Think Big Partners Announces Sarah Snyder as Newest Partner

It’s a core belief at Think Big that entrepreneur is not so much a title, but a spirit. It’s a pulse that courses through the veins of a growing company. We know that behind every great company are people who embody this spirit, people who embrace change, face the unknown and are willing to try new things. We’re lucky enough to have a team of these people, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve named one fearless entrepreneur on our team, Sarah Snyder, as partner.

Prior to 2010, Sarah, an event planner at the time, had aspirations of planning the Oscars and working on Disney parades. But it wasn’t until an entrepreneurship conference put on by Think Big that she found her direction. Her passion is events that change people; events that teach them and empower them.

“I decided right there that I wanted to make a difference with the events I planned. I began as a volunteer for Think Big, and found myself working full-time not long after,” said Sarah.

During her early days at Think Big, Sarah’s major accomplishment was starting the Think Big Coworking community. What started as just “space to fill” has blossomed into an active, engaged and close-nit coworking environment. In her new role as Partner, Sarah will continue the momentum she helped start and has big plans for developing the community further.

When asked about what “partner” means to her, she said that partners take care of each other.

“Partners help round out the thought process, fit together and create a whole perspective,” she said. In her day-to-day partner role, Sarah will continue to grow parts of the Think Big business regionally and nationally. While her major focus is on strategic partnerships, she will continue to manage the Think Big Coworking space.

Because she’s been a part of Think Big since the beginning, she’s seen a lot of changes and forward progress.

“A lot of things we’ve been dreaming about are finally starting to become a reality. The potential for growth and success feels very close. My passion for Think Big comes from creating jobs in KC, and as cheesy as it sounds, I think we can change the world – one job at a time.”

2014 is going to be a big year for Think Big. Stay tuned for some big announcements from Sarah and the rest of the Think Big team this Spring/Summer.

Contact Sarah if you are interested in partnering with Think Big at sarah.snyder@thinkbigpartners.com.

Deadline Approaching: Think Big Accelerator Application Window Closes December 6th

The application window for the next class of Think Big Accelerator companies will close on December 6th 2013. As our search for entrepreneurs with passion for taking big ideas and turning them into profitable and scalable companies continues, I sat down with Accelerator Director Blake Miller who addresses some of the most commonly asked questions of potential applicants.

• Should entrepreneurs wait until closer to the deadline to the December 6th deadline to submit their ideas in hopes of improving their chances?

“I definitely encourage entrepreneurs first and foremost to apply when they believe they are ready to build and or grow their business. With that said, we've been evaluating applications and arranging first interviews with founding teams as applications have come in."

• What do you tell entrepreneurs who are apprehensive of signing up based on the stage of development they're at?

“We encourage entrepreneurs to have a product they have launched or can launch within the next 180 days. We provide the most value when bringing products to market or developing a strategy to do so. We have had great success in helping refine a company’s product-market fit beyond a first prototype, getting a first marquee or name brand customer, helping new apps achieve their first 50,000 downloads or propelling a company towards their first 100k in revenue.”

• What is Think Big's view on submitting multiple ideas?

“We believe at this stage in a business life cycle the founders should be most passionate about building one business. Although we recognize that there are outliers, we've found that the best businesses are built with focus and passion. Founders should also have a very firm grasp on the problem that they are solving, and the solution they are creating. Having domain expertise is invaluable and often the difference between a good idea that has no market, and a great idea that has 10 customers ready to buy the day you launch.”

• Should entrepreneurs only submit ideas that they think "fit" Think Big Partners? 

“There are definitely businesses that we provide more value in than others. If you have a question as to whether we may be a fit, please email or tweet us! We especially like AgTech, Financial Technology, Consumer Technology, Process Technology and Health Care Technology. We also have a strong background in building apps and mobile platforms.”

If you have a big idea that is ready to launch and grow, we want to meet you. The application window for the next Think Big Accelerator closes on December 6th, 2013. Interested entrepreneurs are encouraged to learn more about the Think Big Accelerator model by contacting us via email or visiting thinkbigpartners.com/accelerator.

Are you ready to take the next step in growing your startup? If so apply for the Think Big Accelerator before it’s too late.

In Case You Missed It! iKC: The Unconference Closing Party Recap

 

After the innovative unconference that is iKC, attendees headed over to the Alamo Drafthouse for the best part: the Closing Party by Google Fiber!

As everyone took their first sips of liquid courage and snacked on delicious appetizers, the Closing Party kicked off with the Open Mic Awards. Attendees awarded each other things like who travelled the farthest for iKC to who tweeted the most about the unconference. Winners walked away with great prizes like Chiefs tickets, bowling games, Boulevard Brewing Company swag and a Garmin watch.

After the prizes were handed out, collisions didn’t stop even though iKC was technically over. Closing Party attendees kept having meaningful conversations and interacting, just like they had been at the unconference. Party-goers snacked, sipped and continued to enjoy each other’s company, forging even more connections to create a better Kansas City.

Andrew Stanley, entrepreneur and founder of VolunteerMark, attended both iKC and the Closing Party – and he was not disappointed.

“The Closing Party was an awesome event,” Stanley said. “I had a really good time and met some really great people. I look forward to attending again next year.”

But the Closing Party wasn’t over yet! An unconference party isn’t made up of just delicious snacks, drinks and mingling. After party-goers had taken their fill, the Closing Party ended with a bang as we revealed the world premiere of the Tech Trek, a documentary made with and about Google Glass.

Thanks to support from Hallmark and Sprint, the Tech Trek took Closing Party attendees on a 30 minute journey from Kansas City to Silicon Valley and back to KC. The documentary took note of the good and bad of Google Glass, including commentary on the many reactions people had to the new technology. The Tech Trek made all of us think more about what the Glass technology means for not just the tech industry, but the implications for tech in Kansas City.

In a day filled with collisions and innovation on behalf of the great city we call home, we couldn’t think of a more perfect ending to the Closing Party for iKC2013: the Unconference.

iKC 2013: The Unconference Fosters Collisions

The decision to make iKC 2013 into an Unconference was done with one central goal in mind; to increase Kansas City's collision density. Over 250 attendees filed into H&R Block’s World Headquarters to tackle the issue head on by creating unlikely collisions in a conventional setting. 

What took place throughout the day can only be described as special & unique. After a brief welcome from Jason Houseworth, President of Global Digital and Product Management at H&R Block, the iKC 2013 Ambassadors, and Ed Wilson, Partner at Husch Blackwell, our own Herb Sih took to the stage along with event staff, Sarah Snyder and Christine Murray, to lead the live agenda creation. 

The Unconference format allowed attendees to put their day into their own hands simply by voicing their opinion on ideas for topic submissions. 

From there, attendees swarmed into the common area to vote on ideas and create the final agenda. 

The final product was an amalgamation of ideas and questions posed by iKC 2013 attendees. A conference agenda truly unlike anything else; created for the people, by the people. 

Attendees engaged in sessions that mattered most to them; resulting in mutually beneficial collisions and conversations for both individuals and the collective group. 

Thanks to #ikc2013 organizers, learned a ton and shared some knowledge too. Kudos! @iKC2013 @thinkbigKC @RyanWeberKC
— Corey Mohn (@coreymohn) October 3, 2013

The design of the Unconference format proved to be just as beneficial to fostering collisions as the sessions were. In fact, many conversations often extended past the end of a session and continued into the hallways. 

By the delayed end of session 4 it was clear that the goal of iKC 2013 was reached. Not only a high quantity of collisions took place, but collisions were extremely high quality as well. In proper Unconference fashion, the collisions continued on over to the closing party at the Alamo Drafthouse.

The Unconference was quite possibly the most valuable conference I've ever attended. Thanks @iKC2013! #ikc2013
— Mike Bosch (@mikesbosch) October 3, 2013

We are very proud of the success of iKC 2013 and want to thank our partners with The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce for the hard work and dedication they put into the unconference. We can't forget our gracious sponsors, and most importantly our team of volunteers, ambassadors, and UnMentors who made iKC 2013: The Unconference the valuable experience that it was.

Next Think Big Accelerator Registration Window Opens Sept. 16

With the first Think Big Demo Day in the books, it’s now time to start looking for the next class of entrepreneurs ready build exceptional companies in the Think Big Accelerator. We’re looking for entrepreneurs who have the gusto to take a big idea and turn it into profitable company.   

If you think you have what it takes, we want to meet you. The application window for the next Think Big Accelerator opened on September 16, 2013. Interested parties can learn more about the Think Big Accelerator model by contacting us via email or visiting thinkbigpartners.com/accelerator. We’re excited to see what big ideas come out of our next class and what companies join the ranks of past successes.

Do you have what it takes? Apply for the Think Big Accelerator today!

Think Big Asks “Why Entrepreneurship?”

We sat down with three young entrepreneurs--Blake Miller, Hunter Browning and Jeff Rohr--to find out why they chose entrepreneurship. 

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone.  But according to a recent Mashable article, almost half of Americans wish it was.

Despite recent economic troubles, 48% of Americans dream of opening a business of their very own. At the same time, 71% of small business owners say they would open their business all over again if they had the chance. So what is it about entrepreneurship that awakens the dreamer in us?

To answer this question, Think Big reached out to some of our favorite local entrepreneurs and coworking members to see why they took the plunge and started their own business.  Here’s what we found out. 

The Realization of Wanting to Become an Entrepreneur 

                

Hunter Browning, President and CEO of Fannect, never thought he would become an entrepreneur, but he “was never great at playing by other people’s rules”.

Fannect, a new app that determines which sports teams have the best fans, stems from Browning’s love of soccer. After he decided to stop playing, he wanted to stay connected to sports another way.

“I guess I was experiencing withdrawal from the competition. I had the idea and the next week I found a partner. We pulled the trigger pretty fast,” Browning said.

Think Big’s own Blake Miller, however, always saw himself as an entrepreneur.

“I grew up in an entrepreneurial household. I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur when I started my own business at 6 years old,” Miller said. “Corporate life was never in the cards for me.”

Miller is now a partner at Think Big Partners and also acts as co-founder for PitchCastr, BodeeFit and WeeJay.fm among other things (it’s safe to say that Blake is a serial entrepreneur). 

Much like Miller, CEO and founder of SquareOffs, Jeff Rohr, was also destined to become an entrepreneur.

“My parents instilled in my brother and I at a very young age that we were meant for big things and gave us the courage to go after our dreams,” Rohr said. “You only live once as well, so you might as well do something big. I was never meant to follow the well-trodden path.”

How Entrepreneurs Think Big

At first, Browning and his team were working on their entrepreneurial venture on their own – but then they started to Think Big.

“I was leery about moving to a coworking space,” Browning said. “I thought it would be very distracting, but everyone at Think Big is very focused. It’s been great for finding connections and gaining insight. Moving to Think Big has jumpstarted us again.”

Rohr also finds himself appreciative of not only the many connections he has forged at Think Big, but of the many other resources he has been able to utilize for his business.

“The connections that I've made there have been priceless,” Rohr said. “Beyond that, [Think Big] has given me great advice, helped us attract talent, challenged me where I needed improvement, and lastly made me smile.  They are great people making a difference in people's lives every day and having fun while doing it.  Oh, and coffee. They give me a lot of coffee.”

As a partner with Think Big, Miller loves “being able to help other entrepreneurs build companies.”

“It’s a no-brainer to me. We can build our own companies and ideas and help other people achieve that,” Miller said.

Can’t Get Enough Entrepreneurship

While the state of the economy may deter others from pursuing entrepreneurship, that was never a problem for Miller.

“I’ve always known that entrepreneurs help move the economy along,” Miller said. “Small businesses employ more people. I know I can create a difference by creating new jobs.”

According to a recent study, 59% of business owners said running a business is harder today than in previous years. Despite this, Kansas City’s entrepreneurs are reveling in the day-to-day challenges of running a startup.

“[Entrepreneurial ventures] are all tougher than you think they’re going to be,” Miller said. “But being that hard, that challenging, keeps me going. If it were easy, I probably wouldn’t do it.”

“It can be death by a thousand cuts if you let it,” Rohr said. “There are so many different hats to wear when starting the business before you can get in any sort of groove. For me, it's been all about maintaining the right balance focus and feedback.”

Despite challenges, Browning enjoys the freedom that entrepreneurship gives him. He lives by his own rules at his own pace.

“It has been a really interesting and really unique experience,” Browning said. “We’re having a blast every day. Even when it’s hard, it’s our choices we are making.”

If I Could Do It All Over Again...

When asked if he would start this whole entrepreneurial ride over again, Browning was quick to say, “In a heartbeat.”

Miller is also just as passionate about entrepreneurship as the day he opened his first lemonade stand.

“I like the freedom and always having to be creative. I will likely be involved in hundreds of ventures,” Miller said.

Ready to pursue your dreams of entrepreneurship? Contact Think Big Partners.  We know exactly how to get you started.  

Join Us for a Google Glass Meetup at Entrepreneur Corner

On August 2, during First Fridays in Kansas City, Think Big is proud to host an Entrepreneur Corner event unlike any other.  This time...it’s going to be glassy. 

The parking lot of our coworking space at 18^th & Baltimore will be the location of Entrepreneur Corner.  The space will be filled with entrepreneurs networking and celebrating Kansas City’s entrepreneurial spirit during First Fridays. The theme of this Entrepreneur Corner is Google Glass, Google’s breakthrough wearable technology.

Members from Google Glass Kansas City will be in attendance demoing their Google Glasses and showing how they have used it in their everyday lives since acquiring the revolutionary technology. Of the Glass holders will be Think Big Partners’ very own Chris Shaw, who will be fresh off of filming his Google Glass-inspired documentary, The Tech Trek. 

Join us for First Fridays in the Crossroads on August 2 from 5:30-8:30pm for drinks and demonstrations of Google’s revolutionary wearable technology Glass. See you on the corner!

To learn more about Entrepreneur Corner, visit us on Facebook!

043 Think Big Radio: Top 9 Questions to Ask Before Naming Your Startup

043 Think Big Radio: Top 9 Questions to Ask Before Naming Your Startup

Google.  Tumblr.  Twitter.  Zaarly.  They’re all successful companies, but where in the heck did their names come from?  When determining the name of your startup, there are a lot of things to keep in mind.  Do you want one of these “whacky” names that mean virtually nothing, or do you want to keep it simple like AutoZone, Burger King or Stanley Steamer?  There are multiple ways to go about naming your business, but before you do, be sure to ask yourself these 9 questions:

1. What is your brand positioning?
2. Is the name too limiting (or too broad)?
3. Does the name make sense?
4. Is the name easy to remember?
5. Can people spell the name easily?
6. Does the name sound good?
7. Does the name reach your target audience?
8. Does the name look good on paper?
9. Is the name already trademarked?

So listen up, tune in and Think Big!  In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek and Allison discuss the top 9 questions to ask yourself when naming your business.  Keep all of these questions in mind before you jot anything down on your formal business plan.

Follow Allison at @AllisonThinkBig & Derek at @DerekCOlsen.

What is “Seinfeld for Startups”?

Throughout the history of television, there have been thousands of successful TV shows-- most of them with short runs and quickly forgotten.  A show truly becomes a hit when it transcends past just having good ratings and enters into the culture of a society. The TV shows that tend to achieve this level do so because the audience isn’t just watching characters on the screen, they are relating themselves to the characters.  The characters become people the audience identifies with, sympathizes with, or perhaps even hate. 

The best TV shows teach things about everyday life that are often lost on us because we’re moving too fast.  These programs provide us with laughter when needed and make us feel emotions when we least expect.

In short, they are shows like Seinfeld. For nine seasons Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer, and even Newman, entertained the American public with a show about nothing because it was about everything.

There are people who watched Seinfeld and then there’s the people that really watched Seinfeld and thanks to syndication, still do to this day. Think Big founding partner Tyler Prochnow falls into the latter. Tyler is a believer that every situation people face can be explained by a Seinfeld episode. So strongly, in fact, that he has created a blog, Seinfeld for Startups, to prove his point.

For a better description of how and why this idea came about, the new blogger explains:

“I can’t remember the last time I went through a day without some event triggering a Seinfeld memory.  I was discussing this with some friends at a dinner one night and a challenge was issued.  Could I come up with 5 relevant Seinfeld references before dinner was finished.  Let’s just say that was over before dessert was served.  So that got me thinking, if Seinfeld was such a big part of our everyday life, and my everyday life consists largely of working with entrepreneurs, could I use Seinfeld to assist startup companies as they grow.  And thus, ‘Seinfeld for Startups’ was born.  Each week we will feature two episodes of the show, a little synopsis and a lesson to be gleaned by entrepreneurs along with hopefully a lot of laughs and pleasant memories.  The goal right now is to tackle every episode--1 through 180.”

Now that Tyler’s theory has legs, his blog will begin its 18-month (if everything goes according to plan) trek into the bizarre, well-composed mind of an entrepreneur/Seinfeld fanatic. Will Tyler complete all 180 episodes? You’ll have to keep tuning in to find out.

On a personal note, we can’t wait for Tyler’s take on The Hamptons episode.

Get acquainted with the first five episodes of Seinfeld and follow along with Seinfeld for Startups right here!

Kansas City-based CaddyX Ships Golf Clubs to Your Next Course

If you’re anything like us, we could not be happier that spring is finally here (although in Kansas City that may not mean much since it can be 70 degrees one day and 40 the next). Nonetheless, we cannot wait to be outside—from watching Royals games at the K to sipping beers on a Plaza patio to hitting balls at the local golf course. 

But sometimes, golfing in Kansas City is a challenge.  After booking your tee-time and finally getting to the course, it may be 35 degrees and snowing.  Or raining.  Or hailing.  One solution to this problem is to book a tee-time somewhere warm with consistent good weather like Arizona or Las Vegas.

But then that raises a different array of issues and nuisances. In addition to booking a flight there is packing. Then you have to lug your precious clubs to the airport and check them at baggage claim and hope that they don’t arrive as metal pretzels (if they even arrive at your destination at all).

But thanks to local Kansas City startup CaddyX, your precious golf clubs will arrive at your destination on time without a scratch. Co-founded by KC’s Chris Hanway and Jason Gregory , CaddyX provides the touch-free transport of golf bags for America's elite country clubs allowing your golf pro or fanatic to experience “The Ultimate Lug-Free Xperience”.

CaddyX’s goal is to give your golf bag a safe way to travel and arrive on time and in the same condition as when you checked them. The service is quite simple and efficient. It works by utilizing connections between country club golf pros. To use their service, simply go to your local pro shop, leave your bag with your pro, tell them you’d like to CaddyX your bag as well as when and where you’ll be playing. After that, CaddyX takes care of the rest. You can rest assured knowing that your bag will arrive safely with their $5,000 peace-of-mind guarantee.

If you haven’t heard about CaddyX yet, it’s about time you did. The KC startup launched in 2010 and has been growing ever since, expanding to elite courses at country clubs all across America. Like many other Kansas City-based startups, CaddyX fills a market that has been neglected for quite some time. We at Think Big Partners can’t wait to see what’s in store for CaddyX and can’t wait to CaddyX our golf bags soon (Vegas, anyone?).  

The Attractive Landscape of the Entrepreneurial US

Written by Evie Francis, former Kansas City business specialist.  

Entrepreneurship is a form of art—the skillful balanced acts of one, who willfully undertakes business, applies innovation as well as finance activity with the aim and effort to transform any kind of innovation into economic goods. A startup company offering the most basic service or produce is entrepreneurship in its most obvious form.

However, some of the fastest-growing or smartest US entrepreneurial performers of 2012 managed to do much more than just that. With major players on the entrepreneurial field of social media, engineering, food services and environmentalism—the biggest success stories of 2012—we have seen astonishing growth and expansion figures from startups over the past two or three years, some increasing their profits with more than 4000%.

Major players diverse and widespread
A recent study done by the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation shed some light on where entrepreneurial companies and franchises have been experiencing the biggest growth spurts in the United States. As a whole, Texas, Washington, California, Florida, Illinois and Michigan are some of the states which have shown the most growth in innovation and entrepreneurial growth, but quite a few Kansas City area-based players have been mentioned as well—Strategic AR, UnitedLex, Nextaff, Rhythm Engineering and Sweet Spot Marketing.

The Kauffman study also found that women made up almost 14% of new startup entrepreneurs over the past 18 months, a prime example being the “Mompreneurs” phenomenon, in which mothers use the internet as a driving force for a national (not just local) reach.

Although Kansas or Missouri did not rate amongst the top 20 entrepreneurial states in the US, there has been substantial growth in terms of revenue made and steady year-on-year growth, rather than just the amount of new companies started.

Accelerating US economic growth
Entrepreneurship has been a major key driver of the US economy. The majority of jobs and wealth are created by small businesses which were started by individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets—many of whom ended up creating very big businesses.

The entrepreneurial visionary website Entrepreneur.com has highlighted the following industries as the biggest influencers currently on the entrepreneurial map: technology, apps, food and beverages, travel, health, geek chic (digitalised comics), invention, retail, social media and social music or art.

Over the past 18 months, many products and services represented by the US’ annual roundup of 100 Brilliant Companies, as published on Entrepreneur.com, have come from entrepreneurial individuals. It should come as no surprise that these innovative startups were mostly focused on digital technology (apps, development platforms and gadgets related to mobile phones, social networking and health care).

An entrepreneurial future
The United States Department of Labor statistics show that nearly 80 percent of would-be entrepreneurs in the United States are between the ages of 18 and 34. A recent poll from Junior Achievement (JA) found that 68.6% of the teenagers interviewed wanted to become entrepreneurs, even though they knew that it would not be an easy path. Despite this overwhelming interest, however, youth rarely receive any information about entrepreneurship as a career option.

A report published by the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Corporation shows a wealth of  positive outcomes from implementing entrepreneurship and innovation-focused training from an early age leads to increased problem-solving and decision-making abilities, improved interpersonal relationships, teamwork, money management, and public speaking skills, enhanced social psychological development (self-esteem, ego development, self-efficacy), and perceived improved health status.

For the love of the game
You can’t view the statistics on business startups all as one. A small business such as an independent taxi driver cannot be considered in the same statistics as a Silicon Valley startup with $15 million in backing. An accountant in Wisconsin starting a personal practice can’t be equalized to a new battery-powered car manufacturing company in Houston. However, when viewed in context, first-time entrepreneurs all learn the same lessons—sometimes painfully—over time, no matter how groundbreaking the product or the guaranteed return on an investment may be.

Even with all training and experience considered, there are thousands, if not millions of “wantrapreneurs” going under every year. Well-known former entrepreneur Mark Suster has publicly spoken against those who glamorize startups. “I don't think the big shocker for most people is the prospect of disappointment or outright failure,” he has stated. Suster believes most entrepreneurs underestimate how much hard work is involved to start something new. “This is because most people's hard work meter is calibrated to 10 and entrepreneurship requires you to often go to 11.”

Still, Suster says he would love to be back in the game. His attitude is shared by thousands of serial founders who run the marathon and (maybe) fail, but after another year’s strong practice, head back to the starting line. “Entrepreneurs don't have to be the bravest or smartest or most persistent people in the room. They have to be the most psychically tough.”

Written by Evie Francis.  Evie Francis is a former KC resident and business specialist who has covered everything from specialist business vehicle cover to startup capital.

A Novel Idea for Kansas City Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Nam P. Suh may not be a household name for many entrepreneurs.  But maybe he should be.  As a retired professor at MIT, a director at Forbes and president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the man has quite the resume.  But there's more to Nam Suh than an impressive career path.  He also may be one of the great fathers of innovation.

In recent research conducted by Nam Suh, he discovered the importance of the innovation continuum and how we can increase the rate of successful innovation.  One of his research sites was Kansas City, Missouri.  Through extensive research, it was found that Kansas City may lack the the infrastructure and risk-takers it needs in order for rapid innovation to occur.  But there may be a paradigm shift happening in the Show Me State--a shift that could potentially increase the rate of innovation, encourage entrepreneurs to take risks and allow residents "think novel".

At least Jabbar Wesley, economic development professional at Missouri Gas Energy, seems to think so.  According to Wesley, Kansas City is experiencing an interesting paradigm shift.  In order to foster it, he has rounded up a team of entrepreneurs and innovators to host NovelDay--a jam-packed day that celebrates a new era of innovation and entrepreneurship.  The event will assemble novel leaders and organizations with global influence to work together and showcase Kansas City as a NovelCity.

"Peter DiSilva (UMB Financial Corp.) recently told me that Kansas City is one of America's best-kept secrets," says Jabbar.  "I think we need to showcase it!  There are so many dynamic things happening here.  The growth could be a result of Google."

NovelDay will provide a revolutionary platform that facilitates the information and innovation spillover.  The event will feature a NovelBox Mock Incubator (a private meeting space for venture capitalists, staffing interviews, speed consulting and life coaching), meet-and-greets, live demonstrations, panel discussions, video presentations, quick pitches, brand competitions and an awards ceremony   NovelDay will also feature expert speakers such as Todd Long (Cerner), Armstrong Williams (political commentator), Bill Murphy Jr. (Inc.) and Nick Wallenda (Niagra Falls tight rope walker).  The audience will be given insight by a risk-takers round table, informed by a corporate innovation showcase (featuring Google, Cerner, Sporting Innovations and others), entertained by a startup showcase, and awed by "Novel Talks" (which will follow the same format as the well-known TED Talks).  In other words, NovelDay is a jam-packed day of innovation and entrepreneurship.

"I am excited about seeing entrepreneurs, startups, big companies and small companies come together for a cause--that's what's novel," says Wesley.  "We want attendees to walk out of this event and do something!  We want them to discover new ideas, find new opportunities and develop a new energy, new drive and new optimism to say 'hey, I can do it.'"

NovelDay will take place November 29, 2012 from 8:30am-4:30pm at 9400 Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.  Tickets are available now and range from $15.00 (students) to $35.00 (entrepreneurs) to $60.00 (corporate).  Purchase your ticket today and think novel!

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Celebrate 911 Day in 2012

It's hard to believe that eleven years ago our nation suffered the tragedy of 9/11--a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001.  This year, on September 11th, Americans will celebrate 911 Day and honor the 2,993 killed in the attacks.  Rather than spending the day in tears and grief, Americans have produced a positive spin on 911 Day by displaying the American flag at half-mast outside of their homes as well as participate in good deeds throughout their community (from donating blood to thanking a fireman). 

On 911 Day, Think Big Partners would like to encourage entrepreneurs and small businesses to do more than put their flags at half-mast and do one good deed.  Below are 5 ways that entrepreneurs can not only celebrate 911 Day and promote the American Dream, but can also allow their small business to grow as a patriotic and sustainable company.  

1.  Educate:  Education does not only mean teaching others the importance of entrepreneurship and small business, but also educating yourself on the many aspects of being an entrepreneur. It is important that entrepreneurs never stop teaching and never stop learning. In order to participate in both on 911 Day, attend or book a local entrepreneurial seminar or lecture for your startup or read up on entrepreneurial blogs online.  Entrepreneurial resources such as bizperc and the Kauffman Foundation provide educational events to promote learning in today's small business world.  Keep in mind, it's never too late to continue your learning process and help others learn as well.  

2.  Create the Right Jobs:  The fundamental trend that the United States has undergone was the switch from an industrial-based to a service-based country.  The reality is that if entrepreneurs create the right jobs (i.e., jobs in the manufacturing industry), with a focus on important technical skills, a large abundance of jobs will spring up across the nation and promote the newfound American Dream and an increase in opportunities.  In addition, the notion of self-reliance can improve economic sustainability.  We, as Americans, enjoy many freedoms including the availability of extremely low prices (from companies such as Wal-Mart).  The economic reality of this is that it is not sustainable.  By providing more jobs and paying more for everyday goods, we can create a much more sustainable economy.

3.  Promote Health:  In order to promote a healthy America, entrepreneurs and small business owners must keep their physical health in mind on a day-to-day basis and also make it an important matter in the workplace.  Eating right, exercising, and getting an adequate amount of sleep benefit the body as well as the mind, allowing entrepreneurs and small business owners more creativity and energy while at work.  It's a win-win situation all around.  

4.  Volunteer:  Whether you're a large business or a small startup, all companies should be interested in becoming good corporate citizens.  When entrepreneurs and their companiesvolunteer, they can achieve an enhanced public image, with a cohesive and motivated workforce.  Volunteer programs also help employees strengthen their leadership and interpersonal skills and increases interaction among different departments.  Not only will you be benfitting the community through volunteer work, but you will also be benefitting your new small business.    

5.  Think Beyond Borders:  The essence of being a patriotic entrepreneur is to look past the artificial borders of nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and politics in order to address the most critical problems that we face as a global society.  When entrepreneurs think beyond these artificial borders, we can promote a positive change in the workforce and in the world.  Thinking beyond borders allows more people to achieve their own American Dream.  

So what will you do on 911 Day?  Will you do more than put your flag at half-mast?  We encourage all entrepreneurs to Think Big on 9/11/2012 by educating, creating more jobs, promoting health, volunteering, and thinking beyond artificial borders.

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig