Kansas City Entrepreneur Cures Couch Potato Syndrome with Local Ruckus

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR
Facebook.  Twitter.  LinkedIn.  It's difficult to imagine a day without these social media sites. They help us connect with the world, unwind, and live our lives with a click of a mouse.  But could these social media sites actually be "bad for us"?

Perhaps.  Although social media promotes networking, connecting, staying in touch and getting involved, it also promotes one of the most enjoyable activities of all: laying on the couch.

Couch potatoes everywhere rejoice in the name of social media!  Now there is a way to never leave the home, yet still connect on a daily basis with friends, family and the community (and what's even better: you don't have to walk across the living room to dial the phone!).

But, as we all know, this is a problem.  Just because you're being "active" on Facebook doesn't mean you're maintaining great relationships with friends.  Just because you're tweeting twenty times a day doesn't mean you're contributing to community discussions.  Just because you've LinkedIn with five new people this week, doesn't mean you're making strong business connections.

Kansas City entrepreneur Adam Arredondo saw this as a huge problem...as well as a fantastic opportunity.

"I was annoyed with the amount of time I wasted on Facebook," says Adam.  "I was equally annoyed with the little interaction I had with my friends.  So, I decided to create something that changed that."

Cue Adam's creation of Local Ruckus.

"Local Ruckus is one place to find everything happening in the community," explains Adam of his business venture.  "It gives you a reason to get off the couch.  It is a technology to get people to interact in more active ways."

How so?

Local Ruckus posts and promotes local events going on in the community.  It displays events, live music, volunteer opportunities, food and drink specials and coupons.  It's Groupon meets community board meets happy hour meets volunteer organization. And it's the number one social network that fights against couch potato syndrome.

According the Adam, current CEO and founder of Local Ruckus, the online site does three different things:

1. It's a social media platform geared toward businesses and their content (rather than the individual such as Facebook or Twitter).
2. It gives a bigger voice to charity and volunteerism.
3. It gives a bigger voice to music, artists and smaller local businesses. 

But all in all, Local Ruckus is all about local discovery.

"Local Ruckus gives people the opportunity to find what they want, when they want it," says Adam.  "We're not reinventing the wheel here.  We're trying to open people's eyes to the things they don't know they're looking for."  

Currently, Local Ruckus is in Beta launch and is in undergoing the PRISM process with Kansas City's startup accelerator, Think Big Partners.  The site is also currently experimenting with the coupon and volunteer opportunity sections and is reaching out to the public to submit ideas to help give the site maximum impact (submit your idea now!).  

"I just want to have an impact on the community," says Adam.  "I want to create something that matters. I'm interested in these kind of opportunities and I love being able to capitalize on them."  

Adam has been through a lot of ups and downs in order to make his entrepreneurial dream a reality.  Learn more about Adam's Local Ruckus venture in the Q&A below:

How did you come up with the idea for Local Ruckus? 

"I ran Coffee News, a weekly event column for restaurants.  When running it, I realized I had to go to 12 different sites to find the information I was looking for.  It was ridiculous!  Then, it clicked.  That's when I saw the opportunity."

Why go into entrepreneurship in the first place?

"I never really had another thought other than to go into entrepreneurship.  The corporate world put a bad taste in my mouth.  I wanted that innovative, small business feel.  I wanted to go into something that I was motivated by.  In order to have that, I found out I had to do it on my own." 

What has been the hardest part about starting up Local Ruckus?

"It takes an unhealthy amount of confidence in yourself and in the idea.  You have gut checks all the time!  Also, entrepreneurship makes you come to financial realities.  That's a bit scary."

What about the best part?

"Getting launched and hiring our first employee...but it was also terrifying!  Also, I really enjoy the day-to-day conversations with our programmer.  It helps me learn how the product works and it helps me make my decisions."

What is one piece of advice you would give an entrepreneur?

"Don't half-ass anything.  Be 100% committed.  You can never research too much.  Don't jump into partnerships.  Product development is most important.  I guess that's more than one...haha."

How do you Think Big?

"That's the only way that I think!  I want to do something that has a major impact.  I think of things in nationally viable terms.  Success is a national product.  Kansas City is just a stepping stone for us."  

Follow Local Ruckus!  @LocalRuckusKC

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Mix It Up on Mixergy.com

We love mixing and mingling with other entrepreneurs.  That's why we have bizperc (our coworking space), networking opportunities (like launch parties and lunches), and the Think Big Kansas City Conference.  We are all about meeting other entrepreneurs, interacting with different startups and growing our rolodex of contacts.

It seems as if Mixergy has the same idea.

Mixergy is an online platform that allows members to interact with other entrepreneurs, take online courses, tune into videos, and hear stories from some of the best and brightest in the startup tech industry (like the founders of Groupon, Y Combinator, Wikipedia, Kiva and more!). 

The Mixergy mission is to introduce its members to doers and thinkers whose ideas and stories are so powerful that hearing them will ignite a spark...and perhaps even a change.  With Mixergy, members have access to a wide variety of courses, like Advanced Lead Generation, Mobile App Design, Customer Targeting, Blogging for Business and much more.

If you're interested in an online entrepreneurial community, I encourage you to check out Mixergy.com and see what benefits it can offer you and your business!  Happy surfing!
Written by Allison Way
@AllisonThinkBig

Q&A: From Silicon Valley to the Heart of Kansas City with Scott Mize

Scott Mize, a veteran Silicon Valley venture development executive, talks about his excitement for Think Big Kansas City and how Kansas City is becoming its own version of the California hotspot.   

TBKC Speaker Scott Mize is looking forward to Think Big Kansas City.  But can KC live up to Mize's California-esque expectations?  Find out in our question-and-answer session with Scott Mize.

Scott Mize, Silicon Valley
Venture Development
Executive.

TBP (Think Big Partners): What made you interested in attending Think Big Kansas City?

Scott: I met Herb (Sih, co-founder of TBP) and found out what was going on at Think Big Partners.  I liked the idea of an incubator for early-stage companies and being a catalyst for a new entrepreneurial ecology in the Kansas City area.  Since Think Big Kansas City is a part of that, it’s something that I wanted to be involved in.

TBP: What are you looking forward to most at Think Big Kansas City 2011?

Scott: I’m looking forward to meeting the local entrepreneurs and angels and finding out who’s in the audience.  I am also looking forward to the business plan pitches that will be presented at Pitch Big.

TBP: What makes you so interested in the Pitch Big competition? 

Scott: That’s where the rubber meets the road.  That’s where an entrepreneur gets access to the resources he needs to build his business.  I like that process.  I find the exchange of ideas and feedback to be a fascinating, interesting and fun process.  I’m interested in seeing what types of companies come forward because that will give me a sense of what’s happening in the KC entrepreneurial community.

TBP: You are a moderator for “Lessons Learned from KC Entrepreneurs”.  What makes you a good moderator for this panel?

Scott:  I have advised and consulted to over 100 companies in the information technology, the nanotech and cleantech spaces.  I’ve also been a founder and principal in a number of companies. I’ve seen the inside story of how these companies grow and the challenges they have.  This gives me lot of experience and insight into how to solve the challenges that any early-stage company will come up against. 

TBP:  How long have you been doing this kind of work?

Scott:  A long time!  It goes back to my college days.  I was going to undergraduate school at Harvard when I came home for a summer and attended an entrepreneurship class as Wichita State University.  There, I met three people who I helped to found the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs.  It was the first student entrepreneurial organization, with members like Michael Dell and Mark Cuban.  At the same time I founded my first venture, which was a microcomputer software company.  I also subsequently helped to start the Young Entrepreneurs Organization which is now known as Entrepreneurs Organization.

TBP: What are you hoping to take away from Think Big Kansas City? 

Scott:  The main thing that I want to take away from is an insight into the state of the entrepreneurial community in Kansas City.  I want to take the pulse of its startup environment.  That will give me insight into the challenges that Think Big Partners has in terms of taking the entrepreneurial ecology to the next level. 

TBP: Do you think we can bring the “Silicon Valley” approach to the Midwest?

Scott: I think what I see happening with Think Big Partners and Kansas City is part of a whole transformation across the country and the world. Innovation historically has been overwhelmingly centered in a few areas like the San Francisco Bay area, Boston, and Austin.  But today the economics and dynamics of Internet-based ventures make it possible to do this anywhere.  Take a look at Groupon, founded in Chicago.  The internet has enabled an explosion of innovation in a number of different places including ones that you don’t traditionally think as centers of technology innovation.  I see Kansas City as a case study.  I’ll be interested to see what needs to be done to make it an intense center of innovation.

TBP: Why is entrepreneurship so important to bring to Kansas City or to the Midwest?  

Scott:  Job creation comes from early-stage and growing companies.  Particularly in this country—due to globalization—there is a constant pressure on American businesses from the international competition.  The only real chip that we’ve got in the game is to create high-value products and services that are unique.  There are entrepreneurs everywhere—there has been an entrepreneurial community in Kansas City since the beginning—but I think that we are entering a new phase that is sparked by the internet and driven by globalization.  That makes it more imperative for there to be a thriving entrepreneurial community not only in Kansas City, but in every city around the country. That is the only way that we will be able to win at the whole jobs equation.

TBP: How do you Think Big?

Scott: Whenever I look at a new company, my thought is always, “How do you make this the Biggest success possible?”  That’s my main mode of Thinking Big.  One of the things that I do when I advise early-stage companies on strategy is to try to understand how to take their unique competitive advantage and translate that into the biggest possible opportunity and return.

To learn more from Scott Mize and many other experienced entrepreneurs, register for Think Big Kansas City and prepare to Think Big! 

Interview conducted by Allison Way.

@AllisonThinkBig

Dave Ramsey Presents a New Breed of Entrepreneur: The EntreLeader

Why be an entrepreneur when you can be an EntreLeader?

Dave Ramsey has been brave enough to ask this question:  Who is more important in a business, an entrepreneur or a leader?

And after years and years of analyzing who truly is more beneficial in a business environment, only one answer came to mind:  the EntreLeader; a new breed that Dave Ramsey holds to be the most important type of person that can come into a new business situation.  The EntreLeader brings the drive and motivation of an entrepreneur and the strength and vision of a leader, all rolled into one.

But how do you find EntreLeaders?  And even more importantly, how can you develop into one yourself?

 

Dave Ramsey has found a way.  He started out by pouring himself into his top three guys, but he quickly realized the information needed to be passed down to the whole team.  So he started holding classes once a week for all current and future leadership.  As he taught the sessions each week, more and more outside visitors began sitting in.  When the guests outnumbered the team members, Dave realized that the world outside his company was hungry for a new way to do business!  That’s when the EntreLeadership workshop was born.

Great news, KC entrepreneurs: the EntreLeadership workshop is coming to Kansas City!  Join Dave Ramsey this Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Kansas City Convention Center.  Tickets are $99, but if you use the Groupon discount, you’ll get 51% off (and save $50!).  Hurry—you only have 1 day left to buy on Groupon!

Whether you’re an individual who wants to develop your leadership abilities, a business or organizational leader who wants to develop your team, or an entrepreneur who wants to build a business on solid, proven principles, EntreLeadership is for you.

Register today!

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

DealBug - Good Ideas Can Be Made Even Better and Consumers Can Save Big Money While Doing Good For Their Community!

Don't you love saving money? What if you could save money and give back to your community at the same time?

By now, most people are very familiar with the company Groupon. For the uninitiated, Groupon started in November of 2008 and is a collaborative buying idea that allows consumers to buy popular things at a huge discount - but only if enough people sign up to buy the product or service before the daily midnight expiration. In other words, consumers can create their own tipping point by getting together enough of their friends and drive a product's price down to unbeatable levels, achieving huge savings.

A great idea for both the consumer and companies...how can this be made better, you ask?

What if you could save money AND give back a portion of the proceeds to local charities in your own backyard?

A local Kansas City company has done exactly that. Dealbug (www.dealbug.com) , officially launched at midnight August 1st, 2010, has taken Groupon's business model to the next level by putting the charitable component into their business equation. Schools, churches, non-profits - nearly any not for profit entity, can become a beneficiary of this idea. Dealbug's first deal offers a 77% discount at a local children's "theme" park, and allows the consumer to pick from over 20 charities to help out too. For more information on Paradise Park, go to www.paradise-park.com/.

Often times, good ideas can be made even better by simply making changing a few things about them to better suit a marketplace. Certainly Groupon has done very well. With over 12 million members and adding over 2 million more very month, the company was profitable in less than 8 months from launch and has swollen to over 1000 employees.

But with all that success, a small company, DealBug, has taken this idea to the next level.

Never underestimate your ability to take a good idea and make it better. Think Coke vs Pepsi. McDonald's vs Burger King. AT&T vs Sprint or Verizon.

Simply focus on core needs in a marketplace, and maybe you will see a new idea out of an existing one, and take it to the next level.