LinkedIn Posts on Product Development

Dallas Startup Week – Bringing product to the market

Reflecting on the past week is a bit overwhelming. Meeting new people and moving ahead with my clients, the week was filled with challenging conversations.

One of the businesspeople I spoke with is David Stenson. I met David at the Entrepreneurs and Innovators Council meetup held in our Improving office space.

EETZ Rescue is a company created to solve a problem. The mobile application is an outstanding example of product development.

The application extends an opportunity for the community to be involved in the “problem to solution” equation.

I’ve distilled the essence of what, I believe, business and product development should be about.

“People solving problems for people.”

When we focus on the statement above, we can step into a thinking space where Conscious Capitalism can take root.

Alignment to a higher purpose, stakeholder orientation, conscious leadership, and conscious culture can be achieved.

Yesterday was the last day of Dallas Startup Week sponsored by Capital One. It was one of the most thoughtful conferences I have attended over the last few years.

Hearing from Coby Cotton and jason illian was insightful. Here are some key concepts I took away from their conversation.

Dude Perfect‘s goal is to be the most trusted entertainment brand on earth
They’ve been experimenting with expanding their brand into adjacent theme areas in media
They partner with other product companies to co-develop “Dude Perfect” products
They have made intentional choices to stand firm on the principles and values, at times passing on “life-changing” deals
Their vision is to extend the screen experience into live experiences for their fans to enjoy

Dude Perfect is 15 years in the making, “overnight” success. I hope this inspires you to stay focused on what you are doing in business.

The people in the pictures below represent the spirit of the business community. They showed up to represent themselves and their idea at Dallas Startup Week sponsored by Capital One.

As important, many of them are women who are leading the way for other women to follow.

Charlotte Sika – Cultured. – I’m acting on a challenge to help her clear her pre-launch inventory. You can buy one of Cultured uniquely curated boxes at this link – https://lnkd.in/gK2DYXBk –

Joanna Rattan – An events’ planner who crafts memorable experiences for corporate and private clients.

Caché Torres and Sara E. Doutt – Myngly – Blazing trails with a different kind of social connection application.

Tatiana Chamorro – Toucan Cocktails – Revolutionizing the adult beverage experience.

Yitong Ye – Seeed Media – Creating unique marketing vehicles to increase client engagement.

As well, men showed up to lend their support and showcase their willingness to partner with women.

Matty Schirle – SkinKick – Listening to his clients and creating products that truly meet their needs.

Nicholl Edmondson – atPrompt – Making large language models accessible to everyone and easy to use.

Hu Zei – OYOapp – Serving start-ups with a CRM that works for them, simple and friction free.

Zorric Sia – Hello Studios, LLC – Providing collaborative podcasting services to help people elevate their voices.

As well, this is a space where Conscious Capitalism works. These folks are meeting unmet needs with their products and services.

The wonderful part of this is sharing that Improving can support them now and as they grow.

There are conversations, then there are conversations.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Chinn last evening at Dallas Startup Week sponsored by Capital One.

One of the important points that I took away from the discussion is that The DEC Network hosts events to intentionally bring people together who might not otherwise connect.

How do you measure the value of those encounters?

Maybe it’s measured in years of profitable operation?

Could it be measured by investment phases from angel to IPO?

In my heart, it might be best to measure the value of those encounters by how the startups and businesses benefit from working with each other, their communities, and their stakeholders.

In a sense, The DEC Network is modeling a way to put Conscious Capitalism to work in practical terms.

As well, it’s creating openings for companies, like Improving, to partner and support the success of the broader business community.

What do you “get to do”?

It’s tough to reframe years of “I have to do” or “I must do” to “I get to do”. Not impossible, but certainly tough.

I get to work at Improving, helping our clients solve difficult and complex problems. I get to work in product development. I get to help plan work.

But . . .

Here’s the pay off.

“So that I can”

So that I can take care of my family. So that I can work with AI like Microsoft Copilot. So that I can attend Dallas Startup Week hashtag (DSW) after work.

For years, I was bogged down in a way of thinking about work. I didn’t connect the “payoff” of doing work, the enjoyment of what work created for me after it was done.

Now, it’s different.

I still slip back into the hold habit occasionally, the pattern I followed for years.

I want to give The DEC Network massive credit for bringing DSW 2024 (Dallas Startup Week sponsored by Capital One) back to City of Frisco. I’ve learned, connected, and been inspired in just two days!