For the first time on Friday, September 16th, Transworld Denver along with the Doida Law Group, participated in Denver Startup Week (DSW). This was a great honor as DSW received more than 500 session proposals and could only schedule a select fraction of this number for the week long event. Transworld felt esteemed to be part of this select fraction and by a jury of our peers no less.
DSW is the largest, free, entrepreneurial event of its kind in North America. Taken from the DSW website, "It is the summit of entrepreneurial energy, innovation, and connection. Powered by the local community, our sessions represent the very best in tech, design, DIY-making, marketing, and leadership. Whether a founder, developer, designer, marketer, maker, or anything in between - Denver Startup Week will inspire." The event which is in its fifth year was surely inspiring, they had a record-breaking number of registrants for the weeks worth of events - more than 12,500!
As part of the Growth track, Transworld presented on the subject of exit strategy preparation from the start of a business. A topic Transworld feels strongly about, being that we are in the business of helping people exit (and start!) their businesses. Transworld relied on our learned experiences and the background of our Managing Director, Al Fialkovich to present on the subject. Managing Attorney of Doida Law Group, Stan Doida Jr., partnered in our presentation, for an added legal nuance to our own viewpoints.
Peter Merrion, Vice President for the Agency Leasing team in Denver with Jones Lang LaSalle, graciously offered us a room to accommodate attendees in the Wells Fargo Center. Attendees brought their hunger for knowledge and our enticing breakfast spread (who can actually pass up free breakfast goodies?). Al started the discussion off with an intriguing statement on entrepreneurship, "You can't run a business from a spreadsheet. It's really about the look and feel and touch of it." He continued the conversation from there touching on topics such as record keeping, employee considerations, and leases.
The discussion that followed brought up a few laughs, many great questions and a lot of good advice. An insightful moment was caught when Stan Doida brought up the importance of your best alternative to a negotiated agreement or BATNA. Stan said, "Knowing your BATNA and getting a good BATNA is invaluable. I always tell people to raise their BATNA." By the end of the discussion, Transworld felt they had accomplished what they set out to do - educate the community to support the development of great startups in Denver and beyond!
Transworld would like to leave you with a few final words, again from DSW themselves, "We believe entrepreneurialism is a State of Mind. Not a process, a label, or a buzzword. It's a spirit that can be ignited, fostered, and cultivated across individuals, teams, and enterprise endeavors." Transworld hopes this inspires you to continue to share your knowledge to benefit the community at large. This is something we have all benefited from at some point and we strongly feel it is important to continue the tradition and help others harness their entrepreneurial spirit!
Rachael Holstein joined the Transworld Team in 2016 as Marketing Coordinator. Her working experience has been largely focused on Business Development and Marketing in the finance, architecture, property management, and information technology industries. A long time resident of Cleveland, Ohio, she attained her Undergrad from John Carroll University and a Master's Degree in Global Interactions from Cleveland State University. She relocated to Denver in 2013 for a change of scenery and a bit of adventure.
