Kami presents to 80+ attendees of Social Media [...]]]> Today’s Social Media Breakfast was an overview of the recent Social Media Analytics Summit, presented by Kami Huyse of Zoetica Media. She gave us a rundown of the current trends in social media analytics, including “big data” management, relationship mapping, and goal-setting in an enterprise environment.

Kami presents to 80+ attendees of Social Media Breakfast Houston.

Entrepreneurs take note!  There is a growing industry of software companies targeting SMB, midmarket, and enterprise users.  Kami walked us through a few customer segments and niches, and she polled the audience about interesting new applications.  Everyone seemed to really like Rapportive, a Gmail plugin that replaces ads with the full social profile of your contact. Internet research made easy!

As usual, the event provided lots of wonderful anecdotes about Houston’s common sense approach to social media. This month, I was especially interested to learn how Dr. Anas Younes of MD Anderson uses Twitter to recruit participants in Lymphoma clinical trials.

ABOUT THIS EVENT:

Held on the second Friday of every month, the Houston Social Media Breakfast is a casual event full of entrepreneurs, writers, marketers, government leaders, and data geeks. Every month features a different speaker, and there is a regular cast of friendly characters. Here’s a tip: get to Canopy early, eat some breakfast, and watch the crowd roll in.

For a full rundown of topics and thoughts, check out the #SMBHOU hashtag on Twitter.

[STARTUP HOUSTON] Tell us a little bit about [...]]]> Houston startup Whimseybox was recently admitted into the summer 2012 accelerator program of Chicago-based Excelerate Labs. We met up with founder Alicia DiRago to find out more about how she got started with Whimseybox and what she hopes to get out of the program. Here is the interview:

[STARTUP HOUSTON] Tell us a little bit about Whimseybox.

[ALICIA DIRAGO] Whimseybox is the subscription for the DIY and craft community. Every month we’ll ship you 4-5 craft-product samples for just $15. Rediscover craft with a fun and beautiful reminder to express your creativity! If you need inspiration, check out our Project Gallery for full step-by-step tutorials featuring the products in your box. Or if you have your own creative idea, upload and share your project with the Whimseybox community. Everyone will enjoy our signature organizational box and details like the 5×7 piece of art included each month. Plus, you can find tips and techniques, get inspired by recent trends and connect with our community of craft-lovers at whimseybox.com.

What is your background? Is this your first business?

My background is actually in chemical engineering. While that might seem like a world apart from craft, it actually doesn’t feel that different to me because they both stem from my obsession with making things. I worked as a chemical engineer in Chicago for about 8 years after college before my husband’s job brought us to Houston and I decided to dive into entrepreneurship. I began blogging and teaching local craft classes with my Dismount Creative business and the lessons I learned doing that led me to start Whimseybox.

What made you decide to start Whimseybox?

More specifically, I knew that growing audience on my blog was all across the country. I had traveled to do few larger DIY events but was looking for a new way to reach them. One project I did for a store in NYC stood out – they sent several bloggers a box of assorted supplies and we all used them in different projects. It was beautifully packaged and a really fun experience and challenge. When they posted everyone’s finished work I thought it was awesome how we all took the same materials and did different things with them. Of course, I’d also seen what Birchbox had started doing and all of the traction they were getting on fashion and beauty blogs and thought that the subscription model would be a great fit for crafts.

Tell us about how you launched the site.

So immediately after I had the idea I thought ‘this is amazing I have to do it ASAP before someone else does.’ And I’m a DIY-er, so I just got underway building an MVP. In just a couple days I decided on a name (and would only consider .com addresses that were under $10) and a logo (one color plus two free fonts from FontSquirrel- keep it simple). Because I’d been blogging for a year I was pretty comfortable on WordPress so I decided to start with that and spent $30 on a theme from ThemeForest. I called a handful of craft companies that I’d met through DismountCreative and got them to provide products for the first 15 test boxes and then shot a short 1 minute video on my flip cam of us putting the boxes together. All together it was about 8 weeks from idea to launch.

How did you get the word out for the first boxes that you shipped?

I didn’t expect a big response when I launched the site. I had shipped the test boxes off to a group of craft bloggers, some I knew and some I didn’t, just asking for their opinion on the product. I specifically told them that I was not asking them to write about it (as a blogger I had a good idea on how to approach other bloggers) but of course I hoped that some would want to. I announced Whimseybox on my site and that same week a full review went up on O’Reilly Media’s popular craft blog CRAFTzine. In the first week we got about 600 requests for an invitation to join. I think my biggest advantage is how well I understand our audience, because I’m part of the craft community.

What made you decide to apply for an accelerator program?

I decided to apply for an accelerator program because I knew from the beginning that I wasn’t trying to make Whimseybox a lifestyle business. I have a big vision and need big help to make it happen. However, as a solo founder I didn’t think I had a good shot at being accepted. But I applied anyway, because I believe in Whimseybox. And because the applications are free, so why not?

How many programs did you apply to?

I applied to three programs.

What made you decide to go with Excelerate Labs?

During the application process I traveled to Chicago and met with Excelerate in person twice. I also had a chance to meet some of the companies that were part of the 2011 class. Getting to know the people behind program was very important and made me confident that Excelerate would be the right partner for Whimseybox. And while I’d never choose an accelerator based on location, the fact that they are in Chicago is a huge bonus for me because I have family and friends there.

What do you hope to get out of the Excelerate Labs program?

I am most interested in the mentorship that I know Excelerate offers. Troy Henikoff calls it ‘more mentors than you can even handle’ and I expect that will be true! From the beginning I’ve had a very clear vision for Whimseybox and I’m looking for people with the experience, resources and connections that can help me execute that vision.

What are your next steps for the company?

Over the past couple months I’ve been going back to basics with Whimseybox. I launched the site as a MVP and while WordPress/Paypal/Mailchimp was the right choice for that, it’s not going to scale. We have a new, much more powerful site that Jesse Wolgammot (highly recommend!) has built for us and just brought on Patrick Navarro as CTO. I’ve also found a business that will do the box packing for us starting next month, a place called The Center that I’m thrilled to partner with. (Up until now we’ve been packing to 600 boxes a month in my house!) Once these things are finished we’ll be focusing on great content and growth.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given so far?

I’d often read that it’s important for creatives and entrepreneurs to have a mastermind group, or circle of trusted friends and advisers that are committed to helping each other succeed. About a year ago I started one by pitching the idea to Bri Land whom I’d just met via Twitter. We found three more creative, entrepreneurial women in Houston and started meeting monthly. Their advice, support and encouragement has been an immeasurable force in my life and now I’m thrilled to have Bri working with me full-time on Whimseybox.

What advice would you give other aspiring entrepreneurs?

Don’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t quit.

What’s a typical day for you?

Things are changing fast for Whimseybox so there isn’t much of a typical day, but in general I spend mornings working with Bri who will be staying in Houston and managing the operations of Whimseybox while Patrick and I are in Chicago this summer. I try to schedule all of my meetings, whether virtual or in person, for the afternoon. I take a few hours off to have dinner with my husband around 7 or 8 and then often do a few more hours of work after he goes to bed.

What’s been your biggest challenge? Customers, employees/co-founders, operational?

The biggest challenge, and also the biggest blessing, has been how excited everyone is about Whimseybox. I could never have imagined that we’d have a waitlist from the moment I launched the site and we want to deliver a great Whimseybox experience to everyone who orders a box or visits the site. Operationally we’ve had to do a lot of growing, but I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Think Like an Entrepreneur – Presented by nContacto at the Houston Technology Center on April 24th at 6pm

More information and RSVP here: http://think-like-entrepreneur.eventbrite.com/

Description:

In this intense, information- and idea-packed presentation, serial entrepreneur and world-renowned speaker Gary Hoover will talk about what are the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, what are the key questions an entrepreneur [...]]]>

Think Like an Entrepreneur – Presented by nContacto at the Houston Technology Center on April 24th at 6pm

More information and RSVP here: http://think-like-entrepreneur.eventbrite.com/

Description:

In this intense, information- and idea-packed presentation, serial entrepreneur and world-renowned speaker Gary Hoover will talk about what are the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, what are the key questions an entrepreneur must ask themselves when embarking on a new enterprise, and what makes for a great company.  This program will be “like drinking from a fire hydrant.”

AgileDotNet is a one-day conference for people who are involved in Agile software development or are interested in the Microsoft development platform. The event is being held at [...]]]> I’ve obtained a discount code for the AgileDotNet conference on April 20, 2012, that I was told I could share with people in the tech and startup community.

AgileDotNet is a one-day conference for people who are involved in Agile software development or are interested in the Microsoft development platform. The event is being held at Minute Maid park with free access to the baseball game that evening.

This link will give you a 25% discount off the $75 ticket price, brining your price down to $56. Please feel free to pass this coupon code along to anybody you know who is a Microsoft developers or is using Agile software development techniques.

You can find out more about the event on the website, but here is a summary:

Summary
Improving Enterprises in conjunction with Microsoft will bring together the world of .NET development with the world of Agile methods for an exciting one-day experience of discovery, learning and exchange.

The conference has four concurrent tracks: Agile Adoption, Leadership, Development, and Tools

Who Should Attend?
Attendees can expect informative presentations based on real-world experience from some of the IT industry’s leading Developers, Project Managers, and Executives who have embraced Agile principles within .NET development environments.

Come see how both the experts and the beginners apply Agile concepts using the Microsoft .NET framework, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio TFS.

This will be a unique experience; so don’t miss it!

At [...]]]> We’d like to congratulate Qwiqq on the launch of their 2.0 application in the iTunes App Store. I met with founder John Phan last week before the launch to see a demo of their new app. I was very impressed with the responsiveness and beautifully designed interface (with an interesting business model to boot).

At its core, Qwiqq provides a simple mobile platform to share information about things that you purchase and enjoy. Reminiscent of Kevin Rose’s Oink (which folded recently), Stamped, and GetGlue, Qwiqq takes a slightly different approach. Qwiqq 2.0 pivots off of the first version of the application by narrowing in on the functionality that users (mainly merchants) were using it for, sharing their posts across multiple platforms. Many small business owners have little time to take a picture of a product and then log in to five different social networks to communicate the same information. With Qwiqq, they can quickly snap a picture, provide a description, and share their commerce post (as John calls it) across all the major social networks.

Their press release was written up in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

About Qwiqq
Qwiqq 2.0 is the leader in social commerce and available for free in the Apple iTunes App Store. For local merchants, Qwiqq is a social commerce app that lets local merchants quickly post, in real-time, their products and services using a picture, price and place, then share them to the most popular social sites. For consumers, Qwiqq is a social commerce app that lets you quickly Share The Things You Love To Buy. Qwiqq 1.0 was featured in the iTunes App Store: New & Noteworthy, What’s Hot, Great Free Apps. For more information, visit www.qwiqq.me.

—

Startup Texas Friends,

http://c2xswkickoff2012.eventbrite.com/

Come by for the C2xSW kick-off party here in Houston!

Meet others that are heading to Austin.  Make arrangements, contacts, and new friends.

Hosted by:

Drinks, adult beverages, and snacks will be served!

C2xSW is a 100% volunteer-coordinated and community-driven event that unites and spotlights Greater Houston’s vibrant Interactive/Tech, Film and Music community throughout the SxSW [...]]]> Going to SxSW Interactive 2012?

http://c2xswkickoff2012.eventbrite.com/

Come by for the C2xSW kick-off party here in Houston!

Meet others that are heading to Austin.  Make arrangements, contacts, and new friends.

Hosted by:

Drinks, adult beverages, and snacks will be served!

C2xSW is a 100% volunteer-coordinated and community-driven event that unites and spotlights Greater Houston’s vibrant Interactive/Tech, Film and Music community throughout the SxSW season. We work (and play) hard to make sure Houston gets seen and heard by the 120,000+ local and inter/national influencers and tastemakers in Austin during SxSW every year.

Thanks for you support.  See you at the party!

Location TBD

Warmup & BBQ – 11:05 am Game Time – 1:05 pm

Celebrate spring! Come out and meet fellow entrepreneurs, from the bootstrappers to the funded. We’ll have a relaxed [...]]]> Houston startup enthusiast, Jeff Reichman the founder of January Advisors has a great idea: Startup Softball.

Startup Softball

March 24, 2012 | Houston, Texas

Location TBD

Warmup & BBQ – 11:05 am Game Time – 1:05 pm