Getting Connected Business Resource Fair (4/12/2012) Save the date!

This is a unique opportunity to meet, network, and learn from local organizations that assist business owners. Whether starting out or looking to expand your existing business, Getting Connected is a great opportunity! Exhibitors will include non-profit organizations, government programs and agencies, area chambers of commerce, and community development corporations whose mission is to help business owners succeed.

Date: April 12, 2012

Time:  3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location:  Palmer Event Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX
Fee:  Free
For Information:   512-974-7800   www.austinsmallbiz.com 

2012 Dell Social Innovation Challenge

Want to change the world? Start here.

The 2012 Dell Social Innovation Challenge is looking for big ideas from students who want to change the world! The Challenge is open to university students worldwide, in any discipline, at any level of study. Students can compete for $140,000 in cash prizes and one-of-a-kind mentorships and networking opportunities. 

Student teams that want to compete in our Grand Prize Awards must complete their project pages by February 13, 2012 to be eligible for the $50,000 Grand Prize. Projects are also eligible to win one of 17 People’s Choice Awards, chosen by public votes.

Visit DellChallenge.org today to post projects, join university groups, and vote for your favorite social innovation ideas!

Panel Discussion on the Future of Mobile

Event Information
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Time: 6:00 - 9:00PM
Location: AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center, 1900 University Avenue at MLK/19th, Austin, TX 78705

Registration Fees (which include refreshments & garage parking)
Pre-registration: $25.00 (Deadline to pre-register: November 11th at 5:00 PM)
Walk-Up registration: $30.00 (space permitting)
Student pre-registration: $5.00 (with a valid student ID)
Student walk-up registration: $10.00 (with a valid student ID)

Background and Panel Discussion
Over the last few years, the mobile industry has emerged and evolved in ways none of us could have imagined a decade ago. Just as the web opened up countless opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation, so too has the mobile industry. From hardware to connectivity to applications, mobile is increasingly becoming the platform that we rely on for work, play and everything in between.This panel discussion will feature different Austin technology professionals with unique perspectives on mobile trends and what’s in store for us as innovation continues in this space at a breakneck pace. Panelists will present perspectives on application development, mobile commerce, mobile investors and investment, mobile gaming and more. We’ll look at critical innovations that have shaped this industry, challenges that still need to be overcome and opportunities. We’ll also explore whether Austin has the right combination of creative genius, technical talent, entrepreneurial know-how, and access to capital to contribute in a meaningful way to the evolution of the mobile space.

Moderator
Josh Jones-Dilworth, Founder and CEO of Jones-Dilworth, Daily Dot and Totem, and Slashy
The founder and CEO of Jones-Dilworth (and the Daily Dot and Totem and Slashly), Josh helps bring early stage start-up technology companies to market. Previously a leading member of Porter Novelli’s digital practice, he's a prolific blogger (on Mashable's 'Top Bloggers' list and Robert Scoble's 'Top Tech Blogger/Friendfeed/Social Media List') and social media expert with a tremendous amount of knowledge of and understanding of the changing landscapes in the mobile industry. He's a go-to source for everyone from the Associated Press to Mashable, and he is currently an advisor to Buzzstream, MakeMeSustainable, Startup District, Ice Cream Man, GoTime, Plerts, and the SXSWi Accelerator.

Panelists
John Arrow, CEO of Mutual Mobile
John Arrow is a veteran of entrepreneurship with a passion for harnessing disruptive and emerging technologies. His ability to combine market vision with methodical execution has propelled Mutual Mobile, Inc. to become the world’s largest and most called-upon mobile consulting company. Over the last ten years, John founded successful businesses in the online payment processing industry and the consumer and enterprise software spaces. He also created one of the first site targeted PPC advertising networks. An adventurer and an innovator, John founded Mutual Mobile with the vision to unite the best minds in emerging technologies to pursue world changing endeavors.

Rudy Garza, Partner at G-51 Ventures
Rudy started G-51 Capital in 1996 and has served as an investor and board member for >20 companies, selling many to publicly traded acquirers including SAP, ADP, Prudential, and Cisco. Rudy has demonstrated success in seed-stage business identification and development across the country, leading to the firm’s nationally ranked return performance. He is also an active leader in the venture community. Rudy received his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and his BBA from St. Edwards University. He serves as Chairman of the Board of the University of Texas Alumni Association and is a lifetime honorary trustee of the Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

Dave Sikora, CEO of Digby
David founded Digby in 2006 with a goal to accelerate the convergence of mobility and electronic commerce. A veteran of the software industry, he was previously CEO of several successful public and venture-backed private companies during his 25 year business career. He has served as the CEO of Pervasive Software (NASDAQ: PVSW), Question Technologies, Ventix Systems, and Forefront Group (NASDAQ: FFGI, acquired by NASDAQ: SKIL). He has also served on the boards of several companies, including TippingPoint Technologies, Motive, AG Tech, ClearOrbit, Troux Technologies, and Powered, Inc. Sikora has an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Hoan Vu, CTO of Digital Harmony Games
Hoan is a software systems engineer with a passion for gaming. Previously, he co-founded two GPS telematics companies in which he developed and integrated systems that network remote devices via cellular networks. Fearless and innovative, he has a knack for delivering solutions through conventional and innovative approaches. Hoan oversees Digital Harmony's revolutionary new network architecture called "Harmony" that provides a 'Harmonious' cross-platform environment where iOS, Android, and Browser players can play together in one world in real time.

Register - https://ricemba.wufoo.com/forms/panel-discussion-on-the-future-of-mobile/

Negative Networking: and Early Warning System

Negative Networking:

An Early Warning System

by Jan Triplett, Ph.D.

CEO, Business Success Center

Networking is about both giving and taking. It is not, however, only to be used to provide positive information to your network or those you want to add to your network. There really is something that I call “Negative Networking”. I have seen many people use it very effectively, even if they did not have a name for it.

To improve your Networking Success Ratio, you should also be on the lookout for negative information. This consists of any information that can warn you and your network of what or whom to avoid. It is not gossip. It is an "early warning system" that allows you and them to avoid costly mistakes of time, effort and sometimes money.

The members of your network should be on alert, too. If they aren’t this tells you something. Either they are not aware of the value of this to you or they don’t want to or think it’s right. This is a great way to help you evaluate how good your network is.

Negative Networking warned me about a potential client who does not pay his bills; a hotel that turns the lights out on meetings when the hotel personnel feel it is time for them to leave; and a vendor who can't deliver what he promises.

Other examples of Negative Networking might include telling people in your network about:

• A restaurant with bad service or food;

• A company which mistreats its employees or vendors;

or

• Someone who is not a "networker", but is just out for what he or she can get.

Without this information, you could ruin your meeting with a client or a "special someone" by taking them to that restaurant. If you took a job with that firm, you might pass up a job with a better company. If you provided goods or services to them, you might not get paid. All of us get "used" by others sometimes. If you know what to expect ahead of time, you can decide how much time and effort you want to give someone who won't "give" you anything in return.

What are some examples of Negative Networking that have helped you? What have you done to protect your network? Can you think of examples of Negative Networking that would benefit your network or individuals in those networks now?

It’s good to keep a current “Alert” list to know what to watch out for and to encourage members of your networks to do so, too. This is best if it’s based on your knowledge of their goals and their knowledge of yours.

(from A Networker’s Guide to Success, 3^rd Edition, by Jan Triplett)

Gary Hoover classes etc.

Hi Bootstrappers,
(I am one of us now, my 5th startup the Hoover Academy is my first bootstrap!)
I do not want to burden the main email list with promotions, so if you want to be alerted to my upcoming classes, please email me at garyhoov@msn.com and I will add you to my mailing list.
I just don't want to miss anyone who might benefit from my 10-week course in entrepreneurial thinking (next class starts early September, 2011), my new 4-hour class for high school and other students, my new video blog, or my pending entrepreneurial very small group tours to interesting places (likely starting with Mexico City). Details on current programs show up at my blog and website, hooversworld.com.
Thanks for all your support,
Gary

The People Side of Engineering

Product development and design projects are among the most difficult projects to successfully manage. The knowledge workers on these teams are subjected to enormous stress and often the projects still miss their goals. Doug Russell will share his successful approach, used in three corporations, to lead knowledge worker teams to success while not burning the team out (thus allowing them to do “well work”). Doug peppers his talk with real-world stories and anecdotes and presents the information in an interactive and high energy way. Doug will present insights from his recent book, “Succeeding the in Project Management Jungle: How to Manage the People Side of Projects.”

Also, the Harvard Business Review published a timely article, “Why Men Still Get More Promotions than Women,” discussing the ideas of “mentorship” and “sponsorship.” Would your organization be interested in piloting a program that has been shown to be successful in helping more women advance their careers? Leslie Martinich and Donna Imam will announce plans for a new initiative for IEEE Women in Engineering.

Time: Thursday June 9, 6-8:30

Location: El Gallo, 2910 S. Congress.

Register here

Work Space Matters: Tips for Small Businesses

Today's workspaces are changing. New technology, higher real estate costs, and work environment expectations are just a couple of the demands that change the way people work. As a result, start-up companies and small businesses face complex challenges as they attempt to move into their first space, update an existing space, or invest in a new space to create their brand.

Space Matters. It can inspire people to do great things: To engage one another; to think more deeply; to innovate and make a difference.

Turnstone, S. Tipton Studio, HPI Corporate Services, and Link Coworking have created a forum to provide you with insights into our research. This discussion will help you answer key questions on how your space can help you achieve your business goals, attract the brightest talent, and save money and time.

Visit our website at http://www.myturnstone.com/ for more products and information on space, and be sure to connect to the EventBrite link to register for this opportunity to network and learn more.

What if Artists Were Trained as Entrepreneurs?

Our current standard of American arts education is one of “all arts technique and no real business skills”. Graduates often know how to create works of art, but not necessarily how to make a living from their art. This standard causes widespread unemployment for an extreme majority, leading to the starving artist stereotype and “actors really being waiters”. Our standard approach is an antiquated system. We need a new standard. Entrepreneurial training needs to become a central part of arts education, as it can help create jobs, with artists creating opportunities for themselves.

To read more, CLICK HERE

Jim Hart

Bootstrap B2B — Contracts & Rescue Pricing: How Not to Give Away the Farm or How to Get the Farm Back

When: Monday, May 23, 2011 7:00 PM

Where: Business Success Center
Chase Bank Tower 7600 Burnet Rd.
Austin, TX 78757
933-1983



Title: Contracts & Rescue Pricing: How Not to Give Away the Farm or How to Get the Farm Back

Speakers: Jeanine Lehman, Attorney & Jan Triplett, CEO, Business Success Center

This has become a huge issue. If you are thinking about using Groupon, Living Social, or any other kind of mass couponing or discounting, watch out for traps. There are lots of horror stories out there about businesses cutting prices to get customers and then customers expecting that price regularly. Business Attorney Jeanine Lehman will walk you through contract basics so you'll know what you are signing and what you're promising. She'll talk about what you can do legally when you get overwhelmed without finding yourself in violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other laws. Jan Triplett, CEO, Business Success Center will talk about the repercussions of getting caught in these situations and lead the discussion on "Rescue Pricing", how to regain the value-based pricing you need to have to stay profitable and keep the best customers.


This Meetup repeats on the 4th Monday of every month.

For more details, see the full listing:
http://www.meetup.com/BootstrapB2B/events/17551461/

Are you one of Austin's Fittest Entrepreneurs?

With all the pressure of being an entrepreneur, growing a company, managing employees, generating new clients, and burning the midnight oil to stay on top of everything, is it possible to still prioritize health and fitness in your life and with your employees? The answer is not only is it possible, it is imperative for long-term entrepreneurial success!

In 2005, the Journal of Small Business Management completed a study with 366 entrepreneurs and concluded that there was a positive relationship between exercise frequency of the entrepreneur and company sales volume, along with extrinsic and intrinsic rewards*. In addition to this study, many interviews and articles have been written to attest to a positive relationship with an entrepreneur’s health and fitness regimen and their longevity, energy level and success as an entrepreneur.

This month, EvoTrain has partnered up with the Texas Entrepreneurs Network to host a competition to find Austin’s Fittest Entrepreneurs. The mission of the competition is to identify, reward, and promote those entrepreneurs that prioritize health and fitness in their lives and at their organizations. These entrepreneurs are leading the workforce health movement and are creating a better work environment, healthier employees, and reducing healthcare costs for the future by creating a culture of preventative care in the present.

We believe that the fittest entrepreneurs are not necessarily the ones that can do 500 push-ups, have 3% body fat, and run a mile in under 4 minutes. To be a leader in the workforce health movement requires the entrepreneur to lead by example and be physically fit, but also be able to influence their employees and community to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. If that’s you or someone you know, be sure to go to www.fittestentrepreneurs.org where you can register (registration ends May 10th!) and nominate someone you know to compete. The competition takes one hour to compete and we offer multiple dates and times throughout May where competitors complete a 20 minute interview and 30-35 minute fitness evaluation. See Cole Harmonson, CEO of Far West Capital, and Robin Thurston, CEO of MapMyFitness complete their fitness test and interview on our site at www.fittestentrepreneurs.org.

For all of us out there who want to prioritize health and fitness in our lives, but can’t seem to find the time, be sure to follow the competition on Facebook and twitter as we’ll be posting videos, pictures, and results of Austin’s Fittest Entrepreneurs. We hope these entrepreneurs will inspire all of us to make health and fitness a priority and at the same time giving some great tips on how to accomplish that.

We all know Austin’s fitness & entrepreneurial scenes rival any city out there, now it's time to show everyone what we got!

To your entrepreneurial success & health,

Brian Kelly
Director of PR for Fittest Entrepreneurs & EvoTrain
bk@evotrain.com
800-939-1056 ext. 504

To learn more about the competition and EvoTrain – Check out a recent article in the Austin Business Journal here.

*Entrepreneurship and Fitness: An Examination of Rigorous Exercise and Goal Attainment among Small Business Owners by Michael G. Goldsby, Donald F. Kuratko, and James W. Bishop, Journal of Small Business Management 2005 43(1), pp. 78-92

Citywide Internship Fair for Students, Start-ups and Small Businesses

Want an intern this summer? Its not too late and campus2careers can help!

campus2careers has partnered with the Mayor's office, all local chambers, all schools, and more to launch InternInAustin (www.InternInAustin.org), the nation's first citywide internship program. InternInAustin provides start-ups and small businesses with the content, tools, and templates to create an effective internship program, like a Fortune 500. In addition, the program includes training sessions by the SBDP and a citywide internship fair on May 15th at the AT&T Conference Center. This fair is planned and priced for small businesses including:

1. $25 admittance fee will give you access to an estimated 600 students from 8 area colleges looking to intern with a small business this summer

2. The fair is on the weekend so you don't have to take time during your busy workday

3. Speed networking/interviewing (instead of booth discussions) with students (and even other companies), organized by industry

4. A brief training on how to use your intern to manage your social media and other tips to get the most out of the experience

If you are interested in attending the fair, you can sign up at http://bit.ly/ATXInternFair. If you are looking for best practice content on how to build an internship, click www.interninaustin.org. And if you are looking for interns before or after the May 15th event or entry-level new hires anytime, check out www.campus2careers.com to get matched with top talent from over 4k students and recent grads. We hope to see you on May 15th.

ATX Entrepreneur Scene Map

Work Space Matters: Tips to Help You Plan Your (Next) Space

Space matters. It can inspire people to do great things - To engage one-another, to think more deeply, to innovate and make a difference. That's what inspires us at Turnstone.

Turnstone is a brand of Steelcase Inc, which is the largest global furniture manufacturer and space provider. Turnstone’s focus is on small companies, and we support small businesses by providing knowledge, services, and products when it comes to their workspace.

There have been many changes in the office world - especially over the last 20 years. Technology, globalization, 24/7 competition and immediate communication capabilities. All of these elements have affected the demands required of today's office space. Our research has enabled Turnstone to help small businesses when it comes to thinking about their office space needs. We’d like to share some of our research with you around "why space matters".

• What prevents you from being productive at work?
• How does technology help and hinder productivity?
• How do mobile workers stay connected and productive?

On May 4, we have scheduled an event at Link Coworking to provide a panel discussion to dive deeper into our research for small business owners. In addition, we have included two other local companies to share their knowledge and expertise as it related to space: HPI Corporate Services and S. Tipton Studio. These companies will be discussing the details to take into consideration as you research the space for your office, challenges you may face, and to help you simplify the process.

• What type of office space is best for your company?
• How can a designer help a small company?
• How much square footage is really necessary?
• How do you effectively convey your image?
• What about future company growth?

Join us at 6:30 p.m. for an open discussion to help your business spend your dollars wisely as you plan for your next office space.

BB2B: 150 Monkeys in Cyberspace

Where: Business Success Center, 7600 Burnet Rd., Austin
When: 7pm, April 25, 2011
More info: http://www.meetup.com/BootstrapB2B/events/17268425/


Regardless of your industry, product or service, sales and marketing is all about people and relationships. In this presentation, Chad Peevy applies research theorem to sales and marketing with an emphasis on the science of building relationships.

Based on current scientific research we know that . . .
• We spend 60% of our conversations talking about gossip and personal experiences.
• Time and brain power limit the number of relationships we can maintain at one time.
• Narrative psychology suggests that stories are the most effective and natural human way to communicate.

This presentation answers the questions . . .
• How can I reach and maintain ‘top of mind’ status amongst my clients?
• How do I recognize important relationships and maintain them?
• How do I most effectively communicate my sales messag?
• How can technology / social media keep me relevant?
• How has Oprah used television to build relationships?

Chad Peevy wants to help you have a better business. As a small business advisor, Peevy has worked with hundreds of small businesses in the US and Mexico who all shared a common objective - to get more business. It may be the word ‘practical’ that sums up Peevy’s approach to help his clients realize their goal. As a champion of smart marketing investments and careful evaluation, Peevy understands the essential need for businesses to consider metrics over hype when making marketing decisions. He has worked with established and new businesses to help them realize their goals through strategic marketing solutions. His portfolio of clientele is eclectic, ranging from mortgage brokers to musicians.

ATX Style Presents - Local Fashion Showcase

Join your friends from a few of Austin's emerging (and completely bootstrapped) clothing brands @ Molotov Lounge! Grab a drink, hang out, and enjoy exclusive discounts on our watches, polos, tshirts, dress shirts, and boots.

Your first drink is on us!

TIKKR Watches - watches with personality
Criquet Shirts - organic polos that feel like heaven
StripedShirt - striped t-shirts for every sports fan
5th & Lamar - super slim fit mens dress shirts
Helm Boots - ridiculously good looking boots

Mobile Monday Austin, April 4

A reminder that the next MondayMonday Austin event is on April 04, 2011 at Buffalo Billiards.

Please arrive by 5:30 PM as we will begin 6:00pm - 8:00 PM.

This is the first of a five-city tour sponsored by Cisco and MobileMonday Americas. The Enterprise App Demo Night events begin in Austin, TX on April 4th, followed by San Francisco, CA & Boston, MA on April 11th, Seattle, WA on April 18th and New York City, NY on April 25th.

Cisco and partners, including local companies Ringful Health, Appconomy, Phunware, Proximity Matters, and others will be demonstrating their new cool mobile apps.

If you have a mobile enterprise app that you would like to demo, please email the organizer.

==> The event is FREE. Food/drinks will be served.

Raffle! We are giving away a free pass (valued at $1,000+) to the Breaking Development mobile design & development conference in Dallas on April 11-12; great lineup of speakers. This is a superb conference for those involved in mobile web app development!

Please Register here.

High Tech Meets High Fashion Happy Hour

I’d like to make you an offer and request you help me with a social-media experiment. You can give me some data and I can give you some knowledge. If you believe (as do I) that data->information->knowledge->wisdom: then you come out two steps ahead on this trade of time.

Here is the set-up –

We build a very high-tech $45k medical type device (lasers, pulsed magnetics, computers, and software) that dermatologists use to stop hair loss. Ours is the state-of-the-art unit, uses multiple technologies and is over 93% effective at stopping hair loss and regrowing hair (ok in geekspeak, it is cool)…

We decided not sell our machine to Doctors in the mature Medical Market. We wanted a clean new market so we decided on the VANITY Market where no such product / service exists. We sell what the machine does as a transformational service directly to retail customers. We engage in partnering with very high-end salons to do the fulfillment. Two years later we have the formula down and are ready to expand to Houston.

Never heard of us? That is the effect of precision high-efficiency marketing. We developed an input filter that finds only ready customers, no energy is spent on those not interested in what we do or what we offer. The web and its social fabric is an integral part of making this all work. We did it in a completely different way; created a new go-to-market niche, pretty neat?

I don’t want your money! If this service can do you any good then, you come out ahead (pun)… what I do want to know is will you respond to this plea, I will trade you that for any questions you want to ask.

….But that opportunity will only last for 3 hours on Thursday afternoon from 4 to 7. One of our high-end Salons is doing a wine and cheese, and we are promoting our tech through education to their clients. I want you to come and learn how we did this and to tell my why you reacted to a social media contact, specifically this one. You see, what I get out of this is the results of what I call a probe, I have a pet social-media marketing idea that I am testing and tuning, your presence and what I learn from you will help me do my next experiment as well as in a totally pragmatic way gain a greater sense of intuition about the dynamics. Everyone has theories, I am actively testing mine using the scientific method as done by an anthropologist.

So come and have a glass of wine, some cheese, catch the vanity world front row - stage center. Meet a bunch of people that you would never get to, look vanity in the face (ho-ho). Get Jeffrey, Michael, or I to explain how we bootstrapped funded our way into existence and how our retail gorilla marketing philosophy successfully works. Come by, sip, learn, tell us, and have a great evening.

Barry Thornton
ManeGain
12400 Highway 71W
Ste 350-256
Austin, TX 78738
512-366-3935 (Main Office)
512-284-8831 (FAX)
512-266-7142 (Direct)

Let's Play! A Conference on Corporate Citizenship

March 31 @National Instruments
Register at www.givetoaustin.org/conference

Let's play! Learn from corporate citizenship experts, share best practices and engage in meaningful dialogue with Austin's best companies around topics of corporate citizenship and community engagement.

7:00 - 8:30am Breakfast served

8:00- 9:45am Welcome and Keynote address

9:45- 10:00am Break

10:00-11:15am Breakout session #1

1A: Strategic Industry Partnerships in Education

Susan Dawson (E3 Alliance), Shirley Heitzman (AISD,) Michele Walker-Moak (Applied Materials),Ray Almgren (National Instruments)

1B: Making Good on Doing Good: CSR Communications

Paula Ivey (The CSR Group), David Modigliano (Flow Nonfiction)

1C: Krista Bauer (General Electic)

11:15-12:45pm Lunch panel

Employee Volunteers & Social Media: Best Practices in Storytelling

Chris Jarvis (Realized Worth)

12:45 -1:00pm Break

1:00-2:15pm Breakout Session #2

2A: Making the Business Case for Community Involvement: CEO Perspectives

Jon Armstrong (Adlucent), Bill Bock (Silicon Laboratories), Mark McClain (SailPoint Technologies), Eugene Sepulveda (Entrepreneurs Foundation)

2B: Survey the Playground

Beth Atherton (Caritas), Sue Carpenter (United Way Capital Area), Frank Fernandez (Green Doors),Susan McDowell (LIfeWorks), Meg Poag (Literacy Coalition), Patsy Woods Martin (I Live Here I Give Here)

2C: A Game-Changing Experience: How Nurtition Education Can Drop Your Company's Healthcare Costs

Rip Esselstyn (Engine 2)

2:15- 2:30 Snack Break

2:30-3:35pm Breakout Session #3

3A: Fireside Chat with Seventh Generation: CSR Frameworks that Outlast Transitions

Chris Miller (7thGeneration), Diane Solinger (Entrepreneurs Foundation)

3B: Greening Up Buildings & Behaviors: Real World Ideas to Profit Responsibly

Justin Murrill (AMD), Mark Vickers (Dell), Kurt Wilkin (Business Earth)

3C: Connecting to the Non-Profit Community: Embracing Social Entrepreneurship

Linsey Bullock (LiveStrong), Kevin Brodwick (thinksport),

Neil Goldman (Hotels for Hope), Allison Wright (LiveStrong)

3:45-4:15pm Closing

RISE Austin: learn from Bootstrappers!

There will be no March Bootstrap Austin Meeting. Why? RISE, the "SXSW" of Austin's Entrepreneur Scene (#ATXentScene), is happening March 7-11! (followed by SXSW)

There is a Bootstrap Track, which you can search for using the drop-down menu on the left of the Sessions Page.

And you can learn from fellow bootstrappers. Here are the Bootstrap Austin members hosing sessions through the week:

• Reuben Swart, Improving Pricing, Profits and Quality of Life
• Dave Wolpert, Content Marketing
• Kevin Koym, Why Entrepreneurs Fail
• Michael Grant, The Export Advantage: from Local Champion to Global Player
• Estuardo Robles, Why Latin America is the best first Expansion Market for US Startups
• Laura Patterson, Creating a Measurable Customer-Centric Plan
• Maura Thomas, Time Management is Out. What's Next?
• Subbu Rama, Bootstrap Ideation 101
• Steve Golab, Reboot or Die!
• Caroline Valentine, Contractor versus Employee
• Jan Triplett, Strategic Alliances, Pricing Best Practices, Best from Customers, Partners Couples Family
• Jeremy Solomons, Thriving as an Independent Entrepreneuer
• Lou Ellman, Brand Licensing 101
• Nancy Schill, Emotional Intelligence & Culture for Organizational Success
• Gary Hoover, Keys to Entrepreneurial Success
• Jim Hart, Future Entrepreneurs: Creativity, Hero Adventure, Arts Entrepreneurship, Perceiving Gaps Creating a Niche
• Debbie Johnson, Giving Back for Impact
• Michael Drapkin, Be Noteworthy! Become a Music Entrepreneur
• Elizabeth Quntilla, Minority Women (Spanish), Realtime Customer Feedback, Measuring Social Media ROI
• Olga Kopp, Transforming Lifestyle Business to Growth/Innovation
• Nathan Green, Got Interns?
• Laurie Loew, Future Business: Creating a Business that Benefits Tomorrow
• Jeffrey Fry, In the Land of the Blind
• Shari Wynne, The Bare Minimum - Simple Legal Steps
• Sherry Lowry, Founders/Leaders Staff Follow into Fire
• Bijoy Goswami, Bootstrap 101, Find your Team, Multiple Paths, ATX Entrepreneur Scene

ENJOY!!

March WILCO Entrepreneur Community events

Networking Meetings
3/3 Bart Loeser - Managing Attitudes and Enhancing Results with Emotional Intelligence

• Time: 7:00 – 9:00
• Location: Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, 212 East Main St., Round Rock, TX 78664
• Tutorial Summary -Emotional Intelligence is the key to success business and personal effective. In this brief session you will better understand the import role of emotions in productivity, communication and motivation. You will learn to how to develop strategies for maintaining positive attitudes and achieving more effective results in your life
• Cost: Free – open to public
• Speaker Bio - A professional educator, coach and trainer for over 22 years, Bart has a myriad of experiences in non-profit and for-profit corporate arenas. His passion is to help build effective management and productive teams with vision, clarity and enthusiasm. Raised in Houston and settled in Austin, Bart is a specialist in Organizational Psychology. His career has spanned many fields including investment banking, health care, education and advocacy, fund-raising, event/project management, community planning and staff development, forming his own company in 2004, as an executive coach and corporate trainer.

3/10 – Car pool to Rise events.

3/17 – No meeting (spring break)

3/24 –Trey Gramann-Innovators and Entrepreneurs

• Time: 7:00 – 9:00
• Location: Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, 212 East Main St., Round Rock, TX 78664
• Tutorial Summary - It is one thing to “invent a better mousetrap”, it is quite another to sell it to Wal-Mart. Trey Gramann’s presentation will focus on the descriptions, characteristics and actions of successful innovators and entrepreneurs as well as address the issue of what it takes to turn a successful innovator into a successful entrepreneur
• Cost: Free – open to public
• Speaker Bio - A Trey Gramann has cultivated his passion for technology for almost two decades. He holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Houston where he also did graduate level work in Analytical Chemistry, Space Physics, Solid State Physics, and Nonlinear Dynamics. After graduating, he found that, along with technology, he had a knack for business development as well. Trey currently serves as CEO in three ventures. Trey’s latest venture, Panidea, beats at the heart of his interests in technology evaluation and advancement. The goal of Panidea is to “discover, define and develop” a valuable service or product that provides a significant return for investors and employees, while providing tangible benefits for society through the application of “conscientious capitalism” worldwide.

3/30 –Robert Felps – Banter of vi3Tech

• Time: 7:00 – 9:00
• Location: Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, 212 East Main St., Round Rock, TX 78664
• Banter Overview: vi3Tech is a Waco company that is expanding in Austin. IT services including private cloud hosting and disaster recovery solutions. Robert will banter their business, so you can learn about cloud options and help them better market their offerings. Questions from vi3Tech:

1. Who is the best target market or how do we find that out?
2. How would you promote our business to find the best leads?
3. Would you be interested in a Lunch and Learn or round table discussion on "What's the Cloud and why should I care?"

• Cost: Free – open to public
• Speaker Bio: Robert Felps is the Founder and Director of Wilco Entrepreneur Community. He is also the CTO/VP Consulting of WWW Third Rock, Inc. Robert has the ability to understand the business, envision the solution, and then collaborate across all teams to implement the solution for less money and time.

Special Event - WEC Talent Connect & Entrepreneurial Exchange

Who: Businesses and Jobseekers
What: WEC Talent Connect
Why: Give start-up companies and businesses a chance to meet skilled local job who “speed pitch” to promote themselves. Based on what they learn, the businesses have the option of offering individuals a chance to volunteer, work on short term projects, or possibly full time employment.
Where: Hill Country Bible Church, 12124 RR 620 North, Austin TX 78750
When: Monday, March 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, with sign in beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Cost: Free to job seekers; suggested donation from companies.
More Information about speakers and agenda: www.wectx.org/talentconnect