Startup Chick

What if instead of adding new features, a company concentrated on making the service or product much easier to use? Or making it much easier to access the advanced features it already has, but that few can master? Maybe what they lose in market share in one area will be more than compensated for in another area. In a lot of markets, it’s gotten so bad out there that simply being usable is enough to make a product truly remarkable.

— Kathy Sierra

Part of StartupChick’s Beyond the Valley series.

When one thinks startups, we think Silicon Valley, New York City, Boston….not Arkansas. I was somewhat surprised to learn that Trivi.al originates from Fayetteville, AR.

Formerly known as the “Land of Opportunity,” Arkansas is home to pioneers like Sam Walton, Don Tyson, William Dillar, and JB Hunt. So, it’s safe to say that curating opportunities for starting up is deeply rooted in the state’s history. And it only makes sense that AR is an up and coming tech startup hub with the support of these Fortune 500 companies. These big names draw in a lot of talent, including a community of developers. Grass-root efforts by passionate entrepreneurs is stimulating a need to bring together coders, hackers, and engineers in the NWA area by means of social media.

Let’s get acquainted with the Arkansas’s Startup Scene!

Trivi.al is not the first taste of entrepreneurship for founders Joey Nelson (Launched TidyTweet and Couponfactory) and Matt Hudson (Founder of Lynergy, Inc a Microsoft BizSpark startup). While the area is big in Retail, Logistics, and Food Processing there seems to be an increase in the development of e-commerce and mobile ventures. NWA has already set up its first accelerator program, The ARK, boasting 8 investors with a vast array of experiences and resources. What’s even more impressive is the fact that the area has a new co-working facility called The Iceberg which hosts creativity named meet-ups, TechDrinks and Fireside Chats.

It’s very exciting to see tech efforts taking shape beyond NYC and Silicon Valley. And this particular effort has been growing for over five years now. Both Hudson and Nelson feel that NWA “could definitely use the outsiders influence of scalability and resources but all that is [also] growing very organically.”

So, should Arkansas be the next big startup scene? Nelson and Hudson think so—-“this is a by product of the folks here. They are creative, passionate, artistic and will over come any obstacle. We definitely work to put NWA on the map and at the same time embrace the culture on the fact that our ideas and products are made here and can shape the world we live in.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that Arkansas’s startup community is creating an environment that will foster a modern work culture of lots of hustle, success, and beer, of course!

On a personal note—-we all know that the face of a startup is its founder; before we see the actual product, we see, hear, and read from the parent. Some startups have ugly faces, others have mean ones while some have friendly ones. Trivi.al has a gem! My one Tweet about Trivi.al lead to various conversations and I’m so thrilled to have had the chance to get to know Arkansas’s startup scene through my correspondences with Matt. I have not only sensed a dedicated passion for his product and the NWA startup community but also a genuine appreciation of feedback, collaboration, and the people he connects with.

I look forward to challenging y’all on Trivi.al in the upcoming weeks!

Hey, I just met you & this is crazy, but here’s my handle, tweet me maybe?

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Just today, I read a post on TNW titled Let’s End Networking, Please. The headline certainly caught my attention as I assumed it would be a well-written rant about the pitfalls of today’s networking phenomenon—-Gannett in his own words, did touch upon the fact that the world needs to focus on adding value to their networks by fostering relationships rather than just adding mere names with fancy job titles. 

My thoughts:

• AG: Stating your desire to network with someone is a bald assertion that you seek a transactional relationship. You want to leverage their business and personal contacts to your advantage. It’s explicitly manipulative. Since when is that such a bad thing? When one has reached a certain level of prominence in his/her trade he/she generally recognizes that fact that people need him/her for connections not for friendship. Just a couple of weeks ago I met Patrick Morin and during an intense conversation about LinkedIn connections he looks at Marti Beller (a post about her is in the works) and says “you accept people because YOU need the connections, people come to me because THEY need the connection.” I soon realized how right he was. Once you’ve reached Patrick Morin status you are absolutely aware of the value/power of your network and you are prepared to handle networking situations. You are not looking for friends or pals, you’re looking for someone that can add value to your already established group of friends. When you’re a 20 year old novice in the industry you are not in it to make friends. You’re in it to seek advise, guidance and venture money. If friendships are established, then that’s great, if not, it’s okay! We should not be setting up this idea that friending > networking in the professional industry. 
• AG: The people you meet through work are perhaps your best pool of potential friends. You have a shared interest with them, spending a substantial part of your day working on similar problems. Placing them off limits as friends because they are work contacts is a false and unnecessary restriction. While I’ll admit I share a similar belief, it definitely has its pitfalls. I have been known to compartmentalize my work and personal life, with good reason. I have come across various situations and have been witness to instances where there is absolutely no separation of a professional and personal setting. Regardless of your ability to maintain professionalism, when your friend bluntly criticizes and dismisses an idea during a meeting, you feel personally attacked. It happens. I have no problems with individuals that are able to connect outside of work and grab beers together, kudos to y’all! We live in a moment of time when corporate culture is an important factor in an employees decision to accept a job offer. Which means that by default I already know that the environment I am going to work in will be one that encourages collaboration, civility and disperse the aura of a happy-to-go-lucky sense of life. So I don’t go to work with the goal to make friends, I go to work to channel my passion and inspiration to produce results. Though I may enjoy working with you every second of every day, I don’t necessarily need or have to be your friend. We can be ‘friendly’ without having to be friends. I think it’s important to note and differentiate the ability to be friendly at work and inviting that person to your birthday party. Personally, I like to diversify my pool of friends. Though some of my closest friends are just as startup crazy as I am, most of my friends are not. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having people around you that stimulate your inspiration and passion because they bring perspectives from other aspects of the world is one of the greatest assets you have as an entrepreneur. 
• AG: The utilitarian would ask, “What’s wrong with doing business or networking where there is a mutual benefit?” However, business deals done with bad people never end well. If someone is not good enough to be friends with, then why do business with them? Yes, I wanted to ask that question in my first bullet point but I didn’t so I’ll address it here. I have a hard time blaming bad business on the lack of friendship between the mutual parties. In fact I think it’s the complete opposite. I would not do business with most of my friends, so does that mean that I should go find new friends? Don’t they say that opposites attract, anyways? Never say never! Business deals done with good people don’t always end well either! It’s very easy to just say “good” or “bad” but it’s very difficult to actually define those terms. Context is key. Steve Jobs wasn’t perceived or believed to be a good man or even friend material, but that did not stop him from doing “good business.”  

I don’t think the practice of networking should be abolished. Those who understand the art of networking and are able to curate a pool of individuals that add meaning to their lives will certainly reap the benefits. And those that don’t and can’t, simply will not. I was and still am a strong advocate for networking events but only if and when they serve a significant purpose. In the boondocks of Lynchburg, VA we need meetups and networking events. In the world of NGOs & non-profits, setting up networking opportunities allows for potential collaborations (which essentially could solve a lot of problems!). In NYC where most folks are tech-savvy, have 17 different social networking profiles, and can easily access some pretty dope resources the question of networking shifts. It becomes a question of surviving in an environment where everyone seems to be doing the same exact thing based on the same exact philosophy. So the ideal “networking” world, in my opinion, would be “a world where people try to form relationships with you, not just because you can help them find a rockstar CTO but because they want to share, build and collaborate on ideas so they don’t epically fail.”

A virtual hug to Allen for sparking my interest & starting this dialogue! 

Buzz away. 

Today’s Levo League Office Hour guest was Fran Hauser. Ms Hauser is the President of Digital for Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment and Lifestyle groups. During the conversation she spoke about her career progression and then proceeded to take questions. And of course, I asked a question!

Question: What is the most important quality that you have that has contributed to your success?

(you can watch her response in the video above)

Ms Hauser attributes her success to “relational intelligence.” Commenting on the fact that she has the ability to build and nurture professional relationships. She goes on to say that she understands the importance of recognizing what motivates and stimulates team members. This isn’t the first time I have heard of someone stressing the importance of fostering relationships beyond just a virtual network. In reference to Linked In connections, it’s important to find the people who will add value to your career and moral progression and then build upon those connections. What I found really interesting was the fact that she made it a point to state that any evaluations and 360s she’s received have specifically recognized her relational intelligence. So, Ms Hauser has taken it upon herself to develop her strength and then use it to help her advance her career—-empowering! 

If you want in on these wonderful chats, you should probably sign up!

With all this buzz about finally breaking the glass ceiling, furthering the progression of women in the professional world and initiating women in the tech world it was only a matter of time before I gave you my two cents. 

I have never seen myself as a feminist, mainly because of the way feminism has been portrayed. RAW! RAW! WOMEN! Growing up, I never saw feminism in a positive or an encouraging light. It was this negative, over-zealous, complaint campaign; angry faces spitting out angry words and somehow conveying a notion of Anti-Man. And let’s be honest…me and Anti-Man? Yeah, Okay. ;)

This post is not about me but rather a couple of very intelligent, gorgeous, and passionate chicks who took it upon themselves to change the way the #womenhelpingwomen campaign is seen. It’s not an aggressively whiny campaign to fight for the rights of women in Corporate America but rather a very fresh, modern and unique forum that enables women to find their dream job. The ‘dream job’ part, I’ll admit sounded a little corny and romantic to me…but let’s face it, men have dream jobs and ambition to pursue them so why the hell can’t women? At least we’re honest and candid about it! 

Amanda Puchout & Caroline Ghosn have created the Levo League and I am in love! It’s not just another social network; it’s an experience! One that has a very modern, chic and sexy vibe. I am very impressed with the design, UI and layout of the site. I think it’ll do wonders when it comes to keeping the users focused and retaining them for the long-run. The site provides users with the ability to build a professional profile, ample resources (everything from articles, to videos, to live web chats, to resume hosting, to networking and beyond), advise on every aspect of a woman’s life, but most importantly a launch-pad for Gen Y women. 

One of the things I value most about this initiative is the fact that it helps women define themselves not by their gender but their skills & abilities. It’s a movement that emphasizes the importance of building yourself up as competent do-er. I’m hoping this will stir up a lot of conversation around the fact that women don’t always support other women (a lot of times, for absolutely ridiculous reasons) and the fact that women are afraid of successful women. But at the same time I hope this allows for the recognition of men that have helped the progression of women in their industries; not out of pity but because they have been able to understand their talents, strengths & skill sets. 

I clearly have big dreams for LL and its community. I am certain that it will do big things and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of it! 

Recruiters, take advantage of the Levo platform and sign your company up. It’s a great portal that gives you a pool of exceptional women that are involved in industries across the globe. 

Please show the ladies some #levolove. Sign up is open to all! 

Don’t try to be cool, try to be successful.

— We all need to be reminded of the basics. Thanks Lindsay Green!

Zuldi is developing a platform that aims to mobilize the ordering and payment processes at restaurants and nightclubs. The team is seeking a Lead Developer. The team is very much interested in bringing women on board.

Apply Away! 

What these five women make clear is that anyone can be an entrepreneur and that women are natural makers and innovators. —- Fred Wilson