Immediate Prayer Request for David Moilanen Jr of Brighton, mi

A recent Brighton, Mi High School Grad and Exceptional Ski Racer, David Moilanen needs your Prayer.

I just recieved the below message and hope that you can help in spreading the prayer request. I recieved the message from my good friend, Jeff Street who forwarded Gina Wessel’s message which is below.

Subject: Urgent Prayer Request

It’s not often that I forward prayer requests on like this however this one captured me and I know that many of you know this family…
So please join us in prayer…now!

If anyone is around the area today and would like to come in to the church and pray for this family … I would be happy to join you at the altar.

From Penny (leader of our Prayer Team) :

Please lift up David Moilanen Jr. who is in Quito Ecuador on a two
month school educational trip.  Cindy and Dave (his parents) received
word earlier today that he has a brain tumor that was discovered today
(Tuesday July 7, 2009). They have given permission for doctors to operate as the
condition is severe and life threatening and it cannot wait until
their arrival.  It is just before midnight as I write this and surgery
will begin shortly.  Dave and Cindy will leave for Ecuador tomorrow
morning at 7:30 a.m. to be with David.  It is a long trip and will
include several changes of airlines.  Please lift up this entire
situation. I was able to pray with Cindy and I did leave a voice mail
on Pastor Ben’s phone.

Dear Lord we beg for mercy in this situation and we pray for Your
mighty hand of healing to touch David as the doctors begin their
procedure. We pray for the most capable surgeons to be available to
perform this operation.  We pray for discernment, wisdom, and great
skill for all the doctors and medical professional and we pray that
You Yourself would guide them as they proceed.  We lift up David Jr
and we pray for strength, comfort, health, healing to come upon him.
We pray that he would sense Your presence and that he would draw
comfort directly from his Savior who he serves willingly.  Oh that You
would use this situation as a testimony to all around him to see You.
We lift up Dave and Cindy as they make this long trip.  We pray for
Your divine calm and peace to surround them and to overcome each and
every fear and anxious thought.  You are a God of miracles and we pray
that You would work this situation out for Your glory.  Oh Lord, we
don’t know how to pray and I pray that You Yourself would intercede
for David Jr. as we lift our groanings up to You.  In Your precious
name. Amen.

Gina Wessel
Worship Coordinator
The Naz – Brighton
(810)227-6600 Church

Great News, I got Laid Off from my Day Job…

For most, getting laid off, or even the thought of it can be terribly stressful and mortifying. However, its really not that bad when you stop and put things into perspective, think about all the things that could be worse…

• Getting hit by a bus
• Getting stung by a jellyfish on your tropical honeymoon
• Being named Kwame Kilpatrick, voted Mayor of Detroit, and given a city owned cellular phone with unlimited texting…
• Enjoying a great ski run and being overtaken by an avalanche
• Being diagnosed with a terminal disease
• Being told you only have 1 day to live.

Ok, today I sit here with out a “day job”, but here is what I am doing to make a difference, to stay positive, and to make certain that I wont be just another number in the Unemployment line (I hope you’ll join me).

• I’ve kept my normal schedule
• I’ve cut ALL unnecessary expenses
• I’ve fired off emails, tweets, phone calls, and texts to many of my closest contacts
• I’ve taken a “one thing at a time” focus so as not to be overwhelmed by all that needs to be done
• I’ve kept hard at work on my long term start-up project
• I have NOT filed an unemployment claim (yet), as I don’t intend to need it.
• Most importantly, I’ve kept a smile on my face.

Being jobless is not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, we’ve all got payments & obligations, and the stress of them can drive just about anyone to drink. But here’s the deal, you can only do things “one thing at a time” and with resources limited, you can only do so much. So my advice to others in a similar situation to that which I now find my self is this.

Step 1:
It is now time to reinvent yourself. Throw on your best clothes, sit down with a pad of paper and write out every single thing that you are good at (making pancakes better than anyone else counts), and call the people who have had a positive impact in your life and tell them that you’re becoming a new person. Post that list of things that you are great at in a place that you see every morning and read it out loud. Dress like a champion every day, get out of your house and greet every person you see with a smile, and even a hello.

Step 2: (IMPORTANT)
Maintain a regular schedule, stay social, and dig for every opportunity. Go out with your friends (eat at home, drink water or pop instead of beer or alcohol, eat popcorn or crackers as they are usually free). Make a list of projects, complete them, add to the list as you check things off. As you do more, you will maintain your self-confidence, gain a sense of accomplishment, stay positive, and learn more about who you really are.

Step 3:
Schedule intelligently, when resources are limited, we often panic. If you are going out for interviews or meetings, try to schedule them in a fashion that allows you the shortest drive possible. Also, offering a time to connect shows a sense of organization which most all prospective employers will appreciate. Use the internet to your advantage, its a cheap resource. Get connected on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin (also WhatUNeedLocal.com when it launches…. shameless plug)

Step 4:
Stay positive, stay happy, do good by others, go and get that job that you’ve been wanting.

I wish you the best in your employment, and the search for new employment if you are currently unemployed.

Regards,

Joe Minock
Founder | WhatUNeedLocal.com (coming soon)

On Twitter:
@joem32, @whatuneedlocal

My Top 25 Web Apps for Small Businesses or Startups!

We’ve all got things that we use everyday, but these are the web apps that make my top 25. Many of them you’ve heard of, a few you havent. Check them out, they are worth a visit. I make no warranty of their services other than that each of them has had a positive effect on my day to day use of the web.

Resource	URL
BaseCamp	http://www.basecamphq.com
HighRise	http://www.highrisehq.com
Skype	http://www.skype.com
WebsiteGrader.com	http://www.websitegrader.com
Twitter Grader.com	http://www.twittergrader.com
PressReleaseGrader.com	http://www.pressreleasegrader.com
Urefer.com	http://www.urefer.com/referral/0/417
Volusion.com	http://www.Volusion.com
Google Webmaster Tools	http://www.google.com/webmasters
Google Analytics	http://www.google.com/analytics
Google Checkout	http://checkout.google.com
Google Apps	http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html
Google Talk	http://www.google.com/talk
PayPal	http://www.paypal.com
JustUptime.com	http://www.justuptime.com
SliceHost-(FOR Developers)	http://www.slicehost.com
MediaTemple Hosting	http://www.MediaTemple.com
Twitter.com	http://www.twitter.com
Facebook.com	http://www.facebook.com
Myspace.com	http://www.myspace.com
Freeconferencecall.com	http://www.freeconferencecall.com
WordPress.com Blogs	http://www.wordpress.com
Blogger.com	Http://www.blogger.com
Tweetbeep.com	http://www.tweetbeep.com
Google Alerts	http://www.google.com/alerts

The state of the Internet Startup Economy and How to Survive… Part Deux

Yep, economy still sucks… what are you doing about it?

When you are building your product, you need to be thinking about every piece of the business as it relates to sales, marketing, operations, and the internal business operation.

Now an important piece that can help you save money and be truly effective in the market place…

As we reflect on our marketing plans, I’ll share a little bit with you about my plan. In yesterdays blog post, I bragged a bit on how my partners and I have reduced our burn rate to all time lows, and that is an important point in that we dictate that no money be spent if at all possible. How is it that we can market our service with out money? Our strategy has been to integrate our marketing right into the actual product. Yes, thats right, our marketing is built right in and integrated through out. Now I’m not going to go into specfics as I feel we need to protect what we are doing for a short while, and I promise I’ll share once we go to market with the full service. What is important is that our product design, feature set, functionality, and even its cost structure are all built around a comprehensive marketing plan. Ultimately, we have employed a form of affiliate marketing, but the cool thing is that our affiliates are also our paying clients! Who better to market a product that those who are using it right! So, when you sit down with your team, it is important to stop and think “SO WHAT” about everything that your service does… Does your product really matter? Is it something that your clients will love so much that they will tell everyone about it? Your Job is to make your product or service so damn good that your client will no longer even care about your competitors. If you do that, your marketing, as you may or may not be aware, will cost less and be more effective.

More later… off to a quieter coffee shop!

The state of the Internet Startup Economy and How to Survive

Ok, so the market it in terrible shape, credit is tight, and lenders are looking for every reason to say no. Big deal? For my team, Not really. Your story should be the same.

In times like these, focus is the most critical aspect of any start up. Pay no attention to the talking heads, the rhetorical bull spit, or the opinionated blind. What really matters is knowing where you stand and your ability to Execute on Your plan. My team is working, virtually, between Michigan and Arizona, toward launching a private beta version of WhatUNeedLocal.com in short time. We’ve got a specific project scope defined, a team in place and outside help which is further facilitating our ability to move forward.

So you say you’re not funded? So what! Neither are we, and if you take a minute to peruse the member pages of digital edge, you’re sure to find many entrepreneurs who are executing their plan on pennies, nickels, and dimes- Like I said, we’re one of them. If you are totally dependent upon capital to move on, stop reading now, call your partners and say its been fun, but we’re shutting it down. Why, do I say that- you have less than a 1% chance of being funded. Hopefully you’re still reading now, as I’m about to share the ways that I have leveraged our development and growth on a very small investment.

When strapped for cash, you need to know what it is that YOU are good at and what you can offer to your fellow entrepreneurs in exchange for their assistance and support. I’m personally very good with building teams, setting up business operations & managing projects, and especially good at prototyping and being an Evangelist for things that I believe in (I’ve been told that I could sell a dynamic website solution to a blind eskimo that’s never seen a computer). When you break what we do down to the core component, we are CAPITALISTS, and by leveraging the pure principles of capitalism, we can work collectively to build our concept into something monetizable and salable to our target market. Trade and Barter for EVERYTHING, but make sure that you can provide something of equal or greater value in return.

Another great thing for the unfunded (yes, I’m saying great with regard to not being funded) is that your capital burn rate has to be very low or is virtually non existant. The only real burn rate that you have is time, which is extremely valueable, but in the event of a bootstrapped entrepreneur, the variable cost is typically very low. For example, my startup burns about $75/mo, which is down dramatically from $1000/mo when I had a developer doing work for us earlier in the summer months. Our real costs are hosting, $50/mo with Media Temple, $25/mo Credit Card Processing with Chase Paymentech (Use Kim Flynn!) and Authorize.net, oh and I’m sure you could probably add the cost of a beer or two cases in there as well.

As we are close to releasing into beta, we are also close to beginning low level monetization on 2 levels. For all intensive purposes, we will be able to start generating a small amount of revenue upon beta launch which will help as we move toward beta fixes and scaling.

In summary:

• Put the money in the bank and quit spending it, or at least cut your burn rate as much as possible.
• Barter, Beg, and Trade for as much as you can.
• Beer has a value and can be considered payment.
• Equity is expensive, but it is a tool for leverage.
• Focus, Focus, Focus… Did I say FOCUS, yes, I sure did.
• Build in smaller iterations, scale your growth.
• HAVE FUN!

Best wishes to all of you Digital Entrepreneurs like me! If you’re in Michigan, be sure to get on the map with Digital Edge Mi

Seeking Angels? Check out these awesome resources from Y-Combinator

Thanks to world renowned Startup Incubator Y-Combinator for releasing their “Series AA Equity Financing Documents”. As stated by Y-Combinator…

Y Combinator and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati are happy to announce the Series AA Equity Financing Documents. Their goal is to make angel funding rounds for startups easier for both sides.

These documents were originally created for YC-funded startups to use when raising angel rounds. They seem to have worked well in trial runs so far, so we’re open-sourcing them.

While they may not be suitable for all situations, the goal was to make the terms fairly neutral. So while we would of course advise both parties using these documents to have their lawyers look at them, they provide a starting point that we hope can be used in many situations without too many modifications.

Needless to say, neither YC nor WSGR assumes any responsibility for any consequence of using these documents.

• Series AA Termsheet
• Series AA Stock Purchase Agreement
• Series AA Board Consent
• Series AA Stockholder Consent
• Series AA Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
• Series AA Investors’ Rights Agreement

These links are provided by Y-Combinator for your reference. Thanks again to the gang at Y-combinator for making these docs available to the masses.

Credit to @StartupCFO http://startupcfo.ca/ for linking them from his blog.

Entrepreneurs… To band together or go it alone?

One very common comment that you hear from those who’ve been successful as entrepreneurs is “Stay Focused”. Such a vague comment, so lets visit what it means. (this all relates to the topic, bear with me)

Defined: focus [foh-kuhs]- a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity

Questions:

1. Does focus mean that we should avoid all distractions
2. Does focus mean that we should avoid giving input on others projects
3. Does focus mean that we should ignore what others are saying about our product or service

Answer:

NO

Focus means that we need to stick to our core competencies and seek those out who can support us in areas where we are not strong, while not letting those sought out to become a distraction. Each of us have broad areas of expertise that can help others in similar shoes. For example, one of the ways that I am supporting my entrepreneurial endeavors is that I consult with other web start ups in the area of Information Architecture / Usability and Operations which are my strong points. While I do charge a discounted rate, I always see to it that the client that I am working with can provide valuable input and feedback for the projects that are my central focus.

So, back to the original question… Entrepreneurs, should we band together or go it alone?

My opinion, and its a strong one, is to encourage entrepreneurs to band together and help each other. Lets face it, great minds think alike. When you get a bunch of great minds together in one place, it can be like watching the best fireworks you’ve ever seen. Be warned though, ALWAYS know your scope and what your needs are. Only give what you get and make sure there is a value to everything that you do.

Do you agree? Your comments are invited and very welcomed!

Continued Growth for Michigan’s Digital Community…

I’ll tell you what, if you’re a digital innovator, you ought to join us here in Michigan.

Why, you ask?

Very simple- the community is scaled, growing, and most of all- well connected. Digital Edge MI, the organization which I chair is at the forefront of this growing business segment and has a phenomenal member base. Earlier in the day, member Catherine Juon, CEO and Catalyst of Pure Visibility was very kind in putting Digital Edge Mi (www.digimich.com) at the top of her list of where to connect with Michigan’s technology community http://blog.purevisibility.com/2008/05/where-do-you-connect-with-the-michigan-technology-community/. Catherine is among a near 100 member group of Michigan internet CEOs and Founders that meets quarterly to discuss business matters and meet with influential persons in our great and growing technology sector. If you’re looking to learn about how to be found on the web… Talk to Catherine and the Gang at Pure Visibility… www.purevisibility.com

Advice for a Digital Entrepreneur: Seeking Funding…

Recently I’ve fielded a few E-mails with regard to getting an enterprise funded via VC or Angel Money and I thought the topic of funding a start-up is very worth while.

At current, the investment climate is taking a stronger position on M&A and late term businesses that are showing higher prospects of return (More here). In my opinion this is a good thing as it paints a very clear picture for the business world. If you are not capable of making money in the near term, you’re not worth investing dollars in right now.

Lets all step back a few years to an era that is now know as the Dot Bomb. Remember all those great dotcom ideas, yeah there were some good ones- but a majority lacked any form of execution and resulted in billions of dollars being lost for good. To be honest, it was a great thing as it reminded people that not every great idea is all that great. Without execution, an idea will remain an idea.

This all brings me to my point. If you are an entrepreneur, the absolute last thing that you should be doing is asking everyone for money until you know darn well that you can build what you say you can. Furthermore, build it and prove on some scale that it works before you ask anyone for any money other than your own. There is a big difference between idea guys and execution guys, so tread lightly until you know you’ve got something. Once you’ve got something, don’t ask for a million bucks unless you know for sure that it’s what you need. My advice would be to seek out an expert in funding a business well in advance of asking for a dime.

Simply put, “Money is not necessarily the solution to a problem, and can in fact be fuel for a fire.  When seeking funding, know in fact that you need it, what you need it for, and who you need it from”! Investment money is for scaling, not for building the next Google”.

The Web 2.0 / “Next Top Business Model” Panel at NEF (New Enterprise Forum) in Ann Arbor, Mi

Yesterday I had the privilege of being a part of a very dynamic panel discussion on Web 2.0 and what is true merits are to Michigan and its investment community. The Panel was made up of Rick Warner- CEO of ParkingCarma.com, Howard Brown- CEO of Circlebuilder Software and Circlebuilder.com, Steve Schwartz- CEO of RateMyStudentRental.com, and myself Joe Minock- CEO of J.Edward Media Group and Project AccuGet.com and Moderator Ian Bund- Chairman of Plymouth Venture Partners.

The discussion started off with Mr. Bund playing a “Simon’esque” role as moderator asking traditional VC questions such as whats your business model, are you profitable,  whats your exit strategy and so on. His remarks were rather pointed, and he did a good job in helping the panel establish a good rapport with the audience. Upon the completion of Mr. Bund’s questions, the audience was provided the opportunity to ask more Web 2.0 questions and the energy in the room shot through the roof. The questions were phenomenal, and I’d confidently say that my fellow panelists and I provided well thought out answers to every question asked. Being a Web 2.0 Entrepreneur, its was very nice to engage the New Enterprise Forum with the conversation that came from the questions and to start a dialogue that has been needed for some time.

Special thanks go out to Barb Shoffner and Diane Durrance for making this panel possible and also to my fellow Digital Edge Mi members for making the panel such a success.

Look for more to come from Digital Edge Mi soon!