Starting a company is not easy. Period. It doesn’t matter if you are a solo consultant, a dry cleaner or a fast-growing software as a service company. And, it doesn’t matter if you have done it before or not. It is just very hard to be successful and anyone who has done it before knows this. That’s why many previous founders are always willing to help others (I am in this bucket starring in Start IT Seattle).
Get Your Business Off the Ground with Start IT Seattle
People all around Puget Sound need a hand getting their businesses off the ground. Potential founders in downtown Seattle or Bellevue have access to many events that will help them meet, learn, and gain insights from experts. But, that doesn’t support the millions of others who are not within 5 miles of downtown or who don’t know about these events.
We are founding Start IT Seattle to help everyone with an idea for a business to connect with the encouragement, support, and tools they need to get their companies started. This half-hour program will be broadcast on KIRO TV 7 and we’ll have additional material available on the web. We’ll provide tools and tips plus learning sessions with previous founders, funders of startups, and supporting service providers. We also will present some of our region’s inspiring founders and highlight innovative products and services that are being created here in the Northwest.
The show will enable you to hear directly from people who have been successful founders and have learned the many things that will help you get your idea off the ground. You will hear from people who have gone from working as a lawn care professional to CEO and from a one-time engineer to the co-founder of a multibillion-dollar company. Because we know you can be more successful when you surround yourself with smart people and learn from others who have already pioneered that path to success.
Many of the startup ecosystem leaders in the Seattle area have been talking to me about having a way to showcase and support all of the great companies that are being born here each month. Start IT Seattle will be filling that need. Our show will also be helping first-time entrepreneurs gain some level of recognition or exposure that they just can’t get by going to local pitch or demo events. Everything about this new project will support local entrepreneurs and inspire potential founders.
A Top Place for Starting a Company
Seattle is one of the top five places for starting a company in the United States and Start IT Seattle will help bring some recognition to the region by letting others see what is going on in the great Northwest. It is time for Seattle to stand up and be recognized as a leader in both technologies and as a terrific place to start a business of any kind. Sure, we have a high percentage of software and technology-focused companies and we have an extremely talented tech workforce that can be hired to help grow your business. But, we also have a fast-growing population that needs services to support all the wants and needs of the urban dwellers. Take a look around downtown and Capitol Hill and you can see what I mean. The building cranes are like rabbits; they just keep multiplying.
We are going to have fun, learn a lot of things and see success and failure along the way. We are going to treat the show just like you would a startup. We’ll try things that sometimes don’t work and really listen to our audience so we’re making changes based on your feedback. We will make a few mistakes, tell you how we learn from them, and we will share insights from the very smart people we find to help us. I’m excited to start sharing the stories of amazing entrepreneurs.
Watch, Learn and Participate in Our Empowering Startup Culture
Oh and one more thing, we will be sharing this process of building a successful show with everyone via our Facebook page and here at michaelgrabham.com. We will be listening to your comments and ideas plus providing resources for budding entrepreneurs. This is going to be a fun journey giving thousands of people a front-row seat to watch, learn, and participate in this empowering startup culture. And, it’s just going to be darn fun no matter which way you look at it. I am both excited and proud to be able to show the Northwest what it means to Start IT.
Follow our progress and give us feedback on this project @StartITSeattle on Twitter and on our Facebook page. Watch KIRO TV 7 for our first broadcast at 7:30 p.m. on December 12.