Prairie Portrait: Josh Coleman of AgLocal

Silicon Prairie News: AgLocal wrapped up 12 weeks at the NewMe Accelerator last month. What were a few of the team’s main takeaways from that experience? | Josh Coleman: That access to networks of influence are key to startups and having the resources they provided are so valuable to young startups like ours. | SPN:…

Name: Josh Coleman

Bio:  I’m a self-taught hustler born and raised in KC, and a phenomenal club dancer.

Title: Director of Sales and Marketing at AgLocal

Age: 36

Residence: Kansas City, Mo.

Website: about.me/joshcoleman

Twitter: @joshcoleman

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/joshpcoleman

Intro music: Club Can’t Handle Me,” by Flo Rida feat. David Guetta


Silicon Prairie News: AgLocal wrapped up 12 weeks at the NewMe Accelerator last month. What were a few of the team’s main takeaways from that experience?

Josh Coleman: That access to networks of influence are key to startups and having the resources they provided are so valuable to young startups like ours.

SPN: You spent 10 years at Batts before making the jump to Zaarly in 2011. What compelled you to make that big career change?

JC: I had become frustrated throughout the last couple of years at Batts and knew I needed to make a change in my career. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, but I had been researching and talking to people about startups for several years and was fascinated with what I was finding. I think the defining moment for me was when I read Seth Godin’s “Linchpin” I realized I wasn’t doing what I was passionate about, and that was what was causing my frustration. I wanted to try doing something extraordinary and risky. When I found out about Zaarly, the newest hot startup that had some key players from KC, and saw that they were looking for marketing peeps, I was primed and ready to take the leap and jump on board.

SPN: Between Zaarly and AgLocal, you’ve worked with arguably the two most buzzed-about KC startups of the past two years. For the teams behind those startups, what impact does so much outside attention have?

JC: It has a huge impact because you know everyone is watching, and waiting to see what is next. The one thing that always concerned me with both startups was the hype that occurs so early before the launch. I have learned though that so much of that is out of my control, and I have learned to take it in stride. It’s not that you don’t want the attention, you just have to be prepared to handle it. I believe much of the hype comes from our location. Being in the Silicon Prairie, you don’t see startups like these every day, although that is now slowly changing. More Silicon Prairie startups are starting to get national attention, and that is always exciting and worthy of buzz!

SPN: Obligatory meat question here. Assuming you know your way around the grill or smoker, what are your three go-to meat dishes?

JC: Beef burnt ends, pork ribs, beef brisket

SPN: You’re not shy about touting your talents as a dancer. For those of us — like, um, me — endowed with two left feet, what are a few tried and true techniques for dazzling people on the dance floor?

JC: HaHa! People always ask me that and my answer is cliché, “you just have to feel it and let go!”


Credits: Photo courtesy of Coleman.


Prairie Portraits: To learn more about this series, see our introduction post, or visit our archives for past Prairie Portraits. To suggest an individual for a future Prairie Portrait, contact editor@siliconprairienews.com.


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This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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