July 20, 2011 by William Fisher
Omaha There is probably a more official name for this but I never could quite figure out what it should be called. However, for decision makers and negotiators, I think … read more
July 20, 2011 by William Fisher
July 19, 2011 by Tom Chapman
Omaha This is a post that builds off of my first post on migration – the Silicon Prairie needs to grow. I tell people that we need to focus on college students, and the immediate response is that I don't want to hire college students for my business. And many college students are ultimately not ready to work in a new startup or in a key position. However, even if that is the case, we should still focus on them. College students … read more
July 18, 2011 by Guest Contributor
Des Moines (Editor's Note: The following is a guest post by Ben Milne, co-founder and CEO of Dwolla.) I read this and I was really inspired. My inspiration felt something like wanting to rip my shirt off and scream, "What the hell?!"… But I'm not strong enough to rip my shirt off and I really like American Apparel T's … of which, I just happen to be wearing. I wasn’t inspired by the bitter comments or by the perceived lack of support for entrepreneurs by the local government, but the message the article was sending. It’s not hard to start a business in Iowa or anywhere else. A matter of fact, it’s a fallacy that … read more
July 13, 2011 by William Fisher
Omaha I am often asked by entrepreneurs what skill set I feel is most important in the business world. The obvious ones like leadership, decision making and the art of delegation are all keys. However, I think that understanding the skills involved in negotiating can be quantified and acquired easier than some of the others and may be the key to most everything you do in the business world. I don’t claim … read more
July 12, 2011 by Tom Chapman
Omaha The Silicon Prairie Region needs to increase its population. Omaha has lagged fast growing cities like Austin for the last 50 years. In 20 years, one key indicator of success as an entrepreneurial an innovative hub will be whether the community has added people. Places like Silicon Valley and Austin have shown meteoric increases in population alongside their increases in reputation. Within that scope … read more
July 6, 2011 by William Fisher
Omaha Grandma Fisher gave me a pretty good set of rules to live life by. All in all, her simple folksy logic has served me well over the years. When it came to being nervous about giving a presentation or a really important meeting, her advice was simple and to the point. Just remember…they can't eat you! I really can't tell you why but I always thought about that beforehand and it calmed me down … read more
June 29, 2011 by William Fisher
Omaha I have been noodling a little. No, not this kind: wikipedia.org/wiki/noodling … yikes! The kind in the photo above. Grandma Fisher always warned me that this could be dangerous; however, I think I survived it without a lot of cerebral damage (you can't damage what you don't have). What I have been noodling about is how to get our local infrastructure kick-started for start-up companies. From what I can tell, in order to have what they have in other … read more
June 23, 2011 by Geoff Wood
Des Moines A mentor or professor from my past — I don't even remember who at this point — mentioned to me that upon moving to a new city the first thing he did was seek out the coffee shops where the local tech entrepreneurs hang out. That, in his opinion, was the best way to get the vibe of the startup community and to find the people who were building companies. … read more