Its True about True Ventures...They're cool guys

So, I had a cup of coffee this morning with a guy from true ventures, and was definitely surprised at how cool this dude was. I mean, I have met and know a ton of VCs in the web space and many, not to generalize, are so full of themselves that its a breath of fresh air to meet some that are not so pretentious and full of sh%t. This guy was actually listening to what I had to say and provided some very relevant feedback; actually feedback that that actually solved some of the issues that I was currently tackling on my Incubator55 research platform. It was awesome. The interesting thing is that us young entrepreneurs tend to forget that getting funded is like getting married, and its not entirely only about the money. In our case, its a matter of time, and funding is a way to accelerate things drastically. Its like marrying a hot women who's a pain in the a#s to deal with. Once you tie the knot you are stuck and getting out is a messy ordeal.

Now that we are in the process of exploring funding its very important to us to partner with the RIGHT fund, who will be mentors and innovators, not just a pile of cash.

Check out

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KickApps Launches Social Media Strategy Division Led by Alan Wolk and Justin Chase

* Although I spent a few great years at KickApps, my opinion is as objective and un-bias as possible.

I have to say that this was another great move by Alex Blum and his team. KickApps already has solid technology which over the years has evolved and is going through a hyper-innovation period at the moment. They have a world-class services team; no really it’s awesome. I had the pleasure of working with EVP of Clients Services Tom Gaffney during my time at KickApps, and they don’t get any better than Tom and his team; period. And now with the addition of a Social Media Strategy Division, I believe that this will further enhance the KickApps business, offering their clients strategies that transcend on-domain social experiences to destinations such as Facebook and Twitter. Although, I don't know Alan, I do know Justin Chase and his work, and can say KickApps is lucky to have him. Justin spent several years working on social strategies with Digitas NYC.

Although, the social software space is quite congested and highly competitive my instincts tell me that KickApps will continue to prove to be a real leader within the social media and online publishing spaces.

Also New: KickApps’s CMS Capabilities



Also New: KickApps AppStudio Allows you to create Facebook pages on-demand

Skillslate: Good Idea

So I spoke to Taylor VanAlle of Skillslate.com today and thought that the idea was pretty cool. She called it the "Match.com" for finding a handyman, dog walker,
tutor, or any other individual service provider focused on people as opposed to
companies.

They guys and gals are based in NYC, of course a startup at the moment, looking to change the way people find trusted, local individual business owners.

At First Glance:

The UI looks pretty good. Looks web 2.0'ish and is pretty easy to navigate. Its 1000 times nicer than Craigslist, which is always a plus. Also these guys seem focused unlike some of the other players. Also, its a Rails app so naturally being a fan of rails I like it already.

They are funded, just raised a seed round of venture capital. Of course, these folks are a bunch of young entrepreneurs so I'm definitely in their corner and would love to see them succeed.

Check it out at:

www.Skillslate.com

I Actually Like Facebook Ads

Yep, I can’t believe that I am saying it but, yes, I actually really like Facebook ads.

And there are a few reasons why:
First off, they are relevant to me. Because they are so focused on me, I actually like on them and are quite interested in learning more. For example, I am a big yoga lover. I constantly see ads for yoga retreats and products; which is awesome. I almost click on them 100% of the time. Another topic is entrepreneurship; which duh, is something I really enjoy. Again, there are always awesome events and info that come via Facebook ads.

Wanna-Bes vs Doers

This is a topic is really gets under my skin.

Its like putting a team together to play a basketball game and everyone comes to try outs, and then first game; and then some come to the game but don't play. And before you know it your stuck playing the game alone.

The problem is that games are not won alone. Teams win games; not individuals. And as cliche as it is, yet logical, its the wanna-bes who just don't get it. You don't join a team and give up. Doers understand the importance of commitment and know their role within their team. They know that games are won by a balanced attack.

Mr and Mrs. Mediocrity

This is a concept that I learned selling books door-to-door with The Southwestern Company. Current President Dan Moore used to speak about the concept of Mr. Mediocrity and how it effects success.

I am using Mr and Mrs. Mediocrity :)

So who are these creatures? These are the little voices that say "I'll do it tomorrow" or "I've already had a good week in sales, let me just take the rest of the week off; I deserve it", or “it’s too cold/hot outside, I’ll go to the gym another day”. Etc etc etc.
The thing is that we are all familiar with Mr and Mrs. Mediocrity, yet so many of us are unaware of the impact that they have on our lives.

I believe that successful people, top sales people, for example are able to ignore Mr and Mrs. Mediocrity and even excel when they are pushing their hardest. People like Michael Jordan and Joe Montana are well known for their 4th quarter production and last minute heroics. Do you think it’s because they were tired or their body ached any less than the rest? They are just as human as the next player, yet there are 3 key components that I believe defined their greatness: first they prepared and worked harder and longer off the court/field, both mentally and physically, so that they were better during the game; secondly they knew to push their hardest when things were the most challenging.

I believe, that the first step of your advancement is being aware that Mr and Mrs Mediocrity exist, and are not impossible to defeat. I believe the next steps are mentally training yourself to anticipated scenarios in which laziness, procrastination, doubt, etc, all of Mr and Mrs Mediocrity’s methods, will strike. Once you are able to anticipate these attacks you can simply ignore them. Get it? If you are ready for them, then they become non-factors.

Think about this and try it out yourself…

Visualization of the Plan

I have been speaking a great deal about this lately. The idea that if you are able to visualize achieving a goal, then you are 100% capable to manifesting it in real life. Here’s the analogy that I use. We all know the steps of getting to work in the morning. We get up brush our teeth, take a shower etc etc. Many of us take the subway to work, some drive, others use alternative forms of transportation. My point is that we all can close our eyes and visualize this commute. And well, I believe that achieving success and building businesses are the same way. If you are able to visualize this you are able to achieve it .

So what does this mean exactly? Does this mean if I close my eyes and picture stacks of cash sitting on my bed that it will magically happen? Of course not! What it means is that if you take the time to plan and visualize the logical steps, many of these steps you may have already physical walked through, achieving this goal is now simply a matter of execution.

Take a moment to think through this concept and test it out for yourself. I believe that you will be surprised.