Tag Info

Hosts get to choose their own topics for their sessions, depending on their area of expertise. Just to name of few of last year's (there were about 250): "Social Investing, Social Entrepreneurship and Social Profit" "Build a NonProfit that Lasts" "Top 10 Legal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs" "Integrating Social Media Into Your Marketing Plan" "Don't ...

Ricardo - I'm making a point of attending the Business of Software conference (in Boston in October this year). I attended last year's event and thoroughly enjoyed it - lots of great speakers and plenty of useful content. This year's speaker line-up looks good. Given that I'm UK-based, and am in my first year (some way off turning a profit), this is a ...

Here's a trick to find multiple web apps that do X. Find one and then go to http://crunchbase.com and type in the name of that company and then look down on the left for the "Competitors" section. Registration event services: Eventbrite RegOnline amiando TicketLeap Acteva Ticket Text Guestlist Eventat CharityHappenings.org/ticketing Eventarc ticketea ...

For a web business, particularly where the site is the business, naming is unavoidably about what domain names are available. Generating a list of words related to your business, combining them with each other, positive adjectives, and common prefixes/suffixes can yield some good results. LeanDomainSearch.com is my go-to tool these days. You type a word, ...

It depends on the stage of your company and your industry. Blue Fish is a software development and consulting firm that I founded over ten years ago. Over that time, I've attended several different conferences focused on different aspects of running a business. Below are some of my favorites. For general entrepreneurial concerns, I recommend the ...

The more awesome the swag, the more people want it. Even at conferences with 1000's of people we could give away books to 40%-50% of the attendees. At conferences which were less relevant it was down around 15%. At small conferences (500 or less) it could be 80%. How hard is it to ship extras home? If not hard, take extras -- no reason to run out. $7 ...

Naming companies is really hard work... I think it's unavoidable to be frustrated with it at times, you just have to keep at it... The Igor naming guide is a classic, IMHO a must-read. I think that compound names which signal what the company does (fx YouTube, LinkedIn) are good, and probably the easiest to build a brand around early on. One way of ...

How about a session on taxes? I wonder if everyone knows about the R&D credit. (I didn't until 6 years after starting our company). Also, could touch on options vs. restricted stock grants, 83b elections, etc.

Gary! I can't yet commit to being at SIC but I think there's a few topics that need presentations by someone: From Desktop to Cloud: What a longtime microISV needs to know about the changing world of cloud-based apps. Selling more than your application. How to monetize your expertise outside of your product for fun and profit.

I would shop locally. We have a great locally-owned apparel store down the street from us. They can produce silk-screened and embroidered items in very low quantities, but more surpisingly, they have access to everything I can find on the Internet. And not only that, they can consult with you to provide the best specific item for your need (I'll bet, for ...

I would advise you to stay away from any startup-oriented conferences that ask you to pay (e.g. for a booth or exhibit) to meet investors. These seem to be a regular scam, many of which have very few if any bona fide investors. You'll meet other other entrepreneurs (so if you can attend without paying much for a booth, it might be good for you) and a lot of ...

I would start with the conferences that are local if you want to save money. There is a good chance that you are within driving distance of a http://techcocktail.com and potentially a http://www.startupweekend.com to network. There is SXSW, which is pretty huge in you are near Austin. I can't speak on any of these listed since I have never been, but I ...

No. So many other things compete for my time. If you don't put them up for free I am likely to just pass. As someone else pointed out - there are so many lectures and other quality videos for FREE that you have some unbeatable competition. You will likely set yourself up for unmet expectations.

Go. Stop worrying. Build enthusiasm. Listen. Share. Take names. Follow-up. You can't launch your startup and hide like a mouse afraid someone will take your idea. There are tons of people you don't know who have great ideas overlapping in your space. What will allow yours to succeed is the way you implement. And to do that -- you need to share it and ...

If you are in business it is virtually always a good idea to promote your business; unless of course you are hoping all your customers will go away so you can shut the doors. It is never too early to promote your business. If for some reason a conference has rules about who can present formally that might exclude for some reason, get creative. For example ...

First of all, you guys need a contract between yourselves, I would bet that one does not exist, if it does then you're on the right track. Something that spells out the equity share and the responsibilities of each participant as well as other details as to what would happen to assets if the partnership is dissolved as well as what you will do with the money ...

Check out: StartUpDigest: You can choose your market area, then receive weekly updates on local events and opportunities. Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrpreneurs (SVASE): Their calendar usually includes both SVASE and non-SVASE events. Hackers & Founders: (Note -There are several Silicon Valley Meetup Groups that have numerous small events ...

The most valuable outcome for your startup would be to identify (or validate) a common and important problem you can solve and to identify prospective early adopters for your solution. So yes, network with presenters - but if you have a room-full of delegates for a relevant session, many of those could become valuable relationships too. So network with the ...

I'd recommend that you go to that conference. Here are a few good reasons. You indicate that you have never been to a conference or networked. So you are clearly behind. If you had said that you already have attended all conferences in your space and know everyone, then you probably could skip that one. The other point that worries me is that you sound ...

Take a look at the conference/judging/listing criteria and put yourself in the judges shoes. Ask yourself the following questions Why you (or me)? How are you different from the other 300 applicants that we are interviewing? How do you fit in with the mandate or objectives of the conference? Once you have a basic script, record it and rehearse it till ...

We use both FreeConferenceCall.com and Skype at my company. FreeConferenceCall.com works flawlessly if you just want to use plain old telephones for your call. We also use Skype and Skype Groups/Conferences. This works great if you want to add video to the mix, but you've got to be in front of your computer and either have built-in mic & speakers or ...

read the articles on venture hacks about pitching, in particular "High concept pitches for startups" also you can get in front of Angel investors and VC's through Angel List (i can only post 1 link due to a lack of reputation points, but you can find a link to it from venture hacks)

I would strongly encourage you to attend the Software Industry Conference (SIC) this July 15-17 in Dallas TX. SIC is a three day event that includes informative, educational breakout sessions covering a wide variety of topics that are critical to the success of MicroISVs. It culminates with a Networking Gala Dinner that gives software developers, Service ...

Many of the conferences also post their archives online so you can browse pervious talks. Have a look at http://wiki.businessofsoftware.org/ and the postings on http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/ for for really useful stuff. I am a big fan of the BoS conference if you want a really intense and mind-blowing 3 days....

Like everything else, the cheapest place to get schwag is China. We used Global Sources to find webcams, and we got them on time with our logos and everything for $3.10 (You need to order several hundreds). What is your budget? How much schwag are you looking to buy?

$6-$7 sounds expensive... We gave out webcams that cost us $3.1, so I wonder what you will be giving away. The thing is, unless people know that there is only a limited quantity, they won't feel any hurry to get your stuff early, which means that the effect you are going for will now happen. Some people will get the stuff, and be happy but won't be aware ...

I agree with your approach of creating some scarcity (because that does indeed increase demand). If everyone is guaranteed to get the swag, less people will want it. And, for most higher-end items, the marginal cost does not go down that much at higher volume (not like it does with printed stuff) Personally, I'd lean towards a lower volume of swag that ...

Taken from http://blog.fairsoftware.net/2009/04/29/the-3-cant-miss-meetings-for-entrepreneurs-visiting-silicon-valley/ Startup2Startup.com SDForum Meetups If you are talking about large, yearly conferences, TC50 is great.

Look for local meetups. These are more like intimate group get-togethers than conferences. You will benefit from stimulating group discussion and networking. Also search for local "unconferences" and podcamps. It's quite possible you will get more opportunities from constantly participating in free or low cost local events than spending a greater investment ...