Bootstrapping with Beenken

•    In some ways, this video isn’t too far off from the truth on today’s tech start ups – obviously I am generalizing – please don’t send me a bunch of hate mail on how your start up is different.
•    Looking for a way to manage social media?  Check out the Roost.
•    Who doesn’t love a good freebie now and again (or in my case, all the time)?  And if you are going to the trouble of using a promo item for your small business, read this first for a few tips.
•    This one doesn’t have a ton of great stuff in it, but I mention it based on the sheer power of all things Harry Potter.
•    If you are constantly hearing “no” as you look for a lending source for your start up, don’t overlook the credit union industry as a source.  Chad Lyons has a good piece here about CU’s as a viable source for business loans.
•    Not really sure if I am a Mark Cuban fan or not, but he has some good advice for those looking to pitch a VC
•    Iowa’s new economic development arm, IPEP, is taking some pretty big hits to their operating budget.  Over the last several years they have trimmed it from over $30 Million to just $8.55 Million for fiscal 2012.  It will be interesting to see how this meshes with the Governor’s plan to create 200,000 jobs.
•    Chris Yeh wrote a nice piece for Mashable this week on firm valuations, and why seed stage investments are getting out of whack.  He has some insightful metrics to back things up.
•    Looking for ways to connect with entrepreneurs all over the globe?  Here are a ton of places to connect, share ideas, get info, and maybe find some VC – all online.
•    Start Up Weekends have been around for a little while, but have really gained steam of late and have also broadened their audience beyond the “hacker” community.   Anyone interested in putting one on in the Cedar Valley?

•    If you think start ups are just for young, newly graduated types who have much less to lose (at least financially speaking), this may open your eyes.  So if you have been using age as an excuse to yourself, eliminate that one and start something!
•    Lynn Hicks has a nice article on the challenges start ups face in Iowa. He did a great job of providing awareness to the vast network of service providers out there willing to help.
•    Cedar Rapids’s own Bob Parsons has a little more cash in his pockets after this deal with KKR and others.
•    A couple of the tech firms from my incubator got some pub this week, so of course I need to spread the good news here.  They have merged an SEO firm and a web marketing firm under one umbrella, TargetClick Marketing.
•    I watch a little Pawn Stars from time to time on History, and am a pretty big fan of Rick Harrison.  He’s actually got some great advice on entrepreneurial success.

•    One of our former tenants, Cohesive, did a hilarious re-make on The Office in honor of their big move to Hudson – check it out
•    Ever wonder who the big timers on Twitter are – at least in the small business world – here you go
•    Seth Godin has a huge following, and for good reason.  With this one he takes a quick look at “FEAR” and its strong abilities to slow you down.  It’s a very quick read for those looking for a little motivation to jump in the deep end of the proverbial entrepreneurial pool.
•    I put this one up only for those who can’t think of a solid business idea themselves.  It’s mostly a play on trends – aging population, crappy economy – nothing too earth shattering, but a decent starter for those looking for a business idea to run with.
•    A quick 101 on QR codes for your business.  This is a great guide for a soup to nuts list of how to launch one at your start up.

•    Sean Eichenberger offers up his top 35 movie quotes on business.  It’s a little weak, but sometimes I think that is the point with these guys who want to get some comment traffic on their posts.  How you can have a list like this and leave out “Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”   (Rounders) is beyond me.
•    A little primer on why cash flow trumps profit for a start up.
•    I’m not a Thomas Friedman reader, but I know I should be.  He wrote a nice piece earlier this week in the Times, mostly covering Linked In founder Reid Garrett Hoffman’s new book.  But aside from the obvious book push, he offered up some great insight on how the job search game is changing, and for that matter so is keeping a job.
Finally the video of the week courtesy of Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffet – enjoy the weekend kids

•    For those of you looking for outside cash to fund a start up, here is a little Angel Investor 101
•    This is pretty basic, but it’s also right on the money in terms of a guideline for putting an investor pitch together.
•    Most of the info I highlight is about growing your business, but not everybody makes it.  If you are looking at closing up shop – read this first.  I really like the point about knowing what parts of your business are profitable/unprofitable.  If you don’t know that, I think there is still time to resuscitate.
•    Corporation or LLC – this piece offers some high level advice on what to consider.  For most firms, taxes play the biggest role, so start with your accountant.  Of course, they’ll just tell you to talk to your attorney.
•    Iowa stays in the top 10 of USA Today’s best states for business, though we dropped a bit.
•    Looking for a small business loan, and having trouble coming up with one?  You’re not alone, deal flow is way down.   If you have had the door slammed in your face, try a community bank or Iowa MicroLoan as a great option as well.

This blog is a repost from MyEntre.Net, read the original post here.

•    3 easy steps to becoming a millionaire.  Not sure how “easy” they are, but yeah, these are the steps.  I don’t know if LUCK is considered a step, but having a ton of that sure helps too.
•    Be sure to read the fine print as you explore crowdfunding options for your start up.
•    A few nuggets on some of the most successful start ups ever.  Dare to dream kids.
•    Are you suffering from PPD – Pathetic Presentation Disorder – with your PowerPoint decks?  Guy Kawasaki is the man when it comes to this stuff and offers a few tips to Lisa Nirell at Fast Company.
•    Its been 100 years since IBM opened its doors – much has changed, but the mission never has.  According to The Economist, that’s what has kept them around so long.  I guess the message here is to focus on your people and your processes as the product will always change.
•    I’m not on this list, but I completely agree with most of the bloggers mentioned here.
•    Is Googlelytics – I just made that word up – telling you that your site has high bounce rates?  Take a breath – and then check out these tips.
•    Its official, mobile app consumption has now surpassed web surfing in terms of daily consumption of each.  Does your business have a mobile-friendly presence yet?
•    A few ideas on free and near free web services to help you get your start up off the ground on the cheap.
•    Finally, our video of the week to keep with the “becoming a millionaire” theme, courtesy of BNL with a little help from Weird Al of all people http://youtu.be/NhqyiqUe7uE

This blog is a repost from MyEntre.Net, read the original post here.

•    Tony Hsieh is an amazing entrepreneur made very famous by his work with Zappos and their corporate culture of customer service and creativity among other things.  Here is a quick Q&A about some of that.
•    Are you doing your own book keeping?  Here is a little advice on booking sales. 
•    Ranking last in anything is usually not so great.  For women owned businesses in Iowa, it’s something we need to work on.  American Express OPEN just finished a nice piece based on new census data related to women owned businesses and will open some eyes here in Iowa.  I get that we have a slow-paced population growth, Midwestern aversion to risk, et cetera, but other states also fit that mold and seem to be doing better (the Dakotas, Wisconsin). 
•    Guy Kawasaki offers some tips on how to be likeable on line.  Most of it is the same as how to be likeable offline.  Don’t be over the top, offer something of value, simple stuff that I guess people forget when they are online. 
•    Prospective small business owners are always on the hunt for cash, and grants from the government always seems to be the implied place to get it.  The truth is, there isn’t much there, and what is there is really focused on specific industries.  The question mark suit guy doesn’t help in terms of propagating the myth that the government has hand outs for small business.  The Journal recently did a piece on the whole small business grant game. 
•    While Uncle Sam might not have cash for your small business, crowd funding sites are a much more realistic option.  And there are tons of them out there now.
•    Finally, the video of the week in honor of my fishing trip to Canada this past week is a little Brad Paisley- I’m Gonna Miss Her

This blog is a repost from MyEntre.Net, read the original post here.

•    Oprah’s retirement has been much talked about, and while I don’t think I have ever seen one complete episode (probably wouldn’t admit it if I had), she’s done 4,560 of them, I can see where there would be some take aways for any start up.  The most important I can see is her treatment of the fans.  Loyalty is built on those actions.
•    There is more that you can learn from a Jay-Z and Warren Buffet interview with Steve Forbes than you think.  Some good advice on staying focused, finding your niche, and other nuggets that every start up needs to remember.
•    I never thought Ashton Kutcher would make my blog based on his tech investing acumen, but with Skype, Foursquare, and others in his portfolio, the time has come.  Now the Register wants him to invest in Iowa.
•    Looking for some summer reading?  Business Insider has a few ideas for you. I’m still working on Snowball; it’s been almost six months, so I am hoping to finish it up soon.  Thanks to the Twins demise I seem to be finding a lot more time for reading.
•    Thinking of hiding your side business from your employer?  My advice parallels this stuff, get it out there because they will just find out anyway.  Just ask The Vest about hiding stuff.
•    A little 101 on how to create a mentoring relationship, from TechStars David Cohen.
•    More evidence that peer to peer is gaining traction – Prosper.com already has 1 million users!
•    Some tips for those trying to figure out what the heck to put out on Twitter, (or Facebook for that matter).  These ideas are usable anywhere.
•    Nice shout out to Iowa MicroLoan and the good work they do.  Their efficiency numbers in terms of jobs created speak for themselves.
•    US News put out a report on the cities with the highest real incomes or buying power – nice to see Des Moines atop the list.  Housing prices are a big factor in the numbers, with not as much attention being paid to the “quality of life stuff” – but it’s still great to see Iowa get some love.
•    So you thought Lady Gaga couldn’t teach you much about growing your start up?  The Journal found a few ways.
•    Finally the video of the week, in homage to a little heat finally making its way to our Midwest summer – here is George Harrison from ’72 doing Here Comes the Sun

Regionalization becomes a contest
It seems everyone is doing a contest these days.  Pepsi, Intuit, the local bait shop I go to, heck we are even doing them with Dream Big Grow Here.  Late last week the Obama Administration jumped into the pool with their own version of economic development contest – albeit with a little more $$$ than others – with their launch of the $33 Million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.
The Challenge is all about creating regional ecosystems for economic growth – think Research Triangle, Silicon Valley, or some crazy stuff you built on Sim City back in the day.  Its become widely printed and talked about that the way forward with job growth is all about regionalization, talent development, entrepreneurial development, and other organic methods of growth.  Recruiting the transmission plant in from Somewhereville, Indiana and their 800 jobs isn’t a viable strategy anymore. 
I completely agree with those philosophies and am thus pretty excited about this new challenge.  I see it as a tremendous opportunity for us here in the Cedar Valley, the state of Iowa, and the Midwest in general.  Too often we have competed and compared ourselves to neighboring states.  That works great for football and basketball, but with entrepreneurial development, I think we need to get beyond those borders. 
The Challenge lays out that they want to see regions with specific capabilities in various fields.  This gives that region an identity and something to leverage and build on.  As Midwesterners we know manufacturing, in the Cedar Valley specifically, we have a ton of advanced manufacturing going on – specifically in the ag industry.  That niche connects us to the Quad Cities and to Peoria for sure.  Why not build on that?

This blog is a repost from MyEntre.Net, read the original post here.

• As a bootstrapping extraordinaire, I love articles like this
• A quick Q and A with Start Up America’s Scott Case
• Thanks to Steve Strauss of USA Today for the shameless plug on business incubation
• This one has gotten a lot of play from the Times, Yahoo, CNN, etc, but its pretty cool to see that you don’t need much of anything in terms of cash to get a solid business off the ground and making dough. 
• Thinking about becoming an entrepreneur – take this quiz first.   Its maybe a little dramatic, but pretty accurate when it’s all said and done.
• Before you start, make sure you’ve got a customer or two in mind and you’ll be way ahead of the game.
• I’m a big Guy Kawasaki fan, so when I saw this, I was pretty stoked.  He has a nice analogy on bakers and eaters and points on keeping the Hate off your Wall. 
• For those still trying to figure out how to use Linked In for more than getting close to Kevin Bacon, check this out. 
• Thanks to our latest census numbers, there are tons of posts out there analyzing the numbers – this one is courtesy of Richard Morrill at the U of Washington. 
• How to survive under stress like a Navy SEAL.
• Rhonda Abrams used her most recent column to throw out a few nuggets on how to succeed over the long haul. 
• We always talk about the power of free press.  Sure, many of us no longer see a daily paper or even a weekly paper in print, but the press is still a pretty powerful engine.  This is a good summary of how to get them to throw a little ink your way.
• Martin Zwilling put together a top 10 on the items every $$ seeking business plan needs.  I’ll add one more to the mix.  In my short experience in the VC world, if you aren’t likable, energetic, authentic, and “sellin it” in those first five minutes, writing the plan is a waste of time. 

Finally, in honor of the passing of long time Twin and amazing man, here is one for the Killer from a few years back

This blog is a repost from MyEntre.Net, read the original post here.

• If you have ever poo-poo’ed the idea of running the fry cooker at McDonald’s – take a look at a few former McD’s chefs who rose pretty far for some inspiration. Oh by the way, they are hiring about 50,000 new burger flippers right now.
• Marty Zwilling wrote a nice piece on social entrepreneurship, for those of you looking to bring a cause into your business model. If you like the idea, but don’t have a cause – you can give to the Dan Beenken Fund. Send me a note and I can let you know how to send checks their way (it’s a great cause by the way).
• Think your business’s social media campaign is a waste of time- maybe not.
• Running a small business is tough stuff, just ask Flavor Flav. Come on Flav, Fight the Power (ok, bad reference, but I had to work that in there somehow)
• Guy Kawasaki has a nice piece with Rob Fuggetta from Zuberance on turning your army of brand soldiers into a free business development team. There are some pretty cool ideas here and most can be implemented on the cheap – which we love here at Bootstrappin’.
• “Bagging an Elephant” is often the key for many startups when it comes to turning the corner on profitability and success. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
• Think your business idea isn’t up to snuff, take a look at some other crappy ideas that turned to gold before you throw that napkin away.
• Guy Kawasaki always has great stuff – here he gives you the mathematical formula for an awesome handshake. Along with a couple other ideas on how to be likeable.

• I’m not an attorney, nor have I played one on TV, but take this for what it’s worth if you have been looking at registering your business as an LLC.
• Working your W-2 to keep your benefits while starting your own entrepreneurial side venture isn’t really all that novel.  But thanks to web technologies, it sure is getting easier.
• If you are new to the crowd funding idea, here is a decent primer.  By now, you can crowd fund for just about any specific subject matter from Australian musicians to mundane link blogs (ok, I made that one up)
• Looking for a way to fund your business start up, that doesn’t involve borrowing – consider a ROBS.
• Iowa has come up big in business-friendly rankings the past few years, but this one doesn’t help.   This interactive map shows we have plenty of high tax neighbors however.  And thank goodness we aren’t in Minnesota or DC.
• With Tax Day just over, this is a little late for 2010, but you still might want to take some advice from GE on how to avoid the tax man.  As my good CPA friend once said, “tax avoidance is just fine, tax evasion, not so much”
• Looks like crowd funding via Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites may not be too far away according to some recent activity over at the SEC.
• In an effort to keep foreign-born entrepreneurs from having to leave the US – and take their start-ups with them – a movement is taking shape to allow for them to stay via Start Up Visa.
• Pretty cool project here locally in Cedar Falls by a group of graphic design students at the University of Northern Iowa transforming  a pretty blah carney food trailer into an eye catching work of art.  My guess is that Eatery Island is going to have a very profitable summer.  Nicely done guys.
• Apparently these are the top 25 biggest Twitter-heads in the Entrepreneurial space.  Not sure why @danbeenken is missing, but whatever.  By the way, if twitter-heads catches on, you saw it here first.
• Quick high-level primer on SEO, for those that only have 10 minutes to do something and less than $10 to do it
• Shameless plug time, my most recent post over at SPN on Clickstop’s growth in Urbana, Iowa.
• Some of the big boys in tech are throwing a little more cash at Start Up America and it looks like soon you will be able to have a change to get some of it.

Finally, the video of the week to get your weekend going, in honor of Gomez coming in for the Block Party.