The value of history:

What's ahead for our SBCC:

Start a Socrates Cafe in Your Neighborhood.

"Lilly" Allie Wren 2017

Starting a new group is like learning a new medical procedure, just more fun.

A nurse attended an IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop. We usually talk about the value of getting a job in the direction of your dream, to learn from people who are already doing something similar to what you want to do.

"That reminds me of what they taught us in nursing school," she said. "When a new procedure came out we were told to watch one, do one, and then teach one."

To start a new Socrates Cafe, I suggest you attend one, lead one, start one. Or just read Chris Phillips book "Socrates Cafe." That's what I did.

There is a great need here in Denver and across Colorado for new Socrates Cafes. Right now there is one on Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Tuesday evening. Attend one soon, you are very welcome to lead one whenever you want, then start one at a time and place that will word for you. See www.Meetup.com/Socrates-Cafe-Society.

Call me if you have any questions, or post your question here as a comment. If you post, please call to let me know to look for it if I don't answer by the end of the day.

John Wren
(720)495-4949

About SBA and SCORE

Why the SBA and It’s SCORE Program Should Be Renamed.
by John S. Wren, MBA+

I’ve been interested in how businesses really start, especially the role of the Small Business Administration and it’s many offshoots, for decades.

I studied in the graduate business school at the University of Denver on-campus 1974-5. My research methods paper was a survey of the literature and an index to the advice available for people starting a small business. This was before Inc Magazine and before DU or, as far as I know any college, offered a class about startup or entrepreneurship.

 Where I learned the most about how small businesses start, aside from the 20+ years working with my father and his small business owner friends, was in my first job after graduate school. 

I had the very good fortune to be hired as Assistant-to-the-President of Outdoor Sports Industries by OSI’s founder and President Richard Olson. It was a chance to be the bosses son again.

One of the very best parts of  working with Mr. Olson (we met every week for breakfast to review the projects I was working on such as creating a newsletter for board members, the annual report and board meeting, creating a management training program for our top managers, etc.)  was the opportunity to meet and have conversations with people I’d probably never have had a chance to talk with otherwise and to learn some lessons from their direct experience.

Some of the people I got to learn from, aside from our own managers, especially the former owners of the small sporting goods companies OSI had purchased, included: former Governor of Colorado John Love, then President of Ideal Basic Industries, one of the top firms in the country at the time; Supreme Court Justice Byron White who played squash frequently with Mr. Olson;  Joe Coors;  Astronaut Wally Shira; and on and on.

It was a long list, and at the top of the list was Aksel Nielsen. He was a friend of Mr. Olson and Chancellor Maurice Mitchell who was on the OSI board with him.  Aksel Nielsen had been a close friend and financial adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.^[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksel_Nielsen

Since working for OSI I’ve worked with hundreds of business founders as a consultant or as an employee, and that experience led me to start a workshop for people who wanted to start a new business in the early 90’s. Back then we called it The IDEA Association and it’s meetings were announced each week in the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, Westword, the Colorado Statesman, and the Denver Business Journal. 

 After meeting with a spiritual director at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia, Colorado for years, I wrote a little booklet about startup. This is to me the key section:

The world needs your new business!

            To understand my system for starting your new business, it is necessary to first appreciate the nature of business in a capitalistic, free market economy.

            The world will always have government, big-business, and big-labor.

 Government for those things individuals cannot do for themselves. Big-business and big-labor because of certain efficiencies of scale. Unfortunately, the large scale of these three forms of bureaucratic operations leads to problems:

            1) Efficiency comes at the expense of intelligence and creativity. The large organization has a tendency to get better and better at doing what eventually is the wrong thing.

            2) Power corrupts. Governmental corruption is kept in check by our process of representative democracy. Big-business corruption is kept in check to the extent that the free market is allowed to operate. That is why big business hates competition.

            The worldview of the bureaucrat is necessarily different from that of the entrepreneur. The steps recommended here for starting a new business will not make sense to most bureaucrats.

            If you decide to work with a business mentor, it is important that you work with someone who subscribes to the following philosophy of business. This person almost always will be an independent business owner.

            Beware of seminars about how to start a new business; the most deadly advice for entrepreneurs comes from bureaucrats, public or private, active or retired.

From my little booklet on startup, “Daring Mighty Things— The Simplest Way to Start Your First (or Next) New Business” available on Amazon (click.) 

Tomorrow: Part II, Why the SBA and SCORE Should Be Renamed.

Startup Show: What's love got to do with it?

Next Friday (Oct 14) at noon MDT the Startup Show will address the question: "What does love have to do with business and politics?"

To join us on the show next Friday or any Friday rsvp yes or no on our Meetup site (click here,) let us know in your rsvp comment a teaser about the startup story you'd like to share, and we will give you a call to schedule a date.

Watch the show live or any time by recording via the link that will be posted here just before we go on the air, or see it each week on YouTube Live Events by subscribing, see www.YouTube.com for details.

This could make a good topic for a Socrates Cafe. Partial list of Socrates Cafes here in Colorado (let me know if you'd like me to add yours) at http://Meetup.com/Colorado-Socrates-Cafe-Society

John S. Wren, MBA+ 

1881 Buchtel Blvd. #501

Denver, CO 80210

www.JohnWren.com  "Just start!"

www.SmallBizChamber.org  "SBCC Startup Method!"

www.COCaucus.org "Save the Caucus!"

(303)861-1447 cell (720)3495-4949

Startup Show: Hyper-local hold-up-your-hand marketing.

Live streams here at noon MDT today, Friday, June 10 or watch recording of the show anytime after that by recording. Today I'll talk about groups, neighborhoods, and how you can do well by doing good whether you are in a dorm or apartment, a duplex or single family residence.





To be on the show next week call me at (303)861-1447 Monday or Tuesday, and join us this afternoon here in Denver to continue the discussion at Panera LoDo, 16th & Market, more info at http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber along with info about our other low cost/no-cost meetings you might find helpful.

Small Business Chamber of Commerce Startup Method: the practices of Recover, Imagine, Think, Learn, to Start, Grow and Flourish. For help see www.SmallBizChamber.org or call (303)861-1447

Today! Live! Startup Show, noon MDT.

Startup Show, Here each Friday, noon MDT, anytime after that via recording. Thanks for watching! John Wren Sponsored by Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Life's short, start now! Also seen on YouTube Live Events and Google+ Hangouts On Air. Mark your calendar, watch each week!

On today's show: Forbes Magazine article headlined "Why is entrepreneurship dying." Also, new developments with our SBCC Startup Method and the four practices. Tweet any question you'd like to see addressed Tweet @IDEACafe now or anytime including during the show.

We are trying something new...

 Google ad for SBCC, as we start integrating into IDEA Cafe "new" Method for Spiritual Startup and Growth +AGDM+ . Spending $4 per day, $120 per month, but ad can change and we can stop early if it's just not working.

 What is your guess? Will this be a hit or a miss? (Hit is lots of new visitors to http://www.SmallBizChamber.org and then increased attendance at our free meetings and Startup Show.)  

Your feedback would be very much appreciated, either here as a comment or join us this afternoon (Fri, 12/11) for Denver IDEA Cafe or tomorrow at Socrates Cafe @ DU. More about meetings at http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber or call me (303)861-1447

 Thanks! 

Denver Startup Week

Big events are being held around the country
celebrating people who are starting new businesses.

In my experience people who are really serious about
starting are just too busy to attend.

And when inspiration hits, usually it's time to get
started. It's true, this life is very short!

That's why we hold IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops every
week. http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

Every week is startup week at Denver IDEA Cafe!

Life's short, start now!

The Startup Show, today with Russell Dennis.

Live here Friday, July 3 at 10 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time or anytime after that via video recording, Russell Dennis! Russell is well-known in Denver and elsewhere because of his economic development work, work with veterans, and now his public speaking and consulting work with non-profits. He'll be with us today to share about some difficulties he has recovered from and then used new strength to start in a new direction. We hope you'll join us and please share this with your friends who might find it helpful. You'll be able to ask questions online about your situation if you want.

Live at 10 a.m. Mountain, The Startup Show

Each week at 10 a.m. Mountain time or here via recording later John Wren talks about startup, going in a new direction with your career, a project or campaign, or a new business. To be on the show call (303)861-1447, if you get the voice mail leave a complete, confidential message and John will get back with you ASAP.

Free ad on Small Business Chamber Facebook Page

Post a short (one sentence is best) intro of yourself and/or your business on the Small Business Chamber Facebook Page. I promote one a day into the main news feed. See http:/www.Facebook.com/Small.Business.Chamber 

If you have any questions about this, post them here as comments. 

New! 500% money back guarantee for 99-cent Kindle book on Amazon.

My little book on startup has helped many, many people since it was first published.

There is a good chance it will help you, too.

Here is a new special offer. First join our Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Meetup.com group. Mark your calendar and RSVP  to be with us online next Friday morning and/or next Friday afternoon here in Denver, or if not next Friday one Friday soon. http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

Then take just a minute to click on the image of the cover of my little book on the upper right corner of this page. Take a couple of hours and read it, then give me a call.

If you don't find the book and talking with me  helpful, I'll give you your money back five times over for the Kindle edition,  I'll mail you a $5 bill.

But do us both a favor and don't wait.

This life is very short, let's get started now!

Click on the book cover, read, then give me a call later today or tomorrow at (303)861-1447.

New leader of University of Denver

After big, big successes as President of Colgate and Swathmore, Dr. Rebecca Chopp, inspired by Robert Putnam author of Bowling Alone, the book that's triggered my work for the last two decades, comes to the University of Denver. Here's why:

Pope Francis as Economist.

I love Pope Francis, he is my spiritual leader.

But he needs to catch up on economics. I've suggested that he read Edmund Phelps, Nobel economist, especially his new book Mass Flourishing. Who would be interested in a study group using it? Take a look at the book, then call me. We could do face to face or as a Google+ Hangout. Maybe Pope Francis would join us.  Here's the book: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10058.html

I just emailed this to the 600 people who have joined our Small Business Chamber Meetup site. If you haven't yet, join now, whether you can attend this afternoon or not. See http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

HELP OUR ECONOMY! PLEASE FORWARD TO A FRIEND WHO IS STARTING IN A NEW DIRECTION WITH THEIR WORK. BETTER YET, CALL AND INVITE YOUR FRIEND!


Friday, November 29, 2013

Life is too short for any of us to learn from just our own experience!

Join us this afternoon for the Denver IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop at 3:45 p.m. or the Denver IDEA Startup Salon at 2:30 p.m., both at Panera Bread, 13th & Grant.

Our Small Business Chamber IDEA Cafe is the workshop that I've led here in Denver for nearly 20 years. 5280 Magazine says it's infused Denver with an entrepreneurial spirit. Join us for it any time you're headed in a new direction with your work. We say if we're successful you'll be too busy to come back the next week.

Our new IDEA Startup Salon is an open discussion meeting, we share startup experience about topics that are brought by those attending. Join us anytime you have a problem with your work as you start in a new direction, starting a new career, a new project or campaign, or a new business. Most who attend have already attended an IDEA Cafe, but that is not a requirement.

Right now we also have meetings in Englewood and Boulder County here in metro-Denver, we are getting more serious about getting groups kicked off in other parts of Denver, across Colorado, and possibly beyond. If you'd like our help getting a new group started in cooperation with your local chamber or other group give me a call.

For more information and to RSVP for an upcoming meeting, see http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

See you this afternoon?

John

John S. Wren, MBA+++
Co-Founder & CEO, Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
www.SmallBizChamber.org   *  John@SmallBizChamber.org
960 Grant St. #727 * Denver, CO * 80203

Call 24/7, I'll get back to you ASAP (303)861-1447

SPECIAL EDITION The Start Show

Today, Tueday, October 29, topic "How

to close sales over the Internet using Google+ Hangouts and the other powerful Internet tools that are now available." 

Join us right here at 10 a.m.Mountain to watch, link will be posted here when the show goes up. Or come back here anytime after the live broadcast, the link converts to connection to the recording.

Or watch live on Google+ Live Hangouts or YouTube Live Broadcasts.

Go+Groups, a new program for startups to generate earned income for Small Business Chamber, scholarships based on need will be offered.

This information went out to the local Denver media last

week. I didn't receive any calls about it, we'll try again.

It would be great to have you in a public Go+Group, no

cost, RSVP on  http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

Those in these first public meetings will become our Go+Group

leaders. Call me if you have any questions. John (303)861-1447 

Longtime Denver Community Activist Asks for Volunteers and Donations.

Denver— Community activist John S Wren today asked for help to expand the work he’s been doing for the last 20 years to “strengthen the grassroots in business and politics.”  For more see www.JohnWren.com or contact Wren at John@JohnWren.com or (303)861-1447

            Making the appeal Wren said, “For nearly 20 years my purpose has been to strenghten the voice of the common person in business and politics,  

            “I’ve had a TV or radio show off and on since the early 90s, I’ve just started a YouTube “Channel” where I’ll be posting new episodes and some of the old. I’ve held hundreds of startup workshops that 5280 Magazine says have ‘infused Denver with an entrepreneurial spirit.’ New Go Groups provide consulting for the price of a workshop, and they will be made available for free to as many as possible. For more about the new Go Groups, see http://www.meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber/events/133753932/

            “The Rocky Mountain News named me in their editorial that recognized Save the Caucus for defeating Amendment 29 in 2002 which would have killed our wonderful neighborhood caucus-assembly system, the best friend of the common person who wants to serve in elected public office.  I continue encourage informed participation with COCaucus.org.

           

            “As I have since 1994, I continue to invite you to call me if you want help starting in a new direction with your work. But now also please contact me if you’d be willing to help with this work with startups as a volunteer or if you’re willing to contribute financially,” said Wren.

###

John S. Wren, MBA+ www.JohnWren.com John@JohnWren.com (303)861-1447 has done business consulting since 1979. He is past President of the University of Denver Graduate Student Association, the Denver City Club, Metro South Optimists, and the founding President of the Rocky Mountain Direct Marketing Association and the new Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Wren has been a candidate and local leader as a Republican and as a Democrat, he is currently registered Unaffiliated, something he rarely suggests for others. He’s an active member of Denver St. Ignatius of Loyola Church and 1311 York Street Club. 

Last communication about Small Business Chamber here. Maybe.

I just sent out this memo to our Small Business Chamber/ IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop Meetup.com members. In the future this type of communication about the Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc and  all our various activities will only be posted on http://www.SmallBizChamber.org and/or our Facebook Page http://Facebook.com/Small.Business.Chamber and/or our Google+ Page click here . (Unless you object and I suddenly realize this would be a mistake, If you see something wrong with this please let me know ASAP.)

If you didn't get the memo below directly from me via an email from Meetup.com and you'd like to next time, please become a (free) member and RSVP for an IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop or other event at at http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber 

Questions or suggestions for me? Contact me at (303)861-1447 or John@JohnWren.com  Post comments here if you'd rather talk with all of us. Here's what I just sent out.

Friday, August 9, 2013

To:  Small Business Chamber IDEA Cafe Meetup Members
From:  John S Wren, founder & CEO, Small Business Chamber of Commerce Inc
Contact John at John@SmallBizChamber.org or (303)861-1447 To RSVP for an IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop or the new Go Group see http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber

1.  Our weekly broadcast The Startup Show is looking for a few good guests to share their startup story. We'll be recruiting at our IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops, there is an online meeting each Tuesday afternoon. For more see The Startup Show Facebook Page http://Facebook.com/SmallBizStartup

2.  Free IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops are in Boulder this morning (thanks Toby and Steve) and in Denver, which I'll be leading myself today. I also lead an online IDEA Cafe each Tuesday afternoon. If you want to start a new IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop in cooperation with your local chamber or other group, I'll help you. Let me know if you are interested and I'll invite you to the next organizers meeting.

3.  New Go Groups are like Franklin Circles on steroids, they are for people who are serious about getting started. I personally interview those who participate, I'd love to talk with you about it. We've set a group up here on Meetup.com (it's at the bottom of the scheduled events, no date), we ask you to RSVP and to pay in advance, we only want people who are serious. Scholarships are available, and I'm looking for a couple of Go Group leaders. Call me with any questions. (303)861-1447, call me any time, I try to pick up the phone right away 9:30 to 11 Monday thru Friday and I'll be picking up tomorrow morning (Saturday, August 10.)

4.  I've made a media release about what we are doing that asks for help. I'll be posting it on www.JohnWren.com later today, that's where I'm asking people to go who would like to make an online contribution for a Go Group scholarship or who would like to help me get our various activities transformed into a real, functioning non-profit. Again, call me if you have any questions. (303)861-1447.

Thanks to Russell, John, Toby, Steve, Don, Bill and all the others who have been helping with this recently, and to all those who have helped over the past nearly 20 years to get us to this point, again Bill, last year Sharon, Richard, Ken, Paul, Fran, Marilyn, Karl, Eustace, Tom, earlier David, Bill, Doug, Barbara, Polly, Dennis, John, and all the rest.

Our mission is to strengthen the grassroots in business and politics by helping people get a good start with a new career, a new business or a pivot with a new project or campaign.

If we are successful at an IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop, those who are attending are too busy to come back the next week. But hopefully they will join one of the Go Groups we are forming and/or they will join or start a Franklin Circle. If this spreads as we expect it to over the next few months, we believe it will help bring about a dramatic drop in the unemployment rate.  Will you help us? Again?


No RSVP is required, but it saves you a seat until the start of the meeting, which is sometimes very helpful. To save a seat for one of today's IDEA Cafes, or for next Tuesday's online meeting (limited to 7 who want to have a seat at the online virtual roundtable, but unlimited for those who want to just watch) to to http://Meetup.com/Small-Biz-Chamber PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED, OK? AN EASY WAY IS TO JUST FORWARD THIS EMAIL ALONG WITH YOUR NOTE. SEND IT TO THOSE WHO MIGHT NEED HELP, AND TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE WILLING TO HELP US, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR THE GO GROUPS. THANKS!

Big news? Not yet.

Announcement now expected this Thursday, tomorrow, check here for preview which will be finalize at lunch tomorrow (Thursday), before we make a media release in the afternoon. Give me a call if you'd like to join me for lunch today or tomorrow to talk about our new direction.