Inside VT KnowledgeWorks

You Get to Talk to Jim

One of the benefits of being a VT KnowledgeWorks member company is having its executive director, Jim Flowers in your life and, well, in your business.

I've been a member of VT KnowledgeWorks for 16 months now.  During that time, Jim Flowers has served as team member, mentor, consultant, expert, guide, and friend.

For an example of what Jim Flowers brings to both start-up entrepreneurs and seasoned company founders - who know him either through being member companies, members of Presidents' Council, or both - here's an excerpt from Four really useful habits from his blog So you want to launch a business...:

1. I try to stay in touch with what really matters. 

What really matters to me is not what other people tell me should matter.  It's what my own deepest inner voice tells me.  It's what I think about when I find myself awake in the middle of the night.  It's what I want to share with the people I love.  It's my vision of an ideal world.  It's how I want my life to work out.

2. I commit to relevant actions, not outcomes. 

I can control the actions I take.  But, except in trivial cases, I can't control the outcomes they will produce.  Life is simply too complicated.  There are too many uncontrollable outside influences.  If I arbitrarily decide that I will sell 100 widgets, I may or may not succeed.  If, on the other hand, I commit to improving the specific skills, techniques, and work habits related to selling, my effectiveness will definitely increase.  If I can master the details, I will then sell as many widgets as the marketplace permits me to sell.

3. I constantly test my vision and my actions against my fundamental principles. 

I assume you have principles.  I do.  Most people appear to have at least a few.  Some wise person once told me this.  "If you can't talk about your vision with your grandmother, think it over just one more time.  If you wouldn't want your action to appear on national television, reconsider your commitment to that action."

4. I do my best to stay focused. 

Just say no to more good ideas!!  I like Jonathan Mead's take on this.  He says that people who can ignore their good ideas "don’t chase the stuff that seems to have potential, but doesn’t really matter. They only do the stuff they must do: what they’re insanely passionate about and what they were born to do."  Focus also preserves a person's precious supply of MOXIE.  That's a big, big deal for an entrepreneur trying to succeed in a risky startup situation.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley of Virginia and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. 

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA)

A Truly Entrepreneurial Region

From Jim Flowers:

A recent Small Business Administration study provides startling data about business formation and economic growth.

• In the US, only 2-3% of all firms are high-impact companies (extraordinary revenue growth plus expanding employment).
• Almost all the new jobs are created by high-impact companies.
• Only 7% of high-impact firms have more than 20 employees; and they create about 2/3 of all the new jobs.
• 0.2% of US businesses create 2/3 of the new jobs!
• 93% of the high-impact companies have fewer than 20 employees; and this group creates about one-third of all new jobs.
• Very small companies create about 1/3 of all new jobs.
• Surprise: The high-impact firms are NOT typically fresh start-ups.
• Less than 3 percent of high-impact firms counted in 2006 were founded within the previous four-year period.
• It can take years for the growth mechanism to mature.

And, by the way, almost all net job loss is coming from big companies.
 
What does this mean for regional growth and economic development?

My conclusion is this.

• Encourage the formation of new companies, particularly those built on 21st century technologies and market trends.
• Support small companies as they work through their risky formative years.
• Understand that this business-farming process must be a permanent way of regional life, not some quick fix to a downturn.
• De-emphasize recruitment of large industrial relocations. Over time, they are more likely to decline than to grow.

Here’s the good news for the New River Valley of Virginia and beyond: we have a great start on building a truly entrepreneurial region.  With Virginia Tech and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center as a hub, we are poised to make the entire NewVA regiona model for 21st century technology-based economic development.

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For more information, please see the PowerPoint presentation by Jim Flowers Beyond Traditional Incubation.  This post originally appeared on Handshake 2.0.

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Jim Flowers is the director of VT KnowledgeWorks, writes the blog So you want to launch a business..., and is the author of MOXIE and other fundamental entrepreneurial concepts.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley of Virginia and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. 

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Jim Flowers Makes List of Top Entrepreneurial Bloggers

Adam Evers, creator of Startup Student, asked for submissions from followers of @startupstudent on Twitter and from his site's user base for a list of Top Entrepreneurial Blogs.

No surprise to his followers, both online and off:

The blog by Jim Flowers, director of VT KnowledgeWorks and @startwithmoxie on Twitter, "So you want to launch a business..." made the list.

Congratulations, Jim!

Jim Flowers Showcases VT KnowledgeWorks on an International Stage

On June 4, 2009, VT KnowledgeWorks’ Director, Jim Flowers, shared the stage in Paris with Mme. Christine Lagarde, French Minister for the Economy, Industry, and Employment, as they honored the winning student team at the Annual Entrepreneurial Project Challenge at TELECOM Sud-Paris. 

As part of their award, the winning students will enjoy a week of leisure and learning at VT KnowledgeWorks in Blacksburg, VA.  Activities for their September stay include a welcome dinner courtesy of the Virginia Tech Office of Outreach and International Affairs, a two-day Founders’ Readiness Retreat at Mountain Lake Resort, on-the-job shadowing of company presidents in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, social time with Hokie Entrepreneurship Society student members, and, best of all, perhaps, tickets to the Virginia Tech-Marshall football game. 

The team plans to work in Blacksburg next summer as they continue to prepare their business concept for funding and launch.  VT KnowledgeWorks is already the summer work-home of two other student teams from TELECOM Sud-Paris, winners of earlier contests at the French high-tech institute.

Preliminary planning is underway to expand the international reach of VT KnowledgeWorks to include other countries in Europe and beyond.  A combined event, including both student teams and tech-business trade missions, is scheduled for September, 2010.

“The market for technology-based businesses is global,” says Flowers.  “By encouraging person-to-person overseas relationships for our local companies and entrepreneurial students we provide them with easier access to markets beyond our shores.  Of course, the reverse is true as well.  The dialogues also improve understanding of American markets for our foreign visitors.  Everybody wins.”

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Link to VT KnowledgeWorks Goes International videos

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  Programs for Members are divided into two categories according to the evolutionary status of the member company.  Pre-Launch program components are carefully constructed to help market-worthy ventures organize, formulate strategy, obtain outside investment, and launch in an efficient manner.  Enterprise class members benefit from emphasis on strategic support for ongoing growth, continuing intra-preneurship, and professional development for the corporate leader.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

VT KnowledgeWorks Goes International

The story is just beginning to unfold, but let's just say that Jim Flowers, director of VT KnowledgeWorks, was in Paris on June 4, 2009...

From Christine Lagarde present the award of Challenge Projets d'Entreprendre® the an innovative project

On 4th of June, the Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment, Christine Lagarde, presented the "Grand prix" of the Challenge Projets d'Entreprendre®...

This contest for the creation of start-ups is organized for 10 years by the incubator of Telecom Business School and Telecom SudParis. It mobilizes over several weeks 400 students from the two schools divided into mixed teams engineers / managers. Each defends its project to a panel of professionals and teachers. 4 teams remain in contention for the final selection step at Bercy June 4. These 4 teams each receive a prize of 1500 €.

The team winning the "Grand prix", Multeegaming, leave for a one-week stay this summer in the incubator of Virginia Tech (USA)!

The "incubator of Virginia Tech" is none other than VT KnowledgeWorks. 

Start watching the video above at minute 1:23 and  you'll recognize Jim Flowers!
At minute 1:25 he's introduced and talks about VT KnowledgeWorks.

The video below more specically describes the visit of
French entrepreneurship students to VT KnowledgeWorks.

 

Work Styles of Entrepreneurs and Their Team Members

One of the benefits of company membership in technology incubator and business acceleration center VT KnowledgeWorks is participation in the programs offered by the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.  One program I attend regularly is HR Connection, a monthly seminar for human resources professionals located at the CRC. 

As a start-up company, I am the president, CEO, CTO, CIO, a whole lot of other Cs, and director of HR.  I have found HR Connection invaluable as I have moved from being the only staff member, to supervising interns, to hiring contractors.

A recent HR Connection seminar covered use of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator for use in the workplace.

Lindsey Eversole, Member Services Manager of VT KnowledgeWorks, and I, frankly, both generate massive quantities of high quality work.

How we get that work done might not be quite the same. 

We actually didn't need the seminar to guess that, just maybe, we might differ in some aspects of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.

Pictured left to right: Lindsey Eversole's desk, Anne Clelland's desk

VT KnowledgeWorks Companies and Director Among TechNite Finalists and Winners

TechNite Awards were presented at the TechNite Awards Banquet on May 21, 2009 at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.  Over 400 of the area's business and technology leaders attended. 

Below are the categories and criteria for the 2009 NCTC TechNite Awards, the category nominees, the finalists highlighted in light blue, and the category winners highlighted in yellow.

Before each VT KnowledgeWork member company and/or leader, and its director, Jim Flowers, is an asterisk - a star!

Rising Star
This award recognizes a local technology company whose "star is rising."  It may not be a household name yet, but it could soon be another local success story in the NewVA region.

*88Owls
Aegisound/Adaptive Technologies
ADMMicro
Design Marketing/Performance Link
FITnoke
Inorganic Ventures
*Koofers
Librato
Modea
Prime Photonics
*Schultz-Creehan

Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs are a different breed. Sometimes it takes nerves of steel to blaze a new path. This award recognizes someone in our community who exemplifies what it means to be a risk-taker in the technology field.

Kevin Bloomfield, NetVentures
*Anne Giles Clelland, Handshake 2.0
*M. Tyson Daniel, Esq., LimbGear
Jonathan Hagmaier, Interactive Achievement
James Rancourt, Polymer Solutions
Dan Sable, VPT
Tracy Wilkins, TechLab

NewVa Leadership Award
This award recognizes one of our own who not only succeeds in the workplace, but also leads by example by contributing significantly to the community in which we live.

Stanley Breakell, Breakell
Bev Fitzpatrick, Virginia Museum of Transportation
*Jim Flowers, VT KnowledgeWorks
Stuart Mease, City of Roanoke
Andre A. Muelenaer, Jr., M.D., Carilion
Dan Smith, Valley Business FRONT
Neil Wilkin, Optical Cable Corporation

Innovation
This award recognizes an individual, a group of individuals, company, or other organization that sets the standard for thought leadership and innovation in their respective fields. By definition, they are doing something new or different, and they are doing it well. Their innovation represents a significant technological breakthrough or addresses a great market opportunity or both.

*Attaain
CMR Institute
*EnergyWare
ExperiED
Interface AdvantageSystems
Maxtena
Moog Components Group
Pixel Optics
Qualtrax
*TORC Technologies
Wireless Medcare
VCOM 

Educator
This award recognizes a K-12 educator in the NewVA region that promotes math, science and/or use of technology in creative ways to transfer knowledge and help develop future technology leaders.

Molly Bullington, Burton Center for Arts and Technology 
Michael Collver, Montgomery County Public Schools 
Dr. Kurt Grosshans, Montgomery County Public Schools
Rebecca Hertling, Montgomery County Public Schools
Cathy Huffman, The Gereau Center for Applied Technology & Career Exploration 
Nancy McCrickard, Science Museum of Western Virginia 
Stuart Rawlings, Cave Spring Middle School 
Kim Williams, Roanoke City Public Schools
Georgette Yakman, Pulaski County High School

People's Choice
The People’s Choice Award will be presented to an up-and-coming company in the NewVa region that receives the highest number of votes from TechNite attendees.

Aegisound/Adaptive Technologies
*Attaain
Maxtena
Modea
Wireless MedCARE

The Essence of Entrepreneurship Right Here in Blacksburg, Virginia

Stop.  Imagine.  The essence of entrepreneurship.  

Blacksburg, Virginia is on many lists and is a perfect home for a business acceleration center, technology incubator, source of start-up wisdom, and hub of entrepreneurial expertise like VT KnowledgeWorks.

Photograph taken in Blacksburg, Virginia, May 14, 2009.

Success or Failure of a New Venture is Determined Very Early

When Allan Tsang of 88owls, a VT KnowledgeWorks member company, shared this video on his Twitter account, I thought of the Four Fundamental Factors of Jim Flowers, director of VT KnowledgeWorks, who begins his assessment of the potential success or failure of a new venture, "Look first to the fire behind the eyes of the leader."

It's All About the Moxie

I follow Jim Flowers, director of VT KnowledgeWorks on Twitter, @startwithmoxie.

I read this tweet of Jim's:

RT @pamatthe Reading 'Why Your Startup Shouldn't Hire Seth Godin' - totally agree with it. http://bit.ly/kI0Bv I agree, too, totally.

Jim was retweeting an original tweet by Pat Matthews, @pamatthe, founder of Mailtrust, the email division of Rackspace, and had added his own two cents:  "I agree, too, totally."

I followed the URL and read Why Your Startup Shouldn't Hire Seth Godin.

I sent Jim an email:  "I would love to know what you think is important about this post.  It didn't hit me over the head.  Would love to hear what I'm missing."

Translation:  "I don't get it."

Jim replied:

It’s all about the MOXIE.  It keeps coming around to that.
 
The author is saying (as I read it) that somebody who has already hit one home run sure looks good on paper, but probably can’t be expected to attack the second thing with the same fervor, especially since he/she will be a hired gun, not one of the originators.  The ability to do something well does not necessarily include the motivation to do it well.  That’s why I am not an astrophysicist.
 
My own take on this topic is that start-ups should hire for brains,  energy, compatibility (given, of course, the basic skill sets required of the specific job), and COMMITMENT.  Then they should go get the experience factor from mentors and consultants.

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Thank you, Jim.  Even The Accelerated Entrepreneur, beneficiary of all the programs of business acceleration center VT KnowledgeWorks, has learned she always needs a mentor.