About the Author: Tom Chapman is a regular guest contributor to Silicon Prairie News. In his series, Innovation Chamber: A Look Outside the Chamber for Innovation, Chapman draws on his professional experiences to lend advice, share observations and provide milestones to the entrepreneurial community in the Silicon Prairie.
Currently the director of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Chapman is departing the Chamber at the end of August to join Nebraska Global. In his time at the Chamber, Chapman has worked with hundreds of local (and some non-local) new ventures, many large companies seeking innovation advice and a host of funders looking for deals. To learn more about Chapman, see our introductory post.
You can find Chapman on Twitter, @tchap623, of contact him at tchapman@omahachamber.org.
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Startup Weekend Omaha brings entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs together for 54 hours. Events like it are good ways to get involved in entrepreneurship without leaving a full-time job. Photo by Danny Schreiber.
So, you are not an entrepreneur, but you want to engage in the Silicon Prairie community. What should you do?
First, I question whether or not you are an entrepreneur. In my opinion, entrepreneurship looks a bit like a bell curve. While most people are not as entrepreneurial as Richard Branson, many could become entrepreneurs if the right stimuli affect their lives. For example, many professionals run their own businesses and, with a little prompting, could become high-growth entrepreneurs. Thus, first I would not immediately say “I am not an entrepreneur.” This world needs more entrepreneurs, so please always consider entrepreneurship as a viable option.
Moreover, just because your parents or friends do not call you entrepreneurial does not mean that you cannot start a wonderful business in an area of deep passion. For example, I think that there are fortunes to be made around pets, concierge services (platformed on Zaarly maybe) and elder-related opportunities. All of the demographics point to these as being growth areas, and there are many people passionate about each one.
However, if you have discerned that entrepreneurship is not (yet) for you, then here are a couple of engagement ideas:
Be supportive of local entrepreneurs
Often, entrepreneurs need help from their core customers – determining the efficacy or viability of their newest product. Providing good, fair feedback is very useful to companies in the earliest stages. This does not mean that you should lie to them. Instead, you should honestly provide them feedback about what you like and what you do not like about products, particularly those for which you are the core customer.
Be supportive of community events that touch on entrepreneurship directly
Startup Weekend, Barcamp and SPN Meetups are three examples. Attendance at these events can be a good way for you to discover your own way to engage. Moreover, while some of these cost an entrance fee, most have discounts for students and are not particularly expensive compared to events like TechCrunch: Disrupt or SXSW. They are local and great mechanisms to connect.
Be knowledgeable about the community and its efforts
Understand the diction and be able to provide good examples to un-initiated individuals. Some key points:
Entrepreneurship is a critical component of economic development, creating approximately 50 percent of the new jobs in a city.
Know what an angel investor is, what venture capital is and what other key concepts are for entrepreneurs. Know how to talk about a startup and how to talk with an entrepreneur in the language they prefer. For example, if you have seen a pitch, quick pitch or demo, know the difference and be ready to help educate others.
Remember who people are that have scalable problems and present them to entrepreneurs with the contact information of the person suffering from the challenge – it might be your college professor, mother or a business associate.
Never underestimate your impact on a startup – the trajectory of most companies can be radically changed by little tweaks at the beginning of the process.Know what companies are starting in your community, like the following (the big ones and a couple of sleeper picks):
- Omaha – Sojern, Hayneedle (Xuba, Foundary), Proxibid, MindMixer, RockDex
- Lincoln – Hudl/Agile Sports, Nebraska Global’s companies, SelectOut
- Des Moines – Dwolla, anything touched by Christian Renaud (or his daughter), Torsion Mobile
- Cedar Rapids/Iowa City: Ovation Networks, Dibzees, Syncbak
While this last one may seem simple, a close relative (who sould be knowledgeable if for no other reason than that I talk to this person very regularly about my job) referred to Hayneedle today as that “Haysticks company on Dodge Street.” Be ready to give their elevator pitch for them – 10-20 seconds of what the company is about. Then, be ready to defend their impact and explain why they are not one of the “big (old) companies” in your city but still matter a lot to the development of your community.
Lastly, be passionate about your life and your community. If you are, it will be better for the entrepreneurs who are living, growing and working around you.
