Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Posted by
Tiffan Clark
We’ve all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Starting and growing a business is no different. But entrepreneurship tends to be a lonely venture, with intense focus and crazy working hours. (It is their baby after all.) And while many entrepreneurs start their business due to the desire to work for themselves, it doesn’t mean that they should go it alone.
Entrepreneurs need connections and, fortunately, the Internet makes it infinitely easier to create connections that transcend the boundaries of geography, culture, and industry. Social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook join like-minded individuals into groups that share a common interest. Users can start or join discussions, ask for advice, share information or read suggested articles or news.
These sites have proven to be really effective for re-connecting with people, personally or professionally, but they’re not actually meant for getting work done. Additionally, they lack the privacy entrepreneurs need to safeguard their ideas while growing their businesses. IdeaCrossing, the free online community created by JumpStart Inc. to match entrepreneurs with investors and/or business mentors nationally, has added a new feature called Workspaces to help fill the gap – offering a solution that connects, yet maintains privacy, and helps entrepreneurs work on their idea.
Many entrepreneurs, believing that the most important thing they need for starting and growing their business is money, seek funding before they are ready. When, in fact, what they really need to focus on is developing their business idea, gaining a better understanding of their market potential, or building an inexpensive prototype, to name just a few things. And they commonly have a cadre of people – from advisors to stakeholders to influencers – that they regularly turn to for help in these areas.
In a Workspace, an entrepreneur can invite existing business connections to gather in a central, virtual “village.” Entrepreneurs can ask for feedback on a business plan, get advice, and troubleshoot roadblocks – all in a collaborative, but private way. Perhaps there is an evangelist who tells them they’ve got a million dollar idea and talks it up at every opportunity. Or maybe they have a mentor who they’ve been getting advice from over coffee for the last several months. Regardless of whom they may be, entrepreneurs can gather these individuals’ online, start conversations among the group, and work together to build a business. And if additional expertise is needed outside the initial group, Workspaces make it easy for entrepreneurs to request referrals to expand their business network.
Building a business is always going to take a village. The value of connections is becoming increasingly more apparent, and IdeaCrossing’s Workspaces can help entrepreneurs get the most from their connections virtually. From feedback about a business plan to recommendations about next steps for their business, Workspaces allows entrepreneurs to reach out to their most trusted advisors and learn from their expertise. It’s all in an effort to accelerate business growth, so entrepreneurs can commercialize their technologies, raise money, land customers, create jobs and help our economy.
Tiffan Clark is the Vice President of IdeaCrossing, a free online community created by JumpStart, which connects entrepreneurs with the capital, mentors and technical resources necessary to grow their businesses. Tiffan has worked at several venture-backed startup technology companies and strategic marketing agencies in both Boston and Cleveland.