 

I sat there, phone still pasted to my ear, wondering where this interview was about to go.

“It talks about the fact that Louis could never imagine being protected from the oppressive summer heat by air conditioning,” he continued.  “Louis could never have fathomed climbing into a plane and in three hours, walking into a completely different part of the world.  Today, each of us can go to a movie theater and be personally entertained by the best performers in the world.  We can walk into a restaurant and have a professional chef make exactly what we ask for.  And the fact is, entrepreneurs made all that possible.”

And then, everything clicked.  And Tighe Greenhalgh was absolutely right.

Greenhalgh’s fascination with entrepreneurship led him to read books such as these, but also led him to get involved in six different startup companies from medical supply companies, to green energy companies, to non-profits.  But no matter what Greenhalgh is specializing in at the moment, whether it’s a new non-profit organization or Louis XIV, one this is for sure: it involves entrepreneurship. 

“People love freedom.  And for me, nothing provides freedom like being an entrepreneur,” said Greenhalgh.  “So, when I heard about a conference that was promoting entrepreneurship and helping entrepreneurs, I immediately thought, ‘I have to get that in Baltimore.’”

Greenhalgh is talking about Think Big Kansas City.  After attending the event last March, he found the opportunity to expand its reach to more cities throughout the country—starting, of course, with Baltimore. 

“I think the attitude in Baltimore and Kansas City—and other cities like Boston, Detroit, Denver, and Philadelphia—is that they all want to establish themselves as a hotbed for startups and entrepreneurs,” said Greenhalgh.  “The fact is the entire country has that desire.  As word gets around that there is an event like this, any metropolitan area is going to jump at it.  They’ll all want the opportunity to put their entrepreneurs in one place, celebrate what they do, and let them do more together.” 

Greenhalgh was sure to note the national reputation that Baltimore currently has.  He made note of the city’s problems, but also explained the large population that is constantly looking for solutions to these issues.  “Baltimore possesses a very intelligent and very passionate group of entrepreneurs that are working to make Baltimore a better place,” he said.  “Entrepreneurship is what makes Baltimore what it is.” 

So maybe it’s time to put aside the crab cakes, harbors, John Hopkin’s hospital and the drug trades that Baltimore has always been known for.  Now, we may start to identify Baltimore as a city of entrepreneurship and growth. 

Think Big Baltimore, the Premier Conference for Entrepreneurs, Investors and Startups, is to take place July 13^th at Towson University (hosted by TowsonGlobal, the university’s incubator).  For more information about Think Big Baltimore, call 866-THNK-BIG or visit their website (to be launched within the next few weeks) at http://www.thinkbigbaltimore.com/. Stay tuned for more information about Think Big Baltimore!

Bigger is better.  And now, we’re bringing big to Baltimore. 

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, please visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on BrooWaha, eZine, Newsvine and Helium. 

Relationship Advice: Forming, Performing, and Maintaining Business Connections

All day, James Moburg is on the phone.  And whether it’s clients, customers, buyers, or partners calling, James takes the time to answer all questions, provide all required information, and work through all problems.

But James is doing so much more than just giving his clients information about his small business.  As he works through each call, something crucial is happening behind-the-scenes.  James is not just making conversation within each phone call; he is also building long-lasting business relationships.

According to Moburg, co-founder of LeadTunnel, a company focused on lead generation, long-lasting business relationships are imperative for any business to succeed.  In order to provide you with more information about how to build long-lasting business relationships (that strengthen your company as well as your own working life), I sat down with James as he briefed me on the three steps needed in order to create a relationship in business that actually lasts.

Step 1: Forming the relationship.  James refers to the beginning of a business relationship as a tryout or a first date.  Both parties involved in the potential relationship must earn the right to continue on in developing it.

Step 2: Performing within the relationship.  In order to establish a long-lasting business relationship, people must actually enjoy working with you.  And after they’re done working with you, they should want to refer you.

Step 3: Maintaining the relationship.  “The biggest difference between a business fling and a long-lasting relationship is being the predictable consistent and dependable performance from your service or product,” says James.  “Think Step 2, over and over again.”

And James had even more tips in store for entrepreneurs.  His top 5 tips include managing people’s expectations, becoming a real person, engaging that particular person, becoming reachable, and knowing the competition. 

But the most important tip that James centers all of his relationships around is the key ingredient to any long-lasting business relationship: confidence.  James’ favorite quote, “confidence is contagious” is a phrase he lives by. 

“Be honest with what you’re amazing at,” says James.  “If you provide a realistic timeline and exceed someone’s expectations, you will develop a great relationship.  And if you aren’t as good at something, be honest about it, then recommend someone who can do it.”

James proves that his business-relationship skills are top notch by providing the story below. 

                                                       ----------------

Recently, my Kansas City based company, www.LeadTunnel.com, was approached to help increase revenue through marketing efforts for a Chicago based company, RushHourEvents.com, one of the nation’s largest super sale companies in the automotive industry. They also were talking to other companies, all much larger than us, one in particular outnumbered us 50-1 in employee size. I immediately set my company apart by providing a unique solution no one else had thought of, thanks to collaboration in a smaller space. The larger companies were merely taking orders while I was consulting. At first, unfortunately, my tailored solution was next shopped against larger competitors.

Knowing what my competitive advantages were versus my competition, and knowing that the prospective client was shopping; I encouraged them to talk to even more competitors of mine by suggesting ones they did not know. My then prospective customer finally said “I’ve never worked with someone who tells me to explore other companies, you must be really confident in your abilities.” (Success!) My contact at this perspective client began to tell me how I was differentiating myself from my competition: I always replied to his email questions, I always picked up my phone or returned his call quickly, I was continually sharing brainstorm sessions with him on the phone, and was pointing out and helping him avoid hurdles. I cranked up the competitive dial by providing them with raving fans and references who loved working with us. Soon he was sharing with me why he wanted to go with me versus the other people he was talking to, but his managers were encouraging him to get additional quotes. I remained patient, remained steadfast in my price, and continued to answer his questions. We began to talk about non business topics, and found out we both supported similar philanthropic endeavors. Soon, the next time I picked up the phone, we were awarded the business.

See what amazing business relationships can be made when you Think Big?

Written by Allison Way and James Moburg.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners.  To read more of Allison's work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on eZine, Newsvine, BrooWaha and Helium.  James is co-founder of LeadTunnel, a lead generation company that originates and delivers quality leads and data.

WARNING: Non-Competition Agreements & the Entrepreneur

There are many challenges that an entrepreneur may face—raising capital, sustaining the business, hiring effective employees—the list goes on and on.  And although you may be focused solely on your business, your sales, your employees, your success, as a result, you may lose sight of another important aspect: the competition.

As an entrepreneur, it’s important for you to understand the notion of non-competition agreements.  Believe it or not, this may be the one thing that is standing in between you and your small business.  If you have signed a non-competition agreement (often referred to as a “non-compete”) with a former employer, you may find a few roadblocks on the way to self-employment.

Non-competes are often signed at the beginning of a term of employment and kick in at the end of the employer/employee relationship.  They are for the protection of the employer’s trade secrets, business plans, marketing strategies, customer lists, etc.  Most non-competes specify a specific time and geographic area that the former employee is to refrain from engaging in activities that will place him or her in direct competition with the former employer.

Generally speaking, in states where non-competes are legal, they will be enforceable if, at a minimum, they are:

1)     Designed to protect the former employer’s legitimate business interests;

2)    Limited both in duration and in geographical area; and

3)    Not contrary to the public interest.

Courts generally disapprove of non-competes that are so broad that they unfairly impede a former employee’s right to earn a living.  If a court finds a non-compete overbroad, it may narrow the duration and/or scope of the agreement or refuse to enforce it all together.

So if think you may be covered by a non-compete, here are a few things to think about:

1)    Non-competes must be reasonable in duration.  Generally, the time frame ranges from one to two years, but may be as high as five.  If the former employer’s restriction prevents you from doing business for an excessive amount of time, it is probably too broad. 

2)   The geographical area covered by the non-compete must also be reasonable.  Generally, courts will not allow a non-compete to prevent you from working in a geographic area where the former employer does not do business.

3)   Even if you think your non-compete is overbroad or unreasonable, seek out some legal guidance first to discuss your rights and risks.

Enforceable non-competes are about the balancing of interests.  Employers have a legitimate right to protect their customer relationships and confidential information, but former employees also have a right to earn a living in their chosen endeavor.  If you have questions about your non-compete, consult a business attorney.

With all of the challenges of launching a startup, it is easy to miss something like non-competes.  Don’t let this important factor sidetrack you from Thinking Big!

 

Written by: Donald R. Simon, J.D./LL.M., is president and CEO of Simon Business Consulting, Inc., a firm providing consulting services such as business and marketing plan development, incorporations, intellectual property advising, franchising regulatory assistance, and presentations on the basics of starting a small business.  Send questions or comments to don@simonbizconsulting.com.  This blog is provided as a source of information and is not to be construed as legal advice or opinion, or to form an attorney-client relationship.  For legal advice, please consult an attorney.

Edited by: Allison Way.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Cancelled Today

The bizperc Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, hosted by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, will be cancelled today due to snow. 

Further information about a rescheduling of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be announced next week.

We apologize if you were looking forward to the event.  Please consider joining us for our Launch and Learn programs next week.  Thank you for your understanding. 

From a 22-Person Reach to 100,000+ in One Year

In November of 2009, Chris McCann sat down to write an email to inform friends, family, and coworkers about the startup events going on in his community.  Little did he know that this simple chain of emails was about to spur the growth of a new business.

In 2009, McCann’s email chain about entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley reached 22 people.  Approximately one year later, McCann found himself with 100,000+ subscribers in over 50 different cities.  That’s when StartupDigest, an informational newsletter to connect the worldwide startup and tech ecosystems, was born. 



StartupDigest links entrepreneurs with events
going on in their communities.

Reaching over 57 cities and 6 universities around the world, StartupDigest is a beneficial tool to help entrepreneurs get involved in their local startup community through events developed and marketed through its collective force of 60+ curators and entrepreneurial leaders.  One of these curators is Willis Jackson of Kansas City, Missouri. 

“I proactively go out and try to find stuff happening in Kansas City,” says Jackson.  “My goal is to find things that people want to know about in order to encourage a startup community.” 

But how did StartupDigest go from a 22-person email to reaching over 100,000 entrepreneurs worldwide?  Believe it or not, it wasn’t social networking, fancy advertising, or SEO-optimizing techniques.  Instead, StartupDigest used good ol’ word-of-mouth to get their message across.

“People tend to forward StartupDigest or spread it by word-of-mouth,” says Jackson of StartupDigest’s marketing.  “People find value in it and like to share it with others.  It fills the gaps that entrepreneurs had, and that’s why it has taken off.” 

But there’s more to StartupDigest than these informative online newsletters.  In addition, the company has launched StartupDigest Jobs that informs readers about the best startup jobs in the area.  StartupDigest has also developed StartupDigest University in which topics and seminars are uploaded to Udemy.com so that students can learn more about entrepreneurship online.  “These are just other ways to fill the gaps for entrepreneurs,” says Jackson.

Jackson has worked closely with entrepreneurs in the time that he has been with StartupDigest.  And although he is an advocate of the online newsletter, he believes that the most important step in entrepreneurship is not reading, but doing.

“It’s important to know when to stop reading, stop researching, and stop taking advice.  There comes a point when you know you’ve read enough, planned enough, and it’s time to start doing!” he says.

According to Jackson, most cities have developed strong startup communities.  Because of this, he hopes that StartupDigest, in many different versions, will serve as a tool for cities to maintain themselves and to encourage startup communities for years to come.  We hope so too.

Thanks for Thinking Big, StartupDigest!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on Helium, BrooWaha, eZine and Newsvine.

Entrepreneur Tackles a Business in 120 Days

We’ve all heard about “accidental” business success—just look at the famous story of Kingsford Charcoal: today’s leading manufacturer of charcoal in the United States was accidently developed from Ford Motor Company’s factory wastes in the 1920’s.  Or take a look at Play-Doh: this non-toxic, non-staining, reusable modeling compound was originally wallpaper cleaner until kids began molding it to make Christmas ornaments. 

But were these stories really “accidents” or did these entrepreneurs succeed simply because they had no idea what they were up against?  Did each entrepreneur simply have luck on their side, or did they become a success because they didn’t see the option of failure? 

Tyler Prochnow seems to think that perhaps its a little of both.

Tyler Prochnow
Founder of Kansas City Brigade
Co-Founder of Think Big Partners

To say that Prochnow knows how to launch a business is an understatement.  As co-founder of Think Big Partners and current President of two other companies (Connexsus Technology Solutions and ACS Properties), entrepreneurialism runs in his blood.  But it’s Prochnow’s greatest success story that proves that anything is possible if you don’t know what you can’t do.  In 2006, Prochnow launched a successful Arena Football League Franchise, not in one year, not in 6 months, but in 120 days.

After conducting due diligence for an 11-year NFL veteran with an interest in investing in an AFL team, Prochnow's eyes were opened to the world of Arena Football.

“The very things that the AFL promoted were the things that I believed Kansas City supported—family entertainment, giving back to the community, players that were accessible, and most of all, football,” says Prochnow.

Over the course of several months, Prochnow studied the League, did due diligence on the Kansas City market, and made a presentation to the League's owners on the viability of a Kansas City team.  Prochnow was approved as the owner of the expansion franchise and was set to begin play in the 2007 season. 

This is where fate intervened.  In the fall of 2006, the AFL New Orleans VooDoo team suspended their operations due to Hurricane Katrina.  Prochnow saw a business opportunity as well as a chance to help the city of New Orleans. 

Prochnow made a presentation to AFL owners about starting play a full year earlier than anticipated.  The League agreed.  And the rest of the word, according to Prochnow, "happened overnight."  And so began the development of the Kansas City Brigade.

Prochnow began hiring immediately and was able to put together what he calls, "the best front office staff ever assembled.  They were the ones responsible for the remarkable success of the franchise."  Even with a world-class staff of people who rolled up their sleeves and worked around the clock, Prochnow found himself putting in 60-hour weeks, often times until 2:30 in the morning.  His days were flooded with up to 100 phone calls and countless meetings.  But he and his team were determined to see the Kansas City Brigade become an AFL success, even if that meant no sleep and an overdose of Coca-Cola.  In other words, living the life of all entrepreneurs launching a new business.

“Anything is possible if you don’t know that you can’t do it,” says Prochnow.  “Looking back, we probably should not have been able to pull of what we did in such a short period of time, but it never crossed anyone’s mind that we couldn’t do it, so we focused on our goals and made it happen.” 

And happen it did.  The first Kansas City Brigade game, held just 120 days after the League gave them approval, attracted over 16,500 fans, even when the capacity at Kemper Arena was only 16,200.  From then on, the Brigade averaged over 15,000 in attendance per game and exceeded 16,000 fans in attendance for more than half their games that season.  To say that Prochnow’s hard work paid off is an understatement. 

“Virtually everything I do in my current business endeavors came from lessons we learned when we launched the Brigade,” he states.  "We made a lot of mistakes, but we learned from every one of them, and that was crucial to the success of the venture."

From hiring talented managers to listening to the customers, Prochnow implemented his business knowledge gleaned from this nearly-impossible business venture into his current business endeavors.

See what amazing things can happen in under 120 days? 

See what amazing things can happen when you Think Big?  

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on Helium, BrooWaha, eZine and Newsvine.

Bored in Kansas City?

According to StartupDigest's Kansas City curator, Willis Jackson, events for entrepreneurs are decreasing because of the time of year.  Right now, events are in their "slow season".  The holidays are winding down, last minute plans for 2010 have already been announced, and people are starting 2011 fresh by planning events rather than running them.   

But at Think Big Partners, we don't believe in a "slow season!"

We say, bring on the action!  We have some upcoming events to keep entrepreneurs stimulated even in this dreary January weather.  So come on in, warm yourself up, fill your mind (and even your stomach!).  See what we have to offer you this coming week:

bizperc Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Our full-service business incubator and startup accelerator, bizperc, is now open!  We are excited to announce our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce this Thursday (January 20th) from 4:30 until 6:00 PM.  Join us for snacks, drinks, and of course, great conversation.
LOCATION: bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICE: Free
 
Launch & Learn
If you're looking to expand your entrepreneurial horizons, we have the event for you!  Think Big Partners is pleased to announce our first Launch & Learn educational event.  Join Herb Sih, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Think Big Partners, as he presents "Building Management Teams That Attract Investors."  Co-hosted by the Inventors Club of Kansas City, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and investors are invited to learn all about how to select the perfect business team.  This Launch & Learn will take place Tuesday (January 25th) from 11:30 to 1:00. Register today!
LOCATION: bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICE: $45 (lunch provided)

Introducing: The Accelerator Model
Entrepreneurs, are you dying to get funded?  Killing for entrepreneurial advice and suggestions?  Wanting to surround yourself with other visionaries?  Think Big Partners may have your solution. We have taken the fundamentals of the Y-Combinator model and have applied it to our own space.  Now, we are looking for 4-6 entrepreneurs who have what it takes to build a great business.  If you're think you're it, contact Think Big Partners today!
LOCATION: Give us a call or drop by bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICELESS

And that's not all!  Be sure to check out our Calendar of Events every week to see what else we have going on.

Entrepreneurs, we know that for you, there is no such thing as a "slow season."  And because of this, we won't have one either.  Afterall, there is no stopping when you're Thinking Big!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City's mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison's work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on BrooWaha, Helium, eZine and Newsvine. 

Who Will Be Named PIPELINE's Innovator of the Year?

A ukulele that grates vegetables.  Pants with a stool attached to them.  A place to store chewed gum.  Gloves that stop nicotine addiction.  A wind-powered coffee grinder.

These are just a few of the wacky (yet impressive) innovations that were created at the Dunedin Fringe Festival in 2010.  And it’s these types of innovations that leave us asking: where do people come up with this stuff!?

No, we’re not asking you to come up with the electronic Kleenex, or a device that washes your hands as you open the door (but wouldn’t that be nice?).  But if you’re a visionary, an innovator, or a creative thinker, you may be interested in PIPELINE’s “Innovator of the Year”.



PIPELINE's "Innovator of the Year" Competition takes place
on January 27th.



The PIPELINE Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program is hosting “Innovator of the Year” on January 27^th at the Overland Park Sheraton.  This competition caps off the final stage of the PIPELINE fellowship year—the nation’s premier technology entrepreneurship fellowship program, founded by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC).  At this event, PIPELINE Innovators are inviting you to take a moment to celebrate and encourage entrepreneurial success—and to recognize the people and organizations who are helping them get there. 

Last week, PIPELINE announced the judging team of the competition, which includes Dr. Kristina Johnson, Former Under Secretary of Energy; Peter Brown, Chairman and Founder of Grassmere Partners LLC; Bo Fishback, President of Kauffman Labs of Enterprise Creation, and Brian Gorbett, Microsoft Director of Startups Central Region.

The judges will have full participation in the day and evening events, and will share their insights with the crowd during a PIPELINE “Entrepreneurial and Innovation Trends” panel after the competition and before the evening event.

This competition to be the most anticipated event in PIPELINE’s 5-year history with more than 75% of tickets sold within the first week.

We’re excited to see what kind of innovations come out of PIPELINE’s “Innovator of the Year” competition!  No matter how wacky, inspirational, innovative, or revolutionary they may be, one thing is for sure—innovators and creative thinkers are uniting entrepreneurial communities by Thinking Big!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, please visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner or her articles on Helium, Newsvine, BrooWaha and eZine. 

5 ½ Characteristics of Martin Luther King, Jr. and How They Can Help You as an Entrepreneur

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is to be celebrated on Monday, January 17^th, 2011, I wanted to pay tribute to the great man who fought for equality even when all odds were against him.  Much like many of you entrepreneurs out there, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “had a dream.”  Nothing could stop him from achieving exactly what he wanted to achieve—even if it meant going to jail, being hated or going against people’s wishes.  MLK’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream” has touched the hearts of millions of Americans throughout the years and goes to show that with hard work, bravery, persistence, and many other qualities, anything can happen. 

What’s your dream?

There are many ways to achieve it.  But what’s more important is who is achieving it.  If you uphold important entrepreneurial qualities, many of which Martin Luther King, Jr. possessed, you will have a greater chance of success.  Below are five of MLK’s traits that made him the great man that he was—do they match up with yours? 

Patience: It wasn’t one speech that put an end to segregation in the United States.  It wasn’t one march, one demonstration, one sit-in.  It was multiple attempts on various accounts that finally got the message out there.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had to have patience throughout this time if he truly wanted to succeed.  He knew that things wouldn’t change overnight—and you need to know this, too.  Be patient with your startup—let it grow in increments each and every day.  You will achieve your dream, it just takes time to get there.   

Bravery: Obviously, it took mass amounts of courage to stand up to thousands, even millions, of people and proclaim his dream.  But Martin Luther King, Jr. made it known that what he wanted was equality and that he would fight till the end to see it through.  Have courage and faith in your startup business—let it be known that this is what you want to do and that you are passionate about seeing it succeed. 

Leadership: MLK was the one that took the leadership position during the fight for equality.  He was the one that stepped up to the plate when no one else would and found the answers to everybody’s questions.  As a successful entrepreneur, you have to take on the leadership position of founder or CEO of your company, and with that, you have to know how to manage people, make decisions, and plan for success. 

Persistence: Even from the confines of Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. did not stop fighting for what he believed in.  When the world was against him, he didn’t take breaks.  As an entrepreneur, you must be prepared to work persistently under various circumstances. 

Trustworthiness: Those who followed Martin Luther King, Jr. trusted him with every bone in their bodies.  They had full confidence that he would be the one to put a stop to discrimination and segregation.  Business owners and leaders much have a trustworthy quality so that they can develop their own “followers”—coworkers, partners, sponsors, employees, clients, family and friends. 

As an added bonus—Martin Luther King, Jr. knew how to captivate an audience.  Be sure that you can grab people’s attention the moment you walk into a room.  If you haven't already seen it, watch MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and you will know exactly what I’m talking about:

Allison Way is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on BrooWaha, eZine, Helium and Newsvine. 

PART 2: Think Big Partners Chooses The Angel Capital Group to Create a Nationwide Capital Network--Our Q&A Session with Founder, Rachael Qualls

As Part 2 of this blog, I had the opportunity to talk with Rachael Qualls, founder of the Angel Capital Group, and answer any questions about ACG’s collaboration with Think Big Partners.  The Angel Capital Group, with five locations nationwide, is an angel capital organization developed out of Nashville, Tennessee, that links together its network of angel investors in order to aid entrepreneurs in finding startup and seed capital.  In addition, the Angel Capital Group provides investors with a diversified capital investment process.  After talking with Rachael, I learned a lot more about ACG as well as its exciting partnership with Think Big Partners in their collaborative effort to “change the world.” 

TBP:  Rachel, when did you start the Angel Capital Group? 

QUALLS:  I founded the company in January of 2007, so the company is four years old.  We started out as a small network in the community north of Nashville, Tennessee. 

TBP:  Why did you establish the Angel Capital Group?

QUALLS:  When I was an investment manager, I found that the number one best way to diversify your public assets was with private equity.  The problem is that access to private equity is extremely difficult.  On the other side, my asset management practice just happened to be located inside of a bank branch, so I saw a lot of people coming in and trying to get loans from the bank.  I knew the banks weren’t lending to them because they either didn’t have collateral or they hadn’t been in business long enough—all the things that make lending so difficult.  So I saw this huge opportunity to connect investors with startup companies.

TBP:  What made you land on the idea of Angel Capital Group?

QUALLS:  What we learned in starting a small, local angel network was that we were really limiting ourselves.  We ended up [noticing] that the one thing that most people think is synonymous with angel investing, which is that it’s only a local activity, is really the one thing that is wrong with the current model.  So we wanted to take and turn it upside down on its head and say, “Wait a minute.  We don’t have to only invest in our backyard.  What if we, through in the Internet and a web based platform, do investments everywhere?” 

TBP:  How do these national efforts of Angel Capital Group work?

QUALLS:  We are expanding in conjunction with Think Big Partners to launch multiple chapter networks hopefully all across the United States.  Local chapters are going to have a minimum of ten angel investors as part of the network.  Those angels are going to review not only local companies up for investment, but companies that are up for investment all across the United States. 

TBP:  How does the Angel Capital Group benefit both the investors and the entrepreneurs?

QUALLS:  [Investors] get the ability to build a full portfolio of investments and support their local companies.  The local companies get access to a much larger group of angel investors.  With that comes a very large network of resources, contacts and help.  The local community wins.  The investor wins.  It’s a win-win. 

TBP:  Can you explain the partnership between the Angel Capital Group and Think Big Partners?

QUALLS:  ACG has learned that once you fund a company, that company needs help.  They need to be connected with other entrepreneurs; they need resources.  There are all these other needs that come out of that initial investment.  That’s why we’re so excited to work with Think Big Partners—because they provide all of the services that we don’t, which makes a great partnership.

TBP:  What are Think Big Partners and Angel Capital Group hoping to accomplish together?

QUALLS:  The goals are going to be to use Kansas City as a beta test for what it’s like to provide an incubating environment with a strong funding arm. From there we are going to try to replicate the model in as many communities as we can.  The good thing about both of our models and both of us working together is that we are not just focusing on hub cities like San Francisco, Boston or Austin; it’s really for any community looking to grow their entrepreneur base.

TBP:  How many cities would the two companies like to reach together?

QUALLS:  We are hoping internally for about fifteen ACG-TBP locations for next year alone. 

TBP:  So what’s next for Angel Capital Group? 

QUALLS:  We are starting a number of just-ACG locations.  We are currently located in Nashville, Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee and [are] looking into opening in areas in Louisiana and Kentucky.  In 10 years, we want to be the largest angel investing organization in the country.  We would love to have at least 50 locations.

TBP:  How do you Think Big? 

QUALLS:  We are here to change the world by bringing to market innovations that wouldn’t have otherwise made it due to lack of capital.  Internally, we are passionate to do what we do and to give innovation and technology that will save the planet by getting it to market.  It’s about bringing together all these wealthy people, and all these communities and all these entrepreneurs and connecting them and flowing money to the people who need it.

The Rachael Qualls interview was conducted and written by Allison Way, writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s newest entrepreneurial resource.  To read more of Allison’s work, visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner or her articles on Helium, BrooWaha, eZine and Newsvine.

PART 1: Think Big Partners Chooses the Angel Capital Group to Create a Nationwide Capital Network

Something big is happening in Kansas City.

As part of this week’s Think Big Partners Sneak Preview Event, Herb Sih, co-founder of TBP, made an important announcement that got all entrepreneurs talking.

Two companies have collaborated in order to provide capital-raising opportunities with the benefits of vital entrepreneurial resources in order to improve the startup community in Kansas City and throughout the nation.

These two companies are Think Big Partners and the Angel Capital Group (ACG).

The Angel Capital Group, with five locations nationwide (and growing!), is an angel network of investors that links together its networks so that entrepreneurial resources, such as startup and seed capital, can be efficiently utilized to best aid entrepreneurs.  In addition, ACG provides education and support to various communities in order to aid in establishing more angel investor networks. 

Think Big Partners and the Angel Capital Group, originally located in Nashville, Tennessee, are partnering to create a nationwide capital network and are looking forward to expanding both of their valuable resources to entrepreneurs on a nationwide basis.  Combined with Think Big Partners' national conference for entrepreneurs, investors and startups, Think Big Partners and ACG can effectively help entrepreneurs locate capital easily, assist investors in finding more businesses worth funding, and help more ideas locate the right home anywhere in the country.

Together, the two companies are combining the importance of entrepreneurial funding with the vital services, resources, and help that entrepreneurs often need when starting up a new business.  This is the first collaboration of its kind, all in the name of serving entrepreneurs, building stronger communities and changing the world.

So what can you expect from Think Big Partners and the Angel Capital Group in the years to come?  The two companies plan to provide incubating environments with strong funding arms in as many communities as possible—and not just in hubs such as San Francisco, Austin and Boston—but in any city that wants to grow its entrepreneurial base.

Do you have more questions about the Angel Capital Group’s collaboration with Think Big Partners?  Stay tuned for Part 2!  In a few hours, check back with us and read up on the special interview I conducted with Angel Capital Group founder, Rachael Qualls!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based business incubator and startup accelerator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on Helium, BrooWaha, eZine and Newsvine.