Bootstrap Austin Blog

The Entrepreneur's Inner Journey

2010-04-28T14:52:00.003-05:00

If you look back on your life, you may discover that you are a very different person today than the person you were when you first decided to become an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur requires the ability to ride the high and low tides of emotion. You have likely navigated the waters of elation and joy, and uncertainty and fear. You have had to process the emotions that arise from hiring or

ABJ Launches ABJEntrepreneur.com

2010-04-23T16:03:00.004-05:00

Running or starting a business? Simply thinking about becoming an entrepreneur? The Austin Business Journal has a new web site to complement our weekly print ABJ Entrepreneur section Go online today and ...Connect with your peersGet the latest news relevant to entrepreneursBrowse advice and how-to columns from seasoned entrepreneurs and expertsFind links to local organizations and support systems

4 Concerns about Austin's Recent Small Business Summit

2010-04-22T16:42:00.018-05:00

I would like to congratulate Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and the City Council for holding its first Small Business Summit in March. Forty of us were invited to give our thoughts on the major ways the City could address business owners concerns. The Summit was limited to two hours. Pretty short and sweet. We had been asked to prepare to discuss three questions:1. What steps could the City

Bootstrap April Mtg: Meet Ron Berry, founder - Fusebox Festival

2010-04-05T02:33:00.004-05:00

Now in its 6th year, Fusebox Festival (Apr 21 - May 2) has been bootstrapped by Ron Berry. Come hear how the festival evolved out of his Theater Company, Refraction Arts and is now in version 3.xx. The Experience Subgroup has explored the Bootstrap Experience model, which details how an experience is created, and the transformation that results. This meeting will explore the experience of the

Entrepreneur Society to host job fair

2010-03-26T15:45:00.002-05:00

Bootstrappers, this may be a great event to recruit students at for interns or full-time positions. The Entrepreneur Society is hosting Connections 2010 a job fair hosted by McCombs MBA students for McCombs MBA students. More information below and available at http://esmccombs.com/. ES Connections 2010Thursday, April 1st6:00 PM – 8:00 PM UT Alumni Center2110 San Jacinto BoulevardAustin, TX

Boostrapping a Lean Startup

2010-03-23T21:31:00.005-05:00

This article originally appeared on Ash Maurya's blog: Practice Trumps TheoryWhile not the same thing, Bootstrapping and Lean Startups are quite complementary. Both cover techniques for building low-burn startups by eliminating waste through the maximization of existing resources first before expending effort on the acquisition of new or external resources. While bootstrapping provides a

Hot Spots. Hot Issues. Get Connected.

2010-03-08T13:44:00.004-06:00

This spring join Leadership Austin to Experience Austin - a non-profit program that offers an informative, interactive orientation to the city. Experience Austin introduces participants to Austin´s issues, icons and institutions, and the people actively involved in creating solutions. The program is presented as a five session survey of Austin, including behind the scenes tours and introductions

Entrepreneurship for 55+ is up

2010-03-05T08:27:00.001-06:00

Americans age 55 and above started 18.9 percent of all businesses created in 2008, compared with 10 percent in 2001. From The New York Times:Starting Over at 55Many people over age 55 are getting a second wind and starting their own business — often for the excitement or to make ends meet. But success isn’t guaranteed.

RISE 2010: Austin's SXSW for Entrepreneurship?

2010-03-01T14:58:00.002-06:00

Austin has a rich history of entrepreneurship, with national successes like Whole Food and Dell. However, it's only in recent years that we've developed a thriving entrepreneurship scene, having been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, as a Top-10 City for Entrepreneurship and ranked #1 for Small Business by Portfolio.com. What has brought this about? The individual efforts of numerous

Feb 8 Bootstrap Meeting - ATX Equation

2010-02-02T16:09:00.003-06:00

Feb is @ATXequation Month at Bootstrap Austin!Come to the February 8th meeting at Tech Ranch Austin to learn about the ATX Equation and Austin's Entrepreneurship Scene.Follow @bootstrapaustin for daily tweets on the ATX Entrepreneur Scene.

Volunteer Entrepreneur Opportunity

2010-01-21T12:54:00.002-06:00

Bootstrappers, Citizen Schools and the Holthouse Foundation are hosting Lemonade Day Apprenticeship this spring. Lemonade Day is a great project designed to teach kids to become entrepreneurs by running their own lemonade stand. And it has the potential to make a huge community impact: In Houston in 2009, over 27,000 youth registered for Lemonade Day, sold over 2 million cups of lemonade and

Ideation, You or QUEST(ion)??!!

2009-11-16T17:16:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone,We used to think there were only 3 stages to the bootstrap process - Ideation, Valley of Death (VoD) and Growth. It turns out there are more! - two preceding Ideation (you and Quest(ion)) and one following Growth (Rebootstrap). You can see these illustrated on the Bootstrap Map (www.bootstrapaustin.org/map)You might think you're in Ideation, but you're actually in a different stage.

2010 Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW: Entry Deadline Is December 4

2009-11-11T16:30:00.004-06:00

Take advantage of the opportunity to showcase your emerging technology product and/or service in front of industry leaders by participating in the 2010 Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW. Accelerator takes place on March 15-16 as a part of the SXSW Interactive Festival, during which you can improve your product launch, attract venture capitalists, polish your elevator pitch, receive media

VoD Subgroup Meeting Monday 11/9

2009-11-06T12:35:00.005-06:00

This month's Valley of Death Subgroup meeting will be held at Waterloo Ice House on 38th St, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.The Bootstrap principle for the month of November is "Scale the Model" (twitter: #scalemodel) which is part of the Growth Phase but is an integral part of the VoD stage as well.Clint Greenleaf of Greenleaf Book Group will be our Guest Speaker. Greenleaf Book Group was founded in by

The Rhythm of Rest

2009-11-04T13:15:00.007-06:00

The turning of the wheel of the year is a gentle reminder to reflect on the rhythms inherent in life. If we are observant, everywhere we see a natural balance between work and rest. We see this rhythm in the flow of the seasons, the wax and wane of the moon, the turning of day and night, and even in the simplicity of the breath.Rest is a crucial element in the busyness of business, especially

fastforward with Leadership Austin

2009-10-15T09:44:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, October 22 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Leadership Austin is hosting a full day forum on some of our community's most critical infrastructure issues - energy, water, and transportation. This event will be attended by Leadership Austin alumni and community leadership from across the region - and the last remaining seats (less than 20 at time of post) are being offered to the general public

Venture Forth! And some resources to make your way easier

2009-10-11T02:03:00.001-05:00

In supporting BootstrapAustin and the bootstrappers of Austin, check out the following opportunity- Over the last few months, we at the Tech Ranch Austin have been supporting entrepreneurs in launching their ventures. With the following announcement, we're taking it to a whole new level. See details below about the Venture Forth program. Its time to start the venture that you've been thinking

Valley of Death Subgroup Meeting

2009-10-06T00:01:00.005-05:00