Author Archive
April 4th, 2012
Sarah Gray
Sarah Gray is the co-founder of MercuryApp.com
She is a technical co-founder and entrepreneur with a background in theater directing. Sarah has been developing software professionally for 10 years and worked for a number of early-stage startups before dropping out to build her own products. She is currently working on MercuryApp.com, a life-tracking journal; and has co-founded Technical Advocates, a consulting practice that gives advice to non-technical startup founders.
Sarah is bootstrapping a life where she can dream up and prototype projects then set them loose in the world. She lives in Chicago with her partner in crime, Corey Haines, and her cat, Zak. Sarah is a long-time member of the Chicago Bootstrapper Breakfast group.
March 23rd, 2012
Venue: San Francisco, CA
Date: March 27th
Time: 2pm to 6.30 pm
Details and Registration: http://p42workshop.eventbrite.com/
Description:This workshop is designed to give startups the tools and tips they need to be able to craft powerful stories that move journalists and make them write about your startup. While your startup is the product, your story is your voice.
About the trainer: Alex Barrera is Chief WOWness of Press42.com, a matchmaking platform between startups ands bloggers which aims to help startups expose and interact with the tech media worldwide. He’s also cofounder of Tetuan Valley and StartupBootcamp Europe, two of the leading startup accelerators in Europe. He’s mentor in many startup programs like Springboard (London), HackFwd (Berlin), StartupBootcamp (Madrid), GammaRebels (Warsaw), HugeThing (Poznan) or RockStart (Amsterdam). He’s also editor at The Kernel and occasionally writes for other blogs like Techcrunch Europe.
March 21st, 2012
A pitch for an idea shouldn’t be longer than a minute. That one minute should include how the idea can help people and how it can generate revenue for people.
March 2nd, 2012
You’re a better entrepreneur by delegating tasks that are outside your circle of knowledge. Focus on your strengths and on growing your business. Hire 3-5 people and give them small projects. Pick the one who you find most suitable to work with. Set milestones with them and take stock periodically.
February 21st, 2012
Today, we had an interesting discussion on when the right time to draft a partnership agreement is and the amount of resources to allocate to it. We also discussed ways to meet potential co-founders.
Our members came up with different pieces of advice on forming partnership agreements.
•The agreement need not be stringent. Have something informal put on a piece of paper. It is better to have it at the start of your venture. Different partners have different energy levels and commitment towards the start-up.
•Always form a 49:51 partnership and give one person the authority to arrive at a final decision. Alternatively, you can have a 48:48:2 partnership with one person (owning the 2%) whom both parties trust as the tie breaker.
•Build some sort of checks and balances into your partnership. For instance, one person places purchase orders and the other signs the checks towards paying the orders.
February 2nd, 2012
On February 28th, Brian Woodall of Lamplighter Financial will share his insights on the ‘Financial Preparation for Investor Deals’
Bring your questions on:
• Key due diligence items all investors consider
• How to approach investors
• Maximizing valuations
Location: Heavenly Café, 3116 Oak Rd, Walnut Creek, CA
Time: 7.30 am
Date: February 28th, 2012
Click here to register.
Brian Woodall is the Chief Executive Officer and the founder of Lamplighter Financial. He has been working with small companies for over 13 years in a wide range of finance roles. Brian has a unique blend of expertise in accounting, finance, and corporate transactions that fills a gap in the finance team of most small companies.
Prior to founding Lamplighter Financial in 2011, Brian served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for The Central Valley Fund, a private equity fund focused on investing in small, California-based companies. Prior to working in private equity, Brian worked in Grant Thornton’s Global Public Sector consulting group as a Senior Financial Analyst. He also worked for BearingPoint’s Communications and Content group as a Financial Analyst, focusing primarily on the telecom sector. Previously, Mr. Woodall ran an Internet start-up, TheBullseye.com, which focused on global financial markets. He was also an Associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit and consulting groups.
January 11th, 2012
Bootstrappers won’t like the recently enacted patent reform law. Called the America Invents Act, it was signed by President Obama on September 16, 2010 and takes effect March 16, 2013. It provides for a “first to file” patent system. Currently a patent is awarded to the first person to invent and reduce the invention to practice, even if they file up to a year after invention. With the new law the patent will be awarded to the first person to file for the patent and the one year grace period will be gone.
Pete Tormey will talk about ‘America Invents Act”’ and answer questions about its implications for bootstrapping technology startups.
Cocos 1206 Oakmead, Sunnyvale, CA
7.30 am Tuesday 17th January, 2012
Pete Tormey moderates our Walnut Creek breakfasts; he is also a patent attorney at Antero & Tormey LLP. He offered his analysis of the new patent law update, the America Invents Act (HR 1249 112th Congress), concluding that it is an unfavorable development for bootstrappers.
October 9th, 2011
Bootstrappers won’t like the recently enacted patent reform law. Called the America Invents Act, it was signed by President Obama on September 16. The law takes effect March 16, 2013. It provides for a “first to file” patent system. Currently a patent is awarded to the first person to invent and reduce the invention to practice, even if they file up to a year after invention. With the new law the patent will be awarded to the first person to file for the patent and the one year grace period will be gone.
While this might seem like no big deal to a bootstrapper, it is a serious handicap.
Pete Tormey will talk about ‘The New Patent Law’ and its implications on Bootstrappers.
Venue: Sandbox Suites, Union Square (567 Sutter Street)
Time: 8.30 am
Date: 21st October, 2011
Pete Tormey moderates our Walnut Creek breakfasts; he is also a patent attorney at Antero & Tormey LLP. He offered his analysis of the new patent law update, the America Invents Act (HR 1249 112th Congress), concluding that it is an unfavorable development for bootstrappers.
September 22nd, 2011
You don’t want to miss this one — on Tuesday Sept. 27, Shawn Green will join us to lead the roundtable discussion about your sales process.
Sales Repair Kit
• Pointers to help you avoid common errors in prospecting and selling.
• Practical tips for effective prospecting on a shoestring budget.
• Open forum to tackle the issues you need help with!
Date: Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
Time: 7.30 am
Venue: Bootstrappers Breakfast Walnut Creek, Heavenly Cafe, 3116 Oak Road
About Shawn Greene
Shawn Greene is a sales performance expert and author of, “I’d rather have a root canal than do cold calling!” She’s had a successful sales training business since 1995 and built it using the same tools and methods she’ll share with us.
Shawn is well-known for providing practical, grounded advice in consultative style selling. Her humor and gentle approach will help you dump mindsets that hold you back. You’ll leave feeling energized and truly empowered. You can get a sneak peek at savageandgreene.com. Shawn also invites you to call her in advance of the meeting.
September 13th, 2011
As per the last poll, EventBrite was the most popular service used for online event registration. Which service is your most preferred now?
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