Elon Musk’s Must-see Interview and Why You Need To Follow Him

June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
musk

Google "real-life Tony Stark" and the only name you'll see is ELON MUSK. Somehow, I think Elon is still under the radar. My wife doesn't know him. The man on the street won't know him. He doesn't have Jobs's brand. Yet, I think he's a much more fascinating entrepreneur than Jobs ever was. (with all the Apple in my house, this is a pretty loaded statement) Also, I think Elon wins the badass entrepreneurial name battle. "Elon Musk" > "Steve Jobs" He DOES sound like someone who would be captain of a martian spacecraft! If you're wondering what the fuss is all about, watch the fascinating video below from the recent D11 Conference. (I'm serious, watch it! Don't skip over … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Wunderkinds Tagged With: ,

75 now confirmed for OPEN COFFEE. Register NOW to grab the last slots!

June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
last call

Looks like we'll be having our biggest open coffee yet! 75 people now confirmed! We have to cap the attendees to a manageable level (too many people doesn't work for the format used). We'll be closing off registration at 100 slots. Do register HERE now to quickly reserve your slot. (I suggest doing it NOW) I'm excited to see everyone this Saturday, 9:30 am at the magnificent 47 East compound! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: , ,

Don’t Slip Into The Entrepreneur Entitlement Trap

June 18, 2013 By 1 Comment
entitlement

It was one of my most painful learning experiences as an entrepreneur. Around 3 years ago I was invited to be an investor/co-founder in a mobile startup. We were four people. The resumes of my co-founders were dazzling - Ivy League degrees, corporate stalwarts, multiple successful ventures. I signed up immediately. I also proceeded to make the most sizeable investment I've ever made (not my usual fare as a passionate proponent of bootstrapping and  minimum seeding) We met once a week. On Skype. There was no one fulltime among the founders. The company was everyone's second or even third priority. The deadlines were soft, chewy, and unaccounted for. We were burning money … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GOD@WORK, STARTUP ADVICE Tagged With:

How I’m Picking Up The Pieces and Re-Launching Them As Startups. Anyone interested in being founders?

June 11, 2013 By 2 Comments
Pick-up-Sticks

Around 3 years ago, STORM was in a rut. We made a sellable product in Flexible Benefits. We were so excited that people were ACTUALLY BUYING our product that we... ...made OTHER products instead of concentrating and building on our winner. I blame my entrepreneurial craziness for this one. Wrote about this a bit for homegrown.ph - on the serial temptation.  Soon, we had more products than we had people! While each idea was an innovative one and made a BIT of money for us, what we mostly produced was a boatload of mediocrity. Instead of making one GREAT thing - we did a number of  inspired but UNDEVELOPED products. So channeling our inner Steve Jobs, we killed all our horses … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, Bootstrapping, TAKE THAT LEAP!, Wunderkinds

COME AND JOIN JGL’S JUNE OPEN COFFEE ON THE 22ND!

June 10, 2013 By 1 Comment
April Edition at Bo's Coffee

WHAT: OPEN COFFEE (JUNE EDITION) WHEN: June 22, 2013 9:30 am WHERE: 47 East Compound, 47 Esteban Abada Street, Loyola Heights, QC (Right in front of the MCDC school) It's that time of the month again! For those who've been to one of the sessions, you already know how awesomely helpful open coffee is when it comes to networking, validating ideas, and finding opportunities are concerned. I'm excited to see all the familiar faces! For those who haven't gone - you just have to check out for yourself what all the fuss is about! Do click HERE to reserve your slot! (Do bring a minimum fee of P100 to pay for coffee and simple snacks) (Know anyone who would benefit from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, TOOLS AND RESOURCES

On the New Storm Office, the Infamous Orange Chair, and Why You Can Do It!

June 7, 2013 By 7 Comments
Steel restaurant chair

STORM transferred to its newest office a few weeks ago. I love it! It's brightly lit, incredibly functional, spaceous, and comfortable to work in. There are no "manager" rooms. There are whiteboards and wallboards everywhere, and multiple spaces for different kinds of meetings. Pictures below! Looking closely, you would also see rather peculiar items in the office: Like this old restaurant-style chair... And of course, our infamous "orange chair." These "artifacts" belonged to the very first Storm office - the one-bedroom condo where I lived.  The bedroom became my house - everything else was transformed into the office. (how I wish my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bootstrapping, GOD@WORK, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: ,

How you can use FEAR as a REVERSE Spider Sense

May 30, 2013 By 3 Comments
spideysense

Fear has been my constant companion all throughout my startup career. I remember feeling I might be laughed at as I was about to present my idea to potential partners or investors. I remember that crippling feeling. That extreme doubt I felt when I was about to resign from my fulltime job. I remember hearing all the "no's" in this journey, the disheartening voices and fearing they actually might be right. I remember delaying the first-ever post of Juan Great Leap (JGL) for weeks for fear other people might judge me. After developing several startups (both successes and utter failures), and the unexpected growth of the JGL audience, you'd think I finally would be free from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Life in a Startup, Small Steps, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: ,

Pitchcraft Postscript

May 28, 2013 By 2 Comments
pitchcraft photo 3

I had a great time at the Pitchcraft Event last Saturday at AIM. With nearly 70 people, there was a lot of energy in the air. Most importantly, I saw there was a lot of learning happening. Just a quick summary of what happened, for those of you who missed it: First, Karen Hipol of Carillion Partners (yup, she of the $100 million fund) came in to give the first talk: WHAT should the pitch contain. Then, Maoi Arroyo of Hybridigm delivers the second talk: HOW the pitch should be given. After a short break, the panel/simulation activity began. First a panel of experts are introduced: technology serial entrepreneur David Cruz, AIM professor and entrepreneurship expert Richard Cruz (not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, Event Postscripts Tagged With: , , ,

24 Hours Left Until Pitchcraft!

May 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment
PitchCraft_v4-01

Pitchcraft is on for tomorrow, and I'm really excited for all the learning we'll be doing!  Last day to register! (You can also register during the event as well) Attendance is at around 70 people now. See you tomorrow! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: , ,

How Exactly the Corporation Kills Your Entrepreneurial Spirit

May 24, 2013 By 7 Comments
hopeless

Gary Sells Soap A few weeks ago I felt I was representing the startup world when I was trying to convince a high-caliber fresh graduate to try out the startup life. (Let's call him "Gary") Yes, while he had several tempting, lucrative offers from MNC's, any of which would've dwarfed whatever salary offer any startup could've given, he was also deeply intrigued by the startup life and was involved in several startup-related activities on campus. Moreover, he had enough of the "I-want-to-do-something-different" streak in him that I allowed myself to hope: "Hey we have a chance." Soon enough, I got a text message from him a few days after... "I decided to try out my luck in corporate … [Read more...]

Filed Under: STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With:
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