Entrepreneurship

One reason I haven't been blogging much is because I've been working on the foundations of a startup company.  Last Fall, I decided to enter a technology-based business competition at Indiana University, where the prize was $100,000 invested into your business. That sounded pretty exciting to me, so I decided to enter with an idea I'd had bouncing around in my head and see what happened.

Well, apparently I'm pretty good at writing business plans and making pitches to investors because I made it through several rounds to the finals.  I brought on a co-founder who's a friend from college with a great eye for design and style, and she really helped turn the idea into something more tangible.  We're still working on the plans, so I don't want to share too much detail publicly here.  Even though we didn't win any money from the competition, it may be a blessing in disguise because they wanted 35% equity right up front, which is risky for both sides.

Now we're pushing forward anyway to see where this thing goes.  The validation from having made it so far in a competition that started with over 60 teams and making it to the final 6 is something we feel proud of.

It is really exciting to be getting into the entrepreneurship community.  The startup events I've been to at school and in Bloomington and Indianapolis have so much energy and enthusiasm!

Pinterest - my first impressions

Recently I decided to check out Pinterest because I'd been hearing so much buzz and wondered what it was about.  Normally I'm reluctant to try out new trends like this because I don't want to be "one of those people."  But when I was trying to find a cool cake idea for my 30th birthday, I came across one woman's cake pinboard, and something clicked.  Here's a place to store all of those random images of stuff you want to remember but don't want to have to store all the links or pictures somewhere.

So here's what I've observed so far, and why I kinda like it for more than just cool cakes:

• It makes you feel popular/stylish/important when strangers "follow" your pin boards or re-pin your pins.
• WAAAY more women use it than men, but it is really interesting to see what kinds of things men post versus women (hmm...dissertation topic?).
• Most people post about things they like.  So I decided to be a rebel and make a "what were they thinking?" board where I post things that are ugly or bad ideas.
• My most popular pin is from my ugly board, an upholstered chair with a horrible cat print fabric.  Almost 50 people have re-pinned it!
• Speaking of re-pinning, you can see who re-pinned your pins, but you can't see who pins it from those new people.  So if your friend re-pins your pin, her friends might re-pin it too, but you won't be notified (got that?).
• You can learn about weird things your friends think are cool.  Like me, I have a board for "Cute red mushroom things" and 40 people follow it.
• I still can't figure out how they plan to make money on it.  Sponsored pins?
• Some people put up spam posts, where the picture doesn't match the caption and there are some keywords in there, like "cute puppy" but it has some link to some weight loss product.  Lame.
• I could see this being a great way to promote a business that has a visible product, like photographers, bakeries, bloggers, artists, etc.

You can check out my "pins" here https://pinterest.com/binzerella/

30!

I just turned 30 this past weekend.  And while everyone knows that 29 and 30 are objectively not all that different, it certainly feels like a major milestone.  Part of me has been thinking about where I thought I'd be at this age and where I actually am, and all the various paths I've been on - including having lived in somewhere around 11 different places in the 11 years since I finished high school (some more temporary than others).  But the other part thinks of the great mystery and adventure that awaits this next decade!

My 20s were definitely an adventure, moving to places I'd never been and diving into new experiences.  I've made some wonderful friends who I will cherish for the rest of my life.  I've married an amazing man who I am thrilled and even relieved that I am spending the rest of my life with.  And my name has changed, including the addition of a whole bunch of letters I can put after it from the three degrees I earned in my 20s.

So what are my lessons from my 20s?  Here's 10 that come to mind.

1. Try new things.
2. Leave bad things behind (like bad jobs or bad dates).  
3. Don't quit a job before you have something else lined up.
4. It's ok to change your mind about what you want to do with your life.
5. Learn to recognize patterns of behavior you don't like and stop repeating them.
6. Travel.
7. Save your money, but treat yourself to rewards when you accomplish something.  Remember that social security is not something our generation can rely on.
8. Appreciate your health.  It's probably the best it's going to be, so try to keep it that way.
9. Do NOT compare your life course to anyone else's.
10. Good friends are better than gold.  Make an effort to make new friends, especially when you move to a new place, and check in with the old ones regularly even if you live thousands of miles apart.  Not easy when you've moved a lot and your friends are all over the world!

 oh, and get a fantastic cake and OWN your 30th birthday!