Idiot Who Founded DIGITALGUESTLIST.com | Rebel With A Cause | Hired Gun | Analytics Junkie | AntiHero | Serial Envelope Pusher | Optimist/Cynic
Just getting back from the 3rd Annual AULYP Entrepreneur Bootcamp, and taking a clue from Fred Wilson’s recent post on subconscious information processing, here are my thoughts. Huge thanks to John Miller and Travis Townsend for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful event.
Before you read further, please understand that I seriously believe that I can save black people by exposing our young entrepreneurs to the Lean Startup philosophy. I tend to think of myself as John The Evangelist. Also, I’m heavily influenced by the scalable startup mindset prevalent in the tech scene, and, paradoxically, by nightlife – though I am a natural at neither.
Today’s objectives were three-fold: (1) To secure a meeting with Dr. Dennis Kimbro in order to get him on the Lean Startup train, (2) debate the value of business plans with the instructor of the business plan development course, and (3) observe the attendees to gain a better understanding of young black entrepreneur mindset (the customer segment for my race-saving initiative).
I have to run out to referee a kickball tournament in a few minutes, so I won’t go into my hypotheses, but here are the lessons learned/results:
(1) Was able to get Dr. Kimbro’s card, and plant the Lean Startup seed in his head. Will email him, and ask other people to put in a good word on my behalf
(2) Spoke with the Business Plan course instructor (also a consultant at the Urban League), Muhammad Zahir, and came to the middle ground “Planning is needed, business plans aren’t.” I also explained some Lean Startup principles to him, and he invited me to be a guest speaker at one of his sessions. However, even better is that he helped me realize Lean Startup needs to be tweaked to black people’s unique perspective/experiences (like most everything else). Key insight.
(3) Met some newbie entrepreneurs who were using the bootcamp to get basic info on starting their companies. They are in the same boat I was in when I started 9 years ago: they don’t know that they don’t know (if that makes sense). Many of them are women, and aren’t thinking about selling their company for $50 million like I was. They aren’t looking to change the world. Their just looking to start nice lifestyle businesses, and enjoy their life. And there’s nothing run with that. Their the normal ones.
(4) Met some wonderful people like Vanessa Parker (Pink Boss Business Boutique), Courtney Gay (Atlanta Braves), Lekiesha French (CIM Successful), Selah Abrams, and Shana Basnight (Emory’s Goizueta Business School), and will look to build with them in the coming months. Also, ran into the homies Adrienne White and Amani Channel.
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