Denver Startup Week returns to the city in September and GroundFloor Media is looking forward to participating in a big, big way. We’ve pulled together some unique panels featuring thought leaders from Colorado companies that began with big dreams and have and are navigating the trials and tribulations of creating a successful business.
Check out the panels below and vote for all three!
Culture Begins At Ground Zero
Nearly every business owner wants to develop a specific culture at his/her startup. Companies like Zappos, Patagonia and even Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO have created office cultures that are tried and true, running from the top down, and bottom up. This panel of entrepreneurs speaks from experience, discussing the need to be as intentional about office culture as you are about tracking to your business plan. You can’t build the culture you want without making a commitment to doing so, and these panelists will provide examples of lessons learned and tips on how build your own unique company cultures.
Sales Vs. Brand Building– Its An And Not An Or
Startups frequently struggle with what to focus on while their business gets off the ground. Brand building can be the fun, long-term activity that brings your company to life. Sales can be the difficult, lifeline activity that you need to prioritize to keep your business afloat. This panel of local startups turned “grown up” businesses will discuss how you don’t have to focus on one at the expense of the other. Sales and brand building can, and should, be happening simultaneously and the speakers on this panel will use real-life examples of how they walked the fine line to build a brand while also selling their products and services.
When Buzz Turns Nasty
The saying goes that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, and minutes for it to get ruined. With the fast-paced media and social media world, reputations can collapse in a second as facts gets twisted, turned and misconstrued in a high-tech game of telephone. While you can never prepare for the worst-case scenario, we can help start-ups get the right tools in place to help minimize the damage from an assault.
Even the most basic crisis plan can cover ground rules, online monitoring, online responses and legal options. It gets ugly pretty quick, but a thought-out plan can actually help you build a stronger reputation and brand – one based on honesty, responsiveness and openness.
