A few days ago we wrapped up the first annual Seattle World Financial Symposiums "Growth and Exit Strategies" Conference where Corum was a platinum sponsor. Now, this event is in its 8th year running in financial capitals of the world such as New York, London and Silicon Valley. A record turnout of over 100 people participated in a very successful event in Seattle on October 5th. Numerous thought provoking ideas were mentioned during the day, so I will mention just three that really stood out for me.
First, as Randall Lucas of RevenueLoan and many others echoed, the entrepreneur always thinks it's the right time to start a business. The state of the economy is not a major influence and, in fact, there was a large jump in the amount of businesses started over the last 2 years.
Secondly, as Jonathan Sposato, CEO of Picnik, said so clearly, "If you can afford a BMW, you can start an Internet Company." Today you can start quickly and test your business concept on a lean basis to avoid the consequences of sinking resources over a long period of time.
And last, as Steve Singh, CEO and Chairman of Concur Technologies, pointed out: focus on what value you bring and hone in on it. Spreading your resources across many sectors and offerings is not efficient; rather, really focus on your core value offerings.
These three thoughts directly impact our start-up community here in Seattle and I hope they resonated with our participants. We have already had a huge sign of support and a lot of interest in seeing this event come back next year. Let us know what thought provoking conversations started for you after the event.
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