People are People

Larry & I had a great time this evening at the reception/mixer for the kickoff of the Keiretsu Forum's SoCal Angel Expo, and we really enjoyed all the folks we met this evening; we look forward to more conversations at Tuesday's expo.

One thing we keep coming back to is that, no matter what kind of investor or entrepreneur you are, people are people.

Be honest, be passionate about your business and the conversations and the types of discussion all come out the same way. Somewhere in there you find ways to connect.

Whether we get to listen to the pitch and conversations about another startup (and learning new things about our own market conversations) or whether we have an opportunity to speak about what excites us about our new business - people are people, and in the listening and the speaking of a conversation, the truth about what kind of person you are and what kind of people you're having a conversation with, is revealed.

We're very glad to be participating in the upcoming Southern California Angel's Forum and are glad for every conversation that comes from it -because at the end of the day, people are people, and we all learn from each other.

Innovation vs. Invention

Everyone we talk to invariably responds with something along the lines of "that's a great idea," and we feel they're right. We've also already been getting calls from folks in other states either obviously interested in trying to figure us out and "rip off" our idea, or inquire about whether we've considered building in their state.

However, a great post over on TechDirt today draws a wonderful distinction between ideas, and the implementation of said ideas.

On this front, I'm profoundly happy that we are *not* an IP heavy company that's going to market with a bunch of patents (that may or may not be rightfully granted) that we're going to have to spend tons of legal dollars defending or suing other people for. That's not innovation in my book, that's extortion, and not a business I want to be in.

We're a company whose success is 100% based on our ability to successfully execute our concepts to the level of quality and detail that we have already set forth as our standard. The first step to executing a great idea is communicating it in a way that all the people that the project requires "get it."

We're there, and we're not just the next "great idea."

Moving Day!

Right on, we've finally found a (workable) office and it's moving day! Furniture, etc. in today, networking etc. in tomorrow.

Moving furniture in the middle of a really hot day is always a good time, but we're stoked to have a place to put our office furniture!

More productivity to follow, etc.

Angel Financing, Table for Two, Please?

As we proceed with Angel discussions, I have to note that in spite of all the management and angel information you might have ahead of time, it's easy to lose sight of other really important things a potential Angel investor may (or may not) bring to the table besides cash.

When you're burning through what resources you do have, busy building the train and laying the track, worrying that you're not going to get the coal you need to get your locomotive to actually move down the tracks, it's hard to *not* think only of the liquid capital.

But if you get a lucky break and get to step back for a minute at your field of potential partners, the differences and the value propositions that extend beyond "just the money" begin to make themselves evident.

A great angel investor isn't a great angel because they have gold in their pockets, they're a great angel because they can, and have, flown before. They're great because they have experiences, knowledge, resources they can contribute to your new business AND an (obviously) enthusiastic interest in the road you've chosen for your company.

I know I've never taken a large risk for anything that I wasn't really enthusiastic about, and I would hope nothing less for our partners.

Larry & I are both definitely excited about the value beyond cash that our angel investors bring to the table.