Book Review: Start With Why

Reading Time: 2 minutesSimon Sinek Start With Why ISBN: 978-1-59184-644-4 Have you ever thought about your “why”? What is the “why” for the work that you do? This is the question posed by viral TED-talker Simon Sinek in his book Start With Why. In the book, Sinek explains the reasoning behind why the “why” is so important in … [Read more…]

Book Review: Do More Faster

Reading Time: 2 minutesDavid Cohen and Brad Feld Do More Faster ISBN: 978-1-119-58328-8 I get a lot of questions from first-time founders and new entrepreneurs. How do you know whether or not your idea is a “good idea?” How do you find customers? Will anyone actually buy this thing I built? I try to answer as many as … [Read more…]

Bring the Energy to the Front

Reading Time: 11 minutesIt was only a few months ago when I was contemplating what to do with this blog due to the lack of travel brought on by Coronaworld. I had mentioned then that it was difficult to come up with content for an entrepreneurial ecosystem journey blog when the journey is stopped. Little did I know … [Read more…]

Book Review: The End of Jobs

Reading Time: 3 minutesTaylor Pearson The End of Jobs ISBN: 978-1-61961-336-2 Are we at the “end of jobs?” Most people’s first reaction is probably fear or dismay. Unfortunately, jobs that seemed like sure bets in the world pre-corona aren’t anymore. Entrepreneurship is the key to surviving this unpredictable world. Thankfully for all of us, entrepreneurship has become more … [Read more…]

Time To Put On The Hard Pants

Reading Time: 8 minutesI don’t know about you, but I really didn’t expect for things to start bouncing back toward normal as quickly as they did. Had you asked me a few months ago, I would have said that most events wouldn’t come back in 2021 and would probably be back after cold and flu season in the … [Read more…]

Book Review: You Don’t Need This Book

Reading Time: 3 minutesBen McDougal You Don’t Need This Book: Entrepreneurship in the Connected Era ISBN: 978-1-7366357-1-1 Every entrepreneur’s story has a starting point. Maybe it was a cup of coffee with a friend who was building a business. Perhaps it was a pitch competition in college or a Startup Weekend. In my case, it was reading through … [Read more…]

Book Review: Console Wars

Reading Time: 3 minutesBlake J. Harris Console Wars ISBN: 978-0-06-227670-4 If I’ve learned anything over the course of the last few years neck-deep in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, it’s that any time companies begin to think less like a scrappy startup and more like a stodgy, conservative corporation, the quality of the company declines. Inversely, if a traditional company … [Read more…]

I Am The Wizard Of Oz

Reading Time: 5 minutesIt’s been quite the couple of months of entrepreneurial ecosystem building through online events. One big event down, another now on the horizon, and a great celebration of what we’ve accomplished at 1 Million Cups Iowa City over the past three years. Since the beginning of the year, and specifically in the last few weeks, … [Read more…]

Book Review: The Startup Community Way

Reading Time: 3 minutesBrad Feld and Ian Hathaway The Startup Community Way ISBN: 978-1-119-61360-2 If you have followed my book review series on this blog, you know that I’ve reviewed a number of books by Brad Feld. His long, winding career as an entrepreneur, community builder, and investor has made him one of the top experts in entrepreneurship. … [Read more…]

Coming Up For Air

Reading Time: 5 minutesIt’s certainly been a while since my last non-review post. Not traveling for months on end makes it difficult to generate content for a blog documenting travels through the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In fact, as of this past week, we’ve officially crossed into the second year of Coronaworld. March 11, 2020 was the last in-person entrepreneurial … [Read more…]