Use attachments instead of download links.

Why? Because many investors are busy and often only get to “catch up on email” on planes. And planes usually have no connectivity. Additionally, with attachments, we don’t have to wait for downloads.

It takes me way longer to answer a cold pitch email that has links than it does to answer one that has attachments because of this phenomenon.

Once you’ve tried several emails with no response, I always recommend a phone call or alternate medium. You’ll probably reach their voice mail if you call, but that’s fine. You can simply say “I’ve sent you several emails, and I just wanted to be sure you were getting them. I’ll send you another one right now, please reply to let me know you’ve received it.” If you have been emailing, try tweeting. Never assume that someone is intentionally ignoring you if you’re only using one channel. You might be getting caught in a spam or other filter. Of course, you should also let some time pass because not everyone uses out-of-office auto-responses when they go on vacation.

Once you’re pretty sure you’re being ignored (after following the above advice and trying other channels), you should realize that your chances of “getting the sale” are probably pretty slim. It’s in these cases where the “easy out” is probably your best bet.

You can send an email that says something like “It’s been some time and after several attempts, I haven’t received a response from you about my proposal. I realize this may not be a fit for you, but I was hoping you could just let me know for sure with a quick reply so that I can cross you off my list.”

This is a very easy out for the recipient. They can quickly reply “Yes, not a fit for now” and be done with the awkwardness. Some people just need this easy out – usually they’re conflict avoiders who have a hard time saying no.

Magically, you’ll find that providing the easy out sometimes triggers action. Psychologically, it feels like a last chance to the recipient. I’ve noticed that the easy out is generally effective at separating the “maybes” into “No” and “I really am interested – I’ve just been busy.” Most people won’t ignore the easy out (if they receive the message), and their reaction can be telling of their true intentions.

Have you used this technique? How does it work for you? I’ve had good luck with it, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on the “easy out” too.

Google is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We’ll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.

From now until March 26th, we’re asking interested municipalities to provide us with information about their communities through a Request for Information (RFI), which we’ll use to determine where to build our network.

Boulder is making a concerted effort to convince Google to build out gigabit internet services here. We’d like to see a substantial portion of the city participate in this and show support for the selection of Boulder for this test. In order to show your support now, spend a few minutes over on BoulderFiber.com.

Imagine what this amazing tech community could do with gigabit web connections. You can’t imagine it, and that’s the point. Having such services will help us to attract innovators to our community, improve educational opportunities for our kids, and build amazing bridges between other communities and NOAA, NIST, and world-changing companies based here in Boulder.

Perhaps Noah said it best:

If Google wants gimicks, they can go elsewhere. If they want a city to show what fiber can do, Boulder’s here. #boulderfiber

Head over to BoulderFiber.com now and let Google know that this is exactly the place that they’re looking for.

I’m going to be writing more soon about Royalty Based Financing (RBF), but for now it’s the simple idea of taking on a small amount of capital and paying it back out of sales, typically in combination with some warrants or other form of upside in the company for the investor. RBF can be a great structure because it motivates the investor to help you sell, so they can get their money back. For companies with a bootstrap mentality, it can be a great way to take on some capital to get to the next stage without giving up much equity. I’ll be presenting on RBF at this event, and will probably do it around town at a few other events soon. RBF is how my first company was funded, and I’ve done other deals (notably, RouteSmith) using this technique.

Jump over to Bill’s post on the Bootstrap Loving Angels event if you might like to attend as an angel or as a company that meets the criteria below.

Criteria for Angels

• Colorado based
• Ability to invest up to $300k
• Successful at building their own bootstrapped companies
• Loves bootstrapping entrepreneurs and have invested/helped in the past

Criteria to apply to be one of the presenting companies

• $30k-$200k/month in revenues
• 40% growth over previous year
• Break-even or profitable
• Asking $300k or less in expansion capital
• Colorado based or wanting to move company to Colorado
• Internet-based business
• No outside investors (except a little F&F seed $)

 
KGNU is having a Beers with Brad (Feld) event, a benefit for KGNU at the Twisted Pine brewery (in the brewery itself, not the tasting room!) on Feb. 18th – 6-8 pm. It’s the first BWB event in Boulder in a very long time. If you like beer, and you like Brad, you should go.

The details are available at http://beerswithbrad.eventbrite.com/, or twitter @beerswithbrad.

It’s unclear that this new tax is even constitutional as none of us will be given the chance to vote on the issue!

We’re making huge progress in making sure Colorado is known as a great place to build software companies. Colorado is now on the map as a friendly place for software companies to build and sell their products. We’re seeing software company M&A activity and employee growth here when most states are not. Now the Governor wants to undermine our efforts without even asking the voters what they think? We all need to react and talk some sense into them, and fast.

Let’s look at some specific impacts that a tax like this would have:

• Comcast estimates an increase in cost of nearly $1.5 million per year to its Colorado operations.
• Qwest estimates an increase in cost of nearly $700,000 per year to its Colorado operations.
• Leading companies like IBM, Qwest, HP and Comcast have major operations in other states. With this new tax, they’d be smart to divert capital and jobs to more business-friendly states like Utah and Wyoming. That means fewer new jobs here.

Governor Ritter: We’re trying to create jobs here by funding innovative companies. We want them to come here. And they’re coming here, because we’re so supportive of them. Please don’t undermine our efforts to make Colorado an amazing place to build software companies. Trust me, they’re going to stop coming here. And that means people like me (and area VCs) are going to invest less here. That is so unbelievably disappointing at a time when we’re making fantastic progress and so many good things are starting to happen.

We don’t have much time. Take these actions TODAY. Not tomorrow – now.

• Call Governor Ritter’s office (303-866-2471) to voice your opposition to HB 1192. (If your call is received by someone who says they don’t know what you are referring to, please tell them it is HB 1192, and that it IS a new tax on software not only to our industry but every single business who uses software or employes people who use software in our state. This bill will cause jobs and professionals to move out of Colorado.)
• Call and email the House Appropriations Committee Members especially Reps. Kathleen Curry and John Kafalas to voice your opposition to HB 1192.
• Post on Rep. John Kafalas’ Facebook page in opposition of HB 1192.
• Tweet from your personal and corporate Twitter accounts in opposition of HB 1192. Ensure all tweets include the hashtag #noCOsoftwaretax.
• Update your Facebook and LinkedIn status’ with one of the sample status updates or your own status update in opposition of HB 1192.
• Post on your personal or professional blog in opposition of HB 1192.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper TODAY in opposition of HB 1192.
• Encourage all of your employees/colleagues to take these same steps.
• Forward this blog post your network about HB 1192 and encourage them to voice their opposition.

Thanks for your help, and to the CSIA (more there) for leading the charge on this. Let’s let our legislators know that this won’t have the intended effect and that’s it’s a stupid idea that will set our innovation economy back significantly.

I put in any events that I’m attending that are “significant” that I think my friends might like to know about. I love how easy it is to put in a future plan. It’s just 3 fields (what, when, where), and takes 3 seconds. People that subscribe to my plans then know about those events and can easily “join me” with a single click. Try it here.

At first I found all the email notifications a little annoying. Every time someone that I follow creates a plan, I get an email. You can turn that off, which I’ve now done. But the key is to grab the iCal feed. It’s hidden in the upper right hand corner. Grab that link, and create a live calendar subscription that refreshes once an hour. Then what you have is pure AWESOME.

plancast ical feed

I usually leave the PlanCast calendar turned off, but this is particularly handy when I have some free time and want to see what’s going on, or when I’m traveling. The only thing that would make this better would be the ability to filter the iCal feed – e.g. only those events in the Bay area in one calendar, and Boulder events in another one.

Plancast is still really new, but it’s showing great potential. It does one thing extremely well, and it does it with real simplicity in terms of the experience.

Q. What is the deadline to apply to present at OAFCO1 on February 3rd, 2010?
A. From my experience with TechStars, I know you need a deadline so you can apply 32 seconds before it. So let’s make it 6:00PM Mountain time, February 1st, 2010. Of course, applying earlier would be helpful and appreciated. Here’s the application form again.

Q. What types of angels/companies should attend/present at OAFCO?
A. The angel makeup so far seems to be about 80% software/IT/web and 20% other stuff. So we’ll likely shoot for 4 companies doing software/IT/web stuff and 1 doing something else. So any type of company should apply, but particularly software/web/IT companies.

Q. I’d like to become an angel investor, but I don’t meet the requirement of having made 3 investments of note in the past 12 months. May I attend?
A. Please ask, and I’ll put you on the waiting list. This is not a networking event or a “learn how to angel invest” event. OAF exists to help entrepreneurs reach very active angels and as such we’ll opt for a smaller crowd of top notch / active angels. If we have a seat or two left, we’ll allow less experienced angels in based on how many deals they’ve done in the past.

Q. I’m just really interested in this, but I’m not an angel and my company isn’t pitching. May I attend?
A. Yes, but you’ll have to buy a ticket. There are only 5 4 (thanks Cooley!) tickets still available at the moment.

Q. I’m a service provider locally and I’d like to support what you’re doing. May I attend?
A. Yes, this is exactly why we have tickets available. The event is free to the angels and free to the entrepreneurs. It’s supported by those who buy tickets.

Q. What’s the format?
A. The entrepreneurs and investors have dinner together, and each company makes a 5 minute presentation and 5-10 minutes of Q&A from the investors follow. Presenters must take at least one sip of beer (or their favorite beverage) during their presentation. It’s informal and fun, and there’s plenty of time for interaction between the companies and investors.

Q. Where will this be held, and when?
A. It will be downtown in Boulder. I’d tell you more, but I don’t know yet. It will be from 6pm-830pm on February 3rd.

Q. How many angels have signed up so far?
A. As of today, 12 angels that meet the “3 investments in the last 12 months” criteria, and several on the wait list. Several of these are coming from out of town. We have room for a few more, so let me know if you’d like to attend.

Hope that helps! Please let me know what other questions you have.

The event is held on campus, and it’s an easy way for students to engage with startups. Part of the original mission here was simply to expose students to entrepreneurial companies. I know that this led to several direct hires last year, but perhaps more importantly it built awareness on campus about the lively startup scene in Boulder. And that’s never a bad thing.

If you’re a student looking for work or internship, or a Colorado based software/tech company, head here to learn more.