Gulf Coast Tech Push

Gulf Coast Tech Push

Technology by Mark Gordon | Managing Editor

Enthusiasm was rampant at a Sarasota tech conference filled with A-list speakers. Among the unique tips:

Create an enemy to combat complacency.

No one will confuse the Gulf Coast with the Silicon Valley when it comes to tech businesses, innovations and venture capital money - despite the valiant efforts of a few bright minds and big dreamers.

But a step in the direction toward improving the Gulf Coast's technology image was taken Aug. 31 at the first Sarasota Manatee Technology Conference: Integration at the Crossroads. The daylong conference, co-sponsored by the Review, drew people from as far as Orlando. It was organized by the Young Technology Alliance, a group of entrepreneurs and professionals specializing in various businesses, including marketing, software and, of course, technology.

The list of speakers read as a who's who of the Greater Sarasota business community, from Bealls president and CEO Steve Knopik to Gwen Mackenzie, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The day opened and closed with a pair of out-of town entrepreneurs who energized the crowd with how-to-succeed stories.

Creating a nemesis

Josh Linkner, founder and CEO of ePrize, an interactive promotions company that puts together online sweepstakes, spoke about ways to stay there when you get on top. His method: Create a nemesis.

Linkner, a University of Florida grad, has built ePrize into an industry leader. The Pleasant Ridge, Mich.-based company had $26.4 million in revenues in 2005 and made the Inc. 500 this year, ranking 185th, with a three-year growth rate of 683.3%.

With growth like that, Linkner's biggest worry was that there was no archenemy to push his 145 employees. No Pepsi to the Coke, no Toyota for the Honda.

So Linkner created one. He called the company Slither, and gave it a logo and colors matching Enron. He created fake press releases about Slither's growth and prowess in the marketplace. He even wrote up false newspaper stories.

The gimmick worked. He got a room full of company executives to drop their jaws when he introduced Slither, as some thought it was real. Since then, the idea of a neck-and-neck competition has motivated employees. Says Linkner: "Greatness is only achieved versus adversity."

Business blasts

Prior to Linkner's presentation, Jeff and Richard Sloan, co-founders of StartupNation, presented a list of "business blasts" for people to get more out of their company. StarupNation is a conglomerate of resources - including books, the Internet and radio shows - for those looking to start and grow a business. The blasts include:

•Use your equity wisely: What would you rather have 90% of a grape or 10% of a watermelon? The answer is to think big and create value with the resources you have.

•Use the CEOs of Communication: Make sure customers, employees and owners always know what's going on. "Make it a two-way street," Rich Sloan says. "You have to share information with the employees and solicit information from them." The Sloans say there were times early on in their business where they assumed the other brother know what each was up to. They didn't, and the business suffered.

•Outsourcing is in: Do what you do best and farm out non-core activities to others, whether that means public relations, manufacturing or payroll. "If your mind is caught up in the minutiae," Jeff Sloan says, "you're not free to be creative."

•Hitch your wagon to a star: Find people doing great things and figure out mutual ways you and them can benefit each other. "It's the difference between entrepreneurial success and the dreamers," Jeff Sloan says.

•Harness the power of PR: Getting press in local and, if possible, national publications is the lowest costing way to reach your audience. If the product itself isn't a great or sizzling story, pitch your personal story of overcoming odds.

•Manage your burn rate: Monitor expenses, revenues and cash reserves. Anticipate seasonal dips or surges in the business, as well as customer purchasing cycles and growth spending, so you can adjust finances across the board, the Sloans say. And be frugal.

•Know the end game: "Make sure your life plan is the driving force in how your business is growing," Rich Sloan says. Follow your goals in life, both personal and financial, and use those as a map for your business.

Be persistent: "Anytime someone says no to you," Rich Sloan says, "it's up to you to not let the door close and ask why." The Sloans say whenever people they are dealing with tell them no, they countered with how they could make it work.

Be open to new ideas: The Sloans told a story of how they met with a quirky inventor of a product that would supposedly revolutionize the fast-food pizza industry. It didn't, but the relationship did lead to some successful ideas. The morale: "Always be willing to take meetings if you can fit them into your schedule," Jeff Sloan says, "because you never know what will come from the dialogue and new relationships."