Game over - Digital Tribune

Game over

It’s high time to ditch the Ping-Pong tables, beanbag chairs and beer taps at work

By Howard Tullman

It seems we’re reaching the end of the Ping-Pong and pool table period.

It couldn’t come soon enough for me. Something just feels different these days, and maybe it’s a growing need to hunker down a bit and take the task of “taking care of business” a lot more seriously.

Let’s dial back leisure in the office, lower the volume on the whining and worrying about hurt feelings, and double down on sweat and toil.

We call it “work” for a reason and, while it can certainly be plenty stimulating and rewarding, work is not intended to be all fun, all the time. Never was.

There’s still no substitute for hard, purposeful work and no more likely path to eventual success. Talent and creativity are great, and should certainly be encouraged, but effort and execution are what really matter.

These aren’t the frothy, kombucha-and-beer times of yore any longer.

Global competition is rising, a recession is almost certainly on the horizon (it’s only a question of when), and when the market and the investors start seriously keeping score, all the touchy-feely awards for “the very best place in the whole wide world to work” aren’t gonna matter much if your team isn’t monetizing your business and putting some real numbers on the bottom line.

The thought of a bunch of clowns playing Pong (analog or throwback digital) in the middle of the day while other team members are busting their butts trying to get a new software release out the door no longer computes.

Camaraderie is crucial in any new business, but it’s important to make sure that it comes from the shared pride of completing what needs to get done, not solely from Thursday night shots, smelly cigars and card games.

That also includes the pinball machines, foosball tables and the pool table, which is just as passé today as the phony masse shot that Matthew McConaughey makes in the latest Lincoln Navigator TV ad.

Real company cultures are built on respect, recognition and well-earned rewards, not free food, laundry services and recreational resources.

Your customers don’t really care about the perks, the toys or the cereal selections in your break room. When their system’s not working, they want the best software engineer on the case, not the guy who racked up the highest score playing pinball.

And your best and most important employees don’t really care about all this nonsense, either. They’re the ones who are head-down and have no time to fool around.

Businesses rapidly become the behaviors that they tolerate, and it only takes a few slackers and snowflakes to suck the life, energy and momentum out of any startup. Part of the job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.

When people are struggling to answer too many incoming customer calls or polishing a PowerPoint for an important funding pitch, or cold-calling piles of prospects, it seems foolish to show up at a meeting late because you were tapping the keg or sitting on a beanbag chair playing a video game.

You don’t really want to be the office’s social director and party person. The goal is to be the “go-to” guy — not the mope you’d probably have a drink with, but never count on for much of anything else.

Late night and after-hours bonding activities might be fine, but what authentic entrepreneur has ever had regular office hours to? In the real world, you work until you’re about to fall over and then you go home so you can pick yourself up in the morning and do it all over again.

If you want to build a serious business, that’s the behavior you want to model. That’s what people inside and outside the business pick up on. Passion and commitment make a difference.

You want to build a team that finds its satisfaction in achievements and accomplishments and not one that’s fixated on freebies and fresh fruit. If you have to bribe your people with goodies or otherwise convince them to work hard and do their best, you’ve got the wrong people and you’re sending the wrong message.

And if you think having a Ping-Pong table in the office makes you look cool, you’re wrong.

It’s all about revenues and results, not refreshments and recreation.

Howard Tullman is is executive director of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is the former CEO of Chicago-based 1871, an incubator for 500 digital startups.

Melissa Harris Tribune 1871 to launch incubator for female entrepreneurs

1871 to launch incubator for female entrepreneurs

Startups to be funded by Google, Motorola Mobility and Lefkofsky Family Foundation

1871 is launhcing an incubator for female entrepreneurs. (James Janega/Chicago Tribune / March 11, 2014)

Melissa Harris Chicago Confidential

March 11, 2014

1871, the city's leading tech startup center, will announce Tuesday a dedicated incubator for female entrepreneurs, funded by Google, Motorola Mobility and the Lefkofsky Family Foundation, which is run by Liz Lefkofsky, the wife of Groupon's chief executive.

Women face hurdles in the tech startup world, in which they are underrepresented among leaders and often feel marginalized by a male-dominated culture. There have been more discussions in the entrepreneur community in Chicago and nationwide about recruiting and nurturing female talent. The 1871 incubator would be the first of its kind in Chicago.

Howard Tullman, 1871's chief executive, did not disclose the size of the corporate and philanthropic donations. Instead, he said this and other "verticals" to come at 1871 will operate on $500,000 to $1 million in annual funding. Future incubators will be dedicated to financial technology, education technology, hospitality and product/gadget designers, he said in an interview.

"What we have found at 1871 is that if we embrace specific verticals and natural areas of growth, we can help our companies achieve much more than they might have on their own," Tullman said in a news release. "Critical mass creates an environment of support, shared experiences and cross-pollination that significantly accelerates the development of powerful ideas."

The full complement of resources that will be directed at these 10 to 15 women-owned startups, which has been dubbed 1871 FEMtech, has not been spelled out. But Tullman said it will involve a dedicated space within 1871, a full-time staffer/mentor, midday programming to suit mothers' schedules and "something around child care or day care."

Tullman expects that 1871 will begin accepting applications for the program in June, and it will start in the fall. 1871 hopes the program will draw participants from around the world.

"This initiative is critical to the success of Chicago's tech infrastructure," said Genevieve Thiers, founder of SitterCity. "We have enormous untapped female talent in this market and nationwide that could be tapped with some simple changes in the way that we support and train our female entrepreneurs. I look forward to seeing that talent unleashed."

The incubator will be part of Google's #40Forward initiative, which argues that women-led tech companies achieve higher returns and, when venture-backed, bring in more revenue than male-led peers. Yet women are still underrepresented in the tech community and receive only 4 percent of venture capital, according to Google's website.

"The current accelerator models are not attracting and advancing enough women-led startups, and 1871's new program will help reach these women," Bridgette Beam, global manager of Google for Entrepreneurs, said in a news release.

While any effort to improve those numbers is laudable, Google is committing only $1 million to these 40 organizations, while the company was worth more than $407 billion as of Monday. Still, Tullman argued that these startups will be able to tap into "Google's marketing arm as well," providing a soft benefit and public exposure that no budget can capture.

"There are accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces," Tullman said. "An accelerator takes an economic interest in its member businesses. We will not be doing that. On the other hand, we'll be supplying far more support and resources to these groups in the way of special tutoring and mentoring than any traditional sort of co-working space."

Copyright © 2014 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC

TFA CHAIRMAN HOWARD TULLMAN ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES - INNOVATION VS INVENTION

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/bluesky/originals/chi-howard-tullman-of-g2t3v-video-bsi-20131015,0,2985441.htmlstory

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/bluesky/originals/chi-howard-tullman-of-g2t3v-video-bsi-20131015,0,2985441.htmlstory

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CHAIRMAN HOWARD TULLMAN - KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK

TFA Chairman Howard Tullman in Chicago Tribune: Advice for Demo Day

Outside Opinion: Advice for Demo Days

5 ways to help your idea gain attention and investors

Sarah Press, CEO and founder of Chicago startup Project Fixup, was among those who made a presentation during Demo Day at the House of Blues last month. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune /August 27, 2013)

By Howard Tullman

September 8, 2013

I think most of the end-of-season Demo Days are officially over now.

It's hard to be sure. There are more than 200 of these events, where tech entrepreneurs — often standing on a stage — pitch their ideas to venture capitalists in the hope of getting them to sink money into fledgling businesses.

Chicago just had its Demo Day at the House of Blues and it seems like someone's got something going every time you turn around. I've sat through half a dozen "days" in several cities in the last couple of months and watched more than 50 pitches. It's easy to carp, but since I've been there myself literally hundreds of times, I feel entitled to offer my impressions:

1. One size STILL doesn't fit all

Too many of the pitches were just too long. Early enthusiasm turned into fatal fatigue when it felt like the last few minutes were filler. Elaboration after a point is just mental pollution.

Sometimes I swear it felt like even the guy (or girl) on the stage was just going through the motions. There's a risk of leaving your A game in the rehearsal room when you have too many rehearsals, too many coaches and too many sleepless nights. Adrenaline will only take you so far.

2. Templates are tiresome

Everyone's story is different. The type of pitch (high energy, deep detail, quick quips, pretty pix) should depend on the message you're trying to send and the type of investor you're targeting. Go with what makes sense for your story, not boilerplate.

I'm also sick of meeting "Bob," the prototypical user or target customer, who has all the problems your product or service is going to solve. It's painful and it needs to be dumped from every demo as soon as possible.

3. Don't let your dress distract

Wearing your team's T-shirt might be the safest bet of all. Dressing up or down or too distinctly is risky. The last thing you want is to have people looking at you rather than listening to you. Crazy clothes, spike heels and bushy beards all subtract from your story. It's just the way people are and it's not gonna change anytime soon. Make your statement some other time and place.

Humor is the same way. Jokes are risky. You don't want to take the chance that your gag will fall flat and the crowd will start feeling sorry for you. They might still buy you a beer during the break, but they'll be less likely to bet their bucks on your business.

4. Case studies stink

Talking about your results — user acquisition, revenue growth, major contracts and new strategic partners — moves your story forward. But trying to explain (as the clock ticks) the details of a case study — even one with impressive results — is just a waste of too much precious time. You've got to set up the case, introduce the client and the problem, explain the context and the actions, and show the success. And all the while the audience is hearing the client's name (not yours) and you're talking about the client's business (not yours).

Just claim the results: "We saved these guys millions" — and move on.

5. Funders are followers

I was amazed how many companies said they had raised X or Y dollars toward their goal, but didn't say who their investors were. Brand-name investors betting on your business send a message to the rest of the crowd that they should get on board.

You should never forget that investors don't fear losing their money anywhere near as much as they fear being the only investor who does. Nobody really wants to go it alone if they don't have to. If things go bad, at least they'll have company in their misery.

Tullman is the chairman of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Chicago and managing partner of G2T3V LLC. He was the founder of CCC Information Services, which provides vehicle valuation information to insurance companies and car dealers.

Copyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC

TRIBUNE'S MELISSA HARRIS WRITES ABOUT VEHCON

Mileage tracker

Serial Chicago entrepreneur Howard Tullman this week joined the board of Atlanta-based startup Vehcon, which makes an app that helps track a vehicle odometer reading and then shares that data with insurance companies and repair shops — with the driver's permission.

"The more you know about the mileage, the more you know about the risks of insuring that car," Tullman said. Insurance companies "are all trying this solution where they give you this device and it measures your usage for 30 days, and then we give you a discount if you're a safe driver."

Vehcon CEO Fred Blumer "thinks that'll never be adopted in bulk," Tullman said. "So they've built an iPhone application that permits you to just take an authenticated photograph of your odometer reading and send it in once a month."

Motorists on usage-based insurance plans would then get discounts on their premiums for driving less, as well as reminders and digital coupons for regular maintenance, such as oil changes.

Tullman also is thinking far into the future, pointing out that if electric cars take off, revenue from gas taxes would plummet. And those dollars pay for road improvements.

"One of the things is going be: Could Illinois be one of the first states that starts tracking usage of the vehicles, rather than taxing based on the amount of gas you buy?" Tullman asked. "It's the only way we're going to transfer to cars that are more efficient without the state losing all of this revenue."

CANDACE JORDAN TRIBUNE ARTICLE ON PAWS CHICAGO BEACH PARTY

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD TULLMAN SPEAKS AT TRIB U ON SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Falling out of love with cars - Chicago Tribune Article by Tribeca Flashpoint Academy CEO Howard Tullman

Falling out of love with cars

The great American romance is headed for some rough road

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With car-sharing services, there’s less need for people to actually own the wheels they rely on to get around. (Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune / February 10, 2013)

By Howard Tullman

February 10, 2013

Why doesn't Generation Y care about cars?

First things first: It's not entirely by choice. If you're living in your parents' basement with no job, buying a car probably isn't at the top of your to-do list. And if you're flipping burgers for a "living"— gas prices, insurance premiums and payments (on top of your college loans) preclude purchasing that great-looking Prius.

We're witnessing the collision (no pun intended) of a number of trends that are bringing about seismic changes in the auto industry. The Gen Yers might be leading the charge, but the changes that are coming will affect all of us and millions of businesses as well.

Some of these developments are already apparent and others are just emerging. For the car guys in particular, it looks to me like the worst is yet to come. But if the ads on the Super Bowl are any indication, Detroit still doesn't get it and they continue to ignore the demographic tidal wave that's soon to roll right over them.

I see six major problems:

Emotional ties: There was a time — not so long ago — when owning a car was part of our civic duty. We were exhorted to "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" and Chevys hummed with the "Heartbeat of America." We felt that our cars (even though mass produced) were expressions of our individual identities and — more importantly — evidence of our station in life. Everyone knew a successful doctor and knew he was successful because he drove a new Cadillac every year.

Today, if there's any emotional attachment left in our connection to our cars, it's demonstrably a negative one — our cars are too expensive, a maintenance and parking burden, costly pollution machines, etc., and we'd just as soon be rid of them.

Mechanical abilities: A significant portion of the population once actually knew something about the insides of their cars and how (at least minimally) to maintain them because it was something they could learn in school. But auto shop classes declined, and even if we were inclined to pop the hood, we'd have little prospect of doing anything other than getting our hands dirty. Everything from the distributor to the diagnostics in today's cars is so computer-controlled that a layman has zero chance of doing anything but damage.

Technical constraints: Another old-time way we could learn a little about our vehicles was to hang around the neighborhood gas station and watch the grease monkeys fiddle around. Not today. And even less tomorrow as we can expect to see fewer garages that are equipped to do repairs because — as small and local businesses with limited capital and other resources — they simply won't have the financial ability to purchase costly equipment or to hire properly trained personnel.

Economic realities: The costs of owning a car just keep increasing. A 2012 AAA study found the expense of having a car totaled $8,946 annually on average, nearly 2 percent more than the previous year. As transportation alternatives increase, the desire to own your own car diminishes. You've got I-Gocar sharing and Zipcar. I love Zipcar's slogan — it says it all for this generation: "The car for people who don't want one."

There are also shared ride programs, company-provided transportation plans and the old reliables: biking and walking. The Gen Y stats (16- to 34-year-olds) are pretty impressive: Driving was down from 2001 to 2009 (23 percent), biking was up (24 percent) and walking was up (16 percent), according to the National Household Travel Survey.

Environmental considerations: And then there's Mother Earth. There is mounting pressure to develop alternatives to fossil fuels and to construct public transportation systems. These trends are near and dear to the hearts of Gen Yers, who can be expected to employ their social networks and new crowdsourcing and crowdfunding tools to raise their voices and increase their influence in these areas.

Political and regulatory changes: Finally, there are the politicians. It turns out that polluters are pretty low-hanging fruit and easy targets (even when they're your neighbors) and we can expect initiatives from the Obama administration to increase restrictions and raise fees and taxes in ways calculated to drive polluting vehicles off the roads.

Similarly, there will be increasing regulatory attacks on gas guzzlers. Sadly, many of these used cars were the entry-level transportation vehicles for younger and less-affluent consumers, and we can expect to see them disappear.

Howard Tullman is the CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Chicago. He was the founder of CCC Information Services, which provides vehicle valuation information to insurance companies and car dealers.

Copyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC