A Startup Christmas Story + Startup Events

It's the week before Christmas and as is my tradition, I'm publishing a poem I wrote back in 2015. Have fun with it and if you have suggestions for new lines, send 'em my way! Check out the bottom of this post for information on what is happening this week in our startup community (not much).

A Startup Christmas Story

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through our town, startup founders were sighing and feeling beat down.

Entrepreneurship’s hard, it’s no 9 to 5. It takes massive energy just to survive.

Eric Ries wrote their bible, schooled them on lean. They quickly became validation machines!

They hustled and bustled to build, measure, learn. They collected data that caused them concern.

“Do we pivot or not? What should be chucked? What secret sauce makes an idea disrupt?”

“Oh how can we scale?" they were heard to exclaim. "We need a growth hacker and a killer domain.”

“Our vision is clear: we are the next Unicorn, or The Uber of X, but we’re feeling forlorn.”

Although waxing dismayed as the year end approached, they leveraged their networks to be refreshed and coached.

With passions ignited and their spirits uplifted, the sound we now heard was of attitudes shifted.

“With our roadmap in hand to show us the way, we’re setting our caps for a fat Series A!”

Written by Laura Good on December 19, 2015

 Upcoming Events

As always happens at this time of year, there is a massive slowdown in events. But there are still a few things going on for the die hards!

Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy - Apply by Dec 20. Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy (SEA) is a real-world business program designed to fast track you on the journey to entrepreneurship. Read more.

Starting a Business - How To Build a Foundation That Lasts, Tue, Dec 20 at 10 AM, Online. In this SCORE webinar, you will learn the tools, mindset and skills you’ll need to build a solid business foundation that will help you overcome future obstacles. Read more.

Qualifying for SBIR and STTR Grants, Wed, Dec 21, 9-10:30 AM, Online. Learn how to access grant funding through the Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer programs which encourage small businesses to engage in research and development with the potential for commercialization. Read more.

MADE Studio Free Coworking with Small Biz Consulting, Wed, Dec 21, 10 AM-5 PM, in person in Sacramento. Come to Made Studio for a no-cost day pass to work in our workspace. Join us for a small business consulting talk and open discussion with Gina. Coworking starts at 10 AM and ends at 5 PM. The optional small business talk starts at 10:30 AM. Join the community in an open forum discussion about business. Read more.

Plan Ahead

Why Data Science Careers Are NOT Just for Comp Sci and Engineering Majors, Wed, Dec 28, 1-2:30 PM, Online. A seminar to convince people who are afraid of math/science to explore careers in data science by providing concrete next steps. Read more.

Intro To Lean Startup: NSF I-Corps Method, Apply by Jan 6, 2023. Transform your innovative technology into a startup! Course requirements: teams of 2-4 people. Attendance of all team members at all Zoom class sessions (January 23, January 25, January 30) @ 5-8pm PST) 20-30 hours of work per teammate outside of class. Read more.

Connect

Looking to connect with others? Join the StartupSac Community Facebook Group! Startup founders and those who support the growth of our startup community connect and exchange ideas in this private moderated group.

Resources

Check out the StartupSac Website for information on resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.