What an eventful day for the Dingman Center! Thanks to everyone who came out to our last Pitch Dingman Competition of the year. It was a packed house today at Tyser Auditorium! Congratulations to Vitus, an IT solution for veterinarians, who won 1st place as well as the Audience Choice Award! Runner up was BOVER, a mobile app for farmers in developing countries. Special mention also goes to the other competitors, Cart Noodles, Sweet Buds, and Terpiture who also put up a valiant challenge. It takes a lot of guts to pitch in front of a panel of experts and all of our finalists are will on their way to startup success!
For the rest of you aspiring entrepreneurs, here’s some articles worth reading to get you on your way as well!
Here at Worth Reading we encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to read as much as possible to not only build their skills but also to learn from experts. We want you to read so much that we’re recommending that you read an article from inc.com that recommends other books that aspiring entrepreneurs should read!
The hardest part of starting a business is coming up with an idea, but the trick is that ideas are everywhere! In this Wall Street Journal article, several entrepreneurial experts and mentors weigh in on where they draw their entrepreneurial inspiration from.
So now you have your idea, but an important thing to keep in mind is the idea you start with is likely not the idea you’ll end with once your business gets going. This Wired article takes a look at Pivots and the importance of identifying opportunities despite hitting dead ends.
Cold calling can be a drag, but for a new startup without an established client base, it might be the only way to generate business leads. Never fear though! Inc.com presents their guide to make cold calling fun!
Finally, there’s been a trend towards social entrepreneurship lately (even in today’s Pitch Dingman Competition). Forbes examines the rise of starting for-profit businesses to directly tackle social issues. Definitely an interesting read!
Until next time!