041 Think Big Radio: Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips for Entrepreneurs

April showers bring May flowers.  But what else do April showers bring?  Spring cleaning!  Although most of us dread spring cleaning every year, it’s a necessity in order for us to push our businesses and startups forward.  What are the best tips that entrepreneurs can use when spring cleaning?  

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041 Think Big Radio: Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips for Entrepreneurs

In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek and Allison explore the best things they do (or don’t do but wish they did) during spring cleaning such as:

1. Organize digital documents
2. Reset passwords
3. Sort through emails
4. Update contact list
5. Update website content
6. Update portfolio or case studies
7. Get finances in line
8. Re-energize the team
9. Clean out your desk (literally)
10. Clear your mind

Follow Derek: @DerekCOlsen

Follow Allison: @AllisonThinkBig

040 Think Big Radio: An Entrepreneur Chat with Kelly Pruneau, Women’s Capital Connection

In the investment field, women don’t have quite as big of a presence as men do.  In fact, only 10-15% of angel investors and venture capitalists are women.  But Women’s Capital Connection (WCC) based in Kansas City, Missouri is looking to change that statistic.  In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek sits down with Kelly Pruneau, network manager of the Women’s Capital Connection to learn exactly what the WCC does, how it is changing the investment industry, and just how important women investors are in the Kansas City area.

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040 Think Big Radio: An Entrepreneur Chat with Kelly Pruneau, Women's Capital Connection

In this podcast, Derek asks Kelly questions such as:

1. How did you get involved in Women’s Capital Connection?
2. What types of companies or industries does WCC invest in?
3. What are some of the companies you currently invest in?
4. Why is there a need for something like Women’s Capital Connection in Kansas and Missouri?
5. Does Kansas City have enough investment recourses?  Why?  Why not?
6. How does WCC solve the “lack of capital” problem?
7. Why are there more men angel investors than women?
8. What is Women’s Capital Connection doing to increase the number of women angel investors?
9. Why do women make great angel investors and venture capitalists?
10. How do you Think Big?  

Listen to other podcast episodes!  Check out Think Big on iTunes.  

039 Think Big Radio: SXSW Chat with Jeb Ory of Phone2Action

In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek sits down with Jeb Ory, founder of Phone2Action to discuss his experience at SXSW 2013.  At SXSW, Jeb had the opportunity to compete in the SXSW Interactive Accelerator, where he pitched against 7 others in the "news" category.  After a great pitch, Jeb and his Phone2Action team won their category and walked away with $4,000 cash (not to mention a lot of bragging rights and exposure).

Learn more about Jeb's SXSW experience by listening to our podcast!

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039 Think Big Radio: SXSW Chat with Jeb Ory of Phone2Action

Learn more about Phone2Action! Follow @Phone2Action on Twitter. 

038 Think Big Radio: Top 10 Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

We often learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.  But we don’t want to make too many mistakes, or else our startup may fail.  To warn you of what mistakes to look out for in the startup world, this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek and Allison will give you insight into the top 10 mistakes entrepreneurs make.  

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038 Think Big Radio: Top 10 Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

These mistakes include:

1. Starting a business for the wrong reason:  Don’t start a business just because you’re “bored”.  Start a business because there is a need in the marketplace.
2. Choosing the wrong partner:  Startups that run with only one founder are more likely to fail than those with two.  Startups that have more than two founders are even more likely to fail.
3. Not sharing your idea:  When you don’t share your idea, you are not setting yourself up for success.  Find a mentor, accelerator program or coworking space to share your idea with those who are in the same boat.
4. Avoiding the pivot: Your business needs to pivot (in other words, your idea needs to change and be reworked).  If you never change your original idea, your business cannot grow.
5. Putting off legal issues:  Address legal issues the moment they happen.  Find a lawyer who specializes in working with entrepreneurs.
6. Too much overhead:  Don’t pull a “Tom Haverford” at Entertainment 720.  Keep overhead costs low and focus on spending your money to build the business (i.e. product research and development).
7. Hiring too many employees too early: Wear a lot of hats the first few months (or years) of building your startup.  Hire slowly and carefully.
8. Lack of goals:  Write your business plan to include both your own individual professional goals and goals for your business.
9. Too much focus on the product:  Don’t be product-driven, be customer-driven!
10. Not learning from your mistakes: Entrepreneurs are not perfect.  Remember—if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough! 

Learn more from Think Big! @thinkbigKC 

037 Think Big Radio: Jason Grill of Kansas City Startup Sock 101

If you’re a fan of the Kansas City entrepreneurship scene there is a very good chance you know who Jason Grill is.  But even if you don’t know the KC entrepreneur himself, you’ve probably come across many organizations, startups or articles that he’s touched. In addition to being a host of Entrepreneur KC Radio as well as the owner of JGrill Media, Jason is also one of the cofounders, along with Lea Bailes and Dave Feyerabend, of Kansas City’s newest fashion brand, Sock 101.

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037 Think Big Radio: Jason Grill of Kansas City Startup Sock 101

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Jason this past week at Think Big Partners to put him on the other side of the microphone.  We chatted about his startup endeavors as well as the ins-and-outs of up-and-coming startup, Sock 101.

For those of you not familiar with Sock 101, it is a new Kansas City startup that breaks away from the current model of most of those found in KC. While many startups in the area deal with either tech or mobile, Sock 101 is simply selling (what else?) socks.

Founded in June and pitched back in November 2012 at The Kauffman Foundation’s Startup Showcase 1 Million Cups, Sock 101 is focused on allowing people to step up their sock game with self-expressive high quality socks for $7 each.  Men’s fashion has been evolving in recent years, breaking away from the business standard of navy blue, black and grey. Nowadays, there is an increasing demand to add one’s own personal flair to their attire. The idea that your socks should match the color of your pants has been thrown out the window.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what triggered this revolution in men’s fashion.  Brightly patterned shirts and ties, pocket squares and cufflinks opened the floodgates allowing men of any age to add their own personal style to “traditional” men’s attire. In recent years, with all other articles of clothing well covered, it was finally turn for socks to get their day in the sun.

While other companies are focused on producing stylish “high quality” colorful socks at a price point between $12 and $24 per pair, Sock 101 looks accomplish the same thing, only at a more affordable price.

Though it is a young Kansas City startup, Sock 101 is poised to make big waves not only in the Kansas City entrepreneurship scene, but in the fashion industry as a whole.   

Speaking from my own experience, the socks from Sock 101 are great. They provide enough panache without being gaudy and overbearing.  It should also be noted these socks are super comfortable. The socks can be purchased at local men’s boutiques like Method in the Crossroads as well as online at their website, Sock101.com, with flat rate shipping. For those who want to step up their sock game but don’t want to do a lot of work, Sock 101 also offers a “sock of the month club” that delivers a fresh pair of stylish socks to your door every month.

So what’s next for Jason and his fellow “Sockpreneurs”? Only time will tell, but you can be sure that this KC company will continue its mission of providing stylish professional socks at an affordable price.

When asked how Jason Thinks Big, here’s how he answered: “Anything is possible, the Kansas City community as a whole is super supportive and everyone is doing great things. With something like socks people think you can just grab a pair of the rack and go to someone and say make this. It’s not that easy. It takes a lot of hard work and you have to be thinking big.”

Luckily for the Sockpreneurs, Kansas City has the tools to accomplish something like that.

036 Think Big Radio: Carrie Royce on KC’s Startup Crawl

February 8, 2013 will be the date for Kansas City’s first ever Startup Crawl, an event hosted by Red Nova Labs and Kansas City Startup Village.  Listen as Derek from Think Big Radio goes in depth with Startup Crawl organizer, Carrie Royce (Red Nova Labs), to hear what this entrepreneurial event has to offer.  Learn about what to expect from Startup Crawl, why Startup Crawl is good for the city and what the event means for Kansas City entrepreneurs.

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036 Think Big Radio: Carrie Royce on KC’s Startup Crawl

To register to attend Startup Crawl on February 8, please visit http://kcstartupcrawl.eventbrite.com/.  

Learn more from Think Big! @thinkbigKC 

035 Think Big Radio: Dropouts—The Best Entrepreneurs in History

The most important aspect to becoming a successful entrepreneur is not educational credentials, but rather, ambition and the desire to be great. We have conducted a list of the top entrepreneurs who did not earn a college diploma. Others didn't even finish high school.  Some didn’t even finish 4th grade!

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035 Think Big Radio: Dropouts--The Best Entrepreneurs in History

In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek and Allison sit down to discuss some of the most inspirational entrepreneurs of all time...all of whom are dropouts!  Our top 10 list includes entrepreneurial superstars like:

• Henry Ford (dropped out at age 16)
• Bill Gates (dropped out at age 19)
• Michael Dell (dropped out at age 19)
• Paul Allen (dropped out at age 20)
• Steve Jobs (dropped out at age 18)
• Mark Zuckerberg (dropped out at age 19)
• David Geffen (dropped out at age 21)
• Larry Ellison (dropped out at age 20)
• Sheldon Adelson (dropped out at age 19)
• Richard Branson (dropped out at age 16)

Plus famous high school dropouts that include:

•             Anne Beiler (Auntie Ann's Pretzels)
•             Walt Disney (The Walt Disney Company)
•             Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Inc.)
•             Dov Charney (American Apparel)
•             Charles Culpeper (Coca Cola)
•             George Eastman (Kodak)
•             Joyce C. Hall (Hallmark)
•             Richard Schulze (Best Buy)
•             Wally Amos (Famous Amos)
•             Hyman Golden (Snapple)
•             Rachel Ray (Food Network Star) never even went to culinary school
•             Kemmons Wilson (Holiday Inn)
•             Coco Chanel (Chanel)
•             Carl Lindner (United Dairy Farmers)
•             Jimmy Dean (Jimmy Dean Foods)

Listen to Episode 35 of Think Big Radio to learn more!

Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig
Follow Derek! @DerekCOlsen 

033 Think Big Radio: The Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Entrepreneurs

033 Think Big Radio: The Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Entrepreneurs

What’s on your New Year’s Resolution list for 2013?  In this episode of Think Big Radio, Derek and Allison dive deep into what entrepreneurs should put on their New Year’s Resolution list...and how to actually stick to your resolution for more than 2 weeks!  Tune into this episode of Think Big Radio and learn the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Entrepreneurs including:

1. Take more time with your employees
2. Network
3. Set your goals
4. Take a new class
5. Organize
6. Read more
7. Find a mentor
8. Give back
9. Celebrate!
10. Get a life!

Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig
Follow Derek! @DerekCOlsen
Follow Think Big! @ThinkBigKC

030 Think Big Radio: A Must-Listen with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing (and Book Giveaway!)

Episode 30 of Think Big Radio is a must-listen.

John Jatsch of Duct Tape Marketing.

Get the complete inside scoop about the new book The Commitment Engine by John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing. In this episode of Think Big Radio, our neighbor from down the street, John Janstch, stops by to talk about his new book The Commitment Engine. Host Derek Olsen and Mr. Janstch discuss why he felt the need to write on the subject of commitment. What is commitment and why is it so important to be committed to doing great work? Derek and John dig in to some of the key concepts in The Commitment Engine and John goes even deeper discussing how those concepts have a huge impact on a small business owner.

Concepts include:

• “Your playing small doesn’t serve anyone.”  
• “Build a bigger purpose and let it build a bigger you.”
• “Passion Mantra”
• "Work Is Worth It When – Clarity is Strategy, Culture is Clarity Amplified and Community is the Natural Outcome of Clarity"

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030 Think Big Radio: A Must-Listen with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing

Learn more about John, his business, ideas, and books at www.ducttapemarketing.com.

Book Giveaway!  We will be giving away two free copies of The Commitment Engine!  How can you win?  Tweet this episode of Think big Radio and tag @Ducttape and @ThinkBigKC! You will be entered into a drawing to win John Jantsch's newest marketing book!  Many will enter, 2 will win!

Follow John Jantsch at @ducttape.