Top 10 Things I Learned at Think Big Kansas City

To say that Think Big Kansas City was a jam-packed day is a bit of an understatement.  Choosing only 10 things that I learned from the all-day conference is actually quite a challenge!  But here are some of the key take-aways that I gained from attending the 2nd annual Think Big Kansas City:

1.  When pitching to investors, pitch the company, not the idea.  - Rachael Qualls, Pitch Big VC Judge

2.  Always prepare yourself for the unexpected (like chocolate with Pop Rocks in it!) - Tamara Christensen, TBKC Speaker

3.  Not all companies follow through with their core values and we need to be aware of this.  -  Marty Stanely, TBKC Speaker

4.  Mobile apps are not going to go away...and neither are the complications of developing them for both iOS and Android.  -  Royce Haynes, TBKC Panelist

5.  "Technology companies are born global."  - Michael Gale, TBKC Panelist & Speaker

6.  That a successful business leader guides his employees to make decisions and supports them whether they're right or wrong.  "When decisions are not being made, that's when I'll fire you."   - Bill Rancic, Keynote Speaker referring to Donald Trump

7.  During a pitch, make sure to leave room to talk about your competitors and why you're better than them.  -  Chris Geisert, Pitch Big VC Judge

8.  If you don't make a mistake every once and awhile, then you're not pushing the limits.  - Herb Sih, TBKC Speaker & Founder

9.  Everybody can Think Big...but we all do it in different ways. 

10.  When you bring hundreds of entrepreneurs together under one roof, anything is possible, but especially Big Thinking! 

Written by Allison Way.
@AllisonThinkBig

PART 2: TBP's Q&A with Original Winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic

A few hours ago, we posted PART 1 of our Q&A session with the one and only Bill Rancic.  Feel like you couldn't get enough?  Here's more from Bill himself. 

TBP: What are the 3 biggest lessons that you learned from Donald Trump?

Bill: There’s so many!  And I don’t want to give away my whole speech...so I’ll leave you with one.  You can never quit.  Donald’s a guy who has had good times and bad times.  He’s never quit and he’s never made excuses.  A lot of people like to blame everyone else except themselves.  They’re never going to reach the level of success they could until they start pointing the finger at themselves.

TBP: What was the greatest experience that you had on The Apprentice?  What did you learn from this experience? 
Bill: I think the greatest experience I had was winning!  That’s why everyone was there.  I was able to win and do it the right way—I didn’t have to backstab, I didn’t have to talk bad about people or cut corners along the way.  I did it in a way where I was happy with the person I saw in the mirror.

Bill with wife and E! News host, Guiliana Rancic.



TBP: Tell us something that people don’t know about you as an entrepreneur. 

Bill: Entrepreneurship has been in my blood since birth.  A lot of people don’t know that when I was young I owned a boat wash and wax business.  It’s never too early or late to start.



TBP: What do you think of Think Big Partners and the Think Big Kansas City conference?  Are we on the right track?

Bill: You’re doing it!  [Think Big Kansas City] promotes the importance of small business ownership.  You’re planting the seed with people and hopefully people will realize that small business is the backbone of America.  It’s what gave our country the recognition that we have today—it’s made us the best country in the world.  A lot of people don’t realize that small business owners employ more people than any other sector in the United States.  At the end of the day, they’re responsible for this economy turning around.

Bill was featured on The Celebrity Apprentice finale with his mentor, Donald Trump.

TBP: What are you looking forward to at Think Big Kansas City?

Bill: This is what I love to do.  I love small business.  I love talking to entrepreneurs, hearing their ideas, seeing where they’re going with their businesses.  Hopefully I inspire them, but they certainly inspire me as well.

TBP: How do you Think Big?
Bill: I Think Big by dreaming Big.  Before you accomplish something, you have to plan it out in your mind.  You must set Big goals and create a mental roadmap before you go for something. 

Get MORE inspired by Bill Rancic.  Watch him speak live at Think Big Kansas City on May 24th at the Kansas City Convention Center.  Tickets on sale now. 

Interview conducted by Allison Way.

@AllisonThinkBig

PART 1: TBP's Q&A with Original Winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic

Because Bill Rancic is coming to Kansas City on May 24^th to speak at the Think Big Kansas City conference, we decided to sit down with The Apprentice winner himself to learn more about his views on entrepreneurship, the lessons that he learned from Donald Trump, and what he’s looking forward to most at Think Big Kansas City 2011.  Check out our one-on-one Q&A session with Bill Rancic below! 

TBP: What are the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face today?
Bill:  Lack of access to capital.  It’s hard to get money, it’s hard to get loans.  Obviously, when entrepreneurs are first starting out, they don’t have the track record.  That’s a big challenge.  And even before that, it’s [the entrepreneurs] themselves.  In many cases, entrepreneurs let themselves get in their own way and they let the fear stop them.  One of the things I’m going to talk about [at TBKC] is how most people are afraid to fail, they’re afraid they’re going to make a mistake, or they’re afraid of what they’re friends and family are going to say.  That’s something that holds a lot of people back.  A final challenge is lack of agility—being able to adapt and react to the changing times is critical.  A lot of people get in their comfort zone and they don’t like to leave.  I think that’s hard—it’s hard to embrace change, it’s hard to go into areas that you’re not familiar with.  But you have to do it if you want to stretch and grow.

TBP: Were these the same challenges that you faced as an entrepreneur?
Bill:  Money was a big problem.  I started out when I was 23 years old—so it was certainly very difficult because we didn’t have any money.  But the fear of failure didn’t stop me.  Growing up, my parents said it’s okay to make mistakes and have set backs, but it’s never okay to not try things.

TBP: What are the key ingredients of success for an entrepreneur?
Bill: Understanding the ability to execute.  I think entrepreneurs are doers, not the people who talk.  Most people in the world talk one hell of a game, but entrepreneurs are the ones who let their actions speak for them.  They have that never-quit attitude [and] they don’t make excuses.  And finally, [entrepreneurs] have to be able to make decisions in a timely manner.

Bill presenting "How to Succeed in Business and Life".

TBP: What do you think are the best opportunities for an entrepreneur today?
Bill:  I think the best opportunity for an entrepreneur is to do what they’re passionate about.  If it’s someone who hates alternative energy, they’re not going to want to wake up at 5 in the morning and work until 10 at night.  You have to find something you’re passionate about and then determine whether or not it’s going to be a viable opportunity for you.  I think the most important ingredient you can bring to the table is your passion and your energy—that’s what it’s about.  If you don’t have that, odds are, you’re going to fail.

TBP: What is one of the biggest mistakes that you see entrepreneurs make?
Bill: I read a statistic that last year there were 500,000 businesses started each month.  300,000 of those failed and it’s because people went into it for the wrong reasons.  They want to become a business owner and they think they’re going to have all of this free time and extra money.  Eventually, you will. But in the beginning, that’s not how it works.  A lot of people want to own a business because it sounds good and they want to call themselves a business owner.  There’s a lot of guys out there that like to “play business”.  They’re in it just for the status and to talk about it.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!  We have much more from Bill Rancic for you including the top three lessons he learned from Donald Trump, his views of Think Big Kansas City, and how he Thinks Big.  Look out for PART 2: TBP's Q&A with Original Winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic...coming in a few hours.


Interview conducted by Allison Way.
@AllisonThinkBig

The Donald Teaches New Apprentices the Importance of the Modern Office

Written by Allison Way, writer and videographer for Think Big Partners. 

“The toughest job interview in the world”, also known as The Apprentice, kicked off Season 10 on NBC last Friday. Donald Trump, once again, recruited this season’s contestants, most unemployed, from a 24-year old Stanford grad to a 46-year old ex-Air Force man and laid-off financial advisor. Although the Donald’s demeanor, attitude, and hair style may be the same as past seasons, The Apprentice Season 10 truly is a revamped reality show. And entrepreneurs, you should be quite interested.

Episode 1 showed the first project in which teams (one team of men and one team of women) had to design and build an ultra-modern office space out of empty New York City lofts. In the end, after a rainbow creation and a “green space” creation, both office spaces were hated by The Donald himself.

Trump’s first project posed a challenge. But ultimately, he was proving that smart business people and entrepreneurs should know what an effective and modern office space looks like. More importantly, a good businessperson should also know how it feels to work in an inspiring space. A modern office must have clean lines, an edgy ambiance, and should be inspiring for any type of entrepreneur or small business owner. bizperc, Think Big Partner’s new business incubator, has taken in every aspect of a productive, modern, and inspirational workplace and has unloaded it into one Midwestern, downtown building. Maybe The Apprentice contenders should have taken a look at bizperc before buying the furniture and choosing the paint.

An ultra-modern loft-turned-office is not an easy task for anyone. All elements must be put into place: from lighting to paint colors, from furniture to aromatherapy. The Apprentice contestants must use their imaginations and Think Big in order to wow The Donald. We look forward to following the contenders in their pursuit of big-time-business.