Compensation is my #1 search
March 19, 2008
The nice robots over at Lijit keep telling me that you want to know more about “compensation” (I presume in the context of startups). As of right now, your search on this blog has been fruitless.
Ok, so now you get to have a search result for your efforts. I’m sure this has made you very happy.
I’d love to know exactly what you’re looking for, so I can share my thoughts on it. Can you comment and tell me what you’re looking for more specifically? Founder compensation? Early executive compensation? CEO compensation? In what situations?
Please don’t tell me you’re looking to “compensate” for some kind of a “shortcoming.” That would freak me out.
Define “competition”
March 19, 2008
I’ve had a couple of personal cases lately where I was amused by a discussion of “competitors.”
They both went something like this: “Oh, them? Yeah, we’re not really competitors.” In each case, the company blogged how they weren’t really competitors, but just happened to have some of the same customers. They were really very different, they said. Hell, they even kinda liked the other guys, they were cool too. The market just didn’t understand the distinctions yet.
And in both cases, the market clearly viewed them as competitors. Not casual competitors, but major, direct, head-to-head, winner-takes-all type of competitors.
You do of course have the choice of whether or not to recursively ignore the ignorance of the market. Very consciously and strategically, you may choose to not expend energy worrying about a particular competitor because you have a different vision. In this case, you are basically saying “I don’t care about that (non) competitor.”
The deep (and I would think incredibly obvious) thought for startups is that the market (and not you) will define who your competition is. With markets, we know perception is all that matters.
Given that this is the case, you should be able to grasp that you have absolutely no control over who your competitors are going to be.
And the fact that they’re there should actually be reassuring.
None of this changes the fact that you simply must execute by listening, reacting, taking chances, measuring, and just making customers so generally happy that they’re downright annoying when they gush about you so much.
Arguing about whether or not a particular company is actually a competitor (or not) is such a waste of energy. Just go kick their ass, right along with everybody else’s.
Facebook Developer Garage
March 18, 2008
On March 27th, the first Denver/Boulder Facebook Developers Garage is taking place. My long time friend Kevin Cawley is the main instigator. According to the info I’ve seen, “This Forum brings together developers and entrepreneurs working along side of angel investors and venture capitalists whose combined interests lay in developing applications that leverage the social graph.”
Head over to the related Facebook group to learn more about this and find details about the event.
This, and many other startup related events for the tech community, can be found on our events calendar. Go subscribe!
Listen to your gut
March 17, 2008
Today I read a couple of great posts on two common aspects of the entrepreneurial experience. One is about working with potential investors, and the other is about bringing in a partner. In both cases, the lesson was “listen to your gut feeling.”
It took me a month (sorry Scott, I’ve been busy) to get around to a post by Scott Converse called “How this founder found the right CEO.” This one pertains to trusting your gut when looking for a CEO or partner in your business.
The second was Ari Newman’s great post called “trusting your gut when fundraising.” Here, Ari recommends trusting your gut when dealing with potential investors.
I was actually involved in both of these cases and therefore know all the gory details. Both Ari and Scott always do a great job of regularly reflecting on their experiences, and these posts are great examples. I suspect that blogging about what they’ve learned helps them solidify their thinking and move on. And yes, I’m sure it’s cathartic.
Micah Baldwin on SXSW
March 17, 2008
I didn’t get the chance to head down to SXSW this year, but from the sound of it Colorado was well represented. Gwen wrote a bit about her experience down there, and what follows below is a guest post by Micah Baldwin on the same subject. Micah asked if he could chime in with a guest post, and I love Micah’s hilarious and occasionally-straight-up blog (Learn To Duck) so I thought he would have some interesting perspectives. Micah is the VP of Business Development at Lijit.
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Every year, thousands of people in the interactive space descend on Austin, TX for SouthbySouthWest Interactive (aka “South By” or SXSWi). The Colorado tech community was no exception, with representatives sponsoring events, speaking on panels, and in the case of SocialThing, using the conference as a platform to launch their company publicly.
Here is a quick rundown of what Colorado startups were involved in at SXSW.
SocialThing:
Of all the Colorado companies at SXSW, SocialThing considered the conference highly important in their marketing plan.
Following on the heels of DodgeBall in 2006 and Twitter in 2007, SocialThing hoped that SXSW would be the launching pad for their digital life management application. Prior to coming to SXSW, SocialThing had developed an iPhone version of their application, that they wanted to see on every iphone at the conference. In addition to sponsoring a party at the Pure Volume Ranch (the only venue in Austin to stay open past 2am), they had two exhibit booths, with Rock Band setup (there were no less than two Rock Band parties, and several Rock Band setups in the exhibit hall, clearly everyone loves this game).
Their party was a relative success, with a packed house and internet luminaries such as Pete Cashmore of Mashable and Robert Scoble of FastCompany.tv attending, and more importantly, during the party SocialThing was TechCrunched.
While I am not sure if they could be labeled “the break out app of SXSW 2008″ (In fact, Michael Arrington tweeted and blogged that their competitor, FriendFeed, might in fact be), they did a great job of creating awareness and buzz. One tweet, from Ben Brightwell, the SocialThing CTO, showed that SocialThing had gotten 10x the signups that they normally get in a single day. Time will tell if the expenditure and effort will push SocialThing in front of a very crowded space.
Survey Gizmo:
Scott McDaniel and Derek Scruggs of Survey Gizmo headlined the panel: Core Conversation: GTD for Startups: Getting Things Done in the Real World. The Core Conversation panels are some of the most insightful and attended panels at SXSW.
Villij:
Another TechStars company, Villij’s lead investor brought the team to SXSW, and among other things, Anthony Dimitre’s logo for the greatest Rock Band band of all time, could be seen everywhere.
StartupWeekend / VCWear:
While these are two very different companies, they are lead by one dynamic individual, Andrew Hyde. Andrew was on the panel Bankrupt your Startup in Five Easy Steps, which was covered in Wired (best line of the article: “Since the whole panel was about failing at startups, it was appropriate that Strebel, Tierney and Hyde failed at their panel”, and attended by a unicorn. He also was interviewed by Loren Feldman of 1938Media about StartupWeekend, and many of the past attendees of the event were at SXSWi. But, the real breakout of SXSWi was VCWear, an (almost) joke that has grown into a profitable Colorado based company, with a distribution deal and several celebrity endorsers, including Guy Kawasaki and Techstars Mentor Eric Marcoullier.
Several panelists and keynotes also repped VCWear, including Gary Vaynerchuk and Kathy Sierra (at about 1min into the video).
Lijit:
Lijit co-sponsored three events: The Colorado Interactive Party with PocketFuzz, The BlogNetworkCamp and Ranch with b5media. Todd Vernon, CEO of Lijit, spoke on the panel: Startup Metrics for Pirates: AARRR! and was interviewed by Robert Scoble, who is a Lijit user. I (Micah) was interviewed for BlogTalkRadio and got the greatest Rock Band band’s logo tattooed on my arm. Tara was interviewed by b5media’s Aaron Brazell, The Conversation Group’s Deborah Crooks, Deborah Schultz and Jason Falls, of Social Media Explorer TV.
One by One Media and RonaldLewis.com:
Jim Turner, Social Media expert and Daddy Blogger, attended SXSWi, as did our very own Ronald Lewis, who spoke on a panel: Where Are The Black Tech Bloggers?
PocketFuzz:
PocketFuzz headlined the wildly successful Colorado Interactive Party (co-sponsored by Lijit). With more than 3,000 attendees and a line that got so long that at 3:30am more than 500 people were sent home. Danny Newman of Pocketfuzz continues to throw the biggest party of SXSW. Their SMS to screen technology was showcased especially during the Digg party where thousands of SMS messages were displayed on two screens, and the SMS messages came from all over the world.
Colorado Startups - listen in
March 15, 2008
I have no idea if anybody will use this, but the guy who runs this startup reached out to me to see if I would install his blog-to-audio tool called BlogBard.
Basically, this thing enables my blog to be heard instead of read. One of the neatest features is their iPhone support. It also allows you to subscribe via iTunes. Check it out and let me know what you think. Goofy or useful?
PlayCoed.com acquired by Sportsvite.com
March 14, 2008
Denver-based startup, PlayCoed.com, a social utility for recreational sport, was recently acquired by New York-based Sportsvite.com for an undisclosed amount.
PlayCoed.com is a recreational sports community of men and women over the age of 21. It allows players to find teams and leagues, register, check schedules, establish rules, and communicate with other players, captains and organizers. The site also caters for sports organizers who have access to a host of features such as scheduling, registration, and communication.
Mike Downey founded PlayCoed.com in 2005, out of his need for a utility for organizing his sports activities, as well as a “Facebook” for recreational sports. Mike grew PlayCoed.com to 35,000 users until the time of acquisition by Sportsvite.com (Sportsvite.com raised $2 million in funding in 2007 from Grace Drive Management). At the time of acquisition, PlayCoed.com was profitable with revenue streams from sponsorships and small surcharges on payment processing.
Congratulations to Mike and his team at PlayCoed.com in Denver.
SXSW: My Top 8
March 14, 2008
I just returned from the South by Southwest conference in Austin. SXSW Interactive has turned into a great annual event for the tech world, and Colorado was very well represented this year.
It’s a challenge to say what I loved most about SXSWi 2008, but if I had to narrow it down to the best 8, for me, it would be these:
8) The People of SX
The first morning I got to Austin, Laurie from sk*rt let me know I could come meet her and the rest of the girls at Halcyon, where Dooce’s very own Heather Armstrong was holding court (alongside Jon, one of my design heroes). I got there to find a line from one end of the cafe to the other. That same morning I met Shannon from Shopify/jadedpixel. I sat next to and perhaps drooled on Hillary/quepol on the plane ride home. Super cool ladies, all around.
The Technorati crowd is an amazing thing to behold. We’re talking gorgeous, friendly, intelligent people. It feels like a down-to-earth version of Hollywood. I talked with Veronica Belmont, Tantek and Moby all in one evening. That’s a party!
It was a morning party of sorts, but the Java Morning with the sk*rt chicks was a blast. I got my official editor tiara and saw all three of the co-founders at their best and cutest. Really an honor to be part of such a talented team.
7) The Food
I ate the most delicious apple-full gingerbread pancakes I’ve ever had at Magnolias (pictured above). The Texas toast at Austin Java was infused with cinnamon and decked out with whipped cream and strawberries.
6) The Trade Show
Magnetic balls, a miniature bookstore with independent books, a bar. The trade show buzzed with electricity. I helped in the booth for Socialthing! (email me if you need an invite, I have 1000000) and got to meet Justin(tv) and a few other folks just through evangelizing the service. People were inquisitive and really wanted to walk through the site. I got to play educator and entertainer all at once. Talking up TechStars and Boulder. Not saying I could do it all the time, but for a week, most definitely. Some of the most fun I’ve had this year.
5) The Parties
Most parties warmed up around one or two in the morning. I admit I’m not a late-nighter as a rule, but I had a blast partying this past week. Highlights: The Socialthing! party was an absolute highlight for me. The team was on fire. We talked with folks late into the night and I didn’t stop smiling for most of it.
The DIGG party was mind-bogglingly packed. The Rock Band party (for which the Socialthing! Dev team and I performed Radiohead’s Creep and all scored above 90%) was mad fun. I got to hang out w/the lovely Monica Danna, Erica O’Grady and the Houston kids. And that was the last night of SXSWi.
4) The Weather
Living in Boulder we infrequently get the moody skies like Austin does (not that I’m complaining about near-constant sunshine, mind you). I was in Austin this time of year four years ago doing my yoga teacher training. What was most striking about both these trips is the way each day almost seems to cycle through an entire season. The morning greets you with birds chirping. Sometimes it rains a little. The day is often cooler in the afternoon. The sunsets are delightful.
I <3 Austin.
3) The Biz Cards
I’m going to write a post dedicated to my favorite business cards from South by Southwest. There are so many that struck me as tiny pieces of art. There’s a site dedicated to the business cards of SX. People take this stuff seriously and it shows.
2) The Service People
I was surprised by how friendly people in Austin are. I got on a bus and the bus driver talked me through the entire bus system in about 30 seconds. He was informative and funny. Waitresses and shopkeepers, same deal. There’s a convenience store right up the street from Pure Volume Ranch where the sweetest old couple actually let me in a few minutes after close so I could buy a Rice Crispy Treat. I mean, seriously sweet.
1) The Pitch
Some people hate it. I love it. I love it when people pitch me and tell me what’s turning them on about what they do. Entrepreneurs have an enthusiasm that’s unflagging and contagious. And that’s why I do things like SxSW. To tap into and help catalyze that enthusiasm.
This week was the cherry on top of an already delicious cake. Proof that techy = sexy. As if you needed more proof.
Overheard
March 12, 2008
- Andrew Hyde had quite a time at SXSW this year, including promoting VCWear and filming a quick elevator pitch with Guy Kawasaki.
- Somewhat Frank covers 5 Colorado companies who presented at the recent Tech Cocktail in Boulder.
- rentBits.com today announced the beta launch of its rental search engine, offering renters one place to find available rental homes, condos and apartments. RentBits is a subsidiary of Rent Marketer, and is run by the same ex-Google crew. I covered Rent Marketer in November.
- Boulder named America’s smartest city for the second year in a row.
- The Venture Hacks twitter feed continues to entertain.
Did you miss the original Startup Weekend? Now’s your chance.
March 10, 2008
The Startup Weekend phenomenon in which a community comes together to build and launch a startup over a weekend started right here in Boulder less than 9 months ago, and since then has taken off with events in Toronto, Hamburg (Germany), New York City, Houston, West Lafayette, Boston, D.C., Chapel Hill, Atlanta, San Francisco, London, Los Angeles, Seattle, and more.
Upcoming weekends include San Antonio (May 16-18), Portland (May 23-25), Memphis (May 30-June 1), Ann Arbor (June 20-22), and… you guessed it… BOULDER II (March 21-23).
The first Startup Weekend here in Boulder prompted me to write my top ten reasons to go. It’s my opinion that you don’t go because you want to build a successful startup in a weekend - you go because you learn a ton about the process, make great new connections, and have a truly memorable life experience. If you give it your all (I wrote 100 blog posts last year for VoSnap during the weekend, and we ended up being TechCrunch’d) you’ll need some time to recover, so plan for it.
Learn more about Startup Weekend and register for upcoming events at StartupWeekend.com.
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