Technori Showcase: Jail Education Solutions
Brian Hill presents Jail Education Solutions, tablet-enabled education in jails and prisons, in June 2015.
6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Put a Price Tag on Your Startup
So many entrepreneurs think they should put a price tag on their startup when they approach investors. That is generally a bad idea, at least in the context of pitching to professional venture capital investors and more sophisticated angel investors…
The 5 Factors that Led Us to Victory at LAUNCH Techweek Chicago
A few weeks ago, over 70 pre-qualified startups demoed their products and services for a chance to compete on Techweek’s main stage, for $100,000 is cash and prizes. Our startup, WeDeliver, won! Here are the five factors we attribute our success to: #1 WeDeliver’d in style Delivering a transformational customer experience is everything to us,…
Your Startup is Not First to Market. But Who Cares?
All entrepreneurs have heard phrases like, “There’s already an app for that,” or, “X company already has first-mover advantage.” When I did my first startup, I initially quivered whenever one of these phrases was mentioned, but now my response is this: “So what?”
How Michael Slaby Utilized Technology to Win the ’08 Obama Campaign—and Forever Changed Political Campaigns
Whenever I heard about the role technology played in Obama’s campaigns, it read something like this: “Obama seizes victory with social media,” or, “Bush campaign lags in use of digital…leads to GOP failure.” What most of these articles miss is not the integral role technology played in Democratic success, but the mobilizing forces and deliberate…
Startup Institute: We’re Coming to Chicago!
I’m really happy to share that we’re building Startup Institute Chicago this Fall. Here’s why. It’s clear that Chicago is a special place for startups, and we want to make it the place for people to join them…
The 9 Golden Rules for Dealing With Bad Publicity
Sometimes, bad publicity is inevitable. Even when you and your organization behave responsibly, you always run the small risk of an unexpected PR disaster. In the information age, bad publicity can reach the masses before you can even mount a defense. The only thing worse than having your image tarnished in the public light after…
Should a Non-Technical Founder Learn to Code?
“Should I teach myself to code today?” I could spend the next 2 years teaching myself a programming language, and I’d still be a more efficient marketer than coder…
There’s No Such Thing As “Free” Funding for Your Startup
Unless you are one of those entrepreneurs who has made a boatload of money for venture investors before, you have probably noticed that raising early stage venture capital is pretty challenging these days. All the more so if your base of operations is somewhere in flyover country. And if you do stumble upon some early…
Skinny Cows
Many businesses want to generate a steady return of profits and keep their costs down. So how can you become a cash cow while maintaining a lean startup business model? A cash cow is a business venture that generates positive cash flow far above what is needed to run the business. Cash cows typically represent…