Go Big or Go Home

Servant Leadership

If you walk into my office you will see a framed picture of Braveheart, William Wallace, hanging on my wall next to the table where I meet with many entrepreneurs.  Aside from Braveheart being one of my all time favorite movies, the picture is a conversation piece, and an opportunity for me to articulate to entrepreneurs some of the virtues of great leaders.  Now that we are post Mel Gibson meltdown, the serious conversation is usually followed by a few jokes.  Anyway, Wallace fought for Scotland's freedom from Britain in the early 1300's and ultimately was turned in by his own and executed.  Wallace was a great leader, not because he was a martyr, but because he led his people into every battle.  He never asked his men to do anything he would not do himself.  Great leadership can apply to military leadership, educational leadership, as well as leadership in start-ups, and it's equally important in every aspect.  Jesus was another great servant leader in history.  One of my favorite quotes in the Bible was in Luke when "Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.  ’But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Luke 22:25-26

It is especially important to be a servant leader early on in a start-up.  Doing so will create the culture necessary for success.  Employees will follow you if you are there with them on the front lines.  They will observe the little things...if your programmers are working late to meet a deadline, be there with them.  Support a sales guy on the direct line.  Pick up a customer service call from time to time.  Share all financial information with your people.  Serving your employees will build respect, and they will run through walls to succeed with you.

The connection between faith and endurance sports

11/13/11 from First Christian Church on Vimeo.

My Reflection by Mirror.me

3 entrepreneurial lessons from Ironman athletes

An Ironman triathon is considered to be one of the ultimate endurance challenges.  It consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike followed by a 26.2 mile run,  yes, all completed in less that 16 hours 59 minutes. Most finishers prepare for 6-9 months for a single event.  Having completed 8 myself, there are numerous parallels to entrepreneurship and lessons that entreprenures can take away to make them more successful.  I've highlighted three below.

1.  Buy into and trust your plan.  To prepare for an Ironman traithlon, you have to become profecient in three sports; swimming, biking and running.  A typical plan will cover 2,800 miles, 375 hours of training over 6 months of time.  All of that committment culminates into one race day.  Before making that committment, the most important thing to do is to select and buy into a plan.  You have to believe in the 'big picture' of your plan because it is difficult to see the day to day results.  It is important to not deviate from your plan, because each day and its activities serves a purpose.  As an entrepreneur, build a plan that your team can buy into.  Remind yourself, that every day and every activity as mundane as it will seem, will serve a purpose towards achieving your goals.  Stick to it.

2.  Focus on what you can control.  Ironman events are usually held in the summer time to maximize sunlight hours.  Despite all of your training and preparation, you will not have the perfect race.  A multitude of things can and will go wrong.  It might be too hot, too humid, too cold, too windy.  You may get a flat tire, lose your nutrition or your bike computer may break.  These are all things you cannot control.  Attitude is everything when things go wrong.  Focus on what you can control and don't dwell on what you can't.  Same holds true for entrepreneurship.  Keep as much of your business' progess under the direct control of your team especially in the early stage.  When things go wrong, don't dwell on it and have the attitude to perservere.

3.  Never give up.  During the course of a race, you will feel like quitting 10+ times.  You will question your sanity, and desire to complete the goal you set out to accomplish.  An Ironman athlete has the mental toughness to push through these mini walls and get to the next stage.  We have a saying, "never give up".  Good things usually happen to entrepeneurs that push through obstacles that sometimes appear to be game ending - never give up.

Amazon terminates affiliate program in Illinois

I received this email from Amazon today.  It is yet another example of how unbusiness friendly Illinois is.  I only wonder how many affiliates have been affected. 

-------------------------

Hello,
For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Illinois residents. Unfortunately, a new state tax law signed by Governor Quinn compels us to terminate this program for Illinois-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by Illinois-based affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

We had opposed this new tax law because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by national retailing chains, most of which are based outside Illinois, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that its enactment forces this action.

As a result of the new law, contracts with all Illinois affiliates of the Amazon Associates Program will be terminated and those Illinois residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to April 15, 2011 will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of April 15, 2011, any final payments will be paid by July 1, 2011.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of Illinois. If you are not currently a permanent resident of Illinois, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state after April 15, please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

To be clear, this development will only impact our ability to continue the Associates Program in Illinois, and will not affect the ability of Illinois residents to purchase online at www.amazon.com from Amazon’s retail business.

We have enjoyed working with you and other Illinois-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to Illinois residents.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

Useful Product Development Presentation

From Zero to a Million Users - Dropbox and Xobni lessons learned

View more presentations from Adam Smith.

Madison Ave Blues

Are government grants a good source of gap funds?

One of the hardest phases in getting a start-up off the ground is obtaining "gap funds" to get from the lab to the point where the company has met enough milestones to be venture fundable.  If you know me, you'll always hear me say that most venture capitalists are NOT very venturous.  They tend to look for measurable milestones to base their investment on, like commercialized technology, early customers, management teams, etc.  Personal savings, SBIRs/STTRs, angels and early stage venture investors are the common sources of these gap funds.  Many entrepreneurs are swooned by SBIRs because it is viewed as "free money".  They don't have to get diluted, no new people on their board, they stay in full control.  If you learned early in life that nothing is free, take that same lesson into the process of considering and SBIR as a source of gap funds.  SBIRs and other government grants are posted to get the brightest innovators to work on the toughest technical problems the government has to offer.  The military, Department of Homeland Security, National Institute of Health are common agencies that post these grants.  In return for the grant, they expect deliverables and rights to the technology developed.  So, the money really isn't free.  SBIRs are a great fit for your start-up if, and only if, the deliverables required by the grant are directly aligned with your technology development plan.  If not, producing the technology for the government will only be a distraction and not help your start-up meet the critical milestones required to get classic venture capital funding.

The Value of Sharing: Social Engagement | ShareThis

First, and foremost - and most exciting for us - we found that sharing is growing. On a “per page view” level, we’ve seen a 200 percent increase in the shares per page view across our 125,000+ sites in 2009. This means for every page view consumed, the rate of sharing has doubled, meaning our publishers are getting better at optimizing their sharing and consumers now expect it to be there.

via sharethis.com

This is the most comprehensive perspective on Social Engagement I have seen.

Paul Kedrosky and Brad Feld: Start-up Visas Can Jump-Start the Economy - WSJ.com

Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com

via online.wsj.com

this is so true. Combine this with facts that a significant percentage of PhDs are foreign. PhDs are usually funded by the University. We basically educate the world and then force them to go home. Not only more H-1B Visa, but the time frames need to be flexible to accommodate start-up cycles.

Great promo video on Champaign-Urbana Community

Funny, but true training story

Below is a real live email exchange between members of our triathlon club in Champaign, IL.  Names have been withheld to protect the innocent so to speak.  What I can say is that several members of our club are also police officers which I will call Cop #1, and Cop #2.  We will call the athlete in the email exchange Triathlete #1. 

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Triathlete #1
Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:42:30 -0600
To: Triathlon Group
Subject: kirby

I was out for an afternoon run, enjoying the weather and doing my usual
10 mile loop around Kirby/mattis/prospect/Duncan/Windsor/etc. finishing
up running down Kirby towards mattis and I see a man in the sidewalk
yelling into a cell-phone, brandishing a gun.  I quickly crossed the
street flagged a motorist to call 911 and then called 911 myself when I
got to Panera.  By the time I ran home, the police were at my house,
they had caught they guy and wanted to ask some questions.  I always
felt skittish running down that section of Kirby, and this time my
irrational instincts were made rational.  Just a head’s up.

Triathlete #1

 

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Cop #1
To: Triathlon Group
Sent: Sun Nov 01 17:53:26 2009
Subject: Re:  kirby

I saw you out today, little did I know you were "working!".  Job well
done, glad no one got hurt.

Cop #1

----- Original Message -----
From: Cop #1
To: Triathlon Group
Sent: Mon Nov 02 18:07:56 2009
Subject: RE: Re:  kirby

Triathlete #1,

I spoke to the officer that handled this call yesterday.  I am not sure
this will make you feel any better but apparently the individual you saw
yelling into the phone  was holding an airsoft pistol.  These neat
little 'toy' guns shoot little plastic pellets.  They look just like the
real thing so you had reason to be alarmed.  In fact, the officer
thought it looked real as well, so this fine citizen was ordered to the
ground at gun point.  Thankfully he complied without incident (we really
don't want to shoot people).

I think your route is safe, however, I would be alert around the house
where this individual lives.  He is obviously not the brightest person
in that block.  Really, you have to be pretty stupid to stand on Kirby
Ave., screaming into a phone, waving a gun around while you have weed in
your pocket.

Thanks for calling!

Ultramarathon Unvieled Start-up Lessons

I completed my first 50 mile ultra marathon at the Madison, Northface Challenge a few weeks ago.  I ran the race with my brother who had completed one prior.  I asked him, so what is our strategy in completing one of these things and he said, easy....we will not be overly aggressive for the first 25 miles and we will just keep moving forward at all cost. 

This is the same advice I have given start-up companies over the last year and a half as they have struggled to make it through the recession.  It is critical for start-ups to know the right time to kick it into another gear.  I have seen many companies fail because they try and scale before they fully understand their business model and how it works.  Start-ups often think they need to run with the competition even though it may not be their time.  At the beginning of the race many guys passed us who I knew we could beat.  My tendency was to pick up the pace when they ran by, but Gus held me back assuring me we would see them again later in the race.  Sure enough, we passed everyone that passed us in the first 10 miles of the race in the last 10 miles.  We knew the right time to pick up the pace. 

Second, is that as a start-up you need to push through your darkest hours, or as we say in the running world is pushing through the wall - it is always better on the other side.  Resiliency is an extremely important start-up characteristic.  Live to fight another day we always say.  You can't compete if you are not in the game.

One Llama Pumpkin (www.onellama.com)

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