Taylor Davidson walked into Launch Pad yesterday, and I knew TribeCon had arrived.  I don’t quite know why, but after all the work that has gone into this, having Taylor walk in was a powerful and emotional trigger for me.  Not that seeing Nathan Heleine and Michael Karnjanaprakorn was too shabby, having them show up yesterday was great too.

But something about seeing Taylor. Probably because of our shared experience at SXSW and the fact that he has traveled the world since he was last here.

Anyway, TribeCon has arrived, and I am soooo ready for it.

I can’t wait until the other speakers and friends start rolling into town over the next two days.  I can’t wait to toast the first NOLA Brew Houpitoulas on Wednesday night here at the Launch Pad and kick off the weekend with our Tribe.  I can’t wait until everyone strolls into the Bingo tent on Thursday morning to see what an amazing atmosphere we’ve created for this conference. I can’t wait til you see the t-shirts, stickers, and all the beautiful collateral that Justin Shiels designed. I can’t wait to hear so many of the wonderful speakers take the stage and share their inspiring stories and messages about community building.  I can’t wait to break bread (well, actually Jambalaya) with everyone at lunch, sitting at a 200 person picnic table under the oaks in City Park. And I can’t wait to hang with everyone in the TribeCon Lounge all weekend, our very own oasis in the center of Voodoo.

If you are still on the fence, take it from Champ Superstar, (and trust me) TribeCon is going to be an amazing experience.  You will learn, share, connect, and be inspired.   If you are committed to this community, to our community, to New Orleans, I’m asking you to join us for TribeCon.  We’ve worked so hard, come so far as a community.  Come share this experience with us.  It’s very personal to me, but this is about all of us.  If you haven’t yet, I am asking you,  please buy a ticket right now and Join the Tribe. If you have, thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this a reality.  Thank you to all the groups that have supported us along the way.  And most of all, thank you for being there with us on Thursday.

I’m excited to share more details about TribeCon, a conference about communities – both online and offline.  Tiffany Starnes and I have been working for the last six months to put it together along with a lot of help from our Tribal Council and a lot of friends from Net2NO.

We’re producing the conference in partnership with the Voodoo Experience.  TribeCon will be the official interactive component of the Voodoo Experience.  This is a tremendous opportunity for TribeCon. The Voodoo Experience has grown into a huge annual music festival, and together we can build TribeCon into a integral part of the experience and a major interactive conference.

So let’s get to the details:

• What: TribeCon is a conference about building communities, online and offline.
• When: October 29-30, 2009
• Where: Voodoo Experience – City Park, New Orleans, LA
• How much: $169 for TribeCon includes single day Voodoo Experience ticket. $269 for TribeCon includes three day Voodoo Experience Ticket.
• Who: The speakers are all people passionate about building communities.
• Why: Building a community around your brand, cause, or mission is the most powerful way to grow.  Today’s social networking tools make it possible to reach your audience in powerful new ways to build a movement.  At TribeCon you’ll learn how to build community online to effect action offline.

Why does TribeCon need New Orleans?

One of the things I’m most excited about is bringing the conversation about authentic online communities to New Orleans.  Having the Voodoo Experience has a partner enables us to make this truly a world-class conference.  TribeCon connects with New Orleans because we have such a deep sense of community here.  From the Mardi Gras indian tribes to front porch neighbors, New Orleans culture is rooted in community.  Andrew Larimer, Tim Soslow and Matt Tritico will be curating a special panel presentation that will be a celebration and exploration of community in New Orleans.

Inspired by SXSW, and now TribeCon is just six weeks away.

The idea for TribeCon was inspired on the Y@ Pack trip to SXSW organized by the Net2NO community.  We had such an amazing experience together, and it was truly amazing what a motivated community can accomplish.  On the bus ride back from SXSW in March, we hatched the idea for TribeCon.  We pitched it at the GNO Inc Digital Media Alliance meeting in May, and though I regrettably made a couple of miscues in my pitch (ugh), we started to line up support and Robbie Vitrano helped us line up meetings with Rehage Entertainment.

So after a long summer of laying the ground work, here we are, just six weeks away from the inaugural TribeCon, with a supportive partner in the Voodoo Experience and a tremendous slate of speakers. Tiffany and I are both getting much less sleep these days, but we’re doing it, and really excited about producing TribeCon.

TribeCon is important to the tech community, and important to New Orleans.

So, you’re interested in getting involved?

Fantastic.  We need your help to make this a success.

• We’re bouncing a lot of ideas off our friends and supporters in the Tribal Council.  Everyone on it has been tremendously helpful and it has really shaped what this conference is, in addition to helping us make decisions on branding, marketing, content and more.  Membership is open to all, so join the Tribal Council.
  
• We will be looking for volunteers to coordinate a number of things for TribeCon.  If you’re interested getting to TribeCon for free, please contact us.
  
• We’re also looking for sponsors to support TribeCon and connect with an audience of community activist and online influencers.  We have a sponsorship package that we can send you, please let us know if your interested, or know someone for us to reach out to.
• Stay updated with all of the latest, follow @tribecon on Twitter.
  
• Ready to sign up? Great, head on over and buy a ticket to the conference.

Thanks to everyone for all your support.  We’re excited to present TribeCon and connect with the community.

Have more questions? Hit me up in the comments! Thanks.

There’s been a lot of good news lately about entrepreneurship in Louisiana.  With the renewal of the digital media tax credit and the energy around startups lately, things are just going to start taking off, right?

Well, maybe.

I still see some gaps in current eco-system that can be filled with a true mentorship-based seed fund.  (In case you’re wondering, I mean a Y-Combinator / TechStars style investment program.  Mentorship-based seed funds exist all over the country, I’ve compiled a listing here)

So where are the gaps? Well, here’s what I see:

1. The “Moving Companies to Louisiana” Strategy – one of the biggest stated goals of the digital media tax credit, and a strategy I see LED & GNO Inc among others pursing is trying to lure companies to move to Louisiana with the tax credits, etc.  GNO Inc put together a great deck, on what makes New Orleans so appealing.   Probably the most visible impact thus far is the EA Sports testing facility in Baton Rouge.  Here’s the thing: Established companies have employees.  Employees have families, houses, schools located near where the company is currently based.  Even though knowledge-based industries like digital media don’t have large infrastructure needs, their employees have established lives.
2. Supporting the “Shoot for the Moon” Companies – I had a conversation with a Launch Pad member on Friday who has been through the startup process several times, and he and many others feel we don’t have the deal flow in Louisiana right now.  The problem is that were not quite at the point where people are seeing the wealth creation of other successful companies, and frankly we’re just new to building a startup ecosystem. Deal flow is directly related to entrepreneurs willing to take huge risks.  Entrepreneurs willing to take huge risks and “shoot for the moon” is directly related to having an ecosystem that supports risk-taking and acknowledges and accepts failure.
3. Bridging the Gap Between Business Plan and Business - having a great idea doesn’t mean you are prepared to run a company.  Most people starting a company have great subject matter expertise or talent, but may not have a fully rounded skill set in the ancillary areas of building a company.  First time entrepreneurs get bogged down in this stuff: accounting, legal, personnel management.

So, how does a mentorship-based seed meet these needs and more:

1. Move Folks when its Easy to Move – Start young.  Most people entering Y Combinator are just graduating from college or in their 20’s.  People are portable at this stage and many digital nomads would love nothing more try out New Orleans for a stint.  We’re already seeing this with all the amazing young people coming down here post-K for Teach for America and programs like that.  There is a huge difference in a person’s willingness to move based on what stage they are in their lives.
2. Go Big - A lot of people have a “go big” idea, and given the opportunity to pursue it, even for 3-6 months will usually determine if there is something there or not.  Of course, this is the riskiest stage of an idea, but most people never get the shot to really go for it.  I know so many people trying to bootstrap a startup right now, but paying the bills with freelance work.  The freelance work engulfs you and you never really get to go for the big idea.  Often times (I am an example), people build service businesses to pay the bills, and though they may be successful, they aren’t investable and aren’t the big win that we all want to see happen.  A seed fund that provides Ramen-soup money for founders to pursue an idea and get it to a prototype without having to divide their time to pay the bills really gives entrepreneurs a shot to go big.  Think what would happen in Louisiana if every summer we gave 10 young startups enough funding to build out their big idea.
3. Mentorship – these funds are called mentorship-based seed funds for a reason.  They don’t just hand entrepreneurs $25k. They have a curriculum and program that teaches the skills required to run a business.  Already in New Orleans we’ve created a set of entrepreneurial hubs.  This is a huge start, because startups can ask each other questions, and tackle problems together.  Filling this out with a true curriculum that removes the headaches of setting up your accounting, legal, etc would enable entrepreneurs to have a singular focus on building their product.  We have people in this city willing to devote the time and effort, but the value of this contribution needs to be acknowledged and compensated.

What kind of investment are we talking about?

• 10 companies selected for June – August 2010. Each company gets $25,000 to build a prototype. – $250,000
• The administrative costs of the program are probably equivalent to the investment dollars. – $250,000

When I think about the real-world impact that a program like this would have and the allocation of economic development and grant dollars that are being spent in Louisiana on advertising, conferences, infrastructure, administrative staff, workforce development, it seems like a drop in the bucket to get a program like this off the ground and I believe it is an investment worth making.

What do you think?

A friend emailed me this afternoon with a question:

How do you deal with the negative reviews/press/self doubt phase in this entrepreneurial world?

This is a great question, and one that we all have faced as entrepreneurs and undoubtedly will face again.  Building a business, launching a product, producing anything is incredibly difficult.  It is all-consuming and an emotional rollercoaster.

First, its important to understand that we all go through it.  I’ve felt on the brink of collapse before:

• I was producing a Mardi Gras event in 2004, and lost control of it before it even started. I can’t bring myself to say what happened but for a little while it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, and I was going to lose $25,000 deposit and refund $25,000 in tickets. Ugh. I went to my good friend Vaughn Mordentti and he bailed me out of the situation (not literally). I went to him hat in hand, and he saved my butt.
• In December 2008, I pulled the plug on siteMighty, a web app that I had put years and lots of investment into.
• I had dinner with my wife at Slice Pizza in 2003 and she told me that she felt if nothing happened with Destination VIP, I needed to start making arrangements to close it down.  I had 14 employees on payroll at the time.

Looking back, each of those fit the old saying: things are darkest before the dawn. We pulled off the Mardi Gras event. Letting go of siteMighty allowed renewed focus on Flatsourcing and Launch Pad. And I sold Destination VIP three months after that conversation.

A few thoughts on how to get through these difficult moments when you face the self doubt and are thinking “what the hell am I doing, and how did I get myself into this.”

• A word on advice – everyone has advice for you. Only you have the complete picture.  It’s OK to tell someone, I’m really not looking for advice here. Or to just listen and take it in.  But always understand that advice or guidance is only one person’s opinion. Only you know what is really going on in your business, and you have the privilege (and maybe burden) of running it yourself.  You’re an entrepreneur and you’re the boss.
• Dealing with criticism - criticism is like advice.  Easy to give. Hear it, just like advice.  But don’t dwell on it.  It’s much easier to criticize than to produce something for someone to criticize.
• Forget everyone else -  someone is getting more press, more attention, making more money, and having more fun than you right now.  Forget about it.  It’s not what is important. Focus on your business and let go of any comparisons to, or competition with others.
• Prioritize and let go - you have a ton to do. How much of it is mission critical, and how much do you want to get done.  During times like these you’re feeling swamped. Make a list of what you have to do, then order the list.  Focus on the top 20% of it.  The rest probably can wait.  Everything may not be perfect, or the way you envisioned, but as long as things are happening, you can improve it later.
• Ask for help – you know who is rooting for you.  Now’s the time to ask for a little help.  Be as open as you want to be, and don’t be afraid to be specific on what you could use some help on.
• Find balance – when times are tough, you need your family & friends more than ever.  It is difficult to balance, because your business needs you more than ever, but you need support.  Make time for family.
• Make a plan – One of the best stress relievers is getting things out of your head and onto a sheet of paper.  Write down everything you have to do.  Break it into chunks you can accomplish and feel like things are moving forward.
• Persevere – keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Focus on crossing things off your to-do list.  As much as you want to give up, don’t.  Perseverance is one of the most important attributes of an entrepreneur.
• Everything will be ok – of course there are no guarantees, but you’re going to get through this.  Take a deep breath, and keep pushing forward.  It probably doesn’t feel like it right now, but someday you’re going to look back on this and how much you grew during this difficult time.

This post is based on personal experience.  It’s not a panacea, but hopefully by reflecting on what has helped my during difficult times, I can help you when the going gets tough.

The last few months have been invigorating in New Orleans.  There have a ton of exciting things going on in New Orleans, and the momentum in the entrepreneurial ecosystem is swelling to a head.

One thing that I’ve noticed myself slipping into, that I’m calling myself out on is the human tendency to lift yourself up by pulling others down.  Something we’ve all known about and experienced since grade school.   It’s a human tendency to compete, but I think its so important to understand that we are competing globally and nationally.  The work we are all doing is to expand the pie, not slice it up in ever smaller pieces amongst ourselves.

With that in mind, I pledge to:

• Support my tribe, New Orleans entrepreneurs (and not just those in Launch Pad).
• When I have something nice to say, I’ll sing it to the world.  When I don’t, I’ll keep my mouth shut.
• Focus on family, work & friends. Balance.
• Help people achieve, succeed, and go further than I have.
• Not succumb to the petty or get sucked into squabbles.
• Give what I can when I can, and be honest when I can’t.

I’ve been so inspired by working around the Launch Pad family.  It is such a great vibe here, and we’re just getting started.  I know that a big part of that is the support that we all provide for eachother and the successes we do and will celebrate together.

Negativity is such an energy suck and so unproductive.  Positive energy is all I have time for right now.  So, I’m brushing it off and ready to rock n’ roll.

Ford has asked me and Greta Perry to host a “blogger dinner” for a Ford executive Sunday night in New Orleans.  This is part of their social media strategy.  I am looking for 2 bloggers to join us.

The deal is:

• we get to check out the new Ford Taurus
• they treat us to dinner Sunday and we’ll share things going on in NOLA w/ a Ford exec
• if we want, we can meet them on Mon and give a tour of things we feel they should see in NOLA
• we are under no obligations to blog (but obviously thats a bit of the idea)
• we may or may not get exposure on a Ford social media campaign

Here’s how to play:

1. comment on this blog post w/ your name, blog URL & the 1 or 2 spots that you think are important for them to see in NOLA (with potential for exposure).
2. tweet me @cschultz and tell me you’re interested

Should be fun, and I’ve agreed to co-ordinate a group and participate.  Full Disclosure: I get $250 for my time.  (I’m pretty sure you just get a free dinner)

On a personal note, I’m going to try to use this to get an LPTV interview with Noah, the Ford exec.  I also want to showcase some of the things I am passionate about in NOLA.  Thinking Carver HS (future site of 9th Ward Field of Dreams).

In case you’re wondering how I got into this, last week I got an email (posted below) from Ovilgy PR reaching out on behalf of Ford inviting me to host a blogger dinner and check out the new Ford Taurus.   I must note, that shilling in social media can be delicate, and I thought the email was genuine and that they “got it”.  Do check out the Outreach Code of Ethics, its one of the things that really convinced me.

Hi Chris,

I’m writing to you on behalf of Ford to ask you to be the official co-host from New Orleans for Ford Executive, Noah Mass, Manager of Systems Architecture on Sunday, July 12 and Monday, July 13.

This summer, Ford Executives are hitting the road to introduce everyone around the country to the new 2010 Taurus and its story.  On Sunday, Noah would like to take you and some other New Orleans bloggers out to dinner to hear from you what makes New Orleans special.  Then on Monday, Noah will host an event at the dealership that’s open to the public and you and any of your readers would be more than welcome to attend.  Schedule permitting, Noah will take the Taurus out to the places you and other bloggers have recommended.

We’re interested in you because you know the area and can help us find the right place to have dinner, invite other bloggers, and spend time with Noah; we’re eager to work with you to share the very best of New Orleans with the Ford community.

If you’re interested in being a co-host, we would promote you and your blog across Ford’s social media properties and compensate you $250 for your time.  (Note that this not in exchange for any positive vehicle review or Ford testimonial, but rather for your guidance and expertise as a New Orleans social media insider!)

If you’d like more information, please let me know.  If you’re not sure you can co-host, but would like to attend Sunday’s dinner or any of Monday’s events, we’d love to have you join us as well.  I know it’s a holiday weekend, but I’d love to hear back from you by Tuesday of next week so we can begin to firm up the day!

Thanks so much.  Hope to talk to you soon,

Karen

PS- Ogilvy Public Relations is a governing member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and our outreach is governed by the Ogilvy PR Blogger Outreach Code of Ethics.

Karen Untereker
Digital Strategist | 360 Digital Influence

If you’re still reading, maybe you want some Ford factiods:

• Sounds like the new 2010 Taurus is a big deal for Ford.
• Taurus sales peaked at 409,000 and last year were at 52,000.
• Looks like Ford dealers are getting onboard with Twitter too, which is cool.
• I remember the original Ford Taurus as being cool b/c it was round.  My prediction is that this one is going to be cool b/c it is techie.  Look forward to seeing it.

The digital media tax credit in Louisiana is up for renewal in this legislative session.  Senator Ann Duplessis presented SB 277 which has been passed by the Senate and is now in the house.  There is a competing bill, but SB 277 is the one I’m supporting.  The bill is on the agenda for the House Ways and Means committee for Monday, June 15th.

If you’re in the digital media industry in Louisiana, this bill has the potential to positively impact your business.  Want to support it? Here’s what you can do:

1. First, I encourage you to read the bill in its current form with the revisions that have been made.
2. Find the state representative for your district on the Louisiana House of Representatives website and click to send them an email.
3. Send them a quick email saying you support the SB 277 and encouraging them to pass it.

Here’s what I wrote to Neil Abramson. (Feel free to copy/paste):

Dear Representative Abramson -

I am writing you to voice my support for the Senator Ann Duplessis’s SB 277, which is on the agenda for the House Ways and Means committee for Monday, June 15th.  I believe the extension of the Digital Interactive Media Produces Tax Credit is good for the state of Louisiana.  I am an active member of the technology and entreprenuership community in New Orleans and develop internet projects through my company Voodoo Ventures.  There is currently a tremendous amount of energy in the digital media industry locally, and I believe passage of this bill will enable the state to build a thriving industry that provides economic development in a cutting edge industry.  I encourage you to support this bill, and I’d be happy to discuss my support further.  Thanks.

Best, Chris Schultz

Just a few emails of support for the bill could mean a lot to its passage, and I think the outcome could have a huge for us.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret gets it.

In one fell swoop, after hours of wrangling on Monday at the Louisiana State Legistature, Moret was patched in on a crackling cell phone connection. After listening to all sides, he said that the most important thing to him for a company to qualify for the Digital Media Tax Credit is that 80%-90% of it’s revenue come from out of state.

It’s interesting and revealing to note, this has nothing to do with who does the work, where the work is done, or what the work is.  Now, I’m not saying he doesn’t hold opinions about these things, and they will be codified in the bill, but his primary focus was that this work is export work.

Why?

Because, building websites and applications by Louisiana businesses for Louisiana business is going to happen anyway.  It’s already happening now, people need this stuff, but it doesn’t expand the fiscal pie.  So why incentivize it? On the flip side, if we can build businesses here that have clients in New York, San Francisco, London, LA then it gets interesting.  Sound familiar?

Let me submit what I recognize is a controversial argument, but is in line with Moret’s 90% rule: My company, Flatsourcing, is good for the state of Louisiana.

Now, many readers know, but for those who don’t, Flatsourcing is a software development firm, based here in New Orleans, with production offices in Kazan, Russia.  I just returned from a trip there last week with Peter Bodenheimer and two clients.  We have a team of 21 people over there, and the business is growing.

I talked about Flatsourcing when I testified before committee at the State Senate this week.  Of the six or seven of us, I was the only one asked a question, and it was clear that “shipping jobs to Russia” went over like a lead balloon.  I was asked whether Flatsourcing would qualify for the Digital Media Tax Credit and I said no. I know the company would have more of an economic development impact if those 21 jobs were here in New Orleans, but for a variety of factors (too many for this post), they are not.

The economy of the 21st century is based on knowledge work, the creation of stuff that can be broken down to 1’s and 0’s and therefore done anywhere.  Because of this, borders are pourus and its close to impossible to understand, much less regulate, where the work is done.  The value chain is long and distributed, often globally.  The most important factor of who wins this race is where the value is captured.  Value capture = wealth creation = profit.  If a company is based in Louisiana, and those profits are captured here, they will be taxed here and spent here.  This is certainly the case in terms of Flatsourcing.

The fact that more than 90% of our revenue comes from outside Louisiana, flows into a company that is based here, is distributed here as profit, and gets spent locally very clearly economic development for the state.

When I speak to people about the stigma of outsourcing, I often bring up what the rest of the world calls it: competing.  While I certainly agree that in an ideal world, all the people we employ would work in the same office here in New Orleans, this simply isn’t the way the world works anymore.

When I work with entrepreneurs who are starting businesses, one of the first questions I ask is: are you locally or globally focused?  I believe you must be looking worldwide for customers.

It was refreshing to hear Moret focus on this idea of expanding the economic pie with the simple metric: does 90% of your revenue flow from out of state.  We see it happening right now, right here.

Benjamin Reece with Deltree has national level clients through Deltree, has a partnership in New York that drives this business to him, and yet bases his company in New Orleans.  Kyle Berner may manufacture his flip flops in Thailand, but he markets them all over the country, not simply in a local New Orleans boutique.  Naked Pizza may be a local pizza shop right now, but the vision is much grander, and I know Jeff Leach won’t rest until they’ve got franchises all over the country.  I am confident that all of these businesses will soon meet Secretary Moret’s 90% rule if they don’t already.  These are the businesses that will expand the economic pie for Louisiana.

Turning back to Digital Media, it is unlikely that this 90% rule can be codified in the law, and that’s probably a good thing.  We don’t want the state having to audit accounting statements.  But it was great to see this understanding at the State level.

We’ll see how the Digital Media tax incentive works out, but I am very enthusiastic to see this high level understanding of what economic development is all about from Secretary Moret.

I’m excited to announce that Peter Bodenheimer has joined Voodoo Ventures as our new Interactive Director.  He makes a great addition to the Voodoo & Flatsourcing team.

Peter and I have known each other for a while and its been a pleasure working with him thusfar.  He brings very technical project management experience to the team.  Peter will be adding a layer of client strategy & support for our Flatsourcing clients and assisting with product development for Voodoo Ventures projects.

I’m thrilled to have him aboard and look forward to continued growth for Voodoo & Flatsourcing.

Peter Bodenheimer, Interactive Director, Voodoo Ventures, LLC
A native of New Orleans, Peter has over 15 years working in interactive development in markets across the country. From working in product development for software companies to providing leadership in interactive projects for Fortune 500 companies, local governments, and everything in between, Peter has been involved with software and web development since the infancy of the Internet age. Whether in Boston, Silicon Valley, or New Orleans, Peter has focused on using technology to solve problems for clients such as Olympus, Business Week, Visa, Hasbro, and Tabasco.

Prior to Voodoo Ventures, Peter served as Interactive Director at Trumpet Advertising. Prior to that he played a leading role in the strategy and execution that resulted in the dramatic rise of the City of New Orleans website from a ranking of 70 out of 70 in 2003 to being awarded the Center for Digital Government’s award for the Best City Portal in 2005. Aside from the project to overhaul the city website, he drove numerous other projects for the city’s Office of Technology, including bring the permitting system for the City of New Orleans online after Hurricane Katrina, working night and day his team built a system from the ground up that used the Internet and physical kiosk implementations to handle over 600 permits per day, up from roughly 40 per day before the storm. When he’s not building or exploring the online world, Peter spends his time honing his poker game, reliving his days as a professional chef, and trying to tire his dog out riding around Bayou St. John and City Park.