Dot.Com to Dot.bomb to dot.?

It was very interesting hearing about the doc com boom from someone that was actually apart of it. It definetly was a story of five stages: An innocent beginning, boom, insanity, bust, & uh- oh bonus stage. It must have been crazy having technology rise and fall in such a short time. If I represented a company in which a $10,000 website became outdated in 6 months I would have gone crazy! That is such a short time value associated with a investment!

I would have loved to be working in such an environment. There would be so much to learn and not to mention alot of money flowing around. It must have been such a challenge keeping up with technology during those times, especially for the business owner. So much changed so fast. Learning about all this really makes me re-think my major. A CSS major would be a great investment. I would definetly need to payoff my current student loans before I contemplate going back to school.

Michele Armstrong

Michele is the Sr. Manager in charge of recruiting for Vulcan. It was the first time that I heard the perspective of a HR representative and thought it was very helpful.

I have heard about Vulcan for some time now and I find it to be very interesting, mainly because it manages so many different types of interests. It would be great working for a company that does everything from real estate to space exploration! The wealth of knowledge in such a company would be great to be around.

She spoke about how they post job openings on craigslist, through their websites, and use recruitment agencies. I question the use of craigslist due to the type of audience that it attracts. That said, there are alot of people on it and it would mean for a person to be more cautious.

One of the things I forgot to ask her was how does one get associated with a recruitment agency so that I can be a canidate..

Overall a great presentation with alot of good information.

Number of questions asked during guest presenations

Too much to count.... Great way to get a perspective of different aspects of so many industries!!

Derik Young

He moved to Tacoma to go to UPS. Seems like that didnt work out for him so he went to work with REI. He spoke about how he didn't get his creative side fulfilled working with REI so he started to do side businesses. His business focus on small niche markets. He started up Exit 133, Suite 133, and seasonal view. I really liked his whole "bootstrap" concept for his businesses, which works great for not being responsible for someones finances.

It is great how he looks for business ideas everywhere he goes. He spoke about one instance in which he started a business with a guy he went running with. Also, how it just takes him few hours to go start a business in Olympia, for only $400.

Though his revenue stream is not constant, yet alone predictable, he is still waiting for his million dollar idea. It is good to see someone who doesn't make millions but still does the work he does.

I really liked the concept of Suite 133. The concept of an "incubator" is great and very useful for start ups. It would be great to one day need to use such a place and have all the workings of a office around you with minimal cost. I can see how many people can take advantage of such a system, who doesn't want office space for $200/month? I would have like to hear why he doesnt contract a equity stake with those companies in exchange for office space and infrastructure.

Bruce W. Kendall

Bruce is the president of the Tacoma Development Board. What really sparked my interest was the fact that the Economic Development Board was a non-profit organization and only had 6 people in it. I really wanted to know how the board came to be and how it was given the authority to make deals with corporations. Does the government give them that power? If so, what is the extent in which they can negotiate?

His discussion and study about primary and secondary jobs was very interesting in the terms of their effect on the local economy. A primary job was defined as making products or service and selling to outside market. With primary jobs the circulation of money in a city increases. Knowing this was very helpful in understanding why cities spend so much effort attracting large businesses to the city.

Though there is lots of time spent on attracting established large firms, I see a sort of bias against small businesses and entrepreneurs. I think more time and effort should be made in the locals of Tacoma. Having the backing of the government and all the incentives will help many small businesses flourish.

John Dimmer

Background Info:

-Graduated University of Oregon with a BS in Finance

-Worked for Puget sound Bank (key bank) for 2 years

+It was interested to hear that his key to success when working for the bank was to "pretend to be an idiot." It was a good lesson learned. One should never underestimate the other side.

-Surety Bonds for 7 yrs.

+It was interesting that his work history to date was all strategic. I think that is a very good move to make. He invested nearly a decade investing in himself by working for these companies. I'm sure what he learned is the reason why he is successful today.

- BETA Tester for Internet in a Box

-Media Company

-Firs investments

+He now deals with real-estate investments, Angel investments, and has his own business accounts such as the Honda dealership

Funding Sources Grid

The grid he made was very helpful in laying out the process of funding. It was also very good hear that there are many angel firms out there. That said Angels are in the business of making money and one should be cautious when dealing with them. John did say that investing is the Wild West of Capitalism..

(2) types of Angels: Rouge and Organizations. VC's are for companies that need 4 mil or more and in the Expansion phase.

Great guest speaker and learned alot! hope to one day have his level of knowledge!!

John Goodman

John Goodman was great entrepreneur to listen to. she is a very interesting person. I got the feeling that she lives her life based on quotes and sayings.

One of the things that I took away from that day is rthat an entrepreneur is always learning. She spoke about putting 20% of you cash away even if you have to eat roman. I didn't get that her point at first but it sunk in eventually . I think she means that by putting cash away it gives one the freedom to take jobs or be in situations in which you can learn. Her example of her son was interesting. He is working for a failing company but is having a blast! Being able to do that takes a very distinct mindset.

I was glad that she didn't just lecture us the whole time but actually let us ask questions. Her points regarding advisors is something I found very interesting. I feel that itt takes a lot of burden off the entrepreneur if he has a good advisory board, even if they meet for free dinners. It means to me that an entrepreneur doesn't need to know all but put together a team that makes up for his lack of knowledge.