Archive for February, 2010

Last night we had Matt Reedy give a speech at our second Idea Xchange. About 40 people showed up to hear Matt talk about starting out as an entrepreneur.

The evening started at 4pm, when people showed up to the Idea Finishing School office, where we had put out some snacks, sodas and some yummy Nerd Energy Drinks which were graciously donated to us by the Nerd people.

After about an hour of mingling and everyone getting to know each other, we all headed downstairs to the atrium. We had set up chairs and a microphone, so everyone could sit comfortably and hear Matt speak. Dean gave Matt a quick intro, I made sure the live stream was going, and then Matt gave his presentation.

Matt Reedy talked for almost 30 minutes about the various businesses he had started, how each one came about, the various successes and pitfalls of each one. Even after 30 minutes, you could tell, no one was bored. Matt was a lively and engaging speaker, and everyone was hanging onto his every word. I personally found him fascinating, it was just a bonus he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and hadn’t let his successes go to his head. It was obvious Matt likes to help other people and was really interested in reaching out and lending some of his brain power. I was also impressed by how generous in spirit he was when he talked about his love of flying, and how happy he was that he could use that skill and his plane to help others in need with Angel Flight.

If all the speakers we get are as good as Matt Reedy, the Idea Finishing School Idea Xchanges will be a must attend. The good Karma these guys have is obvious and I can only hope to be inspired by them and hope some of their brain power rubs off on me a bit!

We had our first Idea Xchange on Friday. Quite a few people showed up and chatted with us over drinks and nibblies.We streamed the event live from my webcam. If you had tuned in, you could have seen everyone walking and and making their way back and forth between the munchie room and the classroom.

I got to meet several new people, as well as catch up with those I had met at other events. Guests spanned the range from Trinity Business students to the owner of the SATC building and app developers from Idea Apps, Inc., Everyone seemed to get along well and we hope that we answered any questions that potential Idea Finishing School students may have had.

Talking with guests, we’re thinking about changing the day we hold the Idea Xchange. Friday seems to be a difficult day to make it. We understand it’s the start of the weekend and lots of people want to get it started as quick as possible. So we’re looking at doing it on Wednesdays. People might feel better about a HumpDay idea Xchange. What do you think? Are Wednesdays better for you?

The first Idea Xchange was a simple meet and greet. The next Idea Xchange will be a little more formal, with a guest speaker and a networking session. We’ll stream the event again and let you know where to watch it if you can’t make it in person.

So for now, it looks like the next event will be:

Wednesday February 24th, 4pm-6pm

at the Idea Finishing School
San Antonio Technology Center
3463 Magic Drive, suite 245
San Antonio TX 78229

See you there!