Slobotski's Selections

Jump. Then Think.

routerventures — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:45:50 -0600

It’s been some time since I’ve shared, in more than 140 characters at least, about things taking place in my life over and my observations.

Before I get in too far, I’d like to thank Wendy Townley for continually encouraging me, along with Amber Rae, and others, to take the first steps towards sharing my thoughts, ideas and inspiration along the journey so far.

Also, as a disclaimer right up from, I will guarantee that each and every sentence will not be up to gramatical standards, but that’s besides the point.

It’s time to go! Keep moving forward. To share what I’m pondering from time to time. Ideas, thoughts and discussions taking place around issues I’m passionate about.

Rewind the clock to December of 2010. It was at that point that I made the decision to focus my time, energy and passion 110% towards Silicon Prairie News. It was one of the most exciting, as well as stressful decisions I had made in as long as I can remember.

On one hand was the certainty of a great job with benefits, stability and a sense of calm. On the other hand was my passion - a site that I started on the side in the middle of 2008, that had now become more just a hobby on the side. The site through our amazing team coupled with the community had built Silicon Prairie News into a real, thriving, entity.

So it was at that point in December of 2010, in which I made the decision to leap. In part I chalk it up to the fact that I felt somewhat hypocritical in that we were encouraging people to “follow their passion” and “move forward with their ideas”, yet I wasn’t fully embracing those same theories.

This last year has been a whirlwind of excitement, stress, joy, nervousness, calm, confidence, fear and jubilation - and I’m probably missing a few more of the key words - but isn’t that what the life of a true entrepreneur is?

It was game time.

Time to walk the talk and talk the walk.

Embrace the journey.

Through the journey I’ve been amazingly blessed to be surrounded by some amazingly inspiring people.

I pinch myself each day as I realize what a dedicated team we have who is passionate around building the community each and every day with Silicon Prairie News.

Words can’t describe how lucky I am to work alongside these folks each and every day.

Dusty, with a great dedication to detail, design and precision. Danny, who through working far more than he sleeps has brought the “news” side of SPN to a level I could never dream of. Geoff who not only is passionate around building the Des Moines and Iowa community, but also helps to make sure we are pushing the right things forward. Michael who has such a great spirit, energy and sense of humor that goes into the way he crafts great stories from the community. And Brittany, who makes greatness happen with each of our events, along with the help of our interns Kira and Amy who are excited to make their mark in continuing the build on the momentum of the last several years.

And by far the most important is my best friend and partner in the journey, Molly. Who completely understands me, supports me and encourages me each day.

2012 is a year filled with great opportunities and as much as I dislike phrases or “words for the year” - my word this year is “focus”. And “keep moving forward”…Ok, that’s four.

I’m excited over time to share more around how certain individuals have influenced the course of the last three years of my life. Stories like how when I found out Gary Vaynerchuk had agreed to come in to town for the first Big Omaha, sight unseen, and since then has helped so much in shaping not only the event, but the entire community here. Gary remains a genuine friend to this day. And before Gary, how Sarah Lacy’s book tour stop caused us to take a second look about what we were doing, and gave us the inspiration to think bigger.

I believe that we are put in specific places, at specific times, for specific reasons. Although everything isn’t perfectly clear at this point in terms of what’s just around corner, I feel I’m playing the role I’m supposed to for today, and that’s all I try to focus on. At the same time, challenging myself to think bigger for what’s possible in the days yet to come.

hey amber rae: The success of you, eliminating haters, and other unconventional rules of life

routerventures — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:42:21 -0600

hey amber rae: The success of you, eliminating haters, and other unconventional rules of life:

heyamberrae:

I’ve always hated stupid rules.

“You can’t go to the bathroom unless you ask for permission.”

“Raise your hand before speaking.”

“Don’t talk to strangers.”

“Don’t get hurt.”

“Never give up.”

These questions are why our education system breeds people to be employees. It’s…

melissajoykong: There are a million posts out there about 2012...

routerventures — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:47:58 -0600

melissajoykong:

There are a million posts out there about 2012 resolutions that sound something like this:

I will…

“Eat less. Exercise more. Fall in love. Move to a new city. Quit my job. Start my own business. Spend less money on lattes. Lose 15 pounds. Travel around the world. Buy a house. Pay off my credit card debt. Read more books. Organize my apartment. Ask for a raise at work.”

It’s easy to make resolutions. This is the fun part: dreaming about what’s possible. Imagining a better, brighter, happier, healthier, wealthier future in 364 days.

But the question lurking in the back of everyone’s mind right now regarding their personal resolutions is: “Can I really do this?”

And the answer is: ABSOLUTELY, 100% YES.

However, here’s the fine print that you don’t see at the bottom of all those articles:

It will be hard. On some days, your goals will feel impossible. You will want to eat a bowl of truffle mac & cheese. And then after that, you’ll want to devour a plate of warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies. You will prefer to sit on the couch rather than run on a treadmill. You will doubt yourself and your ideas. You will get scared about leaving your job for work you’re more passionate about. It will take longer to raise the initial round of capital for your new business than you thought. You’ll want to spend a lot of money on some ridiculous and totally unnecessary purchase. Your apartment will get messy. And one morning, you’ll wake up and the only damn thing you are going to want is an overpriced $5 latte.

Expect the hard days. They will come. Prepare accordingly.

Embrace the challenging moments - they are lessons in disguise. Learn the lessons you must learn, and then continue to move on with making your resolutions happen.

Remember that there will always be bumps in the road, excuses to fall of the wagon, reasons to quit. Keep going anyway. Keep remembering why you made your resolutions in the first place. The moment things get tough, pause - close your eyes and picture how amazing it’ll be when you make your dreams come true.

What are you waiting for?

This is your year. Make it a kick-ass one, hard days and all.

@AndrewJSellers: Where Has the Entrepreneurial Spirit Gone?

routerventures — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:47:35 -0600

@AndrewJSellers: Where Has the Entrepreneurial Spirit Gone?:

andrewjsellers:

Lately, I’ve been wondering where all the innovation and drive has gone in America. The “Greatest Generation” (grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WWII) had no problem starting things. My “Pops” (Grandpa) came home after the war and started his own upholstery business (Laubacher…

Nathaniel Whittemore: The Ten Trends That Will Shape Venture Capital In 2012 [Part 1]

routerventures — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:35:34 -0600

Nathaniel Whittemore: The Ten Trends That Will Shape Venture Capital In 2012 [Part 1]:

nlwinsf:

Sean Parker (Founders Fund) and Shervin Pishevar (Menlo Ventures) at Le Web.

Nothing says the end of December like prognostications for the new year. In 2011, the breakneck pace of early stage investing continued to grow, with new market segments like “collaborative consumption” (think…

Ben Milne: The Road To Relevance

routerventures — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:23:03 -0600

Ben Milne: The Road To Relevance:

Great introspective piece from Ben Milne…

bpmilne:

// Originally written sitting in the SFO airport with Jordan the week of 12/7/2011. My brain can’t take another document today and to be honest, I’d give just about anything to sit in a movie theater and turn my phone off //

This week wasn’t so different from any other week. I spent most of it…

Really wonderful ad that Team Path put together for Path v....

routerventures — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:38:41 -0600

Really wonderful ad that Team Path put together for Path v. 2.

davemorin:

Here’s an ad we put together for Path 2. Enjoy.

Living in the embrace of life

routerventures — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:08:51 -0500

Hearing of Steve Jobs’ passing yesterday evening seemed to hit a cord of emotion in my own life.

56 years seems so short in human terms, yet when looking at what Steve created over those very 56 years, it’s amazing the sheer reach, impact and inspiration he provided to so many.

Just after hearing of Steve’s death yesterday, I was playing outside with my youngest son and he wanted to ride his older brothers Razor scooter.

As I helped my son on the scooter - which was much too large for a little two year old - the look of excitment in his eyes sparked somethign in me. As we began to walk, then a bit faster, soon jogging and then running while holding on to his little hands, I glanced down to see his blonde hair blowing in the breeze and him letting out small little gasps of joy coupled with a bit of fear and amazment while we raced down the driveway.

I sensed in a small way he was imagining and experiencing life in an entirely new way to him. I feel it is the same way that Steve Jobs has encouraged each one of us to live - chase our deepest dreams, while enjoying the ride all along the path, embracing the fear and knowing at the end of it all we’re safest when we’re living as who we are truly and uniquely called to be.

If you knew you had 56 years to live, what would you do with it?

What if you knew you had 56 months, 56 weeks or even 56 days left to live?

How would you live your life differently?

Let us embrace the childhood sense of wonder and amazement while we continue chasing our deepest dreams.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs - Stanford University Commencement Speech, 2005

lane would: Being Alive

routerventures — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:55:00 -0500

lane would: Being Alive:

Via my good friend lanewood:

I’ve never experienced Grief.

At almost 30 years old, you’d think this would be an impossibility. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a small town. It’s definitely not because my family are health nuts. And it’s not because I’m a loner or shallow; there are many people that are incredibly dear to…

First National Bank's "Born & Raised" Commercial

routerventures — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:45:00 -0500

A truly well done piece. I’ve really enjoyed watching First National Bank’s “Born & Raised” piece. Makes me proud to be an Omahan.

Well done Bozell & First National! Let’s keep making Omaha even greater!

Creating Community

routerventures — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:13:15 -0500

Credit: Malone & Co. - Featuring Malone & Co. Crew at Big Omaha 2011

I’ve found myself spending quite a bit of time over the last few months taking a deeper look at some of the key components of building a community and harnessing the power of a coordinated effort towards growing an ecosystem.

As we’ve been building the entrepreneural and creative ecosystem over the last three years or so, for the longest time, it was a process of going heads down and putting one foot in front of another each day. Repeating this process day after day, and next thing you know you have months behind you, then years.

Several months ago my good friend Andy Stoll gave me a book called “Community” by Peter Block and it rocked my argyle socks. So much of what Block shared in the book clearly articulates some of the key components that were evident in the work I’ve been involved with towards building community.

I won’t give the entire book away, you’ll have to read it for yourself, but one of the key tenants he shares focuses on the idea of harnessing the strenghts of a given community rather than focusing on your weaknesses.

Think about it, Omaha isn’t surrounded by oceans but we do have a vast amount of other resources that we can harness - and many entrepreneurs before us have - to build something great.

More to come on these thoughts over the next few weeks, as well as another book that’s a must read for anyone involved in the work of building the next iteration of their community.

Until then, pick up “Community”, and let me know what you think.

unhappyhipsters: There’s nothing like the comforting sight of...

routerventures — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:39:53 -0500

unhappyhipsters:

There’s nothing like the comforting sight of one’s own home after a long, difficult day.

(Dwell)

"Life is too short to be a boring company."

routerventures — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:18:19 -0500

“Life is too short to be a boring company.”

- Andrew Mason (via davemorin)

startupquote: Everything’s impossible until somebody does it. -...

routerventures — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:34:28 -0500

startupquote:

Everything’s impossible until somebody does it.

- Bruce Wayne

(Startup Quote Anniversary Edition 4/5)

unhappyhipsters: Even superheroes need lap-time, but he was...

routerventures — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:15:26 -0500

unhappyhipsters:

Even superheroes need lap-time, but he was still thankful for the cover of ferns.

(Photo: Alexi Hobbs; Dwell)

brycedotvc: When in doubt, just ship. via Marc

routerventures — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:00:46 -0500

brycedotvc:

When in doubt, just ship.

via Marc

Who Inspires You?

routerventures — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:37:02 -0600

A simple question, and I’ve received some really insightful answers thus far. I asked because one of the things that inspires me is the human spirit and energy to keep innovating and pushing the envelope. I wanted to share a few of the response thus far, and encourage you to leave a comment around who inspires YOU…

Dale Heise: “My 1 year old: Always curious & learning, wicked smart, always smiling, and afraid of nothing.”

Royce Haynes: ”my mom, MLK, Bryan Stevenson, Eric Von Hippel, You, Abraham Lincoln, King David, Uncle Jonnie, and my Grand Father #inspired”

Megan Hunt: ”people like @secretpenguin who kill it at work and then go home to their sweet families. and never say a bad word about anybody”

Emily Musgrave: ”Simple, poor folks who work hard for what they need and honestly don’t want more. The folks who smile, sing and love and are genuinely happy. They’re everywhere.”

…more to come, and I encourage you to keep up your own individually amazing work.

andypeters: Big Omaha, the trailer.

routerventures — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:25:14 -0600

andypeters:

Big Omaha, the trailer.

Path: Millions of Shared Moments

routerventures — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:50:20 -0600

Path: Millions of Shared Moments:

Big news coming from Dave Morin & the team at Path:

thepersonalnetwork:

At Path, we’re focused on helping close friends and family deepen their relationships with each other. At the root of happiness in relationships is shared experience.

It was our hope in the beginning that our experiments around more private sharing and more personal network models would enable…

Midwest Predicted To Be Fastest Growing Venture Market In 2011

routerventures — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:00:02 -0600

From pehub - by Mark Boslet

One surprise investment story of 2010 has been the rebound in Midwest venture. Some expect 2011 to be better.

Many regions of the country still struggle to top weakened 2009 investment totals, Silicon Valley included. But Midwest venture, known for its health care focus and now its fledgling commitment to cleantech, passed the mark with its third quarter numbers.

As of September, the region’s GPs placed $818 million with emerging companies, comfortably above the $778 million of 2009. With a steady fourth quarter, the year could near the 2008 total of $1.27 billion.

Silicon Valley may have no such luck. Through the first three quarters of the year, valley VCs put $6.37 billion into startups. They will need a gargantuan fourth quarter to reach the $10.9 billion of 2008.

Given this backdrop, local leaders are encouraged. Ray Leach, the chief executive of JumpStart Inc., a Cleveland based organization investing in and nurturing startups, sees the region as the nation’s quickest growing market next year.

“With portions of the Great Lakes region seeing investment dollars doubling or even tripling this year over last, the Midwest will emerge in 2011 as the fastest-growing US market for VC due to the capital efficiency of the companies, the transformative biomedical and cleantech technologies, and the thriving pipeline of early-stage companies that are ready for growth capital,” he (pictured) predicted in an e-mail.

Signs suggest he could be correct. Ohio, for instance, saw significant momentum build through 2010, with second quarter investing up and the third quarter total spiking higher to $73 million. Michigan also was relatively resilient, despite a third quarter dip, according to data from the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Reuters, the publisher of this blog.

Part of the explanation may be the scarcity of capital. Venture investor Koleman Karleski, a managing director at Chrysalis Ventures, sees it this way:

“In 2011, I believe the Midwest and South will continue to be excellent regions for entrepreneurs to build scalable, profitable businesses. This geography is under-ventured, but its ecosystems spawn and support the kinds of assets you need to build successful businesses, including a large, tenacious entrepreneurial talent pool, exceptional colleges and universities, and a host of established large companies whose challenges become opportunities for the next generation of venture backed companies.”

As 2010 becomes 2011, the Midwest will be a place to watch. But like elsewhere, it will require a steady improvement in the nation’s economy, building consumer confidence and a constructive relationship between opposing camps in Washington.