024 Think Big Radio: The Top 13 Things Entrepreneurs Cannot Live Without

At Think Big Partners, we try to accommodate to entrepreneurs as best we can.  So we asked people on Twitter and Facebook what they cannot live without as entrepreneurs to gain a little more insight.  Listen to episode 24 of Think Big Radio to find out the 13 (plus some!) things that entrepreneurs cannot live without.

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024 Think Big Radio: The Top 13 Things Entrepreneurs Cannot Live Without

Take a look at our full list below:

1. A sense of humor (from @AllisonThinkBig)
2. A great team (from @AllisonThinkBig and George Brooks of CremaLab)
3. Goals, direction and focus (from @beatnikbusiness)
4. Work-life balance (from @joshmccleary)
5. Passion (from @gimmetim)
6. A challenge (from @Dan_Via)
7. Coffee! (from @Dan_Via)
8. An unfiltered critique of plan, process and product (from @mrjerryjonesjr)
9. Social media (@donpower, @JoinSaloveiTeam, @RexTullius)
10. An iPad (from @EBuckIII)
11. A smartphone (from @KcMoboss, @srfuller, @K12Cloud)
12. Flexibility (from @beatnikbusiness)
13. Apps (from George Brooks via Facebook)

Plus, we have a few extras!

14. Exercise
15. Books
16. Sleep, vacation and breaks
17. High-speed Internet
18. Networking
19. Headphones
20. Ongoing, great ideas
21. Podcasts (and other ways to gather information and advice)

A huge thanks to our Twitter followers and Facebook fans who let us know what they cannot live without!  As an entrepreneur, what could you not live without?  Comment below and let us know!

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

intevli App Launches During Kansas City Crossroads’ July First Fridays

intevli, a free interactive event mapping app created for Kansas City’s First Fridays, will hold its official launch party on Friday, July 6, 2012 at Think Big Partners’ parking lot located at 1800 Baltimore in the Crossroads Arts District.

Created by Van Osdol and Magruder attorney Chris Brown and Adcuda’s vice president of technology Tom Jenkins, intevli has been built to help attendees of large events filter what they do and don’t want to explore.  The launch of the app will focus solely on Kansas City’s First Fridays, an event that takes place every first Friday of the month to celebrate the Crossroads Arts Districts’ art scene, businesses, restaurants and entrepreneurs.

“I think people have confusion about First Fridays,” says Brown. “They don’t know where to go or what to do.  We hope that intevli will draw people in not only from downtown, but from the suburbs too.”

The free app will allow users to explore and filter through events to find what they care about most.  With intevli, attendees of First Fridays will now be able to find out about art events, shopping deals, restaurants, entrepreneurial meetups and even parking availability when they install the app on their iPhones or Android smartphones.

“We need more people, especially from the suburbs, to participate in First Fridays,” says Brown.  “That’s our goal.  We also want to get more people involved in the entrepreneurial community.”

In the future, the intevli co-founders hope to expand its reach beyond First Fridays and become an app for large events such as music festivals, art fairs, barbecue competitions, concerts and more.  Crossroads Arts District businesses are invited to sign up for intevli today to for free event promotion during First Fridays.  Events can be posted at http://intev.li/venue/.

The intevli launch party will start at 6:00pm on Friday, July 6, 2012 (during First Fridays) at Think Big Partners’ parking lot on the corner of 18^th and Baltimore.  First Fridays attendees are invited to come learn more about the app, download it to their smartphones and provide feedback to the intevli team.  The intevli launch party will be a part of Think Big Partners’ Entrepreneur Corner event, which takes place each First Fridays at 1800 Baltimore.  This First Fridays, Entrepreneur Corner will be All-Star themed and will not only feature the new intevli app, but will bring in a baseball pitch speed reader, an opportunity to pitch an idea to camera (Pitch Here, Pitch There), a grand slam photo booth from Life Equals and much, much more!  Learn more here.  

To learn more about intevli, please visit http://www.intev.li.  The app will be downloadable on July 6, 2012. 

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Leaving Corporate America in the Rearview Mirror

WRITTEN BY TYLER PROCHNOW, SENIOR PARTNER AT THINK BIG PARTNERS

There was a time in this country when the prevailing model of a successful career constituted finding a job in corporate America and steadily moving up the ladder for a period of 30-40 years and ultimately retiring with a decent pension and a gold watch.  The ranks of some of our grandest corporate institutions are, to this day, filled with people that define success just that way.  Yet, as we move toward a more advanced technological society, the idea of spending an entire career with a single employer is becoming as rare as people without smartphones.  They are still there, but their numbers are dwindling every day.

Like my mother, who at age (censored) just got her first iPhone, it is never too late to embrace the future.  Even if you are one of those big company lifers, you can still escape from the bonds of the corporate grind and pursue the world of entrepreneurship.  In fact, now may be the best time ever to make the leap.

Given the difficult labor market, now might seem like a time to hold onto that job with both hands and a vice-like grip, but I would argue just the opposite.  Now is the time to let go.  With large companies cutting corporate benefits and the term “job security” just an antiquated notion, no one’s job is truly safe.  Virtually every big company employee is looking over their shoulder at who might be able to do their job for less money, and around the next corner wondering when their job may be outsourced or downsized.  Such prevailing paranoia creates an environment that is not particularly conducive to innovation and growth.  Today's corporate culture is one that discourages creative thinking and rewards a “make no mistakes” mentality.  I talk to so many corporate managers whose entire business strategy consists of keeping their heads down and not taking risks, lest those risks produce a negative result that makes it easy to put them on the inevitable chopping block.  Without taking risks, how is the company ever to move forward and create innovative products or services for their customers?

Despite some concerns about the bad habits that can be obtained in corporate America, I believe these employees have some advantages that may make them the perfect 2012 entrepreneur.  First and foremost, they know how corporate America works!  At some point, you are going to want your new venture to be able to sell to the big corporation.  Knowing just how those companies operate, who makes the ultimate purchasing decisions, and perhaps most importantly, how to ensure you get paid, are all critical elements for a fledgling entrepreneur.  Insider insight into these elements gives you a huge leg up on the competition.

Another advantage corporate escapees may have is an intimate knowledge of the problems inside their former employer.  The most successful startups solve a key problem for some segment of the population.  Often, that segment of the population is a large company.  Many new companies are founded on the premise of solving a perceived problem identified by an outsider looking in.  A former employee should have a clear understanding of the challenges facing their industry and an insider’s advantage on the most efficient way of solving those challenges.

Finally, while I don’t recommend it, and personally believe that it will hinder your chances at success, a corporate employee potentially has the advantage of having a safety net underneath them as they launch their venture.  The unemployed entrepreneur has the difficult task of launching a company and paying the bills at the same time.  Without either significant financing, a sizable savings, or a spouse/significant other that is earning enough, it is difficult for the startup entrepreneur to balance the monetary needs of the company with their personal monetary needs.  Having that paycheck makes this balance a little easier to achieve.

That being said, my personal recommendation is for the entrepreneur to cut the corporate cord completely before launching a business.  A startup venture almost always requires an all-in commitment and having one foot in the corporate camp is difficult.  Trying to straddle the chasm between a job and your new business can be a surefire recipe for failure.

So much attention is paid these days to the college dropouts who started a company in their dorm rooms.  And while those entrepreneurs are deserving of their success and the accolades that go with it, that is still a high risk group to bet on.  If I am looking for the best bet on the board, I’m looking for the startup spawned by a former mid-level corporate manager who knows his market and the solutions that market is demanding.

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