I know that many of you (including me) have been trying to enjoy the holidays and relax a bit. However, I wanted to interrupt your holiday programming to let you know that for the past couple of months we’ve been heads down working on the next version of the StartupLounge.com site.

In short, we are putting the finishing touches on what will be an unbelievable online social platform and community. I don’t want to get into too many details right now, but it will go far beyond the simple blog and podcast that we have running currently. We’re really taking the whole thing to a completely different model.

Stay tuned …

Cheers.

I’ve been so busy with PlayMotion over the past few months that I hadn’t realized that there was a bug in PWC/MoneyTree scripts that generate the cool dashboard on my home page showing Georgia venture capital activity.

The bug is fixed, so the data is now accurate. The other good news, is that there was more of a focus in early-stage and expansion-stage deals over Q2/2007, and a decrease in later-stage activity. Now that we are approaching the end of Q4, I’ll be curious to see those #s when they get published in Jan or Feb.

Cheers.

Ok, I will confess that I am a process improvement fanatic. I suppose it has something to do with my experiences early in my career working in a TQM environment at TSYS, and working with a key customer (AT&T Universal Card Services) to win the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award. In reality, though, it probably has more to do with my desire to create “well-oiled machines” and tinker with numbers.

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I learned to play the game of chess as a kid, although I’m certainly no Gary Kasparov. I have always been intrigued by its simultaneous complexity and simple elegance. After running several startups, and going through the exit process more than once, I have come to the conclusion that running a company is very akin to playing chess, although running one effectively is probably closer to mastery of the game. Chess is a great game for entrepreneurs – it is a lot like entrepreneurship at its core.

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The other day I spent some time volunteering to teach the kids down at Wheeler High School’s Magnet program. What fun! Of course, as I walked down the hallway toward the office to sign in, I couldn’t help but feel like my life had come full circle. 20+ years later, and there I was, back in the principal’s office. Ha! Thankfully, schools have done away with paddling, otherwise, I’d have had to resort to my old trick about wearing sweat pants under my jeans. Yes, I was a mischievous kid – big surprise – But I digress.

The focus of the class was on “business networking”, and I taught it twice that day, one for each of the Magnet groups. Business networking is a topic that I have become increasingly passionate about over the years, in no small part to my good friends Ricky Steele and Mike Blake. Trying to relate a dry topic such as “business networking” to a group of high school seniors was challenging, but I think I pulled it off.

It was especially rewarding for me, given my recent post about Sam Eisen. It brought some sense of closure for me, as I walked the halls and talked to the kids.

Good kids, great teacher, and a good program down there. Some observations:

• I covered the basic tenets of business networking, how to do it right, how NOT to do it, and tossed in a ton of real-life anecdotes and stories.
• We took an informal survey of the kids in the room, and what their desired post-college careers were. The biggest concentration was in the educational field – a lot of these super bright kids wanted to be teachers or counselors. That brought a smile to my face.
• One kid in each group said they wanted to be an “entrepreneur” – very cool. I invited them to attend our next StartupLounge.com Capital Connections event as an observer – nothing like mingling with other entrepreneurs and investors to get the juices flowing. It would be a great experience for them – seeing the process in action.
• One girl had the best, and probably the most honest answer of them all – “I simply want to be rich.” Getting rich takes hard work, and a plan to succeed, but hey, at least she knows what drives her. Hopefully, she will become an entrepreneur and create the next Home Depot or ISS.
• One girl was an aspiring artist – a very talented one at that – I gave her my card and told her to drop me a line – we use outside artists all the time at PlayMotion. Business networking at its core!
• I don’t have many regrets in life, but boy, it sure would be great if I could go back then, knowing what I know now!

At any rate – it was good fun. Thanks to Dr. Adams and the folks at Wheeler for having me down. I encourage other entrepreneurs and business leaders in the community to give their time to schools as well. Helping to shape these kids for tomorrow’s workforce can be a rewarding affair.

Cheers.