Barn Building Underway

In case you haven't seen it yet, the Austin Business Journal has an article this week on the new Barn Builders program at Tech Ranch.

In case you haven't yet heard, Barn Builders is a program that embodies what Tech Ranch is all about: a collaborative community amongst entrepreneurs to ensure the success of everyone. As Kevin Koym always puts it, "You help me build my barn, and I help you build yours." In the end, it allows everyone to accomplish something that none could have accomplished individually. When it comes to startups trying to get off the ground, this is particularly critical. And in the wake of nation-wide layoffs and record unemployment, the opportunity to connect people who need work with people who need work done has proven invaluable already -- and not just for the entrepreneurs. Many of the Barn Builders (otherwise known as "unemployed talent") have already started contributing serious value to other endeavors already, and are not only potentially creating future jobs for themselves (and others) in the long-run, but in the short-run are re-invigorating their own energy and state of mind. Of course, speaking as one of the entrepreneurs involved in the program, we've seen exciting benefit as well. As a consulting firm, we specialize in content strategy and development (site architecture, ecommerce, social media marketing, SEO, etc.), and the Barn Builders program has been an invaluable opportunity for us to find some of the talent we need to help us round out our offerings, including a new Education 2.0 product. Many people think that, because Tech Ranch is focused on developing tech startups, that the resource needs they were focusing on were all technical in nature. That's not actually the case at all, though. Most of us who found technology startups are very strong on that side of the business, but need additional talent to help make a well-rounded business successful. The Barn Builders kick-off event was tremendously exciting because we had talent there from all different professional disciplines: business analysis, project management, development, hardware, marketing, sales, education, human resources and more. At the end of the evening, in a lightening-round/speed-dating-type round robin, entrepreneurs and talented professionals had the opportunity to speak with each other about the projects that they each found most meaningful. The opportunities are endless, and the excitement has been phenomenal. The goal of Barn Builders is to be a lightening rod for that type of high-voltage energy. With any luck, we can light things up for both entrepreneurs and for the thousands of people who've lost their jobs. Have you joined Barn Builders yet? Do you know anyone else who could benefit from the program? If so, go sign up right away. We are planning some exciting events in the next few weeks, and wouldn't want you to miss out.