A few LAB mantras. Check out the mantras section for more words the LABrats like to live by.
MMM…bacon wrapped bacon
MyFanCountry and The coIN Loft will be running a March Madness Bracket Challenge. Check out the details below:
Many of you have asked about it….some have begged, which is cool (but not really). Either way, The Business of Now Networking Series is back.
For those of you unfamiliar with the series - The Business of Now is a progressive learning and networking event held every other Thursday at The coIN Loft. These free events are based around topics effecting how we all do business today. In that past we’ve discussed :: Cloud Computing, Social Media, Social Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Downsizing.
The events are conducted in a very laid back, Q&A style. The audience is also encouraged to chime in with questions and comments. It seemed that everyone really like how the open format took our discussions in some very interesting, albeit unpredictable, directions. We’ll definitely not be changing that this time around.
We’ve selected event dates through June, now we just need speakers. Take a look at the list of topics below and email us @ crew@thecoinloft.com if you have any interest in helping us lead a discussion.
2010 was a great year. We wouldn’t say it was easy, but we definitely learned a lot of valuable lessons on how to better serve our community.
One lesson in particular is the way people utilized the space. When we opened coIN, we walked into it with the assumption that folks would want to put down roots and make it their headquarters. Over time, we’ve learned that people actually preferred the convenience of having a conference room, free wifi, and natural networking opportunities, 1-2 times every couple weeks, not every week of the month. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough flexibility in our pricing structure to accommodate that type of usage. However, we made sure it was the first thing we brainstormed solutions for during our 2011 planning.
To address the need for increased flexibility we’ve come up with a new approach. Our goal was to break away from the monthly recurring fees, and spread access to the space out over a longer period of time.
The new pricing structure is as follows:
3-day Punch-Card for $50. You have 60-days to use it.
12-day Punch-Card for $150. You have 60-days to use it.
Unlimited Monthly Access for $200. You work at coIN whenever you want.
Another important change will be the addition of education and training programs. We’re currently working our way through content for our first program now. You’ll most likely hear more information about that in the coming weeks. We’re calling it an “Investor Pitch Accelerator”. We think you’re really going to love it. GUMBO!, our collaborative brainstorming event, will also be making a few appearances as well.
One thing we didn’t do a great job of promoting last year was space rental. If you have an event you think The coIN Loft would be the perfect venue for, give us a call, shoot us an email or get in touch with us via Facebook or Twitter. It doesn’t matter if you want to teach a class, hold a networking event, have a birthday party; the space is open for that. We have very competitive rates and would love to work with you. We also have catering available for events as well.
As you can see, we are dedicated to providing the best service we possibly can. The Delaware entrepreneurial community really means a lot to us. We know first hand how hard it is to grow a business here so, we’re doing our best to create an easier way. Thank you all very much for your on-going support. Have an incredible 2011!! We look forward to working with you soon.
A room full of healthy, motivated, independent professionals is a dream come true for a future business owner….
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This is exactly why we started coIN. Collectively we create the type of value business owners are looking for. Separately, we’re the same as every other sales person calling them.
Some people believe that if you have a good job, you shouldn’t start your own gig, because it’s foolish to give up a job you can’t easily replace.
The people who successfully start independent businesses (franchises, I think are a different thing) do it because we have no real choice in the matter. The voice in our heads won’t shut up until we discover if we’re right, if we can do it, if we can make something happen. This is an art, our art, and to leave it bottled up is a crime.
- Seth Godin: How can you do it?!
Though only a fifth of start-ups survive long-term, they replenish the employment market, Kauffman’s Robert Litan reports.
Most of the jobs start-ups create remain as the fledgling companies age, creating a lasting effect on the economy, says a new study.
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundationstudy – titled “After Inception: How Enduring is Job Creation by Start-ups?” – found that although only a fifth of start-ups make it to their 25th birthday, employment figures stayed at 68 percent of the initial number. It suggests the number of start-ups that flourish and create jobs balances the jobs lost by companies that close.
The study is based on Business Dynamics Statistics, which is compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau and tracks the number of new businesses from 1977 to 2005. The organization defines start-ups as businesses that are less than one year old.
Although start-ups’ employment after five years is 80 percent of what it was when the companies began, many of those jobs remain long term. The study found that in the year 2000, start-ups created almost 3.1 million jobs. Only half of those firms survived to 2005, but the surviving firms maintained 78 percent, or more than 2.4 million, of the jobs that existed in 2000.
The study also analyzed entrepreneurship and employment during recessions. Companies starting up during recessions at first hired fewer employees than those started up at other times, but generally increased their hiring post-recession to catch up. But companies born during extended recessions – those lasting three years or more – created about 10 percent fewer jobs than companies that avoided a recession in their first five years. That’s about .2 percent of all jobs in the economy. (To hear the Kauffman Foundation’s take on why great companies tend to start during a recession, read this article.)
“While a recession has a negative effect on a company’s employment in its first few years, a recession does not impose lasting consequences on startups,” said Robert Litan, the study co-author, an Inc. contributing editor, and the foundation’s vice president of research and policy, in a statement.
“Viral video: What Old Spice taught us about the role of humor & authenticity.”
At the last GUMBO! we talked about how to craft authentic web content. This time around we’re going to push further and talk about how to incorporate video into your brand.
You can show up with ideas of your own or we can think up a few while we chat. The goal is for each person to leave with a solid, actionable, viral video idea. Bring you Flip Cam’s if you have one!!
As always, we’ll try our best to:
1) Validate: You’ve most likely been holding on to your million dollar ideas for ages making excuses for why you’ve never tried. After GUMBO! you’ll have actionable steps to take that should ease the burden of starting.
2) Agitate: When ideas die it’s usually because we’ve somehow got in our own way. GUMBO! will confront you with the type of uncomfortable honesty that you need to cut the fat and move on.
3) Invigorate: We all need support. GUMBO! is all about collaboration. We believe in the power of putting diverse groups and perspectives together in one room. The energy that comes out of it is electrifying. It builds the type camaraderie and community that makes one feel that anything is possible!“Viral video: What Old Spice taught us about the role of humor & authenticity.”
At the last GUMBO! we talked about how to craft authentic web content. This time around we’re going to push further and talk about how to incorporate video into your brand.
You can show up with ideas of your own or we can think up a few while we chat. The goal is for each person to leave with a solid, actionable, viral video idea. Bring you Flip Cam’s if you have one!!
As always, we’ll try our best to:
1) Validate: You’ve most likely been holding on to your million dollar ideas for ages making excuses for why you’ve never tried. After GUMBO! you’ll have actionable steps to take that should ease the burden of starting.
2) Agitate: When ideas die it’s usually because we’ve somehow got in our own way. GUMBO! will confront you with the type of uncomfortable honesty that you need to cut the fat and move on.
3) Invigorate: We all need support. GUMBO! is all about collaboration. We believe in the power of putting diverse groups and perspectives together in one room. The energy that comes out of it is electrifying. It builds the type camaraderie and community that makes one feel that anything is possible!
GUMBO! is back! We had amazing sessions two weeks ago with Element Design Group walking us through how sketching relates to business planning and Gordon Delgiorno from Film Brothers getting marketing tips from our group for their new film co-op on lower Market Street.
This time around, we’re talking about copy writing. We all struggle with it and most of the time we’re hoping for the best when we blog or update our website. Chad Haverfield, formerly a Hollywood television writer turned consultant, will be explaining how to effectively get your thoughts out, while still engaging your audience with quality content.
***BONUS***
Brad Wason, Creative Director of 23rd & 5th, made famous not only for his amazing design work, but also for his #notpapyrus Ignite Wilmington presentation, will be working alongside Chad to explain the importance of typography (the design of letters) as it relates to copy writing. You may have never stopped to consider how your font choices effect you message but it does! Brad’s practical advice will shock you into enlightenment.
We really hope you can join us for the sixth edition of GUMBO!
As always, we’ll try our best to:
1) Validate: You’ve most likely been holding on to your million dollar ideas for ages making excuses for why you’ve never tried. After GUMBO! you’ll have actionable steps to take that should ease the burden of starting.
2) Agitate: When ideas die it’s usually because we’ve somehow got in our own way. GUMBO! will confront you with the type of uncomfortable honesty that you need to cut the fat and move on.
3) Invigorate: We all need support. GUMBO! is all about collaboration. We believe in the power of putting diverse groups and perspectives together in one room. The energy that comes out of it is electrifying. It builds the type camaraderie and community that makes one feel that anything is possible!
This is a reblog from Ken Grant’s delsocial.blogspot.com:
I recently received an interesting invitation - to come to the COin Loft in Wilmington to work for a day and share the experience with others.
I’ve been talking for months about what an exciting concept co-working is, but had not had the experience - so I gladly accepted the invitation.
Friday, July 9, I showed up at the coIN Loft shortly before 8:00 am to find Steve Roettger and Wes Garnett already busy at work, their skateboards parked at the front entrance. After a tour of the facility - two floors of work space, a larger conference room, smaller idea room, and lounge area - I plugged in my laptop and started getting some work done.
First realization - these guys did not skimp on the connectivity - I don’t think my laptop has ever had faster access to the interwebs - seriously, awesome wireless.
Second realization - there’s a very simple code to let people know that you’re not available for conversation - earbuds. I guess earbuds might be the new “Do Not Disturb” sign.
Third realization - this is quite simply the ideal working environment. I mean, just by the nature of what it is, it seems to attract people who are creative, motivated, friendly, and professional.
While the space, the equipment, and the furniture are all great - and certainly set the right tone for work, it’s the people that bring the energy, ideas, and excitement that make this such a revolutionary concept.
