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How to Hustle SXSW for Fun & Profit
This is a copy/paste of an email I sent to 500 Startups Founders & Mentors email distros. Â Another reason why you should join our program – I will fill your inbox with swear words and unsolicited advice. Â Enjoy!
Thank you so much to everyone who voted this up on Hacker News, where it spent 3 hours in the #1 position and more than 12 hours on the front page. Â This post has now officially beat out How I Built a Multi-User Door Buzzer for our Apartment, with over 8,000 unique pageviews in the last 12 hours.
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This is the email where you all find out I am a hyper-socially sensitive (if you didn’t already notice) and have an incredibly intense meta level dialogue going on in my brain during every social interaction.  Basically, it is my super power.
SXSW is upon us I want to share with you some tactics and strategies for having fun and hustling hardcore at this event. Â This is a jumping off point for conversation, because I have spoken to several entrepreneurs with various fears/concerns/questions about SXSW. Â This does not cover everything, it got really long and I wanted to get off my soapbox and have a beer.
Before I forget
Save my number in your cell 425-698-7497 DANIELLE MORRILL (I know, a lot of double letters) —- TEXT me when you are at SXSW and we can hang out!  I roll in the Twiliomobile (like “Batmobile”, not the mobile version of Twilio, see pics a the end of this post) version 3 (although I will not be hand painting it this year) and I love breakfast
burritostacos. Â I also have access to a lot of interesting activities off the beaten path, so if you happen to find me you might consider saying, “hey Danielle, where are you going next? Â Can I come?” Â If the car is not full, the answer is YES.Prepping your calendar
Don’t fucking do it.  At least not in the way everyone else seems to.  Here is what is going to happen.  You are going to think you are being a front of the class kind of kid and spend PRECIOUS HOURS carefully picking through events, judiciously adding what you perceive to be highest value to your calendar and RSVPing for those event.  And guess what — BOOOOM! — the magical serendipity of SXSW is going to screw it all up.
Instead, put EVERYTHING on your calendar so you know what ALL your options are, RSVP for EVERYTHING (yes I use an intern to do this — get one athttp://www.internmatch.com #500strong) or use getwillcall.com/sxsw also #500strong. Â If there is something you absolutely have to be at, like an event your company is hosting/sponsoring then make it a different color. Â But if you are the CEO/most senior person going and you have a team there then *tell them you will not be there every moment*. Â They will live, and if you are less stressed about getting there in time you will hustle better.
Prepare like a soccer mom on crack
So you aren’t going to plan your calendar beyond knowing all the options, but that doesn’t mean you can throw all planning out the window.  You need to treat yourself and the team like athletes.  Anything that could keep them from finishing the game/series/season is a problem.  I rent an SUV (getting 2 this year – covering them with vinyl decal branded stuff) and fill it with supplies for me and for the people in the Twilio community.  This includes bottled water, granola bars and other fast snacks (don’t do chocolate bars or candy – it melts in the Texas heat), and First Aid kits.
First Aid is REALLY REALLY REALLY important (you can buy a standard kit at Walmart)!  I took an attendee of one of our events to the hospital, he sliced his foot open climbing off the bus and needed 10 stitches!  Did it ruin the event/day/trip?  Hell NO!  I got to spend an hour with one of our newest community members stuck in Austin traffic, trying to come up with things to distract him from how much blood he’d lost — we keep in touch, and I can’t wait to spend time with him this year.
Your game face
Okay fast forward and we’re in Austin now.  Repeat after me, “I am more hardcore than you†– hold this in your mind for a minute and feel a little competivie adrenaline rush.  This is the web marketing Olympics and its time to play ball.
If you have ever played sports, team or otherwise, or crushed nerd face in StarCraft II like I do every Sunday then I want you to imagine getting and keeping your game face on for 5-7 days. Â For those of you without these experiences, imagine how you feel trying to get out of San Francisco after a Giants game win.
You have 3 game faces you will need to master:
- Company Figurehead (external facing) – You are repping your company 24/7, so whatever public persona you have or are developing needs to be in top form. Â My recommendation: set the bar low. Â For me, this means rarely wearing makeup, speak in plain English, and share exactly what I think without (too much) self-editing. Â Again YMMV, but you are going to get stuck with this persona you created so think about it.
- Mercenary for the Leads / Missionary for the Brand – why the hell are you even going to SXSW (I probably should have started this email out with this) — to GET SOME leads. Â Make this fun if you can, what I did last year with a team of 6 was to make a competition with daily prizes and overall prizes for most business cards, most Twitter engagement, and other *measure-able* things. Â Measureable is key. Â I gave out the prizes and announced the new challenge at breakfast each day, and each person gave a recap on cool people they met. Â The order of magnitude for the challenge: MINIMUM 100 business cards per day (usually you’ll get 20 – 30% high quality leads). Â This is totally DOABLE, don’t let anyone tell you it is not.
- Fearless Leader (internal facing) – your team is looking to you both for guidance and approval (always), don’t forget how important this is in an exhausting and stressful situation.  Make sure to praise things they are doing well but also to give quick, straightforward, helpful feedback if you see things that are slipping.
If you need supplies, get to the grocery on day one with the team and make it happen.  Go to Walmart like we did last year (its on the way from the airport to downtown Austin) and buy up all the chalk, bubbles, glitter, and other fun cheap awesomeness you can.  Not sure how you’ll use it yet?  You’ll find a way.  Then take your team to eat a solid meal, probably the best one they will get and the one they will enjoy the most because they won’t be ready to fall asleep with their face in their plates.  Have a toast, make it count, this is an exciting moment.
Mind like water
Stress.  It’s going to happen because you’ll wake up Thursday and plans will constantly fall through, and you will be forced to be “on†24/7 in person (which is much harder than online) for several days back to back.  You need to at least try to have a mind like water.  I am a Type A on a level that generates panic attacks so let me tell you other type As out there – forget the fucking details.  This is going to be a shit show organizationally — this about it like you are planning for a natural disaster and embrace the chaos, or you will be miserable.
Mind like water = “oh cool, there’s another party down the street? let’s check it outâ€
Mind like water = “looks like the wifi here is making our product demo impossible, lets get a beer and try again laterâ€
Mind NOT like water = “oh shit this is a nightmare, who forgot to ship the tshirts, you are all firedâ€
Mind NOT like water = “why are you drinking, its 10pm on a Saturday but you are supposed to be WORKING!!!!!!!!!111111â€You get the idea…
You need a mind like water to work a room, to put up with the constant change, to understand that everyone else is also trying to adapt to this strange environment.  You need a mind like water so that you won’t be totally burned out at the end of the trip, or damage relationships.  But mostly you need a mind like water because once you let go a little bit it is extremely FUN.
Okay, I hear everyone gets drunk at SXSW
If you are going to get ridiculously drunk, and especially if you are considering using substances that the United States considers illegal, PLEASE DON’T WEAR YOUR COMPANY TSHIRT.  It is every PR person’s nightmare.  Please just no.
Getting drunk at SXSW is deceptively easy, because if you are hitting nonstop events from noon to 2am and having 1 drink per 90 minutes (and are a lightweight like me) you are going to feel like shit by 10pm.  YMMV, but I did SXSW on a 2 drink per day rule last year and felt massively better.  One exception: if you are the host/MC of an event take 1-2 shots of tequila/vodka right before things kick off.  I do this with my team, and it really does help chill out the nerves around a massive event.  We hosted 800 people at Pure Volume house, with 2 VIP rooms and 2 signed bands on stage — to say I was freaking out abou the line wrapped about the building and the angry requests re: “the list†(from Type A people who planned ahead no doubt!) — so I needed it.
Designated drivers = do it, take it seriously. Â Love your team and protect them. Â Make sure they drink water. Â Even if that means sitting together on the curb til 4am because no one is sober. Â Do it together, life is too short.
Sleep & Hangovers
You best be getting out of bed by 9am and taking your team to breakfast every day chief, this is your army – feed them, cloth them, inspire them. Â If you still have the hangover shakes at 1pm you are doing it wrong. Â (See: substances)
Doing Deals at SXSW
Pick a single day, pick an expensive bar, camp out at a table, make friends with the staff.  Don’t spread your stuff all over or it will be obvious you’ve been there all day.  You’re just the guy who happened to get there early for every single meeting, as far as the person meeting with you knows.  Expensive is relative if you are not drinking much, but it keeps the place from being loud or crowded.  The nice bar in the Hilton right across from the Convention Center always has tables because they charge $15 for a glass of wine — its PERFECT.
Tell your team what day is your deal day (I pick Sunday – because you will have time to fill the funnel) and cherry pick people from their business cards that you want to meet and call/text them to introduce yourself and set up a time. Â You invite, you pay.
It’s going to cost maybe $300 for the day if you have a table from 11am – 6pm and take 10 meetings — ~45 min apeice — at $30 each.  If you can’t afford this (you probably should have stayed home: “I am more hardcore than youâ€) then invite people to meet you at other events OR invite them to the VIP section of your own events.  However, events are not where you close deals (unless you are Dave McClure).  Events are for lead gen.
If you spend $300 and have a 10% success rate from those 10 meetings then I am guessing you will recoup your cost. Â Have > 10% success rate!!!
—– end email
Twiliomobile 2010
Twiliomobile 2011
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California
When I’m not angsting about being a citizen of the world sometimes I feel like this…
video thanks to the guys at IndieRockReviews.com. Now if only someone could get a reliable set of lyrics…
When all the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
We won’t just dream the Californian Dream
We’ll live the Californian WayDatarock – “California” from stereogum on Vimeo.
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Homesick
I realized on my last trip back to Seattle, that I’m not really homesick for being there anymore. But I’m kind of homesick everywhere, always missing a place I’m not. So I’ve stopped traveling for awhile, and maybe that will make me feel better. This song captures it.
I’ll lose some sales and my boss won’t be happy,
but I can’t stop listening to the sound
of two soft voices
blended in perfection
from the reels of this record that I’ve found.Every day there’s a boy in the mirror asking me…
What are you doing here?
Finding all my previous motives
growing increasingly unclear.I’ve traveled far and I’ve burned all the bridges
I believed as soon as I hit land
all the other options held before me,
would wither in the light of my plan.So I’ll lose some sales and my boss won’t be happy,
but there’s only one thing on my mind
searching boxes underneath the counter,
on a chance that on a tape I’d find…
a song for someone who needs somewhere to long for.Homesick.
Because I no longer know where home is. -
Forbes 30 Under 30
I’m happy to share that I’ve been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list this year, in the Mobile/Social category alongside many friends, customers, hustlers and people I admire including Matt Mullenweg of WordPress/Automattic, Seth Preistbatsch of SCVNGR, Jason Putorti of Votizen, Kevin Systrom of Instagram and of course Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
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More Mentorship: Springboard (Cambridge, UK)
I’m happy to announce that I am now formally a mentor for Springboard, a mentorship-lead accelerator program for startups that is based in Cambridge, UK. Â Springboard offers a 13 week program based on the campus of Cambridge University, helping entrepreneurs kickstart the creation of their companies.
I am impressed by the accelerator’s track record, 50% of the companies who have entered the program have successfully gone on to raise funding. Â I look forward to offering my hands on mentorship, support, and brutal honesty to many accelerator classes to come. Â I’m honored to be included among this all star list of mentors, and cant wait to start meeting with team!
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Will Milo Yiannopoulos Shake Up European Startup Press?
I can’t wait to see what this produces.
The saucy and often controversial Milo Yiannopoulos, who I’ve heard some call Europe’s one-man Gawker media, just penned an a post declaring its time to fix European tech journalism, and also noted he will retire from writing the fluffy stuff he’s been producing lately in favor of more substantive pieces in the future.
This echoes the sentiment of conversations ever since Michael Arrington left TechCrunch, and I think this emerging trend is about more than European media. Â The conversation is about what changes need to happen when it comes to startups storytelling as a whole, particularly in places like London where the trend for company creation is currently up and to the right. Â I think Milo puts it quite well when he says:
Start-ups have become conditioned to this cult of the mediocre, but it’s time to snap them out of it. Entrepreneurs who aspire to refashion the world around them deserve writing just as audacious and thought-provoking as their own ambitions. Unfortunately, as the technology sector in Europe has expanded, the quality of commentary around it has failed to keep up.
While Milo can’t save startups from their own PR, I hope we will see more compelling untold stories unearthed with this new project. Â Maybe I’ll even contribute, and help startups discover how to make meaningful connections with the press. Â What will you contribute?
More discussion of this topic from:
What Europe really needs is startup reviews. And good startup reviews, not rehashed press releases. Frequent ones: three or more per day. Tell me about the team, the tech, the traction. Make me understand market size, competitive landscape, go-to-market strategy, unit economics, capital intensity, and the strategic importance of this widget in a likely future stack.
Crunchbase is probably the most undervalued of Techcrunch’s assets. It’s the go-to database for startup financing information in the entire industry. It’s more complete and fresher than VentureSource or Capital IQ. I am glad it has been getting some love lately.
I’d like to see a blog really getting into the soul of the space and people behind it, with real insights into how things work. “teardowns”, case studies, documenting specific points in a startup’s life, summarising where vc’s and entrepreneurs think the opportunities are, successes, failures, learnings.. What’s going on with MyDeco, Keynoir, MoshiMonsters, Kopi, Unbound, BookingBug, Moo, Skimlinks, huddle etc.. where are the real interesting pieces?
Oh, and can we PLEASE stop going on about Silicon Roundabout – it’s NOT going to be the mecca where everyone wants to go and work. If I wanted to work by a tacky roundabout full of rubbish and kebab vans then I would have looked for an office in Basingstoke!
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What’s Saving Europe’s Startups?
Originally published as a guest post on TechCrunch Europe.
I’ve been in London for only a short period but I’ve already met with dozens of people from the various corners of the local start-up scene. It’s clear the ingredients necessary to build a thriving startup community are in place. Sparks are flying as companies form, events take place every night, and the promise of what’s been dubbed ‘Tech City’ and the more original ‘Silicon Roundabout’ takes shape. Still, it’s clear few major European success stories have emerged in the past few years to compare with Skype’s $2.6 billion exit to Ebay in 2005, leaving many people asking if European startups need something more to fan the flames.
Perhaps hoping to do just that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, visited Clerkenwell’s White Bear Yardthis week to lead a roundtable discussion with several startup CEOs. Prince Andrew’s visit was part of a wider planned tour of East London, and the Prince was accompanied by Eric van der Kliej of United Kingdom Trade & Investment (UKTI), CEO of the ‘Tech City Investment Organisation’. The discussion primarily covered the challenges and needs of local startups, and founders were repeatedly asked, “What do you need? What is the fuel that will help take this self-sustaining community to the next level? How do we help you grow?â€
As YCombinator founder Paul Graham wrote in his recent essay Why Startups Hubs Work:
“The problem is not that most towns kill startups. It’s that death is the default for startups, and most towns don’t save them. Instead of thinking of most places as being sprayed with startupicide, it’s more accurate to think of startups as all being poisoned, and a few places being sprayed with the antidote. Startups in other places are just doing what startups naturally do: fail. The real question is, what’s saving startups in places like Silicon Valley?â€
Graham’s essay identifies two fundamental requirements for successful startup hubs: a environment where being in a startup is the cool thing to do, and increased odds that startups will have a chance meeting with someone who can help them.
Fostering a Culture of Success
In the past 6 months, there has been an explosion of highly visible startup activity as exciting new companies launch, new coworking spaces open, new VC funds are raised, UK Trade & Investment champions Tech City, and companies raise some mammoth rounds of funding. It seems everywhere you turn there is a startup event taking place.
Clockwise from left: Eileen Burbidge (Passion Capital), HRH Prince Andrew Duke of York, Stefan Glaenzer (Passion Capital), Robert Dighero (Passion Capital), Alistair Hill (OnDevice Research), Jason Trost (Smarkets), Victor Henning (Mendeley), Alexandra Chong (Luluvise), Tim Morgan (Picklive), James Gill (GoSquared)A few have been quick to point out to me that they don’t see how the royal family could possibly help tech entrepreneurs. However, could it be that Prince Andrew’s visit yesterday provides precisely the kind of high profile activity needed to take startups mainstream in London? Some might call this “success theaterâ€, something Silicon Valley is expert at manufacturing, but might we also consider it good marketing?
Bringing greater attention to what’s happening here in London sheds light on many stories yet to be told, both positive and negative, about a community that has been built organically by extremely dedicated community leaders determined to make this a desirable hub for startups and innovation.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that startups certainly aren’t one size fits all,†Prince Andrew said, after asking each entrepreneur what would increase their startup’s chances of success. Among the responses: more emphasis on computer science in schools, more readily available investment dollars for early stage companies, tax benefits for those struggling to build new ventures, and more attention paid by the media to what startups are doing.
Instead of being regarded as strange for choosing the startup path, one participant remarked that is would be great to spread the message that working on startups is worthwhile and cool. “You are cool!†said Prince Andrew, “You are forward thinking, making something of life as it is today.†This sentiment of making the most of life as it is today resonates strongly with a speech Prime Minister David Cameron made early last week, calling on Britain to adopt and attitude of “can-do optimism†in the face of economic downturn.
You’re Winning, Now Tell the World
I’ve been asked to compare Silicon Valley to Silicon Roundabout more times than I can count over the past week. One thing that motivates me is reading about friend’s companies in the news. Silicon Valley tech press keep up a steady drumbeat of storytelling covering hundreds of startups and larger technology companies, fueled by a combination of PR, investigative journalism, and good old fashioned tips.
People seem quick to refer to the echo chamber we enjoy in the Bay Area as something uniquely American, telling me that its not very British to brag about accomplishments and that it simply won’t work here. Isn’t this just a lot of noise, my new friends ask. Isn’t it true that many of these companies are fluffy, flighty, and ultimately fail? Well yes, but we’re okay with that.
While the startup press may be a bit of an echo chamber, it is encouraging to read stories of other people like ourselves finding success. Even stories of grappling with challenges or facing failure are inspiring for the readers, and often cathartic for the company involved. If there is one thing can may be presumptuous enough to suggest London startups can learn from Silicon Valley companies, it is how to make sure the world knows when they’re winning, and to realize that they are telling these stories on behalf of the entire community. Whether its tipping off the tech press (tips@techcrunch.com) or self-publishing, companies who work to get their stories heard are the ones who get covered, and have the opportunity to provide inspiration.
“The London tech scene needs heroes,†explained Tim Morgan, CEO of Picklive, a social gaming startup for sports fans. “When was the last time you heard of someone who made millions on options? We need people we can look up to.â€
Creating an echo chamber in the press isn’t just noise for its own sake. Startups who are written about in notable press outlets help project a more legitimate image for their businesses that helps close sales, land partnerships, and hire great employees. Not only does this help individual startups, it elevates the awareness and respectability of the startup community as a whole. This market is far from a zero sum game, one startup winning more doesn’t mean others are winning less… instead the story told to the broader mainstream audience ought to be that overall startups are winning, and more people should join in.
Make Your Own Luck
The second part of the criteria for startup hubs that work is increasing the odds that you’ll run into people that can help you. Please don’t be the hundredth person to tell me that this isn’t California and that it just doesn’t happen here. There are people all around you, every moment, who can help you. I’ve met them, they’re real and amazing warm, welcoming, and incredibly generous with their time.
Graham’s essay continues:
“Chance meetings produce miracles to compensate for the disasters that characteristically befall startups. In the Valley, terrible things happen to startups all the time, just like they do to startups everywhere. The reason startups are more likely to make it here is that great things happen to them too.â€
The luck startups need can be manufactured (or at least nurtured), just like the culture of success. If what we discussed before was “success theater†this second criteria requires startups to force density to increase the chances of running into someone who can help, by surrounding themselves with people who are pre-disposed to help startups. Companies are trading their home offices for coworking spaces where they can network with other teams, founders are trading their Wednesday at the pub for a technical meetup where they can recruit developers, and Tech City is working to foster a great density of startups and entrepreneurs in East London.
The potentially uncomfortable corollary is that startups need to stop spending time with people who don’t believe that their dreams can ever be real, and replace them with people who are cheering for them and want their success as much as they do.
There are incredible opportunities for startups in London, but it is up to founders and startup employees to leverage these resources to derive every possible benefit for their companies. For those of us serving and observing the market and figuring out how to enter it, we can help spread the stories and faciliate the introductions that make success and luck possible for everyone.
Prince Andrew Visits the StylistPick Offices
White Bear Yard Startup CEOs
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MG is now a VC
It’s pretty cool to see today that MG Siegler (@parislemon) who most of us know as a writer on TechCrunch, has decided to make a career move toward venture capital by joining Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund.
I think its great for MG and great for the future startups he will invest in, he will be able to provide them with unique insights on how to work with the press industry and much more.  He’s even speaking on how to work with the press in his talk at Future of Web Apps in London, a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  It also lead me to reflect on something a lot of people in the community have probably contemplated now and again – becoming an investor in startups ourselves.
Considering the VC Route
It is something that has come up for me several times, but there were a few meaningful moments where I truly thought I could see myself going to “the dark side”. Â As it turns out, on the other “side” of the tech industry there is a young up-and-coming stable of investors who might be the next tier A financiers of startups, and the prospect of being part of that crowd is exciting. Â Some of these people are younger than me! Â This cast of rising stars really matters to startups, who look to venture capitalists for the cash infusions that can make their company’s possible and massive growth pre-revenue feasible. Â I ultimately have chosen, a few times now, to stick with building companies (and I love the one I’m with) but the allure of helping startups who are worthy connect with the capital they need to grow is definitely exciting.
The Persona of a VC is Changing
In the past year, with the rise of “super angels” there has definitely been an increase in transparency around the process of getting investment. Â Not only are VCs and angels more exposed than ever, but the entire ecosystem is becoming accessible, all the way up to the LPs and endowments that ultimately provide money to these funds and all the way down to AngelList where private individuals with access to capital for investments can connect with entrepreneurs seeking funds.
I don’t think CrunchFund will be the last VC firm created that puts capital in the hands of web influencers who have great visibility into what’s being done in the land of startups. Â In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 2012 be the year that disrupting VC becomes a mainstream trend, whereas in 2011 it was something localized to Silicon Valley with Angel Gate and all that other noise.
Putting Cash Into the Next Great Startup Story
I’ve always thought begin a VC was very similar to being a producer of films, reading scripts and deciding what to make and what not to make. Â In that same way, each startup pitch is a script to be read, each investment is a chance to put another great story into production.
I hope MG enjoys the crystal ball, energy, and passion of the entrepreneurs behind the deals he looks at. Â I can’t wait to see what he’ll choose to invest in, and how he’ll bring his unique talents and passions to help startups find success.
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London Bound
The rumors are true, I wrapped the Twilio Conference last week and I’m off to London today for an extended business trip to explore the technology market in the UK and beyond. Â I hired Twilio’s first international employee — the incomparable Stevie Graham — over a month ago, and now its time to get back to where it all began for me and do some hands-on developer evangelism of my own. Â We’re also hiring for a 2nd developer evangelist in Europe, so if you are local and interested please let me know (this is a job for locals, not U.S. expats).
Last night we kicked things off with all thing stereotypically British: Jane Austen, the Beatles, everyone’s favorite Austen Powers quotes, and of course warm beer. Â My friend David also tolerated an impromptu dinner for 16 of us at his restaurant Triptych, where we sat on the patio and enjoyed being “loud Americans” for the night, complete with party games I haven’t played since I was a kid (MBF, Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare). Â It was quite a send off and I’m still recovering, but they tell me it is a good idea to break in my liver now.
I have a whirlwind tour of events scheduled ranging throughout Western Europe, and some surprises too! Â I am going to make every effort to blog frequently, share pictures, and voice my perspective on a startup community that is far by distance but ultimately shares the same goals (or so I assume). Â I’m fortunate to have so many friends and acquaintances around the globe who are helping to make this trip possible on short notice and at reasonable cost, and I can’t wait to get started at The Future of Web Apps London starting on Monday. Â Wish me luck!
… Now if only I were packed!
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Hosting Office Hours Today 12pm – 2pm at L’Acajou
I’m trying something new, hosting real-life in person office hours for 2 hours on Sundays that I am in town. Â Our next meetup is today, in about an hour at my favorite cafe: L’Acajou Bakery and Cafe at 9th and Bryant. Â Anyone is welcome to drop by, and we’ll either do a big round-robin format or 1-1 chunks of time depending on what people’s goals are. Â There is great food and mimosas there, as well as wireless (if you pay for something).
You can RSVP for the meetup here, and please join the group if you can’t make it this time so I can let you know about the next one!
Stay tuned to hear how it goes.