Life Equals Launches in Downtown Kansas City

Life Equals nailed it on the head when they said that “a better you creates a better world.”  The better you are, the better the people around you are, the better the world is.  That’s Life Equals’ philosophy—and the philosophy of many other entrepreneurs out there.

The team of Life Equals came together to create a healthy product that provided focus and energy without sugar and calories.  From inside a small Kansas City coffee shop, Life Equals' first product, LIFE = Focus + Energy was born.

Suddenly, Life Equals was helping more than just its customers.  Soon after, the Life Equals team launched the LIFE=LIFE Project.  For every purchase someone makes, Life Equals provides an equal amount of children’s multivitamins to an undernourished child through a partnership with Vitamin Angels.  Just one of the ways that Life Equals is creating a better you and a better world.

This is how startups happen: meeting in a coffee shop, collaborating with like-minded individuals, defining a problem, and solving it effectively.  Life Equals is a true testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and drive to change the world.

This is a big week for Life Equals.  The company’s official launch party is tomorrow from 5:30-8:30PM at The Cashew – one of our friendly neighbors in the Kansas City Crossroads district.  At the launch party, you will have the opportunity to hear Life Equals’ story, ask questions, and try samples of Life = Focus + Energy.  The team is even setting up a Life Equals Photobooth!

If you’d like to see how a company can change the world, don’t miss Life Equals’ launch party tomorrow night!  A special thanks to Life Equals for joining the startup world and striving to make the world a better place.  Now we can truly say that LIFE=THINKING BIG.

Written by Allison Way.

@AllisonThinkBig

25 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before 25

If you were to go back and do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Would you have planned better?

Would you have spent your money more wisely?

Would you have drunk more coffee?

Most entrepreneurs wish that they would have known more before they started their businesses.  A few minor tweaks before launching a business can define a business’s success or determine its failure. 

New entrepreneurs, pay attention.  Check out the 25 things entrepreneurs wish they would have known at age 25, before starting their businesses.   

1.  I wish I would have…saved more money

2.  I wish I would have…researched more about entrepreneurship

3.  I wish I would have…realized how important a partner or co-founder is

4.      I wish I would have…thickened my skin, fast

5.      I wish I would have…known that whacky is good

6.      I wish I would have…known to focus on changing the game, not competing

7.      I wish I would have…been more patient with my business

8.      I wish I would have…not second guessed myself

9.      I wish I would have…known that friends don’t always make the best partners and employees

10.   I wish I would have…explored more capital-raising options

11.   I wish I would have…known that test runs are critical

12.   I wish I would have…marketed my business by assuring clients “I can help you with your problem”

13.   I wish I would have…gone to a mentor when I was frustrated or needed advice

14.   I wish I would have…been warned that some people will let you down

15.   I wish I would have…learned the importance of a work-life balance

16.   I wish I would have…known the real secret to entrepreneurship: coffee

17.   I wish I would have…kept up to date with technology and software

18.   I wish I would have…built a stronger brand from the start

19.   I wish I would have…read more

20.   I wish I would have…known that being shy is a waste of time

21.   I wish I would have…focused more on what the people want, not what I want

22.   I wish I would have…known that life isn’t fair

23.   I wish I would have…networked my butt off

24.   I wish I would have…continued to take classes and attend seminars

25.   I wish I would have…known what I was getting myself into

What do you wish you would have known when you were 25? Comment below and let the world know!

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. 

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. 

How One Small Gesture Can Save the World: Crossroads Cares 2010

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” 

He couldn’t be more right.

And although the Kansas City Crossroads District is a centralized location in which art- and business-minded individuals and companies have flourished and found great success, many Crossroads businesses know that there is more to life than making a pretty penny.  That is why many of these Crossroads businesses have decided to make a difference in Kansas City this holiday season by participating in a new philanthropic event, Crossroads Cares.   

Crossroads Cares is the collaboration of many Crossroads District businesses in the effort to feed hungry Kansas City families this holiday season.  From volunteering their time, to donating money, to providing families with food—  each of the following businesses are giving back to Kansas City, are participating in effective community service, and are enhancing the collaborative environment that is the Crossroads District:

·        Avid Communications

·        H2B Architects

·        Think Big Partners

·        bizperc

·        Cellar Rat

·        Dog Nuvo

·        Black Bamboo

·        Mildred’s Coffeehouse

·        Arts Incubator

·        Joe Calhoon and “The 1 Hour Plan for Growth”

As a participator and driving force behind Crossroads Cares, bizperc—Kansas City’s new business incubator and accelerator—is donating 50 meals from Harvester’s Community Food Network to hungry Kansas City families for every person that comes in to tour its new business event space, bizperc⁶, by December 10th.  Think Big Partners hopes to provide enough Thanksgiving meals for underprivileged families to make a difference in Kansas City this holiday season. 

To get involved with Crossroads Cares this holiday season, please contact Herb Sih, co-founder of Think Big Partners at 816.842.5244 or at herb@thinkbigpartners.com or contact Harvester’s Community Food Network at 816.929.3000.

Entrepreneurs, I know that you live a busy lifestyle and even during the holiday season, it’s hard to find time to volunteer.  But when work seems to be taking up a majority of your time, be sure to sit back every once and awhile and realize: Although you are making a living by what you do, you can make a life by what you give.

“It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokaw

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's work, please visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner.  

10 Ways Entrepreneurs and Startups Can Improve Work-Life Balance

A healthy work-life balance is important for every entrepreneur.  There is no point in running a successful new business if you do not have friends and family to share the triumphs with.  Time must be planned to participate in your favorite hobbies or else you can burn out quickly and lose your entrepreneurial drive and determination.  The life-work balance is so important, in fact, that Constangy Brooks & Smith LLP, a law firm located in downtown Kansas City as well as in 21 other offices in the United States, has developed an Excellence in Work-Life Balance Award, which honors employees for their healthy and happy work environments and promotes the work-life balance notion in other workplaces.

Entrepreneurs are non-stop, do-whatever-it-takes go-getters.  And a lot of the time, the 70 hours of work put in a week outweighs the other hours devoted to sleep, family, friends, hobbies, relaxation, and exercise.  So what’s the best way to achieve a work-life balance?  I have developed 10 ways to help you balance out everything—from the multi-million dollar negotiation conferences to those important parent-teacher conferences:

1.       

        1.  Write down what’s important to you

        The first step to achieving a work-life balance is to know exactly what your priorities are.  Personal coach Laura Berman Fortang, author of Now What?  90 Days to a New Life Direction, says that you must face your priorities head-on, and write down what they truly are, not what you think they should be.  Ask 

    yourself the following questions:  If my life could focus on one thing, what would it be?  If I could add a second thing, what would it be?  A third?  A fourth?  And so on.  Many lists look like this: Children, spouse, satisfying career, community service, religion, health, sports, art, hobbies, adventure and travel.

     

       2.  Stop stressing out!

        When you find yourself getting overly stressed at work, you are likely going to carry that stress into your life outside of work.  According to Moira Mulhern, a

,       Kansas City-based psychologist and founder of Turning Point, entrepreneurs must use their emotional brain waves and do light brain activity including listening to music, repetition, meditation and visualization in order to calm themselves down and stay away from stress.  This emotional part of the brain impacts stress management.  Even five minutes a day of relaxation during your lunch break can improve your stress management skills.

         3.  Take breaks during the workday to do something for yourself

Entrepreneurs tend to go full-force during the workday (and sometimes into the dark hours of the night) and often do not take the necessary breaks that they need to recharge.  When an entrepreneur allows himself a break every now and then, his brain can recuperate and will improve his creativity and productivity.  As Mulhern says, “it’s not about surviving, it’s about being resilient.” 

4.      

        4.  Socialize when you can

Socializing is important to conduct during the business day and in the home.  When the opportunity arises, take employees out to lunch and don’t talk about business, meet up for drinks after work with friends, or grab coffee with a strategic partner just to catch up.  This is a type of “break” away from work that can help entrepreneurs improve their social lives. 

5.      

        5.  Carve out “me time”

It is important for entrepreneurs to schedule “me time” everyday—even if it’s for five to ten minutes.  This “me time” can be spent doing something you enjoy, from fishing to meditating to Pilates to cooking.  Stick to your “me time” and try to not think about work.  Do not check e-mails, call employees, or look at your company’s website during “me time.” 

6. Get physically healthy

Exercise is another stress management tool that increases an entrepreneur’s physical and mental health.  If exercise is important to you, give yourself an exercise regimen, even if it’s as simple as a walk around the block three times a week.  Exercise not only clears your mind and improves your health, but it also allows “me time” for the typical entrepreneur. 

6.      

        7.  Let things go (don’t sweat the small stuff)

It is important for entrepreneurs to recognize the things that do not have a huge impact on their lives and allow themselves to help them go.  Do not beat yourself up if you can’t complete everything—if the tasks are large, break them down and don’t sweat it if everything does not get checked off your list.  This allows for more time for the things that you want to do, and less time doing busy work. 

8.  Avoid procrastination

Another great stress management tool is to avoid procrastination at all costs.  For many entrepreneurs, stress usually comes from being disorganized.  With an organized schedule, workspace, and business, entrepreneurs will have more time for other non-business related tasks in order to maintain a better work-life balance. 

9.  Plan ahead

Schedule family time, vacations, outings with friends, and get-togethers way ahead of time.  This not only allows you to have something to look forward to during the work day, but when entrepreneurs actually schedule their free time, they will stay away from work and de-stress.

9.     

        10.  Celebrate    

If your new business hit it big, celebrate the success!  Take the time to congratulate your team of employees and make sure they know that their efforts provided a well-deserved outcome.  Celebrating successes allows for feelings of accomplishment and self-worth. 

I hope that these 10 work-life balance tips help you entrepreneurs out there maintain your life priorities effectively and in the long run, improve your daily life and new business.  To learn more about how you can improve your work-life balance, check out the Harvard Business Review on Work and Life Balance. 

Written by Allison Way.  Allison Way is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's articles, visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner.

How to Turn Your Passion into Business

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

There’s no doubt about it; turning your passion into business can be a scary step in the startup process. But at the same time, there truly is no time like the present to start up a brand new, more meaningful life. I challenge you to take a look in the mirror and analyze what you see. Do you see someone who is chasing their life dreams? Is it someone who is passionate about what they do? It is someone who is happy and fulfilled? If you have answered “no” to any of these questions, it may be time to reevaluate your life goals and to start following your true passions.

The first step to a successful startup business is having extreme passion. When you start up a small business built on an undying passion, you will not only gain immense satisfaction from spending time doing what you love, but your overall improved attitude will positively affect everybody surrounding you—from friends to employees to customers to family.

I want to encourage all potential entrepreneurs out there to strive for your passions. If you see an opening , go after it. That’s exactly what Nick Morrow did.

Nick Morrow is a Kansas City firefighter who today, also owns a new pizzeria in Overland Park called Nick’s Pizzeria and Ice Cream. As a firefighter, Morrow has a “24 hours on, 48 hours off” schedule, allowing for two days of rest. These two days seemed extremely long and boring for Morrow. So, backing himself up with his true passion of owning a pizza parlor, Morrow decided to go into small business on his days off.

“I have an ambitious personality, and I thought I could make this work,” he said. This ambition and passion has led him to fulfill one of his dreams. He has finally re-created the family atmosphere of the pizza parlor he grew up with.

Nick’s Pizzeria and Ice Cream took over the former 6,087 square-foot W.J. McBride’s Irish Pub at 12030 Blue Valley Parkway in Overland Park, Kansas. As a matter of fact, Morrow’s firefighter friends with their own small business painting company recently put the finishing touches on the brand new pizza parlor, which is completed with a backdoor arcade and private party room.

Nick Morrow took a childhood dream and passion and ran with it. His firefighting schedule allowed him a true small business opening and an opportunity to chase his passions. Do you have the courage to do what Nick Morrow did? Wonderful things can happen if you truly chase your dreams, fulfill your deepest passions, and remember to always Think Big!

Nick's Pizzeria and Ice Cream is a new restaurant in Overland Park that serves
pizza, pasta, sandwiches, appetizers, a salad bar, a lunch buffet, and of course, ice cream.

Change Your Mind Change Your Life

If half of life is just showing up, what is the other half?

I think part of the other half must be attitude. Attitude determines so much in life...the ability to overcome obstacles, bounce back from adversity and be resilient enough to grow from these experiences.

Attitude can determine what doors get silently opened on a daily basis by others, for reasons seemingly unknown. Attitude has the power to transform a person who may simply be "ordinary", and empower them to become extraordinary. They choose many of their outcomes in life because of their attitude.

Your attiitude chooses your altitude, so make sure your attitude and your mind is in the right place if you want to reach high. And be prepared for doors to start opening!