Bar Camp Cedar Valley
Feb 05 2012 · 0 comments · Pixel Labs News
At Pixel Labs, we are experts at media production, not blogging. In an effort to keep everyone in the loop on what we are up to here in the Lab, we are going to attempt to at least become amature bloggers/writers. Take what you can from our posts and we will give you what we can when we write them. Even though this isn’t our first blog post, it is our first official blog post where we attempt to write a little about an experience that had an impact on our company and other local start ups in the area.
Today Pixel Labs attended the Bar Camp Cedar Valley at the Innovation Incubator at UNI. The event was a huge success and it was a great way for us, and other start ups and small businesses, to network in the Cedar Valley. One of the most important things about starting up a new business, whether it is a creative business like ours or a retail store with a small store front downtown, is networking. Finding people who can help you make decisions, back you up on ideas or provide feedback on how you are doing is a great way to get your business going in the right direction.
At Bar Camp (which actually has nothing to do with drinking or camping) was the first time that I was able to actually experience the value of networking. In the four hours of the event, there were 18 different discussions or presentations on topics covering Creative, Technology and Entrepreneurship. out of the 7 that I attended, 3 stuck out significantly:
Those are not in any particular order, except that they are the order that I saw them in.
In the Blogging 201 presentation, Cat demonstrated the value in effective blogging, something I do not claim this blog to be, but maybe someday. A couple of the things that I took from the presentation are that you can make money doing the things you love, also know as “The Perfect Job”, and also that having energy and passion about what you do makes that job that much more fun.
Networking in the Cedar Valley was more of a discussion topic about why there is a lack of professional networking in the Cedar Valley. With places like Des Moines showing how successful networking can be and how much it can help a new start up, you would think that here in the Cedar Valley we would be trying to follow in those footsteps. Here in the Cedar Valley, we have the opportunities to network, it just seems as if we are not taking advantage of them. There are resources such as MyEntre.net and ConnectTheValley.com that provide information about the local networking opportunities. If you are a local start up looking to get your business off the ground, those would be great places to get started.
In the Brainstorming Session with Laura, I learned that even business ideas people know nothing about can make people put their heads together and help someone out on the venture. Just because someone knows what they want to do with their business does not mean that they know how to get there. When you get a group of professionals together, they can put all of their expertise together to help get them closer to that goal. It is important to make sure that as a start up, you take no suggestions for granted, and at least give all suggestions some kind of thought, even if it is just to make sure it is not the right suggestion for what you are trying to accomplish.
Well if you have made it this far, then I must not be doing too bad for my first post. Through the three presentations that stuck out to me, I am able to leave you with these last thoughts. If you don’t love your job, you are not where you should be. If you are working on an idea, remember, two or even ten heads are better than one. And most importantly, when networking, expect to get out of it the same as you put into it. If you go to a networking event and stand in the corner, that is what you will get. Get out there, talk to some people and make connections that will be mutually beneficial.
Below are some links to some content from the Bar Camp event:
- Connect the Valley – www.ConnectTheValley.com
- AAF Cedar Valley - www.aafcedarvalley.com
- Silicon Prairie News - www.siliconprairienews.com
- Far Reach Technologies - www.farreachinc.com
- Cedar Valley Young Professionals - cedarvalleyyp.com