Author, Speaker, Mentor. Entrepreneur. Founder (or co-founder) of more than a dozen businesses, Ski is also a Jonah's Jonah in Goldratt's TOC. Plus a "mover & shaker" in the VoiceFirst space.
Ski is a [semi] Retired Marketing Mad Man™ with a career that spans thirty (30) years in sales and marketing and full lifecycle software development across technology, publidhing & events, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and hospitality sectors.
If you have a group willing to sit still for 30 to 90 minutes then you have your next keynote speaker anywhere in the 48 contiguous states. Hawaii is on the table at a totally unreasonable amount of money.
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey is a visionary influencer and [semi] retired Marketing Mad Man™ as well as an entrepreneur, author, mentor, and founder of more than a dozen businesses. Including a few in the VoiceFirst space. Plus, a Keynote Speaker focused on transferring knowledge to individuals and organizations to empower a radical transformation into the best versions of themselves. Often in as little as ninety days. Ski is also a Jonah's Jonah in Dr. Eli Goldatt's Theory of Constraints (aka TOC). He has helped startups raise over four million dollars by applying Focus. U.S. Marine Corps veteran; Letter of Commendation for Process Improvement.
Yes, every once in a while the planets align. Some questions to consider:
Is there a significant other contributing cash flow to the home budget?
Is there a nest egg? 401K or other instrument that can be cashed in if [and only if] all else fails?
Define startup? Is it bricks & mortar? High overhead environment? Require major up front investment?
I won't get out of bed in the morning without a Lean Canvas to guide my efforts. Have you complete this simple 9 step process? http://leancanvas.com
There are few challenges in life more rewarding than starting a new business from the ground up. But it takes an inner peace! {grin} And focus. Laser-like focus.
Put yourself in a position to win, even if a number of events go south. If you proceed, then commit 100%.
You are only as late as you feel... or so goes one variation of a theme. A better first question would be to determine where in the "adoption of technology" you and/or your employer are most comfortable. You have heard of the "bleeding edge" of technology, right? If you need to be in that "innovator" or "early adopter" role, then cheat: grab onto the coattails of someone who knows where the front lines are located. For consumer tech, one person I follow is Robert Scoble. He investigates the startup community for a living and just knows what is cool in tech for the masses, most often before it ships! And well before most of us know we need it! Also, there are groups on LinkedIn to join, like: I <3 Startups. But you have taken the first step, seeking answers. Hope this helps, but if you seek further examples or additional "clarity" {grin} call me.
As someone pointed out, the younger one is, the more likely to take risk. There is also a lack of fear as well as a belief that anything is possible. Too often these traits get beaten out of would be entrepreneurs as life tacks on the years. If the more more seasoned individual applies the same level of commitment and passion, I would expect the more senior person to achieve greater results.
Exciting times. When I read between the lines having faced a similar decision on more than one occasion, I see all the missed opportunities from having been too busy personally to be as effective as needed. The good news, there is but one weakest link in any system and that includes your business. Is it the lack of a talented partner? Perhaps. Is it a failure to delegate? More likely but not a given. Hiring is the most complex function in business and a wrong or misstep could be very expensive in time and money. I have hired over 500 people and helped organizations hire even more. It may not be obvious that I spent years in retail, most in men's fashion and in another life built several online businesses. I would be happy to learn more about your unique challenges and offer some insights from my more than 10,000 hours of experience at the front lines in each industry. Schedule 30 to 60 minutes at your convenience, but as you point out, the clock is ticking.
Yea, not really a great option. Most of them want real money for "sharing" your project with "this list or that group, etc." and really aren't promising cash on the barrelhead.
Crowdfunding is hard work. Period. The bigger the email list you have of people that "KNOW, LIKE & TRUST YOU" the better you will do, if you can muster the gumption to reach out to them. Did I mention it is hard work? {grin}
Having said that, I built a planner from my efforts based on a number of successes (going back 5+ years starting with raising $2K for a startup idea) and of course a few failures. I am willing to share of my insights.
Schedule a call and let us chat.
P.S. My latest effort (last month) raised 250% of goal: $25K.
Been there many times. I didn't always get it right. But practices can lead to better results. Much better results.
Short answer: Three questions you should answer for yourself first: 1) What markets are you a member? 2) Do you have enough expertise to be a "big fish" in that market's "small lake?" 3) Is that target market big enough to support me if I succeed?
That last one maybe should be answered first! {grin}
The most effective marketing tool I know for choosing markets is the "Lean Canvas" by Ash Maurya. I would love to introduce you to this tool. It will change your trajectory through business and life. IMNSHO
Schedule some time for a call. A short tour will save you hours of wasted effort trying to figure it out for yourself. Ask me about "Avoiding the Left Turn."
Great question with a number of answers, some of which might amaze you. Let's keep it simple: hire "A" team members. Period. There was a [at least one] blog post about how hiring "B" or "C" devs would destroy a startup within weeks. Same of any team. I love the expression, "Close enough for Rock & Roll", but that never works for hiring talent. And, if you don't know, every position is a 'talent' position in a startup. Sure, all the comments you have ever read about teaching and demanding team members pull their own weight, etc. are valuable. But start at the beginning. Plus, know that you cannot instill knowledge into others... they must seek it, consume it, and apply it for themselves. Final note for startups: hiring amazing talent from established firms is a huge challenge. Can they perform when there is no budget or assistants to do the work? Communicate what we call in the military, "Commanders Intent" and let the "A" players figure out the details.
I wish I had known that Steve Jobs would die early and any vision he had for the iPad and the re-birth of magazine publishing would die with him. It is an amazing device but iTunes sucks as a platform. Plus, as long as Medium lacks paywalls (or something similar) and lacks an embedded payment mechanism, there is no good solution.
But if you want to cry over spilt milk, schedule a few minutes and we can sit on the ground and share sad tales. {grin}
This role in most organizations is designed for maximum fun! Well, maybe not, but I am ever hopeful. In twenty plus years I have led numerous projects and hired a few project leads [aka project managers] most of which have done a great job. For me, the best project managers are home grown. Promotion up through the ranks of the "A" players on the team, all with valuable insight on how all the processes work and interact with one another. However, should this not be possible, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Don't forget all the obvious steps like checking references. But the most important trait for me is that "eye of the tiger" concept. The will to survive. To thrive. The ability to think outside the box for sure, but it is more, it is the knowledge that they can make a difference in your organization. Not that they have done the exact same thing somewhere else, that almost never works! Find someone that must stretch to accomplish your goals. Make them convince you they are the right person for the position. Remember the 80/20 Rule: they need to do most of the talking. Give me a shout if you want a shoulder to cry on. I have hired over 300 people and only had to fire three.
Long answer made short, I like what I call the Kindle Social approach. If one reads a passage in a Kindle book [even the various Kindle readers, not just the devices], they can highlight it and post to Facebook and/or Twitter. So, have an iPhone app built where you populate it with various feeds from your service. Users can highlight portions or share whole posts [actually just the URL of a whole post] via several social channels and email. Finally, get a group of "marketers" aka interns, and/or temp help, to use your app to share links. Then retweet and "like" various posts that come from your tool. It is kind of like the razor blade and the handle. Personally I am a huge fan of aggregation services, but stay away from the "techie" side of it, users don't care! They are buying a 1/4" hole, not a 1/4" drill and bit.
Interesting. I have done this on a couple of occasions, maybe not this exact model but close.
One approach would be a Speakers Bureau. Another would be to structure it as a full service agency or as "full" as your colleagues' backgrounds permit. Be sure to create a vesting schedule, even sweat equity can get away from you if one is not careful (says the voice of experience).
A third option would be an equity crowdfunding startup. indiegogo has partnered with MicroVentures to offer the JOBS Act of 2012 based solution for US based companies.
I would enjoy sharing some war stories or answer any pointed questions at your convenience, let's schedule a time.
Jeff and I have worked together on several of Dr Goldratt's Viable Vision Offer Events. Currently we are working on global marketing for Goldratt Consulting. I am a huge fan of Jeff's! If you need to get something done and you want results, then Jeff is the right person for the job!
SKI has been an invaluable resource for me over the past few years. His knowledge base is broad and he can make things happen. Its been a pleasure working with him on every occassion. Quality performance on all levels!
If you want to know SKI, just read his book. He puts in your hand a tool that allows you to fly. Alone. Just think a little bit. If you think with his method, you will find a simple way to succeed. Follow his steps and you will get what you want. Thanks SKI
I worked with Jeff on the StartupBus partnership with Rackspace for 2012. He's creative, energetic and all-around good guy. His passion for entrepreneurship is humbling. I look for amazing things to come from Jeff and look forward to watching his ideas come to life! From a partner perspective, he kept me informed and connected - resulting in an awesome end-result.
Jeff Ski Kinsey consulted with me and the nonprofit for which I was Executive Director in 2008 and 2009. We worked together on developing a marketing plan and creating a new, cutting edge website. Jeff is knowledgeable, creative and is an enthusiastic go getter who helps insure results. I highly recommend Jeff.
Jeff stays on the cutting edge of technology and is always ready to bring a new idea to life using what he has learned. He builds a team of people to accomplish the task, and we all learn from the experience. His ability to innovate and create new business ventures is astounding. Being associated with Jeff allows you to be challenged and grow in your field. The professionals he brings to the team are just as exciting to work with.
Jeff is truly a TOC Enthusiast that envisions ways to improve business productivity by introducing TOC to anyone who will listen. His humor and energy are contagious which are critical skills needed in helping new entrepreneurs in the early startup phase of their business. His 90-day entrepreneurial boot camp combines the best concepts of Seth Godin and Eliyahu Goldratt.
Jeff is the sales and marketing sage with the ability to ask great questions that drive clients to figure out who is their payer source. You need to know that ducks eat corn and find out where your ducks go to eat their corn.
He is a great mentor and teacher. We in Northeast Ohio (Stark County) are lucky to have Jeff”Ski”Kinsey in our community as an entrepreneur and prophet.
Jeff, or 'Ski' as he prefers, completely blew me away in his work with StartupBus. He was a proactive member of the community in various projects that were helping drive StartupBus, but then found a home in the sponsorship team which needed leadership to execute on one of the organisations biggest risk areas. In the space of a few short weeks, I decided to promote him as the team lead and his subsequent ability to raise funds is evidence of the things I observed of his ability.
He is a rare individual who is willing to put himself on the line for a great cause that he believes in. It's been a pleasure working with Ski and I look forward to working him in future -- his accomplishments understate him and he will be an asset to any organisation that has the privilege of engaging with his many talents.
Jeff is one of the most genuine and consistent person I have come across. He has been mentoring me from the very beginning of my startup Giifa.com. He is proving to be my most valuable resource so far, and I definitely hope to have him as an important board member, even though I plan on establishing Giifa in California. His experience is extremely diverse and so has been his support. He not only helped in Giifa's conception, idea, marketing, and other business oriented needs, but his expertise as a programmer helped me with due diligence. There is absolutely no reason to have second thoughts on considering him as a mentor, regardless of the role you want him to play. If you need any more info/specifics, feel free to contact me at prat@giifa.com, and I will be glad to be of help.
Jeff consulted for me in my previous business. His insight in determining the problem led to great solutions. He was generous with his time and made himself readily available.
I appreciate his wisdom and recommend him to others.
It was my pleasure to connect with Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey of Main Street Startups at SXSW this year. It had been over 20 years since we first met, back during my ACT! days. But this meeting was quite different. Jeff was quick to see the value of VIPorbit and insisted that I meet him at SXSW. In fact, he suggested that 'everyone in tech will be in Austin, Texas for SXSW' and insisted that I make the trek. It really was not in the budget, but as I made plans to test the waters on a limited basis, I found out what Jeff already knew: everyone in tech would be there! His efforts to help get the word out about VIPorbit is appreciated. SXSW will definitely be in the budget next year. I would also describe Jeff as an Entrepreneur's Entrepreneur. His passion to effect innovation in software solutions by helping develop the ecosystem for entrepreneurs to succeed is truly needed beyond the shores of Silicon Valley, as even they have no exclusive dominance over creativity only in the Valley.
