My First Public Presentation as A Founder

As a founder we have to do things that we are not comfortable with. When you create what you think is the most amazing startup, well how do you get that info out to others? 

It's what many of us treps dread, figuring out traction. Which includes the big annoying word, 'Marketing'

Tonight I spoke to what was supposed to be an audience of 450 people, but really the room only held 200 people. Well it was almost full for the first half. Then intermission came and quite a few people left. I was sad that these people had left, but that eased my pain, cause I was terrified to speak in front of an audience, since this is something I have never done, since 8th grade.

I was sort of happy that people had left, as maybe in some way I would not bomb out in front of a packed house. Yet, I was sad, because I know what Passdown is, and I want people to learn about it, because it is amazingly cool. It makes people get all magical and sparkly. It makes people think. It causes people to ask questions. It provokes them to look into what a startup builder is doing. 

Never in any of my builds have I experienced people reacting to one of my crazy startup builds this way. 

After I presented, it was a beautiful expression of joy. The people came to me with that same magical, sparkly look on there faces. They said things to me that I am so honored to hear. "Thank you for being real" "You engaged people the entire time, I will sign up for the beta"  

The joy of an amazing startup spread into their veins like the greatest hit of addiction they ever got. As much as I worried about public speaking, these beautiful people came up to me and did what I did. "Say it the way it is, speak your truth, and be real" and they did that to me, in reply to doing it to them.

To me, I am so honored by them. I gave them a dose of who I am. I am real. I am transparent. And I am seeking to be the guardian of your data. The guardian of you. I want Passdown to be the trusted caretaker of you! Cause each and everyone of you, are the beauty of life. You are incredible humans who can now pass that down for eternity. With Passdown your descendants will know the day you took a picture of that praying mantis, the day you were sad and the day you were happy, like tonight. 

I thank Name.Com for hosting this night, and I also thank the other 7 presenters who gave me encouragement in my tormenting anxiety of public speaking. Especially Khalana Gocken of Ethos, whom supported and encouraged me the entire night. I deeply appreciated her words of comfort.

I rarely venture out into the startup community as being with my pc in a safe creating environment world, pleases me. To venture out and get traction is something us treps have to do. It's not something we want to do. It's fucking scary as hell to do. But if the most sacred person on earth(me) can do it, you can too! : -)

Happy startup building!

The Building That Will Change Your Life

This is the Alliance Center. This is the building that will change your life.

How

Can

That

Be?

There are 8 startups presenting their dreams to you on September 16th,2014 at Insight Night, during Denver Startup Week. Surely one of them will inspire you to build a stronger startup. Surely one of them will give you a

life changing message.

I will be bringing some bling or schwag for you. I'm Jana and I'm terrified to present. Not because I don't believe in my startup, but because the thought of speaking in front of a large audience, well even an empty room makes me squirm. Public speaking is not something I ever do. So here I am, terrified.

I asked myself what's to be afraid of? The answer, well nothing, they are not going to hurt me. Why is public speaking so frightening? Not sure.

Here is my speech in note cards

Here is my schwag I'm bringing for you. Not enough for everyone, but maybe it will inspire you if my 

presentation does not.

And some bookmarks, cause I know you like to read startup porn.

Traction A Must Have For Every Startup!

May Passdown make you all magical and sparkly

as

it

has done to so many already.

And cut me some slack

on my

Presentation

It's my first public presentation since

8th grade. Yep

That was a long time ago....

I won't be perfect. I may mix up the words

But your inspiration

is all I seek to

INSPIRE.

We build this gift for you ~

My First Traction Channel: Using A Glue Stick

As I have spoke about the Traction book just released by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares in a few of my recent post. This book is packed full of skills us treps need to know about, but more importantly, we need to DO THEM!

I have not finished reading the book as something super important has opened up for Passdown, my new startup. I some how fell into a deep pit of luck. As much as we work towards making our companies successful, luck is often talked about as a factor to many of the successful startups we know about. 

As this luck presented itself to me, I could not turn it down. I was chosen to be one of the eight presenters at the upcoming Denver Startup Week's Insight Night event. 

Okay so here is the problem. Public Speaking is a traction channel that presented itself to me. Ahhh, geeez, why couldn't the first traction channel I use be a bus stop ad? Why, why, why does it have to be public speaking? I could have said no, but that would not be a wise move for a trep seeking to build a great company. 

I've always known that public speaking would be a part of my job as a founder, yet I had always escaped it in all my other startups. Not this one. Not Passdown. 

It took me two days just to get the script of my presentation somewhat memorized. (and that's 12 hours a day working on it) Today I set up a fake stage in my living room. There I was with my glue stick as the mic, running through the 20 slide pitch, when out of nowhere, the mailman walked up. He saw me through the window, and that fucked up my pitch. All I could think of was what the mailman was seeing: a crazy woman holding a glue stick up to her mouth, speaking into it like I was some rock star. There was no way in hell I could hold my thoughts and stay focused on the task to deliver the message. I'm sure his delivery thoughts were, well, wondering.....What else does she do with that glue stick? 

I must have hit two or three hundred times, that I practiced what I must deliver to an audience coming up on Tuesday. I don't want to screw up, because every word I say is so important for the entrepreneurs in the audience to be inspired to keep building startups. If I screw up, I let them down. They might not understand the message if I screw up just one slide. 

I will practice it over and over for three and a half more days and I hope, there will be no mailmen walking down the aisle in the audience, because surely then I will start laughing so hard, I wont be able to speak!

This is a surprise traction channel. It's one the book speaks about, yet, I do not recall if the book had said anything about: Jump on traction if it presents itself! I was planning on finishing the book and then re-reading it and plotting out my strategy to use these nineteen traction channels and do what they say to do. But this surprise speaking event came out of nowhere and I must focus on doing that first, then return to the book. 

Yeah, public speaking to me has to be the hardest traction channel. So maybe if I get the hardest one out of the way, the rest will be like cake. : - ) Love building startups!

P.S. I also used the glue stick to make my index card script layout. The wonders of a glue stick!