Startup Milwaukeean of the Week: McGee Young

McGee Young is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Marquette University. His company, MPSP, LLC, markets H2Oscore, a water conservation program for cities that uses online water use dashboards and a rewards program to motivate residents to conserve. H2Oscore dashboards are currently being used in four cities in Wisconsin—Whitewater, Milwaukee, Grafton and Waukesha. mcgeemilwaukeean

At what point did you become interested in entrepreneurship?

My family has a long history of entrepreneurship, so it’s been part of my life since I was a child. However, my first big idea came to me in college when I wanted to start an airport internet service. This was in 1994, right after our campus was wired and we all started using the Mosaic browser. My roommate and I were going to take out student loans, buy computers and get them hooked up to the internet at the airport and make a fortune, even if we didn’t really understand how to hook computers up to the internet. We were talked out of it by people who “knew better,” who said that nobody would ever want to browse the internet at the airport.

What has been the biggest difficulty you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?

Ha! To single out one particular difficulty would be insulting to all of the other difficulties that are faced on a daily basis. That being said, time management is probably the biggest challenge. With another job, a family and a desire to have a life, figuring out how to allocate time among competing responsibilities is always tough.

As a non-technical founder of a software company, managing the technical development of the site can also be challenging. We don’t have a technical co-founder or CTO, so we haven’t had the ability to “solve” our business problems by simply writing more code. However, we’ve actually built a better business model because of those challenges.

What makes Milwaukee a unique place to start a company?

Milwaukee is still organized around its industrial past. The civic and business community is hierarchical and tends to close ranks around incremental approaches to change. Companies that fit the traditional mold tend to do better here. As a startup, it’s a fine line to walk between disrupting existing markets and finding a safe business model that is easily understood by investors.

What piece of advice do you have for new startup companies?

Our company gained a lot of traction when we talked to potential customers; and we wasted a lot of time when we acted on ideas that had only been discussed within the office. Because technology has made starting a company so much easier, the real challenge for startup companies today is finding a sustainable business model. Focus on the business model early and use tools like LaunchRock and Optimizely to understand your value proposition to your customers.

Which books are on your reading list right now?

I mainly read “The Lean Startup" over and over again! Aside from that, a friend just recommended "Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage" as a way to put the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship in the proper perspective. My daughter and I are currently working our way through the "Magic Treehouse" series.

Quick Facts:

Startup Milwaukeean of the Week: LeMarc Johnson

LeMarc Johnson is Co-Founder and CEO of Nightstir, a mobile Nightlife Communication platform that allows you to create and share nightlife plans. He’s also a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, graduating with a degree in Marketing this summer. lemarc-milwaukeean

At what point did you become interested in entrepreneurship?

I knew a long time ago that working my way up the “corporate ladder” wasn’t for me. It’s becoming more and more difficult to come in at an entry level position and work your way to the top. In high school, I knew that I wanted to be my own boss and build my own successes instead of working for someone to build theirs. So two years ago, I literally sat down one day and started thinking of problems I could solve. Social problems that presented themselves to me and my generation. I saw that there was no longer a platform for college students/young adults to really communicate, share and plan nightlife activities with a select group of people. That’s when I come up with the predecessor of Nightstir, which was a web-based version of the platform.

My co-founder (and roommate at the time) and I set up an LLC, hired a freelancer and started getting after it. That’s the thing about entrepreneurship—anyone can turn an idea into a reality. All it takes is the will, drive and motivation to get off your butt and do something about the problem you want to solve. NO ONE is stopping you except you.

What has been the largest difficulty you have faced as an entrepreneur?

The biggest difficulty I’ve personally run into is sourcing technical talent. There’s an abundance of tech talent on the east and west coasts, whom of which will work for sweat equity just to get their feet wet. Here in the Midwest, sourcing the technical talent required to produce quality code is a little bit more difficult. I’ve been lucky enough to put together a strong dev team, but I know some fellow entrepreneurs who struggle with this constantly.

What makes Milwaukee a unique place to start a company?

Milwaukee is a very up-and-coming city, especially for the tech/startup space. We get all the amenities of a big city, without all of the clutter and over-crowding of cities like New York and Chicago. We’re home to national and international brands, beaches, Summerfest, professional sports teams, etc. So there are so many unique venture opportunities here that just haven’t been discovered yet. Milwaukeeans have been presented with a very unique opportunity to uncover these future businesses. It’s a very exciting time for entrepreneurs here. I can see a very big surge of venture capital firms seizing more and more opportunities in Milwaukee over the next couple of years—it’s already happening.

What piece of advice do you have for new startups?

Never give up. At times you may be feeling down on yourself, and you may even want to throw in the towel. You have to rid yourself of self doubt and keep telling yourself that the company you’re creating WILL be successful. This is the “self-fulfilling prophecy.” You may fall a few times before your rise to the top, but every great entrepreneur has experienced the same types of thoughts and kept driving on anyway. These are words that my teammates and I live by. We know it won’t be easy because nothing worth having ever is.

Who is the most interesting person you’ve met since you began working on Nightstir?

I think the most interesting person I’ve met since working on Nighstir is serial entrepreneur Bob Dorf. I was given the opportunity to sit down with him and get a sort of one-on-one consultation about my business model. He was super funny and was mowing down on some fried chicken the whole time, but was still able to give me some of the most valuable feedback I’ve ever received. In the tech space, you’ll always come in contact with interesting people.

Quick Facts:

Startup Milwaukeean of the Week: Jon Hainstock

Jon Hainstock is the co-founder of Milwaukee startups ZoomShift and Tailwind Creative. ZoomShift helps supervisors create, manage and share work schedules easily online. Employees can access their schedule from anywhere, trade shifts and request time off. With Zoomshift, communication is streamlined via email and text message notifications so everyone stays in the loop. Tailwind Creative assists brands increase leads and design their web presence. Jon is also a devoted husband and father.

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At what point did you become interested in entrepreneurship?

There is a consistent pattern in my life of turning hobbies and interests into business, which began in my teens. In high school, I turned my love of music into a business that helped pay my way through college. Curiosity in photography and design helped develop my artistic eye which I later turned into a profitable photography and web design business.

The amount of legwork required in a startup has never been a major obstacle because my businesses have always come from my passion and interests. Even the tough beginnings don’t feel so much like work because I’m fueled by the excitement and challenge of learning something new.

After working with startups, as the director of marketing for 94labs—the tech seed accelerator that preceded Gener8tor—I saw value and a gap in the market for responsive web design and search engine optimization (SEO) services. My business partner, Ben Bartling, and I started Tailwind Creative, our digital marketing agency, to help fill that gap and fund our startup ideas.

Our current startup, ZoomShift, helps businesses schedule employees online and has always been intriguing to me because it solves a practical need for so many organizations.

What has been the largest difficulty you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?

The hardest part is learning to say no. I want to say yes to every opportunity, every event and every project; but experience has taught me that over-committing will cost me and my business in the long run. So over the years I’ve gotten better at saying no to the things that are not in-line with the overarching goals of my life.

Now that I have a young family, the challenge works both ways. On one hand, it’s easier to say no because of my commitment to carving out quality time with my wife and daughter. On the other hand, knowing that I have a family depending on me to support them can create a struggle to balance the hard work and hours that are required in a startup.

What makes Milwaukee a unique place to start a company?

Milwaukee offers a friendly, close-knit community. Startups, agencies and local organizations are very accessible, making it easy to connect with other entrepreneurs. Building relationships in the business community can make a significant difference for your company. What I love about Milwaukee (besides Alterra) is that people are so willing to meet up, and they genuinely care about the success of your business.

What metformin 500 mg piece of advice do you have for new startup companies?

Connect with people—not just online, but also face-to-face. The best opportunities I’ve encountered have come from informal meetings with good folk. You can learn something from everyone, from their successes and their failures. So be sure to take time each week to connect with someone new. For the cost of a cup of coffee or a beer and a half-hour of your time, a wealth of knowledge and expertise can be attained through casual dialog and asking the right questions.

What was the most interesting article your read this week?

I love articles that elicit a response. Check out An App Store Experiment by Stuart Hall. You’ll want to get into iOS development after you read his story.

Quick facts:

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Startup Milwaukee Launches a Founders' Club

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Startup Milwaukee is excited to launch the Founders’ Club, an exclusive group of technology entrepreneurs, executives, angel and institutional investors. Anyone can apply to join the Founders’ Club, but only a limited number of individuals will be admitted. Members must meet one of three criteria: 1) Technology Entrepreneur: You must be able to show us your working product. Whether it be hardware, software, web or a mobile app, we must be able to verify it exists.

OR

2) Technology Executive: You’re a founder, VP or C-level executive at a technology company in Wisconsin or northern Illinois.

OR

3) Institutional or Angel Investor: You must have a track record or interest in investing in technology companies in Wisconsin.

To join the Startup Milwaukee Founders’ Club, apply today.

Startup of the Week: StreamFIT

streamlogoblkpngStreamFIT is a subscription-based service featuring streaming fitness videos on a mobile web platform at StreamFIT.com. The company was originally launched in December 2011 by company Founder and CEO, BJ Gaddour, CSCS. StreamFIT currently offers over 250 world class workout videos with new content added monthly, making it the most comprehensive online fitness resource on the market today. StreamFIT is not only known for its variety of high-quality workouts, but also for the humorous style in which many of the workouts are instructed. Users can choose between a free membership with four preselected, ad-supported videos per month, or an unlimited membership with ad-free access to the entire workout database. Gaddour is an internationally recognized fitness expert and a member of the Training Advisory Board for Men’s Health, the world’s largest men’s magazine. He is probably best known for being the creator of Men’s Health DeltaFit Speed Shred, the best-selling DVD series in the history of RODALE Publishing.

StreamFIT is currently operating a crowdfunding campaign to introduce new features to the website, such as allowing members to create and share their own workout video playlists and training plans in addition to other key features. The ultimate goal is to make StreamFIT a complete fitness experience where users can share training ideas and tips in addition to accessing hundreds of workouts. Learn more about the campaign by visiting http://igg.me/at/StreamFIT.

Key Facts:

  • Founder: BJ Gaddour
  • Founded: 2011
  • Employees: 2
  • Funding: Angel Investors
  • HQ: Bay View, WI

Startup Milwaukeean of the Week: Drew Hart

Drew Hart moved back to Wisconsin after stints at startup companies in San Francisco. Drew has since launched Milwaukee-based Snow Day Group, a web development company that works with startups. Drew is a great guy to know and we’re proud to name him as this week’s Startup Milwaukeean of the week! image

At what point did you become interested in Entrepreneurship? 

I first became interested in entrepreneurship during my teenage years. Although in my early years, I didn’t think of myself in terms of an “entrepreneur.” Frankly, I didn’t really know what that term meant until a few years ago. Still, I’ve always been a creative person who is able to weave together abstract ideas and create solutions.

I went straight into a corporate environment after graduating from college. I benefited greatly from that experience. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to build a sales team from scratch that I recognized the notion of being an entrepreneur. That project was akin to building a mini startup inside of a large organization. It included building out a project plan, kneading out the business processes, marketing, training, rinsing and repeating. That experience did two things for me. First, it confirmed my skills, knowledge and experience. Second, it provided me a great degree of confidence and the notion that I could be successful working for a company that needed creative solutions regularly—so I quit!

What has been the largest difficulty you have faced as an entrepreneur?

Transitioning from a well defined work style to one that’s totally ambiguous. For example, in a corporate business, a lot of risk is removed (including product development, marketing to customers, etc.). It’s easy to plug in, since so much of the business is already defined. There’s a large number of people working in each of the respective departments who have those things covered.

With a startup, however, nothing like that exists and there aren’t departments of people to complete the tasks. You have an idea. Everything else you have to create on your own. That includes developing your product or service, outlining a marketing plan, putting business processes in place, creating contracts, finding talent and selling to customers. All of it (and there’s a lot I’m leaving out). A lot of romanticism surrounds the concept of startups—but once you decide to cut your own path, it’s yours. I love that. It gets me up in the morning and [my team] builds amazing things.

What piece of advice do you have for new startups?

Get connected with other startups and be transparent about both your failures and wins. Being open inspires others to be open. Doing that really helps; you’re sharing information that benefits everyone. Most of us don’t know what we’re doing when we kickstart things, since it’s all brand new. I’d also suggest following entrepreneurs online through blogs, twitter, LinkedIn, whatever. There are a lot of people out there who share their stories, both good and bad, and they are tremendously insightful.

What makes Milwaukee a unique place to start a company?

I wouldn’t say it’s unique. I see Milwaukee having a lot of the traits of other cities across the US and worldwide. The history and culture of Milwaukee gives the city a unique character. Just take a look at all of the independent business owners of restaurants and bars. I guess one thing that makes Milwaukee unique is the proximity of Lake Michigan and its positive impact on the weather. All said, from Bayview to Shorewood, the Milwaukee area has so much to offer.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what item would you want to bring with you? Why?

A boat, so I could leave.

Quick Facts: 

PKWARE is hiring a Human Resources intern

PKWARE, an established Milwaukee technology company with an entrepreneurial spirit is hiring a Human Resources intern. The intern will be primarily responsible for performing HR generalist duties in support of the VP of HR.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  1.  Monitors PKWARE career website and updates as necessary.
  2. Applicant data entry.
  3.  Schedules phone conversations between candidates and the VP or HR or with the Hiring Manager.
  4.  E-mails interviewing candidates appropriate paperwork.
  5.  Schedules on-site candidate interviews.
  6. Assists with post interview processes.
  7. Updates federal and state postings, as required.
  8. Completes miscellaneous HR clerical tasks.
  9.  Identifies and assists in the selection of job fairs, social networking sites, colleges and internet sites.
  10. Maintains recruiter activity log.
  11. Supports the Vice President of Human Resources in other projects and activities as needed.

Education:
Current student enrolled at a four-year college or university preferred with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Experience:
Minimum one year prior professional office experience

Key Skills:

  • Time management
  • Knowledge of recruiting technologies and job portals
  • Knowledge of HRIS and Microsoft Office Suite; internet software; human resource systems.      
  •   Ability to write effective and well-written e-mails and routine reports
  •  Networking

About PKWARE: learn more about PKWARE at PKWARE.COM

How to Apply: Email resume and cover letter to Tammy McCormack at   tammy.mccormack@pkware.com.

Startup of the Week: Penrod Software

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Penrod Software is a consulting firm that provides expertise in business analysis and software development for companies implementing CRM and Big Data. Penrod specializes in working with health insurance carriers and agents to develop and create software to help provide customers with better prices and services.

Located in the Historic Third Ward, Penrod recently added an office addition to reach 2500 square feet in office space. Milwaukee’s tech scene and local university talent has allowed the company to grow 400% year-over-year. Working with the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Penrod provides students with opportunities to learn and grow with their company.

Joe Taylor, one of Penrod’s co-founders, says the company “couldn’t be happier with the direction the city is headed in.” We couldn’t agree more.

Key Facts:

  • Founders: Joseph Taylor and Chris Widmayer
  • Founded: 2011
  • Employees: 9
  • Funding: Self-funded
  • HQ Location: Third Ward - 219 N. Milwaukee St. Suite 3E, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

For more information about this startup, visit PenrodCRM.com.

Startup of the Week: WeMontage

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WeMontage creates an easy and accessible way to transform personal photos into home decor. Founded by James Oliver, Jr., WeMontage lets you upload your favorite photos, create a custom collage and print on large, removable wall coverings. Assisted by startup accelerator gener8tor, WeMontage is a great way to celebrate friends, family and weddings. These personal wall coverings are also great Father’s Day gifts! The removal wallpaper has the look and feel of engineered cotton, does not require additional adhesive and doesn’t damage walls. It easily sticks to textured walls and walls with eggshell synthroid substitute order on line paint. These great wall coverings are only $10 per square foot.

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A 6ft. x 4ft. WeMontage in the office of Madison-­based startup, The Art Commission, who wanted to tastefully display some of their clients’ images they had taped to the wall

 

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The team of San Francisco social fashion startup, Modera, installing a custom branding project done by WeMontage

Visit WeMontage.com for more information or to order your own personalized wall coverings from this up-and-coming Wisconsin startup company.

Key Facts:

  • Founder: James Oliver Jr.
  • Founded On: January 8, 2012
  • Employees: 3
  • Headquarters: Neenah, Wisconsin
  • Funding: gener8tor

Featured Startup of the Month: Okanjo

Okanjo (oh-kahn-jo), which means “checkout” in Japanese, connects buyers, sellers and communities with the things they care about. Headquartered in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, Okanjo launched on February 1. The site is a national platform, like eBay, with the locality of Craigslist, featuring a secure transactional platform. Okanjo also makes giving easy by providing sellers the opportunity to donate a portion or all of their proceeds from sales to any cause that they care about. To start selling easier and buying happier, visit www.okanjo.com.

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Startup of the Week: Small Shops United

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Small Shops United is a member-based program supporting locally owned and operated businesses in the community. We provide a consumer-friendly multi-merchant rewards platform customized to fit each merchant’s specific needs, while offering consumers the convenience of just one card to earn rewards at shops all around town. Cards may be obtained from any participating merchant location, and then registered online at smallshopsunited.com to setup a member account.

By providing each merchant consistent hardware using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, merchants gain quick access to a member’s account in order to add or redeem credits in the most efficient manner. We are currently developing additional features for both the consumer and merchant interfaces on albuterol inhaler price the Small Shops United website, including data metrics and a local promotions platform. Become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to be among the first to learn of new developments.

Key Facts:

  • Founder: Eric Tallmadge
  • Founded On: 06/2011
  • Employees: N/A
  • Funding: Bootstrapped
  • HQ Location: Milwaukee, WI
  • Website: smallshopsunited.com

LBWN Business Plan Competition

Layton Boulevard West Neighbors is looking for new or expanding businesses interested in locating in Silver City to apply and compete in its Business Plan Competition. The winner will receive an award package valued at over $12,000, including financial and other incentives, a newly renovated business space, rent discounts, free professional services and $5000 to jump-start the business.  Applications and more information can be found on the LBWN website at: www.lbwn.org/businessplancompetition. In an effort to continue the strong development taking place in the Silver City neighborhood, LBWN and Impact Seven are rehabbing a foreclosed commercial property on National Avenue in the Silver City Business District for a prospective business owner with a unique and compelling business plan. Silver City is an exciting business district that features restaurants, bars and shopping experiences from a variety of countries. The space is located at 3519 West National Avenue and is close to some great Milwaukee attractions including the Mitchell Park Domes, the Urban Ecology Center, Miller Park, the Hank Aaron State Trail, and some of the best housing stock in the City of Milwaukee. This one-story commercial space boasts a tin ceiling and nearly 2000 square feet. The winner of the Competition will have the chance to provide input into the final design of this space.

A Letter of Intent to submit a proposal is due on May 31, 2013 and the final submission is due on June 30, 2013. For more information, contact Natanael Martinez, Economic Development Manager at LBWN: natanael {at} lbwn {dot} org or 414.383.9038 x2511

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Startup of the Week: VibeTech

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Have you ever suffered from a sports-related injury such as an ACL tear or ankle sprain? Do you know someone who recently had joint surgery? Or perhaps you have a family member who uses a wheelchair or walker. Whether age, disability, illness, inactivity, injury or surgery keeps you off your feet, it’s important to engage in physical therapy before muscle weakness, balance impairment and reduced flexibility take hold. VibeTech founder and CTO, Jeff Leismer, PhD, invented the foundation vibration technology of the VibeTech One (TM) Rehabilitation Chair as a countermeasure to disuse atrophy in astronauts whose strength had been compromised due to the negative effect of long duration space flight. In collaboration with VP of Product Development, Nadder Sahar, PhD, VibeTech has developed a quick, relaxing, non-weight bearing neuromusculoskeletal stimulation device for the treatment of patients in physical therapy clinics, rehabilitation centers and elder care facilities. Learn more at www.vibetechglobal.com.

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Startup of the Week: ZoomShift

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Employee Scheduling Software

ZoomShift helps small businesses operate better by giving them an easy way to schedule and communicate with their employees. With ZoomShift managers can create and post schedules quickly, and send email and text message notifications to everyone in the group. Employees are then able to sign in and see when they work, trade shifts with other employees, make availability requests and communicate with the whole team from anywhere at any time.

ZoomShift is positioned as a simple solution to a complex problem and serves restaurants, retail stores, universities, customer support teams, volunteer organizations and many other small businesses - including Chick-Fil-A, Sonic, Plato’s Closet and Little Caesars to date. ZoomShift uses a freemium model to give groups a chance to try out the software for 30-days risk free. After the trial ends, groups can continue using ZoomShift for a monthly fee based on the number of employees in the group. Any group with five employees or less can use ZoomShift for free forever.

Recently, Zoomshift launched a new, fully mobile, responsive version of their software. They’ve seen an uptick in sign ups, including free trials from software giants such as Google, 37Signals and SquareSpace.