Entrepreneur. It’s kind of a dumb word if you think about it, and to most people (especially students) it carries some buzzwords with it that seem very business-y. When I first heard “entrepreneur," I thought to myself, “That’s for people in the college of business.” It never really struck me as, “I’m an entrepreneur,” even though looking back on my life, I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. Everything from trading Pokémon cards, making beaded bracelets and necklaces, and burning CDs for friends before we learned we probably shouldn’t were all entrepreneurial endeavors that were abundant in my youth (as they probably were in yours).
That’s the thing, though. Being an entrepreneur isn’t about putting on a suit jacket or making apps. It’s about making a living doing something you love, while making sure other people love it too (that’s what we call customer validation). And this is one of the things I learned going through Startup Weekend.
Click through to read more about the upcoming Startup Weekend taking place in Denton, TX.
Read More“We’ve found more of a home.”
That’s what Jacki Wilson, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Upventur had to say about the company’s relocation from Frisco to Denton. Wilson says that Denton has been welcoming and that she appreciates the great energy and vibe that Denton offers.
The tech company relocated from Frisco to Stoke, the city owned co-working space in downtown Denton, earlier this year. Read on to find out how things have been going for them since launching their platform last month!
Read MoreLet’s be clear about one thing: Denton is nowhere near Silicon Valley.
Obviously this is true geographically, but it’s also true in the sense that people’s experiences in the tech industry in Denton are nothing like what you’ll find in the news or in TV shows like Silicon Valley.
The tech industry in Denton actually provides a refreshing counterpoint to some of the problems that plague Silicon Valley (i.e. lack of diversity, allegations of sexual harassment, etc..). This is reflected in the existence of places like Stoke, a co-working space and entrepreneurial center that opened in 2016. The people who choose to work at Stoke also reflect an ethos of consideration for the larger community. Read on to find out how you can help Stoke celebrate their one year anniversary later this week!
Read MoreStoke is a co-working and entrepreneurial center in Denton, TX that plays host to a hotbed of some of Denton's most creative folks working in the tech scene. In this collaborative series, we speak with some of they key people that put in work at Stoke. In February, we spoke with President of TechMill and Drupal developer, Kyle Taylor. This month, we pick the two minds behind Shepherd Dog: Brandy Thomas and David Brunow. Shepherd Dog works with small businesses and non-profits to help them with technology services such as websites and app development. We talked with them about items such as working closely with a partner, their favorite small business projects, and whether or not they could win in an arm wrestling match with Kyle Taylor. Read on for more!
Read MoreToday, marks the third Bootstrap Denton. The networking event is put on every year by Denton non-profit group, TechMill. TechMill has been working hard for the past few years to make Denton a great place for tech startups and other independent or creative businesses to take root and BootStrap is their annual event to showcase the folks that are actually working their butts off to put Denton on the map as a tech hub in North Texas.
Read More