What: First Wednesdays meetup. Where: Escafe (on Downtown Mall, by Omni). When: 7pm-ish to whenever. What: Hanging out with Cville’s startup, tech and internet community. Why: Because going to a bar on a Wednesday can be a business expense…

Come out tonight to Escafe and hang out with some of Charlottesville’s entreprenurial, startup and tech crowd. Drink specials included and TBA.

Tweet something with #FirstWednesdays to let people know you are coming. If you haven’t already, join the mailing list to get notified of upcoming events.

See you tonight!

What: First Wednesdays meetup. Where: La Taza / The Roast (Belmont). When: 8pm-ish to whenever. What: Hanging out with Cville’s startup, tech and internet community. Why: Two words: Tiki Bar.

NOTE THE LATER TIME: 8pm – whenever

Come out tonight and hang with the Charlottesville entreprenurial, startup and tech crowd. We’ll be in Belmont at Taza – they have a great outdoor patio with a fun Tiki bar.  It’s going to be a beautiful night!

Tweet something with #FirstWednesdays to let people know you are coming. If you haven’t already, join the mailing list to get notified of upcoming events.

See you tonight!

What: First Wednesdays meetup. Where: Mono Loco (Downtown). When: 7pm-ish to whenever. What: Hanging out with Cville’s startup, tech and internet community. Why: Margaritas can be a business expense…

Come out tonight to and celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the Charlottesville entreprenurial, startup and tech crowd. We’ll be downtown at Mono Loco with $2 Sol beer and $5 margaritas (starting at 9).

It’s going to be a beautiful night!

Tweet something with #FirstWednesdays to let people know you are coming. If you haven’t already, join the mailing list to get notified of upcoming events.

See you tonight!

What: First Wednesdays meetup. Where: Bel Rio (in Belmont, by Mas). When: 7pm-ish to whenever. What: Hanging out with Cville’s startup, tech and internet community. Why: Because going to a bar on a Wednesday can be a business expense…

Come out tonight to Bel Rio and hang out with some of Charlottesville’s entreprenurial, startup and tech crowd. Drink specials include $4 house wine $1 off Red Nectar.

Tweet something with #FirstWednesdays to let people know you are coming. If you haven’t already, join the mailing list to get notified of upcoming events.

See you tonight!

Who from Charlottesville is going to SXSW next week?  If you are, leave a comment here and we can try to organize some sort of informal hangout.  I’m going.  I know Hotelicopter is taking their whole crew.  Anyone else.

Leave a comment.

The Darden School (UVA’s MBA and graduate business program) announced today the opening of a new building and innovation lab that will provide “experiential, team-based and collaborative learning opportunities, such as a design-based studio where students can transform concepts and ideas into physical prototypes.” The grand opening event will be March 19th and will include remarks by New York Times bestselling-author Daniel Pink.

From the website announcement:

“Darden’s new i.Lab is a physical manifestation of leading scholarship on innovation that has emerged from the Batten Institute and the Darden School over the past several years,” said Elizabeth O’Halloran, Managing Director, Batten Institute

Anyone out there considering quitting their job and starting a company? Here’s a great video clip of Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com) explaining his decision to leave a great job on Wall Street and place a bet on “this new internet thing”. He describes creating a “Regret Minimization Framework” which sounds a lot like this quote from President Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

“Citizenship in a Republic,”
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

What: First Wednesdays meetup. Where: Escafe (on Downtown Mall, by Omni). When: 7pm-ish to whenever. What: Hanging out with Cville’s startup, tech and internet community. Why: Because going to a bar on a Wednesday can be a business expense…

Come out tonight to Escafe and hang out with some of Charlottesville’s entreprenurial, startup and tech crowd. Drink specials include $2 Bud Light $5 Orange Crush.

Tweet something with #FirstWednesdays to let people know you are coming. If you haven’t already, join the mailing list to get notified of upcoming events.

See you tonight!

A little inspiration and motivation for the middle of the week:

But most importantly, remember when you were a kid? When everything was within your reach, and then say to yourself, quietly, but with determination… it still is.

Sidenote: This is a great example of marketing. The video was created by Grasshopper, a virtual phone system company (which Cloudbrain uses). Do they describe their product? Nope, they just speak directly to what their customers are really trying to do: build a business and change the world.

Search Mojo (search engine marketing) is looking for an Account Executive, Link Specialist and a Web Developer. Scitent (web-based medical training) is looking for a Web Applications Developer and an eLearning Designer. Advanced Network Systems is looking for an IT Network Engineer. Rimm-Kaufman Group (search marketing) is looking for developers and analysts.

Job posting of the week: This company knows what they are looking for. Way to just come out and say it: Model / Receptionist Wanted (Rio Rd.)

Two big issues I have with job postings (sorry, a rant):

1. Not using the company’s name. I understand that some organizations are very secretive (Apple / CIA) and that some job postings could tip off a competitor to a company’s upcoming plans. However, for the vast majority of companys, there is no good reason to not mention the name of the company is the posting. What are you trying to hide? Wouldn’t you be more likely to get good, high quality applicants (and cover letters) if you let those applicants research your company before contacting you? Any job posting should be a marketing / sales pitch: You are selling your company to potential candidates hoping they apply. Don’t hide.
2. Describing an experience, high-skilled job position and then saying you are looking for someone that just “wants to establish himself” (code for “we aren’t going to pay you a lot but you should be grateful to get anything”). Either you want an experienced professional or you want someone just getting started (new blood, creative, perspective etc.). Neither are bad, just come out and say it.