You're in Big Trouble, Mister

LAUNCH & LEARN CANCELLED.  PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR A RESCHEDULE. 

Think Big Partners presents: Launch & Learn -- Legal Issues for Startups

We could all use a little legal advice...especially when starting up a new business.  If you're looking for some answers to your legal questions, check out our Launch & Learn educational seminar Legal Issues for Startups - Don't Let Your Legal Bills Swallow Your Company with Think Big Partners co-founder, Tyler Prochnow.

Participants can expect to:

• Learn factual information and practical knowledge from leading legal professionals with startup, entrepreneurial and investment experience
• Be involved in the exchange of ideas and a discussion of legal issues faced by entrepreneur
• Gain knowledge to do the things right from the start that will help you save thousands of dollars in professional service fees and potentially millions more from potential legal disputes

Join Tyler at bizperc (1800 Baltimore, KC, MO) from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM on Thursday, March 31st and learn all about startup legal issues.  Cost is $45 and lunch is provided.  It's what every aspiring entrepreneur needs.  Hope to see you there! 

Register now!

About the Presenter: Tyler Prochnow's business career has taken a unique and diverse path to success. From the halls of government in Washington DC, to the sidelines of America's sporting landscape to the high tech world of software, Tyler's career has been defined by significant and varied business interests around the country. Prochnow began a successful law practice with Patton Boggs, LP in Denver then became an associate with the Lathrop & Gage law firm, specializing in marketing and advertising law. As a serial entrepreneur, Prochnow has become partner in many companies including Golden Peak Sports, Connexsus, LLC and ACS Properties, LLC. Since 2008, Prochnow has been a partner and co-founder of Think Big Partners, providing the company's clients with insight, consulting and advice on the difficult legal and business issues facing entrepreneurs today. With a legal background and as the founder and operator of multiple business ventures, Prochnow draws upon his own personal experiences to assist TBP clients through the difficult stages of their business lifecycle.

Written by Allison Way
@AllisonThinkBig



Pics from Launch & Learn With James Moburg

The Launch and Learn event Market You Through Networking was a success at Think Big Partners!  Check out some of our pictures from the event:

A BIG thanks to everyone who participated in the Launch and Learn session.  To register for another Launch and Learn event, check out what else we have in store: Launch and Learn Events

A special thanks to Whitney Barker who provided the photography for yesterday's event.  Whitney has launched her own photography company, Whitney Morgan Photography, and specializes in wedding photos, senior portraits, and special event pictures.  To check out Whitney's beautiful work, Whitney Morgan Photography. 

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, eZine and Newsvine.  Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig

Don't Miss Out On This Week's Launch and Learn Seminar!

On Wednesday, March 9th, 2011, Think Big Partners and KC Young Pros are hosting a Launch and Learn Seminar called Market You Through Networking, presented by James Moburg of LeadTunnel.

At the luncheon, Moburg will walk attendees through the best networking strategies including how to take advantage of LinkedIn, utilizing Facebook for marketing and meeting business people, and how to present yourself effectively at networking events. 

To attend the event on Wednesday, register online.  We look forward to seeing you and teaching you the importance of networking in Kansas City!

Info:
Launch and Learn Series: Market YOU Through Networking
Hosted by: Think Big Partners & KC Young Pros
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time: 11:30AM - 1:30PM
Location: Think Big Partners (1800 Baltimore Kansas City, MO 64108)
Price: $25 (lunch provided)
Questions? 816.842.5244

More info...

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

Since When Did Networking Become Such a Huge Deal?

Using LinkedIn, Facebook, and business events to your advantage.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

This cliché can certainly pertain to all different aspects of life, but none truer than that of business.  In business, it truly is all about who you know, not what you know.  From landing your first job out of college to partnering with some of your community’s biggest movers and shakers, building and maintaining business relationships is critical when working in and working on a business.

But when did networking become such a big deal?  Networking and building strong relationships has always been an important in the business world.  But today, with tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook, networking seems to have taken a dramatic turn.   And perhaps for the better. 

Let’s take a look at the facts. 

66,266,528 :: the number of people that are currently using LinkedIn.  Almost half of these users are located within the United States.  But are you utilizing LinkedIn correctly? 

1.5 million :: the number of local businesses that have Facebook pages that you can visit and network on.  But are you using these Facebook pages to your advantage?

79% :: your chances of sealing a deal are 79% higher when business networking is involved.  But are you meeting the right people in the right settings to get the deals sealed?

To answer all of these questions (and many more) Think Big Partners is hosting Launch and Learn: Marketing You Through Networking in collaboration with KC Young Professionals.  LeadTunnel co-founder and networking expert James Moburg will present real-life lessons from his networking experiences and provide tips and strategies to network effectively on- and offline.

“Most young people have a ton of opportunities to network.  They just don’t know how to do it right," says Moburg.  "Time is an investment itself, and i can help people get a big return on their investment by following my techniques."

The Launch and Learn Series will take place on March 9, 2011 from 11:30AM until 1:00PM at Think Big Partners location (1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO). 

During Marketing You Through Networking, Moburg will focus on the following areas:

• How networking can improve and empower you (with examples from real life stories)
• The two crucial networking areas you can personally focus on in 2011
• The 101 crash course in how to maximize your networking event experience
• Marketing yourself effectively in the long run and becoming more memorable

But Moburg is looking forward to teaching more than just that. 

“I want people to leave this Launch and Learn event with three things,” he said.  “First, I want people to feel empowered to take their networking skills to the next level.  Second, I want attendees to use my personal examples of networking as proven strategies.  Third, I want to help people to stand out for the rest of their lives.”

Are you ready to stand out for the rest of your life? 

If so, join Moburg, Think Big Partners and KC Young Pros for an inside look at playing the networking game.   

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 as well as her articles on Helium, eZine and BrooWaha.  Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig

Of the 182 Million Websites, How Will Yours Be Found?

Is your website being ignored?

In May of 2011, the Internet will run out of IP addresses.

Why, you ask?  There are simply too many Internet users.  And of the millions of Internet users in this world, a large majority of them are not using it correctly.

But, seriously, is there a wrong way to use the Internet?  For entrepreneurs and small business owners, of course there is.

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners find themselves developing great websites for their businesses, expecting traffic to their site to explode as soon as it is up and running.  But the truth of the matter is, of the 182 million webpages on the world wide web, it will be nearly impossible for potential customers to find your site…unless you implement a few key ingredients.  In all honesty, they are not just key ingredients—they are ingredients that can make or break your business.  They are the chocolate chips to the cookie, the dressing to the salad.  These small nuggets are what can make your business’s website searchable, impactful, and beneficial.

Join Think Big Partners for a Launch and Learn presentation made for any entrepreneur at any stage of business.  Herb Sih, co-founder of Think Big Partners and marketing, lead-generation expert, will present The Art and Science of Integrated Marketing (AKA Getting Thousands of Visitors to Your Site) on Thursday, February 17, from 11:30AM until 1:00PM.  This Launch And Learn will take place at bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri, on the 6^th floor.

Sih's 10 years of experience in the lead generation space has led him to co-found and develop an Inc. 500 company and launch many other successful companies throughout the Kansas City area.  With his vast experience in internet marketing, Sih has made the Think Big Kansas City Twitter account (@ThinkBigKC) one of the most-followed accounts in Kansas City today!

So if you’ve ever wondered why your website isn’t being visited by anybody but you and your close friends, why no one is reading your blog, or why no one seems to be searching for your company on Google, now is your chance to learn why.  But more importantly, this is your chance to improve your site, and therefore, build a stronger business.

So if you have an interest in…

• Learning how to drive more traffic to your website
• Creating online and offline revenue opportunities while serving your customer base
• Developing an integrated marketing strategy to connect to the right audience
• AND learning the five things you must NOT do online

…then this is the class for you!  Learn all about email, search engine marketing, content, pay-per-click advertising, the importance of social media, database marketing and strategic PR at this event!  Sih will walk you through how to engage your audience, get your site ranked higher on search engines and create an online business development process.

Sound good to you?  Register today and help your page become one of the 182 million websites that people are talking about!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer 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, eZine and BrooWaha. 

How to Read 64,000 Words in 30 Minutes...and Improve Your Business

The average newspaper has about 2,000 words per page.  This means that the Kansas City Business Journal, a 32-page newspaper, has about 64,000 words in each edition.  But which words are the most important to read?  Within those thousands of words, what did you miss?  Questions like this have been asked for years, and now, the Kansas City Business Journal is helping you make the most out of the newspaper.  The Smart Reader Series will teach techniques for finding what you need from the KCBJ in less than 30 minutes each week—and this series is coming to bizperc this month.

Kent Barthol, consumer marketing director of the Kansas City Business Journal, will host the Smart Reader Series event on Tuesday, February 8^th from 11:30AM until 1:00 PM at bizperc, 1800 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, MO.  NOTICE:  The Smart Reader Series has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date.  Stay tuned for further information.

“My goal is to show people more business opportunities in the paper through the web and through our events so people can discover,” says Barthol.  “I can teach [entrepreneurs] new ways to communicate with clients and prospects, and ultimately, discuss ways that the Business Journal can help them gain a competitive advantage and differentiate themselves from competitors.” 

During the Smart Reader Series, attendees will learn techniques for finding what they need out of the Business Journal, business information to help them achieve sales goals, how to pitch their company’s story to the editorial staff and much more. 

The Smart Reader Series runs as a workshop as well as a networking opportunity.  During the event, attendees are invited to present themselves and connect with one another.  The event, according to Barthol, is one that “maximizes all opportunities”.

“To be successful, you have to know what’s going on in the business community,” Barthol says.  “The Business Journal delivers that in the form of content and leads that can drive from a newspaper.  By knowing what’s going on in the business community and actively utilizing a product like the Kansas City Business Journal, you will get to a higher level of business conversation.  It will educate you about who to do business with in town and better your business.”    

Register today for the Smart Reader Series and learn how you can get the most out of those 64,000 words!

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.

Bored in Kansas City?

According to StartupDigest's Kansas City curator, Willis Jackson, events for entrepreneurs are decreasing because of the time of year.  Right now, events are in their "slow season".  The holidays are winding down, last minute plans for 2010 have already been announced, and people are starting 2011 fresh by planning events rather than running them.   

But at Think Big Partners, we don't believe in a "slow season!"

We say, bring on the action!  We have some upcoming events to keep entrepreneurs stimulated even in this dreary January weather.  So come on in, warm yourself up, fill your mind (and even your stomach!).  See what we have to offer you this coming week:

bizperc Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Our full-service business incubator and startup accelerator, bizperc, is now open!  We are excited to announce our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce this Thursday (January 20th) from 4:30 until 6:00 PM.  Join us for snacks, drinks, and of course, great conversation.
LOCATION: bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICE: Free
 
Launch & Learn
If you're looking to expand your entrepreneurial horizons, we have the event for you!  Think Big Partners is pleased to announce our first Launch & Learn educational event.  Join Herb Sih, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Think Big Partners, as he presents "Building Management Teams That Attract Investors."  Co-hosted by the Inventors Club of Kansas City, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and investors are invited to learn all about how to select the perfect business team.  This Launch & Learn will take place Tuesday (January 25th) from 11:30 to 1:00. Register today!
LOCATION: bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICE: $45 (lunch provided)

Introducing: The Accelerator Model
Entrepreneurs, are you dying to get funded?  Killing for entrepreneurial advice and suggestions?  Wanting to surround yourself with other visionaries?  Think Big Partners may have your solution. We have taken the fundamentals of the Y-Combinator model and have applied it to our own space.  Now, we are looking for 4-6 entrepreneurs who have what it takes to build a great business.  If you're think you're it, contact Think Big Partners today!
LOCATION: Give us a call or drop by bizperc, 1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
PRICELESS

And that's not all!  Be sure to check out our Calendar of Events every week to see what else we have going on.

Entrepreneurs, we know that for you, there is no such thing as a "slow season."  And because of this, we won't have one either.  Afterall, there is no stopping when you're Thinking Big!

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 BrooWaha, Helium, eZine and Newsvine.