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.  

City of Kansas City Answers Small Business Questions During Public bizperc Office Hours

What kind of marketing data and research can I obtain from Kansas City?  What kind of technologies will aid me and my small business this year?  Am I following all of the city requirements to run an efficient business in Kansas City?

Entrepreneurs, we know you have all of these questions.  And now, you can get answers during bizperc's FREE office hours!


On Wednedsay, January 16, bizperc will be hosting public office hours for small business owners and entrepreneurs in conjunction with KC BizCare and the city of Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City entrepreneurs, small business owners and members of the bizperc coworking space are invited to register for free office hours and ask questions about small business requirements in KC, Kansas City resources and how to obtain data about the city of Kansas City.

Office hours will be run by John Pajor of KC BizCare, who will answer questions that entrepreneurs and small business owners may have about city requirements as well as small business resources in the community.

Millie Crossland, technology project liaison for Kansas City, Missouri will inform entrepreneurs and small business owners on how to research and find local data, city statistics and censuses about KC small business.  In addition, Millie will provide information about the many innovative ways the the city of Kansas City uses breaking technology.

The free two-on-one bizperc office hours will take place on Wednesday, January 16 from 12:00-3:00pm.  In order to sign up for your 30 minute time slot, please email Sarah Snyder at sarah.snyder@thinkbigpartners.com.  Office hours will take place at bizperc (1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO) on the 4th floor.

Follow bizperc! @bizperc

Missouri Ranked 6th Most Entrepreneurial State!

Studies from 2012 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, published by the Kauffman Foundation, show Missouri is the 6^th most entrepreneurial state in the nation! 

What draws entrepreneurs here? Could it be our Midwestern friendliness, Kansas City barbecue or our multiple professional sports teams? Maybe…but the data shows that low taxes, low utility bills and an appreciation for small business may be the real reason behind KC’s entrepreneurial boom.  Kansas City in particular has a lot of resources for budding entrepreneurs, including the Inventors Club of Kansas City, KC/IABC and of course, Think Big Partners.

In 2011, Missouri saw the most growth in the manufacturing industry, particularly in automobile, science and agriculture businesses.  Four hundred of every 100,000 Missourians decided to think big and startup as entrepreneurs.  We like those odds. 

So who’s our competition? Arizona is number one by quite a bit, with 520 out of every 100,000 people who caught the entrepreneurial bug this year.   The other top entrepreneurial states include Texas, California, Colorado and Alaska (that’s right—Alaska!). 

Keep on welcoming entrepreneurs to the Show-Me State and encouraging talent to stay local, and we’ll be number one in no time! What do you think draws entrepreneurs to Missouri and the Midwest? Let us know in the comments section!

The Scary Truth About Mobile Entrepreneurship

With One Week KC nearly wrapping up, the still-dedicated entrepreneurs headed over to Union Station Monday, June 25^th, to hear a panel of speakers discuss one of the hottest topics in entrepreneurship—the mobile world of startups.  Panelists shared some great insight about the limitations of the mobile industry and how to overcome them.

The scary truth: we’re running out of data

Allison Remsen of Mobile Future, a company located in the politically-charged D.C. area, discussed one of the big barriers to mobile entrepreneurship in the future—the probability of the mobile spectrum maxing out.  With as many mobile users as there are today (more than the U.S. population!), all of the data being transferred has to slow down at some point. This could take a toll on anybody’s mobile experience by the end of next year! Luckily, policymakers and businesses are becoming more and more aware of this problem; they’re eagerly working to create more data so that those entrepreneurs who rely on this technology can keep their businesses running smoothly. 

Internet for everyone

Toby Rush, founder and CEO of EyeVerify, mentioned another limitation of the mobile business world—inot having “ubiquitous broadband access.”  As coverage expands into more rural areas (like surrounding KC), it will encourage growth of the industry as well.  In his opinion, smartphones have impacted society even more so than the Internet because they allow the of information travel to be nearly instantaneous, meaning that everyone should have access these powerful tools.

Apps are the future of small businesses, and KC needs more developers!

Kansas State Representative Mike Burgess said his main concern was the lack of IT professionals in America.  He’d love to see more programming classes at the high school level, and the others agreed that more incentives for women to go into the career field are necessary as well.  These coders need hands-on experience, so more businesses should take on IT interns in order to help the industry flourish.

Key takeaways?  We need to be aware that we are nearing a data crisis and it will take young software engineers (and their mentors) to help up maintain the mobile scene.  Trust me when I say Kansas City (and the nation) will thank us for it! 

Surviving the Dreaded Talent Show

Squeaky violins and lame magic shows just won’t cut it in the business world.

You’re at a talent show.

And after about a half hour, you want to leave.  After three squeaky versions of Mary Had a Little Lamb on the violin, an awkward ribbon-dancing performance, and a pathetic attempt (with multiple failures) of a magic show, you’ve seemed to have had your fill.  But just as you get up out of your seat, a charismatic 12-year old takes the stage, adjusts the microphone and sings the most beautiful version of Ave Maria that you’ve ever heard.  You quickly sit back down and enjoy the entire performance.  The young girl finishes the song, takes a bow, and the audience (including you) bursts into applause. 

In your head, you think to yourself: “Now that’s talent.”

Let’s face it: at all talent shows, you have to sit through the not-so-talented kids before you get to the real stand-out stars of the evening. 

And the truth of the matter is, you have to go through the exact same process when hiring employees and partners for your new company.  Sometimes, you have to sift through the squeaky violins, lackluster ribbon dancers and awkward magic shows in order to get to the real talent. 

But how do you know who's talented and who's not?  Unlike a talent show, it can be hard to tell from the get-go.  Good news: there are extremely effective processes for interviewing candidates, navigating talent, and hiring and retaining high performers in the work place. 

Inc.com has laid out an amazing resource that centers itself around hiring the best employees for your small business.  Be sure to check out Inc.com's HR Guide seems to cover everything you'll need when searching for employees including:

• Creating job descriptions
• Hiring the first employee
• Determining when you need full-time or part-time
• Hiring quickly
• Screening
• Interviewing
• The Laws of Hiring
• And much, much more!

So if you are sick of the squeaky violins and have seen enough lame card tricks to make your head spin, maybe it’s time to learn how to find the right people for your business.  Now is the time to find people that will bring job-relevant technical skills, initiative, adaptability, and vision to your team. 

Small business owners, listen up.  It’s time to buy your ticket, take your seat, and relax – it’s time to enjoy finding talent in today’s market. 

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, BrooWaha and eZine.  Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig.