Entrepreneurness

All of the websites below are well known resources in SV and host conferences and networking events for entrepreneurs. It's always advised to keep an active network going. Some of these conferences can get pretty expensive, I tend to pick and choose which are worth the time and money based on the possible value of learning and connections it can provide. I'll try and update this list as I come across more worthwhile organizations. http://www.women2.org/ Women's entrepreneur group. http://www.astia.org/ Designed for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs who understand the value of extraordinary relationships and believe in the give-back, Astia connects entrepreneurs to investors, industry leaders, advisors, and service providers encircling the entrepreneur with a comprehensive value-ad network. Our role is to facilitate access to the proven pathways to success and deliver results. http://alwayson.goingon.com/ The AlwaysOn Network is transforming the media business by providing ...

So, if you'd like inspiration that you can take basically any idea and take it to company form, here is the proof. 2 guys at a restaurant one day and decided that the taste of bacon was filled with awesomeness. So what did they do? They first developed bacon flavored salt, and now are producing bacon flavored lip balm and mayonnaise. http://www.jdfoods.net/ourstory.php And based on the post below, you may just remember the above paragraph because it is Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, and a Story. I saw the story today one Oprah. You heard me, two guys who formed a company based on the concept that everything should taste like bacon, had a 10 minute spot on Oprah. Not only that, but now Oprah is tweeting on her show. Wow things have changed. Social Media has now taken control of TV, with the internet and iphone applications being top stories on the news. Two days ago one of the top stories on the news station was the 'shaking baby' application on the iphone....

Lately I've been taking a small break from my major projects and have been concentrating more on the photography and videography business. The way I work I can't be on over drive on one project for months at a time, I like to throw in some other projects, take my mind completely off of what I've been working on, and then return to it once my mind has been cleared. That way I can look at it with a fresh set of eyes. I suppose that's the way many artists work. If you spend your time completely immersed in a painting, and never take a step back to look at it, its easy to get lost along the way. I've been reading a book called "Made to Stick". It talks about creating concepts that are catchy so they grab the attention of users/consumers/target audience. The thought behind the book is that about 80% of the successful advertisements follow the same rules. While the advertisements that fail, fail in too many ways to mention. They talk about the acronym, ...

Last night I went to a speaker presentation hosted by Stanford's d.school. The speaker was Andy Spade, who helped found "Kate Spade" and "JACK Spade" with his wife Katie. You may have heard of Kate Spade bags before... The following is a small blurb about him. Spade had over a decade of experience with top advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, and TBWA/Chiat/Day managing accounts with companies such as Coca Cola, Evian, Reebok, Lexus, and Coach. He's the branding and marketing man behind Kate Spade and Jack Spade (the companies that he and his wife created.) He has also been tapped to design the experiences of a number of companies including Delta's Song Airlines and J. Crew retail experiment The Liquor Store. Spade's latest project is Partners & Spade. It includes a highly conceptual retail experience in downtown Manhattan. Beyond all these business ventures, Spade is heavily involved in the art world...

I saw this headline today: "Blogger becomes casualty of Iran cyber-wars", and felt it was worth some words. Apparently a Jewish blogger in Iran was arrested for criticizing the Iranian government. He died today in his jail cell. His blog started out talking about freedom, and the desire for it. I find it amazing to think that even today in our modern society, people are still ruled by fear. The story echos what happened in Berlin, Germany during the second world war. First, they make sure people are scared to speak out. By muzzling people, it makes it harder to unify. It's easier to pick off individual 'annoyances' than a powerful unified opponent. Maybe if we use their thinking, and reverse it on them, we can make sure that we can regain the security of people's freedom. Maybe everyone can unify in the quest for freedom of all people. Its an idealist thought, but with a positive spin on it. Ironic, with even those good intentions, it would have the...

If you are thinking of inventing something new for the world, and would like some inspiration, I offer it here. An invention is any thing, process, or idea that isn't generally and currently known, that can be made tangible in some way. It is a misconception that the day of the successful solo inventor is over. In fact, billions of dollars in royalties and other compensation are paid each year to individual inventors for their creations. You may be also energized to know that 73% of all inventions that have sparked new industries have come from independent inventors. Now, that's just awesome. Recognizing a problem is usually about 90% of the act of conceiving the invention. "To be an inventor is to perceive a need". If you can define a problem with a large enough involved market, or a critical enough need for a small market, you could have an idea with great market potential. The largest piece that leads to a successful outcome for most inventions is defining...

It's my hope that this site will be able to expand into not just a blog for myself, but a community for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinkers. It would be ideal for this place to serve as a site for inspiration and guidance through the complicated journey of creating a start up business. I know people have different talents, and unfortunately I don't have one in web design. If anyone is interested in helping to grow this website from a technical perspective, I'd be interested in hearing from you. I'd like to have different bloggers on this site, and an easy way to people to post and respond to one another. Are you interested in adding to this site, whether it be technically related, or with information and insight? Just contact me, and we'll figure something out.