Startups and Puppy Dogs

Posted by Pinky on Aug 5, 2010 in Blog | 6 comments

We held our lastest JumpStart Foundry meeting last night here in Nashville and I had the great fortune to win the “lead” roll with our latest company, Source Your City.  It’s similar in concept to Help A Reporter Out but will focus exclusively on local markets the size of Nashville and larger.  It should be a lot of fun to be a part-of.

On the way to our post-meeting hang, it occurred to me that my love for startups is a lot like a child’s love for puppy dogs.  They’re so dang cute you want to own them all.  The glimmer in their eyes, the innocent look on their un-jaded faces and their limitless hunger for the experiences the world has to offer is downright seductive.  If only they didn’t require so much care.  Ruined carpets and patent leather shoes, scratches and bites, sleepless nights… Sometimes you wonder why you thought it was such a good idea to get a new companion at all.  Thankfully, some of them grow up to be your best friends and proudest achievements.  Of course others may not make it at all… the victims of bad DNA or Darwin Award-worthy mistakes.

I’ve said it before, but if you ever have a chance to teach, mentor or otherwise assist someone with a dream, throw caution to the wind and give it your best shot.  Though I may at times commit more of my time than I should, the friends I have made and experiences I have had have been some of the most rewarding of my life so far.

And if YOU’ve got an idea you could use a little support for, click here to apply.  Some lucky sucker out there might just over-commit themselves for you.