Boys Grow: Growing Entrepreneurs in Kansas City

It’s true—entrepreneurship is growing in Kansas City every day.  But one organization is taking that statement literally. Boys Grow, a two-year agricultural entrepreneurship program, empowers inner-city boys to learn entrepreneurship through hands-on experience.

The boys involved in Boys Grow spend time on a farm planting crops, tending the land, building chicken coops, harvesting honey from bee boxes and other daily farm tasks. When they’re not working on the farm, they’re out selling what they make with the produce they grow – salsa, agave ketchup, and (coming soon!) barbecue sauce.

John Gordon, creator of the program, recently spoke with The Pitch about Boys Grow. Of the program, he says,

"I wanted to create something that kids really do. It's not fluff. It's not for show. They have to make decisions, and anything they learn, they'll have to apply directly. There is always stuff to be done on a farm. Life slows down, and you have to take a deep breath. There's responsibility and discipline and dedication. That's where this idea for a functional, working type of youth farm started.”

The program has struck a chord with the community, with a slew of restaurants and grocery stores signing up to carry Boys Grow products, and was recently chosen to receive a proclamation by the Missouri House of Representatives.

The unique blend of agriculture, mentoring and entrepreneurship provides a potent mixture for inner-city boys in need of guidance. The ability to form relationships with other budding entrepreneurs while simultaneously learning how to grow a business is extremely empowering for participants in the program. Boys Grow isn’t about hand-holding because the boys genuinely direct the majority of the program and decide how far to take it.

Entrepreneurship in Kansas City takes many forms, and the Boys Grow program is investing in the future of the KC community. Of the future, Gordon says, "In reality, we're trying to farm entrepreneurs as much as plants. We're trying to unleash a whole new crop on the city."

Get Your Startup Running Lean with Kauffman Labs and Ash Maurya

Ash Maurya, author of Running Lean.

Most new products fail.  It's an grim entrepreneurial reality.  But why do these products fail?  Is it because they are bad ideas?  No.  Is it because entrepreneurs waste money, time and effort in the process? Yes.

This entrepreneurial dilemma is the reason Kauffman Labs is hosting a new workshop, Running Lean, presented by Ash Maurya, author of Running Lean and founder of Spark59.

What's Running Lean all about?
Running Lean is a 1-day, hands-on workshop here in Kansas City where entrepreneurs can learn a systematic methodology that raises their odds of building successful products.  Running Lean, developed through rigorous testing of the Lean Startup, Customer Development and Bootstrapping Techniques, has successfully been applied to dozens of products in many different industries.

What will I learn?

• How to define problems worth solving
• How to document a business model
• How to find early customers and get them to want to pay
• How to systematically test a business model
• How to build and measure what customers want 

What's the Running Lean schedule look like? 
It's a full day...make sure you get some sleep the night before!

9:00am:    Coffee, tea, bagels
9:30am:    Running Lean overview
11:00am:  Part 1: Document your plan A
12:00pm:  Lunch
1:30pm:    Part 2: Identify the riskiest parts of your plan
3:30pm:    Short coffee break
4:00pm:    Part 3: Systematically test your plan
5:00pm:    Workshop ends

Running Lean will take place at the Kauffman Foundation from 8:30am-5:00pm on October 9, 2012.  Tickets are $199 and include a copy of Ash Maurya's book, Running Lean and access to the comparison business model validation tool, Lean Canvas.

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

The Fine Line Between a Great Product and a Total Failure

WRITTEN BY BLAKE MILLER, PARTNER

Comedian Louis C.K. (Saturday, December 10^th, to be exact) recently made an unorthodox move of bypassing traditional release methods and releasing his latest comedy special, Live at the Beacon Theater, for $5 online via Pay Pal (or credit card.)  Along with the offering, Louis C.K. very nicely asked that people don’t pirate this video or “torrent it”, stating that he paid for the whole production himself.  The results?  C.K. released some numbers which were quite impressive.  As of today, 110k copies have been sold for a total intake of over $500k, covering his cost and netting him $200k so far.

Why am I talking about this? I want to speak about developing and offering not just a new product, but a great new product.  Louis, in my opinion, is a great comedian.  Simply put, I also think he has a great product.  He was able to make more on his own than by other paid resources by having a great product.  A great product creates brand loyalty.  It creates a viral presence. And most importantly, it creates REVENUE! 

In my opinion, developing a product that is truly great is the only thing that matters when creating your startup.  I want to make it clear; I do not think having the most features on a product declares it the winner.  I think it is the right features that make a great product truly revolutionary. And hey, that’s what we are all out here trying to do, right? Innovate and start a revolution.  Change how people do things.  Hell, even impact a city.

We recently started on a project that I (in all honesty) wasn’t sure of at first.  We went through a process we use at Think Big Partners called the Prism Process (that’s a whole other blog post in itself.)  After going through this process, I bought in.  I started seeing how the idea could truly change the way people plan their collective lives, thanks to the Prism Process. 

This project is based around a great product.  We found it “great” through the Prism Process.  But what differentiates a product from being proclaimed as great and being proclaimed as so-so?  Here are a few key points that I have found to be true when working as a product manager with startup companies:


1.  A great team is key. Find the people who know their limitations (that includes myself).


2.  Engineers usually think in terms of implementation.  While the designers think creatively, they figure out how to make the creations a reality.  This makes for an incredible User Experience (also known as “UX”).


3.  UX design isn’t just the visual look of the product, it’s also the interaction of the design.


4.  The functionality of the product (product features or must-haves) and the UX by nature, are interconnected.


5.  It’s important to test new products early and often.  This startup we are working on is somewhat radical and complex, so this step is absolutely crucial to its success.


6.  Do your best to find a minimal viable product (or “MVP”) that meets your objective as a startup and launch ASAP.  Keep in mind, this MVP must provide the most frictionless user experience possible.


7.  Keep in the lean startup frame of mind.  Once you find this sweet spot, launch right away.  That means getting users on the site and quickly figuring out which features make sense and which ones don’t.  In the instance with our new project, my bet is that we throw some features out the window and figure out something else.  

The success of a great product comes from the belief in an even greater idea.  Be strategic, form a dynamite team, test, test, test and then build a great product from the ground up.  You’ll be surprised to find that when you launch a truly great product, the rest (like success) will follow. 

Follow me! @blakemiller32

How Did Startup Weekend Actually Startup?

Startup Weekend in San Diego.

What do most of your weekends consist of?

Guzzling beer on the Lazy Boy while watching ESPN?

Sleeping in until 1:00 in the afternoon and grabbing a bowl of Cap’N Crunch?

Maybe it’s time to start doing something productive with your weekends.  And we have your opportunity:  Startup Weekend Kansas City. 

On April 15-17, Think Big Partners is proud to host Startup Weekend Kansas City—an opportunity for entrepreneurs to develop feedback on an idea, learn new skills, meet co-founders, and test the entrepreneurial waters.  Startup Weekend is a risk-free environment where everyone is expected to roll up their sleeves and dive into the exhilarating world of startups.  It’s all about collaboration, it’s all about coworking, it’s what we’re all about!

But how in the world did the idea for Startup Weekend, well…start up?

It was a late night in June of 2007 at TechStars when the idea was coined.  Danny Newman and Stan James discussed how they missed collaborating on projects with others now that they were working on bigger projects, later David Cohen and Joe Scharf pushed founder Andrew Hyde to take the concept into reality. In May of 2009, Marc Nager and Clint Nelsen really saw an opportunity to help Startup Weekend continue to grow and took over the operations of Startup Weekend.  When everyone started collaborating, Startup Weekend became a success because of its drive towards coworking, idea-building, and entrepreneurship. 

Today, there are at least three Startup Weekends that occur each weekend in various cities…and not just in the U.S.!  You can find Startup Weekend in Paris, Kyoto and many more!     

So what are you waiting for?  You have an idea, you have a free weekend, and it’s time to put them to good use!  Put down the bag of Lay’s potato chips, get off your Lazy Boy and join us for Startup Weekend, coming to Kansas City April 15-17 at the Think Big Partners business incubator (1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri).  Register today!  Now’s your chance to Think Big! 

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s early stage 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 and eZine.  Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig

Bring On the Ideas! Startup Weekend 2011 in Kansas City

We know you’ve got a great idea.  Now it’s time to take that leap of faith and see if your big idea can become a big business.  And there’s no better time to start than now.  It’s a new year, a fresh start and time to launch your business idea.  So start this month by attending Startup Weekend 2011, the perfect opportunity to see if your business idea is feasible, achievable, and of course, profitable. 

In April 2011, entrepreneurs and big thinkers are invited to attend Startup Weekend—an intense 54-hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skill sets—primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people—to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.  Even more importantly, Startup Weekend has become a networking opportunity unlike any other in Kansas City.  This January, Startup Weekend sets sail with a workshop and networking event to kickstart the intense weekend in April.

“Most networking opportunities are quick exchanges of business cards,” says Steven Chau, local organizer of Startup Weekend in Kansas City.  “Startup Weekend actually allows entrepreneurs to work together throughout the weekend.  It feels like a summer camp and helps to create entrepreneurial camaraderie.  It’s an energizing experience that actually allows entrepreneurs to make friendships.”

This January, entrepreneurs are invited to attend Startup Weekend’s workshops where they can learn about lean startup methodology through interactive challenges and learning experiences.  The Startup Weekend competition will then commence in April with a panel of judges and a plethora of business pitches. 

“My main goal is to provide an event for budding entrepreneurs,” says Chau.  “Events like this allow entrepreneurs to work on problems that they are passionate about.  That’s extremely empowering.” 

So if you’re looking to pitch your business idea, look no further than Startup Weekend—taking place in our very own backyard!  This is Kansas City’s third Startup Weekend, and is looking to be its most successful. 

Startup Weekend allows for like-minded people to come together and achieve a common goal.  If Startup Weekend sounds like the event for you and your big thinking, be sure to check out the Startup Weekend website for more information.

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners.  Check out more of Allison's articles on the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner, Helium, BrooWaha and eZine.

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