Startup Spectator

Thursday, February 9, 2012 by Benjamin Blevins

My Best Friend's Hair: Finding a new hairstylist made easy

It is a concept derived from the simplest exchange between women, “Wow, I love your hair! Who does it?” My Best Friend’s Hair is a beauty website based on the premise that women mostly rely on word of mouth to find a hairstylist that meets their needs. In the world of beauty, a good recommendation can go a long way.

But let’s start at the beginning…

My Best Friend’s Hair is something I came up with while working in corporate IT sales here in Indianapolis. I was focused on my job at the time, but this idea of a website where women could post unbiased reviews of their stylists and utilize reviews from others to find a new hairstylist was intriguing. As time passed, I became more focused on this idea, seeing the potential in how the site could benefit people all across the country as well as be profitable.

The truth is, not everyone likes the hairstylist they go to, even if they’ve been going to that person for years. The thought of trusting your hair to a stranger can be scary, especially for those looking to make a dramatic change in color or length. Sticking with subpar styling can seem like a good idea if you think another stylist might make a mistake with your hair. Everyone should have a stylist that exceeds their expectations and meets all their needs. Whether you want a stylist who knows what looks best with your face shape or body type to make a recommendation on your style or someone who will expertly execute exactly what you want in a new do, I wanted to find a way to make sure everyone got what they wanted out of a stylist.

Off the clock at an impromptu dinner, I shared the idea with my coworker, Danielle McDowell. After some encouraging words and lots of brainstorming, we were ready to move forward full time with My Best Friend’s Hair.

It started with an idea that progressed into a website and a grassroots effort to get stylists to join the website for a small monthly fee. In just 6 months, we have more than 20,000 salons, thousands of stylists, hundreds of reviews on our site and the numbers are growing daily. With a new website redesign and an official national launch under our belts, we’ve also expanded to a team of five ladies who are working everyday to spread the word My Best Friend’s Hair.

My Best Friend's Hair Indianapolis Startup The future is looking bright for our startup. We are strategically targeting surrounding cities and larger cities, gaining new stylists and more reviews as we go along. Stylists and salons are beginning to see the benefit of joining the site in order to attract new clients and boost SEO. With a mobile app in the works to help hairstylists provide color and cut advice to clients, as well as track their clients’ color and cut history, My Best Friend’s Hair is dedicated to providing added value to hairstylists, salons and their clients. We are so excited for My Best Friend’s Hair to continue building momentum and provide a service that’s of value to hairstylists, salons and consumers.

Janell Shaffer is the founder and CEO of My Best Friend’s Hair, a beauty website that allows consumers to find their perfect hairstylist by browsing unbiased reviews written by local men and women.

Friend: Facebook
Follow: @bestfriendshair

Friday, January 13, 2012 by John Beeler

StartupLife: Shara Worden, of My Brightest Diamond

StartupLife is a new series that examines startup culture and method but through the lens of non-tech sectors. We’ll use this series to recast the word “startup” to be more inclusive. What characteristics turn a new business into a startup? What can tech learn from non-tech, and vice versa? StartupLife is an attempt to answer those questions by talking to people in or involved with Indianapolis, using four baseline questions and a few specific questions that you can read on the Startup Spectator blog.

The Stella Artois Happy Hour At the Symphony is next Thursday night, January 19th at 5:30pm at the Circle Theater. Recording artist My Brightest Diamond, fronted by Shara Worden, will perform alongside the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. It will be amazing. You can get tickets here or at Indy CD & Vinyl for $25. Hope to see you there!

As part of running my small business, I work for a record label named Asthmatic Kitty Records, home to many amazing recording artists including My Brightest Diamond. Last year I had the great honor of project managing MBD’s latest release, All Things Will Unwind, and in the process I got to know frontwoman Shara Worden. Not only is she one of the most creatively brilliant people I know, she is also a remarkable businesswoman, in many ways thriving through diversification in a rapidly changing sector. In this day and age musicians are no longer just rock stars, they have to be business people, and she exemplifies this paradigm shift with nuance and finesse.

It’s ideal then that an interview with Shara inaugurates StartupLife.

John: Where did you come from, and where are you going?

Shara: I came from a tradition of storytelling and I'm going further into stories, but I'm going to be exploring from different angles, different proportions of music and tale. I came from writing music for inside spaces and I'd like to write music for outside spaces. I came from the idea of hitting a subject dead-on, with seriousness and weight. I'm going toward laughter. Not a laughter which denies reality, or the responsibility, the gravity of adulthood, but instead a laughter which fully embraces the challenge of a situation and knows that lightness of heart is a better way to deal with it.

Define success.

Presence in the moment. Having the right song for the right time. Growing. Not quitting. Working with people you respect and who challenge you. Getting a letter from someone who tells you that your work meant something to them. A genuinely requested encore.

What do you work for?

To more clearly articulate my experience of being human. To challenge. To question. To make people laugh. To tell stories. I believe music has the power to bring change for myself and for others, change of thought, change of perspective. I work so that I can keep working. I also work to eat, to have a home and to support my family.

You're a recording artist, in an industry often tagged as dead and/or dying thanks to declining record sales. How do you survive on a sinking ship?

I tour constantly. I am rarely home more than 4 days at a time. When I had my son last year I didn't do music work for two months and that was the longest time I have been at home in the last five years. I also do odd recording jobs, like singing demos for commercials or making recordings for the Glee enterprise. I've done demo recordings for some new musicals. I have taught a few songwriting workshops and gave my first lecture this last year too. Odds and ends. Piece meal. A little of this, a little of that.

If you were a few years younger and just starting your career in 2012, what would you be doing differently?

I think the only answer is to be completely dedicated to your work and to not wait for some label or agent or anyone to validate you. Indeed, this is a really strange time in the music business, but also in the whole world as we settle into a global economy, so we've all got to hit the pavement, get up the posters ourselves, and work hard. Live simply. I think younger artists have a much more difficult time because there are thousands of more recordings being made than there were 10 years ago because of the proliferation of home recording. Still, the work, the art, the show itself must always be the first priority of the creator.

You're one of the most collaborative people I know. What's the secret? How do you network so well?

I have very rarely initiated any of the collaborations I have done. Maybe this means that I live passively in some ways, but another way of thinking of it, is that you follow the open doors, the hints, the coincidences, the little glowing lights. Say "yes" to the universe has been one of my guiding principles. What that idea has meant for me is that whatever musical work or opportunity comes through the door, I am going to take it if at all possible. When I show up, I try to be as prepared and professional as I can be. I used to be a waitress for a long time and I noticed that if you were already working in the restaurant, people would ask you pick up a shift for them, but if they had to get on the phone and call someone, your chances of getting more shifts were lower. So I have applied the same idea in music, that you have to be going out, meeting people, go to open mics, listening, saying "hello". Play in someone else's band or help facilitate other people's work, not just your own. I love what Laurie Anderson says when she speaks to artists and this is something I'm trying to take to heart: "Don't wait for someone else to create the dream opportunity that you are looking for." Initiate the ideas and be the firestarter.

Give me a list.

Shara’s List of Business Principles.

1. Work hard & be disciplined in your craft.

2. Diversify.

3. Self educate.

4. Support someone else’s dream and in the meantime, observe, serve & learn.

5. Set little and big goals for yourself.

6. Say yes to opportunities, even if they aren’t always your dream scenario.

7. Re-invent yourself.

8. Lower your cost of living.

9. Use what you resources you have available even if it means a compromise. Do what you are able to do.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by Janneane Blevins

Changing How We Work One Factory Week at a Time

This post originally appeared in IndySpectator on January 10, 2012.
Written by Jeb Banner.

There is a quiet movement afoot. Companies and workers are starting to question the status quo…

“Why are we working this way? Is this is the best way to get things done? Would I be more productive if I actually worked less? How does my environment change how I work? Why am I sitting at a desk all day? Who are these tiny blue men I keep seeing out of the corner of my eye?”

Do these questions sound familiar? I started asking myself these questions about a year ago. My company SmallBox was doing well but I felt more like an employee than an owner. All the reasons I had started a business had taken a back seat to running the business. I felt stuck. I wanted to do some “radical” things to get out of the rut.

The first idea I had was a co-working space my team and I could use. A space to think differently, hopefully cross-pollinate with the best and brightest in town and go after new ideas. Thanks to so many others who shared this vision, including my main co-conspirator Kristian Andersen, The Speak Easy is soon launching in south Broad Ripple, a short drive from our offices. Recently we have seen others in town, including Big Car’s Service Center, launch similar spaces. The more the merrier!

The other rut-breaking idea was Factory Week. After spending the first 5 years of business mostly working on client projects we had stockpiled a number of internal projects. These ideas often kept me up at night. It was frustrating that we could never find the time to pursue them. After deliberating over how we could fit them into our schedule, it became clear that a full week was needed to take the team offsite and get things done. The inspiration for the name and concept came from Andy Warhol’s famous NYC Factory. We had our first Factory Week in June 2011. Despite some hiccups it was a solid success and we dedicated ourselves to a Factory Week every 6 months. This upcoming Factory Week, January 16th to 20th, will be held at the Speak Easy. The two initiatives are coming together like chocolate and peanut butter!

How do you run a Factory Week? First off, you’ll need to commit, go 100% in. It’s something you can’t do half way. One way to commit is to start telling clients, and the world, that you are taking a week off. No turning back now! Next you will want to start gathering project ideas. I would guess that most companies can easily pull together a dozen ideas from one group meeting. Then I would recommend having a vote so you can see where the team wants to go. Take that feedback and start building out teams around each project including a lead for each project. Make sure everyone has at least 2 projects. Once the week starts I recommend having a daily meeting to go over each project, focusing on vision, deliverables and status. Then work your butts off for a week, broadcast your activity across all channels and finish it off with a big party!

But keep this in mind- Factory Week isn’t easy or cheap. It means saying “no” to billable work for a week. It means communicating with clients, repeatedly, letting them know it’s coming and how it might impact their projects. It means planning ahead and working afterwards to finish up loose ends. It means being willing to fail without feeling the effort was wasted.

Factory Week has started to change the way we work and communicate. It has deepened relationships and exposed hidden talents within the team. It has given us something to look forward to and get excited about. Factory Week’s energy has spilled over into our client projects. It has made it easier to sleep at night knowing ideas have a home with Factory Week, even if they need to wait their turn.

Friday, January 6, 2012 by Janneane Blevins

Indy's Kitchen

Writen by Lauren Esposito and originally featured in IndySpectator on October 13th.

Do you love to cook? Are you a culinary artist? Have you ever considered cooking as a profession?

Indianapolis has become a hub for a wide variety of local restaurants and bakeries. These small business entrepreneurs are passionate about giving Hoosiers diverse options when it comes to their choice of where to dine.

If you are foodie who has always dreamed of opening your own shop but has been barred by the cost, time, or risk involved in starting your own restaurant - worry no more! There is an organization right here in Indy that is devoted to helping you achieve your dreams.

Indy’s Kitchen has created the opportunity for foodie entrepreneurs to jump-start their own business. They provide two commercially licensed and equipped kitchens that are available for rent by the hour. This shared space has become the alternative to having to open your own restaurant or bakery, saving you the initial startup costs, and allowing you to more effectively use your time, money, and resources for what you love: creating culinary masterpieces.

The catering and pastry kitchens are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to complete access to a fully equipped kitchen, you are able to rent dry, cool, and frozen storage areas making it easier for you to keep the supplies you need fresh and convenient.

Many local businesses have gotten their start at Indy’s Kitchen. They have been able to build an effective business plan and produce a product faster and cheaper than most local restaurant owners in their first year. Rachel Rewerts, a cake enthusiast, was able to jumpstart her company, A Sweeter Place, through the resources made available by Indy’s Kitchen. Avec Moi (whom we recently featured) was able to launch her fresh food to-go concept as she saved funds for a kitchen of her own. Even caterers like As You Wish Catering, Fed by Ted, and Ville de Lune are given a home to run their business out of.

Lastly, it is important to note that Indy’s Kitchen isn’t just a place for those trying to start up their own restaurant. They also offer cooking classes and private events for larger groups, which includes team building exercises through the creation of your own feast.

Indy’s Kitchen is committed to helping local entrepreneurs invest in their passion. They serve as a great resource for helping young startups develop a business plan, understand food safety regulations, get the right insurance, and explain how to market your company. They can do this through the large number of partnerships they have developed right here in Indy.

Don’t let the fear of not having the money to purchase your own kitchen stop you from creating and selling the delicious meals that Hoosiers are searching for. Get involved with Indy’s Kitchen and jump-start your own company today.

Friday, January 6, 2012 by Janneane Blevins

Quipol : What Say You

This article originally appeared in IndySpectator on November 9th.

Every day, we come across hundreds, thousands (maybe even millions?) of opinions on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Trying to curate this data into a somewhat intelligible form can sometimes feel like filling your water glass with a fire hose. Whether you're jumping cross platform or trying to discern whether your friend's circular argument meant he agreed or disagreed, leveraging the data can prove to be a bit of a challenge.

Enter Quipol, a simple and elegant way to unlock the opinions and perspectives of your online audience. It's social polling.

Quipol, a newly launched Indy startup, provides you with the tools to build quick and beautiful polls that can be answered with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. This binary choice means you can measure and visualize sentiment. But Quipol doesn't skimp on the good stuff—the feedback. You can easily scan & sort comments for either side of the argument. Quipol can go anywhere: embed it in your blog or website; Tweet or Facebook it; or even email a Quipol link if you choose. The best part? You can see the results all in one spot.

What can you do with a Quipol? Get your friends' feedback on style, photos, culinary feats or other creations. Find out what your friends think about the 2012 Election, Justin Bieber's Christmas album, the Office without Michael Scott, or a new restaurant in town. Or use it to get product feedback on a new feature, opinions on industry news, or to gain critique on your latest legwork. It's social polling, and it is that easy.

Quipol beta is now open to the public. So, What Say You?

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 by Janneane Blevins

How Do I Start Up A Startup?

Guest post by Dr. Erin Albert

As a teacher of budding entrepreneurs and someone with a passion for studying entrepreneurs, the number one practical question I often receive is: Should I start up a startup? After that, invariably the next question is: How?

These questions often come from the young professionals who have launched their careers (or the course is set and on its way), but it’s not quite enough. There’s a piece missing for them in their work - that craving to build something from nothing, feed a passion, and/or start something to fulfill an unmet need.

L-O-V-E! Especially in Indiana! Entrepreneurship is one of the final frontiers that will save our big hot mess of an economy. So, after the philosophical discussion on starting a business in Indiana, where can one go to figure out if they should in fact start that business, and get practical help on execution?

There are several places. Here are just a few for the person interested in starting up a startup:

Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana (BOI): Whether your passion is hi-tech global, low-tech local, or somewhere in between, this is the best place for the individual entrepreneur to get help on whether or not they should start a business in central Indiana, period. (And yes, this is in my very biased opinion. Full disclosure: I’m a member of their board.) I’m also a former client of BOI. When I started my first business back in 2005, I went to BOI to get classes, counseling and general help on how to start a business. They offer low-to-no cost classes, free one-on-one counseling, and a micro loan fund for everyone who has the dream of starting a business. Upcoming classes and info is available on their website. If the following question nags you, “Am I wired to be a business owner?” attend their “Introduction to Business Ownership” workshop, where you’ll be able to take several entrepreneurship assessments that will help you find your answer. You can follow BOI on Facebook and @BOIofIndiana.

Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC): The SBDC network, “is composed of 10 regional offices. Each of these offices serves a number of counties in the region where it is located,” and is another organization that can help people who are starting up, or growing their established businesses. The Central ISBDC serves the Marion-county and surrounding county areas. The great thing about SBDC is they have other locations around the state of Indiana too, so if you’re outside the 9-county area of Marion, you’re still covered! Check them out at Facebookand @Indiana_sbdc.

Indianapolis Chapter of SCORE: SCORE is a national “nonprofit association dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide.” They offer free counseling and workshops for pay on starting up a business. There are over 20 SCORE locations in Indiana; one is bound to be close to home or work.

Of course, there are other start up organizations that serve different audiences and have different functions in Indiana, such as SproutBox in Bloomington, and DeveloperTown in Indy. At the end of the day, finding the right startup home for you may take a little digging and exploration, but if you’ve been thinking about your idea for a while, or just want to get yourself around other entrepreneurs, check out the aforementioned places. Indiana needs you and your entrepreneurial energy!

Dr. Erin Albert grew up in South Bend, IN and is owner of two companies in Indiana. Her book, Indianapolis: A Young Professional’s Guide helps young professionals connect to the city of Indianapolis in meaningful ways—including entrepreneurship. You can follow her company website/blog for young professionals and entrepreneurs at yuspie.com, onFacebook and @yuspie.

Thursday, August 18, 2011 by Janneane Blevins

Snappening: Indy's Event Planning Startup -- Dedicated Post

Party Planning: No Longer a To-Do List's Worst Nightmare
Have you ever looked at the hostess of a birthday party, bridal shower or corporate event and thought, “She totally has it together”? We guarantee that even she - the multitasking megastar - came up against a few headaches!

Wrapping your head around all the details that come with orchestrating an event can be terrifying - not to mention a time sucker! From choosing an event venue to selecting an event planner to communicating with all parties involved, the entire search process can take anywhere from four to more than eight hours of time. That’s where Snappening comes in.

With Snappening, Indianapolis’ new all-inclusive event planning service, your time is finally your own again! The site was designed to provide the tools and resources for quick, efficient and cost-effective event planning - and it’s set to take Indianapolis’ social scene by storm.

As so many of Snappening's users have quickly learned, endless Google searches and phone calls are things of the past. Users simply log on, enter event details into either the “venue” or “planner” search bars and watch as the planning process quickly unfolds.

After clicking through Snappening’s narrowed options, users can mark favorites and open the lines of communication with multiple Indianapolis-area event venues or event planners using Snappening’s simultaneous contact tool. Rather than contact each vendor individually, Snappening’s dashboard lets you contact them directly from the website with a few mouse clicks. With a quick account upgrade, you’re able to contact them all at once – an investment that is well worth it. This makes it simple to request information and contact only the vendors most relevant to your event, as well as organize the details on your event planning dashboard.

Currently, there are more than 1,600 Indianapolis area event venues listed with more being added daily, and the resources don’t end there! Under “Advanced Search”, users can select multiple venue types, specify catering preferences, indicate the number of sleeping rooms - and the list goes on. You know those “quick” last-minute details that used to turn into full blown debacles? Gone for good.

Snappening’s user feedback capabilities allows post-party planners to pave the way for the site’s future additions and event planning endeavors by letting them review Indianapolis-area event venues and event planners for others to see. Thorough consumer research is what this tool is all about! As the party planning afficianados at Snappening foresaw, event planning in the Indianapolis area can actually be simple.

The perfect Indianapolis party venue or Indianapolis wedding planner that might have slipped right past you is now just a click away. Event planning should be a snap, not stressful! Indy-area bridezillas, control freaks and pre-party pessimists can finally relax - you totally have it together.

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Editor's Note: This is a Dedicated Post -- meaning that the editors or writers of Startup Spectator were in some way compensated for this journa-tising piece. We are committed to delivering unbiased content and will always denote any paid issues with the term "Dedicated Post" in the subject line. We hope you enjoy and as always, please support our advertisers & partners.

Thursday, July 21, 2011 by Janneane Blevins

The Smart Way to Send Proposals

The TinderBox Story from TinderBox on Vimeo.

Guest post by Drew Loftus, TinderBox

Proposal Building Sucks
If you're in sales or marketing (and you’re anything like me), sales proposals are a real pain. The process usually goes like this: grab some caffeine, stare at the blinking cursor in a blank Word document for 15 minutes, and then sift through a messy folder of past proposals for inspiration.

Being that most businesses drive sales with some kind of marketing material or proposal, this doesn’t bode well for our busy schedules – from small businesses to larger ‘enterprise’ organizations.

Thankfully, three guys right here in Indy saw this problem as an opportunity.

Enter TinderBox
Combining their real world business experiences, Dustin Sapp, Kristian Andersen, and Mike Fitzgerald ("The Dream Team") set out to streamline the cumbersome process of proposal building. It’s called TinderBox.

So how does it work?

Login to your TinderBox account, click ‘new proposal’ and then populate it with content that's already saved in a library. This content can easily include embedded video for product demos, rich images for portfolios, graphs, and even pricing tables. The beauty is in the ability to drag-and-drop proposals together in minutes as opposed to hours. When everything’s ready to go, you click "publish", paste the unique URL/password in an email to your prospect, and send it off.

Then comes the fun part…
TinderBox provides analytics so you can see who looked at the proposal, what pages they looked at, and for how long. It will even send you an e-mail or text message to let you know when a proposal has been opened. This transparency allows a sales team to cut days or even weeks out of their sales cycle.

How often do you send someone a presentation with a note that says "I'll give you a call next week to discuss further"? If you ever get a proposal from me, I'll follow up the day after you open it because that's the best time to answer questions or discuss next steps.

In addition to sales proposals, here are some other smart ways people put TinderBox to work...

• Prospecting: Sending introductory messages with company information, portfolio, and product offerings.
• Client Relations: Sharing new product/upsell information, video tutorials of that new feature, best practices, and even usage reports.

Check out the video above to see more, and regale us with your tales of proposal building woes on twitter: @GetTinderBox.

Friday, July 8, 2011 by Bryan Povlinski

ChipOnDeals - Poised to Become Indy Golfers' Best Friend

Golf can be a frustrating game. As with any skilled craft the only way to get better is practice and more practice. The problem with golf is that it can be pretty expensive if you're out "practicing" all the time. Fortunately for Indianapolis golfers a local startup is aiming to change that and make golf a little bit more affordable for the casual golfer. ChipOnDeals is bringing the daily deal concept of Groupon and Living Social to the golf industry, and they're starting here in Indianapolis.

ChipOnDeals was born out of a partnership between local entrepreneur Brian Schutt (who operates a HVAC company and formerly a marketing consultancy...a true serial entrepreur) and a team in California that previously launched a competitor to Groupon and Living Social. The team knew that the cost of playing in the generalized daily deal game was unsustainable because the market leaders had accumulated so much venture capital that they were ratcheting up the costs on customer acquisition tools like Google Adwords beyond reach for smaller players. The team realized that to have a viable business they needed to focus on a niche. Daily deals work best for businesses with large fixed costs and a high price point. Golf fit that description perfectly, and since they were all golfers themselves they decided to dive right in.

Here's how ChipOnDeals will work: As a golfer you sign up to be part of the ChipOn mailing list. Each time a new deal is launched you'll get a new email in your inbox for a course in the Indianapolis area. A typical deal might be something like $50 for a $140 package of 2 buckets of range balls and 2 18-hole rounds of golf with a cart to split between you and a friend (merchandise and lessons will also be part of the deal mix). That's a no-brainer for any golfer that's looking to play a round on an upscale course. It's also a nice change of pace for the country club member that wants to get out and play a different course once in a while. Where ChipOn aims to please consumers they're also very focused on providing the best support possible for golf courses. Where Groupon has fallen short (accoriding to some reports) is providing value to their merchants. ChipOn will work with the course on a fair revenue split and promptly provide payment - with no upfront investment from the course. The support team will ensure the course views the deal as a marketing tactic - not a silver bullet that will replace all other marketing.

For those looking to work in a startup culture you may want to keep your eye on ChipOn. Hiring a talented team of acount managers with marketing/sales experience is on the horizon. If you fit that description, you're ambitious, and you're willing to work in the high risk/high reward culture of a startup then ChipOn might be for you.

As a golfer myself I'm really looking forward to ChipOnDeals. I love to play, but find myself going longer and longer between rounds at times because it's an expensive pasttime. To get an opportunity to play at a first-class course for economy pricing would be something I'd sign up for in a heartbeat. If I enjoy the course you bet I'll be itching to play it again sometime - likely at full price. Currently ChipOnDeals is the only daily deals site focused on golf (although that may not last long considering the pace of the daily deals industry). Even if competition arises the team at ChipOnDeals has a considerable leg up due to their experience in daily deals and passion for the game of golf.

If you're a golfer or interested in supporting a local startup sign up for ChipOnDeals

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 by Zac Workman

A shining light in Indiana during a tough recovery

It appears that Indiana is at the leading edge of the slower than expected recovery of our national economy. According to Fox59, revenues from May were up $151 million over April predictions. The report goes on to mention that Indiana has brought in $127 million more than expected for the year. The reasons for the increase are cited by strong tax collections.

This is good news for business in the Indianapolis area and shows signs of strength in the economy. Consumer spending is definitely an important part of any recovery, but without jobs there is no consumer spending. The big news here is the growth that we are seeing in the business community. Businesses that are spending and making money pay taxes. Businesses that are growing and hiring pay even more. So one could stand to reason that business growth and hiring is on the rise in Indiana.

Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Bryan Povlinski

One Website. One Nonprofit. 24 Hours

Never in a million years as I sat in front of my Commodore 64 as a kid did I think I'd grow up to work on something like the 24 Hour Web Project. For the last two years, SmallBox has embarked on the bold challenge to build a website for a worthy Indianapolis nonprofit in 24 hours flat, all for free. The idea behind the project is to provide valuable web marketing services for a local nonprofit that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. Second Helpings and Madame Walker Theatre were the winning organizations for the first two years.

Though the SmallBox team will joke about reveling in lost sleep and whose face will get Sharpied for passing out on their keyboard first, there's reason behind pulling an all-nighter. What creative firm really has ample time to perform quality pro bono work? Between client work and internal projects, making the time takes a focused effort — one that we’ve found to be not only worthwhile, but crucial to our team’s mission to have a positive impact in our community.

If you know of a potential nonprofit candidate, encourage them to apply. Currently, applications are being accepted through June 30. The winning recipient will be announced by August 1. SmallBox will be posting about the experience over at 24hourwebproject.com and on Twitter. We will most definitely get loopy at some point. There may even be dancing (one can’t sit at a computer for 24 hours straight without getting the blood moving a little!).

SmallBox CEO Jeb Banner recently wrote about connecting the tech and music scenes. We would like to see the same connectivity between tech and community organizations as part of an overall movement toward Indy becoming known for its innovative collaborations. The 24 Hour Web Project is just one piece of that. If you’re interested in building your own skill-based volunteer or pro bono program (or maybe just trying your hand at one project), Taproot Foundation has a great blueprint to help you get started. Find a place with a mission you believe in and offer your expertise — it can be a very rewarding experience, even if you have to sacrifice a bit of sleep.

Friday, May 27, 2011 by Jon Corwin

The Innovation Showcase 2011

The annual event for Indiana startups is looking at hosting fifty exhibiting

companies – and the deadline is May 31! The Venture Club of Indiana and

Verge are hosting their 3rd annual Innovation Showcase Tuesday, July 12 at

DeveloperTown. Registration and inspiration are free. Don’t wait to sign up. Now it’s

third iteration, the Innovation Showcase is a venture capital conference for fundable

companies to present their business ideas. The concentration of talent that will be

in attendance would leave even the tenured valley boys quivering.

Over 300 venture capitalists, angel investors, business executives, and

entrepreneurs will peruse DeveloperTown’s new warehouse-turned-incubator space

in the heart of Broad Ripple (the pictures are from their recent "Dusty Boots" tour). The Indianapolis startup landscape is ripe for the picking. With more than 50 exhibitor slots available, high potential companies and startups are encouraged to apply now. All submissions are due Tuesday, May 31 at midnight.

Innovation is industry agnostic. Think your idea is too niche? Showcases include the

areas of information technology, alternative energy, life sciences, medical devices,

industrial products and more. Skip the how-to guides and get funded. Pitch your

idea to more investors in one night than most entrepreneurs could in a lifetime.

Network with like-minded people in the local tech community during the after party.

Get to know your hosts. Venture Club of Indiana is a member-based, volunteer-led

organization that has thrived on the ideas and efforts of its members since 1984.

Verge is a monthly meetup event for all people in the Indianapolis area interested

in startups. Entrepreneurs, developers, and investors unite. Register now or fill out an exhibitor application.

Thursday, May 26, 2011 by Aaron Martin

Interactive Intelligence User Forum, Interactions '11

This week Interactive Intelligence, an Indianapolis-based software company providing unified business communications solutions, hosted it's annual user conference Interactions '11. It was an incredible event attracting upwards of 500 customers to attend a three-day session at the Marriott packed with company updates from the executives, 80+ breakout sessions from various learning tracks, on-demand demos and Q&A, and countless networking opportunities. I spent the entire week at the conference and learned a lot that can be applied to other companies aspiring to reach the level of ININ's success.

Build a great product, back it up with even better service

From talking with the customers and my own personal experience with the software, it is clear that Interactive Intelligence has an incredible product but that alone isn't the key to their success. A big part of it is providing customer service that is second to none. You might have a great product, but if your customers don't know how to use it or don't feel they can get the help they need when they need it they are going to look elsewhere.

Listen to your customers

If you make an effort to listen to your customers and do something with the information you obtain, your business will be much more likely to continue growing. One thing many of the customers had to say was how willing ININ is to listen to their needs and work with them to optimize the software for their business. Remember, your customers' success leads to your success so keep that in mind next time they ask for something or make a suggestion.

Express appreciation for your customers

Ultimately, your customers are the ones that make your business function and it pays to appreciate them. From simple things such as a thank you note, to an exclusive Indianapolis Motor Speedway tour, always be sure to find a way to reward your customers for their contribution to your success and their loyalty.

Hire people who "run it like they own it"

Company culture can be the key to success or the death of a company and it is always important to hire self-starters who do the best they can each day and treat the company they work for like it is their own. Hundreds of ININ employees came together to make this conference a reality, working months in advance to ensure every detail was accounted for to delivering outstandingly informative presentations, and it was clear that there is an ownership mentality instilled within the ININ employees.

Strong user community = Strong company

Find a way to make your customers' experience with your brand and your product so good that they can't help but be evangelists for you. When people have a 'wow' level experience and realize a noticeable gain from using your product or service they will be much more likely to speak out about its benefits and help refer other potential customers to you. ININ customers seem excited about how forward-thinking the company is and the level of innovation behind the product and are more than happy to discuss its benefits and impact on their business.

While many may not have heard of Interactive Intelligence, it is rapidly gaining momentum in the enterprise communications and contact center space and I believe this is directly related to their mastery of the lessons listed above.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 by Bryan Povlinski

The Future of Work in Indianapolis

The most recent issue of Wired magazine features an in-depth look at the "future of work" and the "smartest jobs in America." No longer do we live in an age where most people work at the same company for 40+ years. Technology is disrupting every industry and the types of jobs that will be in demand in the coming years are very different than the skills that we've needed in the past. In collaboration with NPR's Planet Money and Harvard Business School's Cluster Mapping Project Wired identified the most important industries across the country going forward. There are 4 industries that have emerged in Central Indiana that are poised to grow even further:

Information Technology
We've talked a lot about technology firms on this blog, but there's good reason for that. Indianapolis is quietly growing a vibrant technology sector with firms like ExactTarget, Interactive Intelligence, and Angie's List leading the way. Between ExactTarget and Angie's List there's been over $80 million in venture capital injected into the city in this year alone. Techpoint has done an outstanding job of fulfilling its mission of accelerating Indiana's tech sector with its "Measured Marketing" initiative to identify Central Indiana as a hub for marketing analytics and also to highlight the work of new companies at events like the Mira Awards

Automotive
Indianapolis has long been known for its automotive industry due to the world famous Indianapolis 500. President Obama validated that prominence just several weeks ago by paying a visit to Allison Transmission and choosing its headquarters as his platform for a speech on the future of energy consumption in America.

Medical Technology
It's pretty easy to recognize the focus Indianapolis has on the medical field. All you have to do is drive into downtown from the north on I-65 and you'll be greeted by the burgeoning campus of IU Health (and formerly Clarian Health). IUPUI has a strong medical arm as well. Riley Children's Hospital is quite possibly the most renowned children's hospital in the country. St Vincent Health and the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital on the city's northside add to the region's strength in medical research and technology.

Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical
Even though Indianapolis is home to pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and also a large division of Roche Diagnostics, it's Bloomington that's home to the biggest Biotech/Pharma sector in Central Indiana. With Cook Medical, Baxter, and Indiana University's Center for Life Sciences. According to Wired's data, the average annual wage in Indiana's pharma sector is $88,384.

The unifying theme in all of these industries is technology. That's why it's so important for workers of all ages to invest in advancing their technology skills whenever possible. High school programs like New Tech High at Arsenal Tech and workforce development programs like Training Inc are a step in the right direction. As I've said before on this blog, I'm excited about the future here in Indianapolis!

Friday, May 20, 2011 by Zac Workman

Which is More Valuable, “Likes” or Tweets?

The real value associated with a tweet is an issue worth debating among social media users and one that is often misunderstood. Twitter can be used to reach large and targeted audiences, but many don’t understand how. According to a recent report by Eventbrite, Facebook “likes” are more profitable than tweets. However, that same study shows that Twitter is closing the gap to achieving similarly huge profitability.

Check out the study here.

Here are the findings:

Facebook resulted in 4x the amount of sharing on Twitter. This is most likely due to the larger number of users on Facebook than on Twitter thus reflecting real-world relationships more closely than those on Twitter.
Facebook “likes” generated an average of $1.34 in sales to their events.
A tweet generated $0.80.
Tweets seem to be increasing in value while “likes” may appear to be decreasing. An earlier report in the fall of 2010 found a Facebook share to equal $2.52 in sales and a Twitter share to equal $0.43.
For Eventbrite, Twitter nearly doubled in value in five months, while Facebook dropped nearly 50%.

You’re free to be the judge, but a tweet appears to be twice as valuable as it was back in October according to this study. If growth continues at this pace, tweets could overtake “likes” by year’s end. At the very least, marketers ought to be more likely to leverage Twitter in addition to their Facebook pages.

Note: Eventbrite looked at shares, not just “likes”, in the first study so the value drop may not be as significant in reality. The variable for Twitter, however, did not change.

Follow Zac on Twitter @zacworkman

Monday, May 9, 2011 by Bryan Povlinski

Techpoint Mira Awards 2011 Recap

The best way to describe the Mira Awards is to think of the Academy Awards, but for the Indianapolis technology community. There might not be as much glamour and the stars might not be as good looking, but the accomplishments might be even more impressive.

With the beautiful JW Marriot as the host, the Techpoint team put on an incredible event on Saturday evening. From the perspective of an Orr Fellow volunteer, here's a quick recap of the winners and some of the notable moments of the evening.

Orr Fellow volunteers via Teresa Becker

Winners

Clean Technology Energy Innovation
Xylogenics

Advanced Manufacturing/Logistics Company
IDS (Integrated Distribution Services)

Health and Life Science Company
AMD Lasers

Health and Life Science Gazelle Company
PolicyStat

Health Care Information Technology
Progeny

Education Contribution to Technology - Department/Program/Team
Information Technology at Purdue/Informatics

Education Contribution to Technology - Individual
Brian Tanner

New Media Excellence
One Click Ventures

New Media Innovation
Scotty's Brewhouse

Techpoint Young Professional of the Year
Kyle Lacy

Excellence in Corporate IT
Ontario Systems

Innovation of the Year
ExactTarget

Information Technology Gazelle Company
BidPal

Information Technology Company
Slingshot SEO

Notable Moments

The opening video to the tune of Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was priceless. Watching Indiana technology geeks attempt to sing and dance to a pop song was a lot of fun

Kyle Lacy singing "Raise your Glass" courtesy of Cantaloupe TV on Twitter

Scotty Wise from Scotty's Brewhouse shed more than a few tears during his acceptance speech. He mentioned that he felt the other nominees in the category deserved to win, but he understood that when the judges have to choose between "chicken wings and tech...you gotta go with chicken wings." Scotty delivered an inspiring speech that several others referred to throughout the night

If you're hopeful that your son might become the next technology entrepreneur in Indianapolis you might want to give him a heads up by naming him Scott. From Scott Wise to Scott Dorsey to Scott McCorkle we saw a lot of impressive Soctt's at the podium

Scott Dorsey accepting the Trail Blazer award via Jon Corwin on Twitter

The Techpoint Foundation announced their next social venture that they will be funding and supporting - robotics and technology program IndianaFirst. High school students form teams and are given a month and a half to build a robot that will compete in a game against other schools from around the country. 2 of the students that competed were there at the Mira Awards with their robot. A lucky group that gathered after the ceremony even got the see the robot in action.

Two other outstanding individuals were honored for their lifetime achievements - Don Kent with Net Literacy and Scott Dorsey of ExactTarget. They received the Bridge Builder and TrailBlazer awards respectively

If you want to see even more reaction to the event check out the #Mira11 hashtag on Twitter.

Sunday, May 1, 2011 by Max Yoder

Indy's Startup Genome Project

For almost a year now, KA+A has been carefully curating Indy's Startup Genome Project. For those of you who don't know, the Startup Genome Project (SGP) is a document that charts the landscape of Indy's startup environment. It's a sight to behold, and you can check it out here.

Formatted as a mind map, the SGP breaks our tech sector into two primary branches: infrastructure and business. The infrastructure side lists things like local funding sources and industry events, while the business side organizes local tech companies based on their current development stage (e.g., seed, growth).

Like all cool things these days, the SGP is a crowdsourced effort. You can suggest additions, removals, and edits to Kristian Andersen, the page's admin, and I encourage you to do so. Is your startup not on the list? Ask him to add it. Did your startup fail to officially start up? Ask him to remove it from the list. Did your business change its name? Make it known. Did you just receive your first venture capital investment? Share the good news.

I'm excited about of the SGP because it's not just a source of pride for Indy; it's a valuable resource for investors, entrepreneurs, and developers everywhere. It doesn't simply give outsiders a way to admire our growth; it gives them a way to better understand that growth and participate in it. Bookmark this page. Share it with a friend. Suggest better ways to arrange, sort, and visualize its information.

The Startup Genome Project runs with the Field of Dreams notion, but tweaks it a bit in the process: "If you build it and show it off, they will come." We know the goldmine of talent and innovation that we're surrounded by here in Indianapolis, and if we can continue to make that goldmine easily visualized, we'll go a long way.

Friday, April 29, 2011 by Aaron Martin

Celebrating Indiana's Tech Industry - 12th Annual Mira Awards

Next Saturday is a big day for Indiana's Tech Industry. Hundreds of Indiana's best and brightest entrepreneurs, CEOs, CIOs, and influential decision makers will gather together at our beautiful new JW Marriott to celebrate our state's emerging and vibrant technology sector at the 12th annual TechPoint Mira Awards.

The Mira Awards is the premier technology awards program in the state of IN, honoring businesses, schools, universities, entrepreneurs, and other top individuals for their contributions to the state's technology-related economy. The future of Indiana lies in the hands of many of the nominees and it is a great opportunity to showcase the talent of Indiana and an excellent platform to get an idea of the great things to come. It is also a perfect opportunity for established and emerging leaders to network and exchange thoughts and ideas on advancement of their enterprises.

Take a look at some of the nominee companies http://www.techpoint.org/nominate for guidance in your quest for achievement. All provide examples of supreme innovation and accomplishment which we all can aspire to and it can be helpful to learn from their stories as we seek to create our own.

Evening Features

Culinary creations by famous New Orleans Executive Chef Quang T. Dinh
An “Oscars-style” theater setting for the awards ceremony
Thirty second (:30) acceptance speeches from the winners honored in each category
Sponsored seating in the awards theater
Sponsored tables at cocktail, food and networking locations
VIP Alumni Party & Lounge

Schedule of Events

5:00 - 6:00 PM VIP RECEPTION (Presented by Ice Miller)

6:00 - 6:30 PM REGISTRATION

6:30 - 7:30 PM AWARDS GALA

7:30 - 11:00 PM INTERACTIVE DINNER & NETWORKING

Awards Categories

NEW TechPoint Young Professional of the Year Award
NEW Clean Technology/Energy Innovation
TechPoint Innovation of the Year Award
Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics
Health & Life Science Company
Health & Life Science Gazelle
Health Care Information Technology (HIT)
Educational Contribution to Technology — Department/Program/Team
Educational Contribution to Technology — Individual
Excellence in Corporate IT
Information Technology
Information Technology Gazelle
New Media Excellence & Innovation
TechPoint Foundation Bridge Builder Award
TechPoint Trailblazer in Technology Award

Thursday, April 28, 2011 by Bryan Povlinski

Indianapolis Startup Activity by the Numbers

As you can see there's quite a bit of entrepreneurial activity going on right here in Indianapolis. Jobs are being created by new firms coming to the area thanks in large part to economic development organizations like Develop Indy. New businesses are launching (a good sign we're picking up the pace). The rate of social media adoption is growing quickly. Grassroots events like Verge and Startup Weekend are really starting to gain traction. I, for one, am excited to be part of the the startup culture in Indianapolis!

Sources:
Twitter users: wefollow.com
Facebook: Facebook Ads estimate
Linkedin: Linkedin Ads estimate
vergeindy.com
indianapolis.startupweekend.org
Kaufmann Foundation Study on Startup Activity
indianaeconomicdigest.net - Francesca Jarosz of the IBJ

Monday, April 18, 2011 by Janneane Blevins

Compendium's Innovation Day

There's two types of entrepreneurs: those who base their business on solving problems, and those who pursue an idea because it's interesting. Those who choose the former, and build businesses that solve problems are going to be the ones that gain traction in the marketplace because they offer real business value; and success is found by knowing your problem better than anyone else.

This is how Chris Baggott (Founder/CEO) rallied the Compendium troops for their first Innovation Day, a day brought to life by Frank Dale (President).

Compendium delivers software solutions that allow marketers to simplify the creation of search friendly content. They're a company born to solve the problem of creating and sharing meaningful, quality content online - which is why they reserved a day for innovation, dedicated to developing new soultions and building new products. Think Startup Weekend, only within a company; an arena for employees to test out different roles, discuss ideas that have been in the back of their minds, and dream, design, and deliver a concept from start to finish in a single day.

The Compendium team identified 3 problems that their current users face, and divided up into 3 groups with the challenge to build a working prototype solution in just 8 hours.

Click, Target Test: A/B Testing to optimize your CTA's conversion rate
Easy content creation & mangement: A browser plugin to allow you to easily create content & a mobile application to allow admins to easily manage content
Content Compass: Pointing you in the right direction of content that is successful

The teams dove into white boarding, sketching, canvasing current clients and conducting live user research. Social media was used as a sounding board as teams discussed details and ideas, garnering live feedback from current/future customers. Sales even hopped on the phone with clients (some whose pain-points were the inspiration for their idea) to explain their new solution, and find out if it would be useful and valuable. Dev teams went from wireframe to code in mere hours, to create working models of the new product or feature.

Todd & Kim Saxton, professors at IU Kelley School of Business (Associate Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship and Assistant Professor of Marketing, respectively), met with teams throughout the day, serving as a critical sounding board from idea inception to the execution of the solution. They later judged the final output, along with Michael Cloran and John Wechsler of Developer Town, Doug Karr of DK New Media, and Kevin Bailey of Slingshot SEO.

Teams were judged on their ability to identify a compelling problem & solution, create a unique value proposition, develop key metrics, plan for costs incurred, and identify key channels, customer segments and revenue streams.

It was a close race. Each team brought forth amazing progress and smart presentations, leveraging everything from video, to role-playing dramas, to screencast and live demos of the new product feature. After deliberating for quite some time, the judges emerged with their decision. The winner: Content Compass. A product enhancement that would allow users of the Compendium platform to quickly gauge which types of content gain the most traction and social shares, and also to compare their personal performance to the company leaderboard - a tool to self-motivate employees to blog more by bringing game-style rules into the mix.

But in the end, it was very clear that it wasn't just one idea that won. In fact, it was quickly agreed by Compendium's leadership that all three ideas would be scheduled into future product releases. What Innovation Day achieved was new energy for a startup in the midst of growth, and a burst of acceleration as they look for new ways to engage and delight their customers.

For all of us "outsiders" invited in to this intimate company event, we were left in awe by the sincere and intuitive energy of the team as they realized their ideas and celebrated one another in their accomplishments. We all agreed that there are many startups in Indy that could benefit from such an Innovation Day, seeding the idea for cross-company innovation events that would fuel the momentum of Indy's startup community.