If you ever doubt the power of people, you haven’t been to Philly. This weekend I attended the one-year anniversary bash of Indy Hall in cool “Old City” Philly, PA.

Ever-clever Indy Hall founder and coworking guru Alex Hillman convinced some fine folks to sponsor the food and booze. The drink tickets and apps were endless and no one was shy about digging in. It was a real treat for me to meet some of the folks that I’ve been connecting with online, particularly Alex, Tony “Be Goode” Bacigalupo of New Work City (among other things) and marketing soc-med “it” girl and bleach blond coworking soul sista Tara Hunt. The coworking crew vets have been a tremendous help for me and my partner with group88.

The party was a kicked back good time and it also totally kicked my creativity in the butt about a few projects that are cooking. I’m so jazzed to be a part of the coworking movement, however small my contribution. I’m also really psyched I could meet some killer smarties. We chilled, we laughed, we philosophized, we drank, we ate (who can go wrong with piles of chicken on a stick teepees?) we watched Alex break every glass in the joint, we drew phallic symbols, we gave up the woohoo shoutouts when called for, we snapped shots (some to be flickred, some not), we made bets of which I am sure to win, we got cool free T-shirts and we made plans to kill the corporate world with coworking.

I’m sure I’ll forget someone, and I apologize in advance, but I have to mention a few guys and gals that really made the night for me and have inspired me to get my arse in gear on a few things . . .

Alex: You kill when it comes to getting schnizit done and motivating others. I can’t wait to see what you can do. Just make sure you do it in a plastic cup because glass is just not your bag baby.

Tony: Do us all a favor and stop drawing phallic symbols. I don’t know what biology class you took but that teacher has some explaining to do. I can’t wait to hash out Indie Mentorship with you, Alex and the crew. Interning, schminterning!

Tara: Strength, beauty and vision. I cannot wait for your book release party!

Erica: You are the ultimate image connection girl. In just seconds you gave me tons to think about, and hopefully a great solution to our videoconferencing woes via Oovoo.

Bart: Careful with the Sniffy Sniff. You’re just a little toooo into it.

Jonathan: Your five bucks is in the mail. Dang it!

Mark: Tell your mom I said hi.

Geoff: I am still seriously impressed that you called up “group88″ as soon as I introduced myself. If you ever find yourself back in Stafford looking up your ancestry, give me a shout.

Carlos: Good ideas with the corporate training. We’ll chat soon for sure.

Kevin: At some point we’ll chat about our approaches to brand strategy for our clients. I would really like to be more of a wing it strategist, at least partly, and I’m sure we can swap ideas about adding a bit more structure to your process (or help you get a process if needbe).

Blake: You’re sure to make a name for yourself and Anthillz is a great start.

Rachel: Keep on spreading that energy girl, hot pink hair and all.

There were tons more folks that I’m not mentioning but to all of you at the Indy Hall bash, I just want to say thanks for welcoming me with such open arms. This event has encouraged me to increase my travel budget. Connecting online is great for every day mojo. Connecting face to face is the only way to take my creative mojo up to the next notch.

My pals Sonny and Kara Parlin have launched Sparrow Lounge, a site to showcase their amazing photography. The below pic of yours truly was taken in Hartford by Sonny.

Along with a sharp eye for perspective and in-the-moment portraits, Sonny and Kara are doing some amazing post-processing work. The work showcased on Sparrow Lounge is phenomenal.

Equally as awesome as their work is the lightening speed awareness Sonny and Kara are receiving via flickr. Within one day of posting the “Dreaming of Infinity” pic, Sonny received a two-page list of comments. Some spammers were among them but quite a few were either “love it” comments or “can I post this on my site?” questions. Sonny also joined the CT Meetup for flickr so he could hang with other photophiles.

This is a great example of social media turning the corner. flickr is a soc media granddaddy, for sure, but for many it’s still an online photo album. But, while kids and moms are posting photos for the heck of it, photographers are getting discovered and connections are being made.

If you have been one of those folks wondering what usefulness social media would ever have beyond a water cooler chat, get yourself on flickr. For the mainstream, flickr and other soc media giants are finally beyond the honeymoon stage. One of the biggest reasons for this is volume. With typically 5,000+ uploads per minute, flickr’s flurry of activity is more than just photos and comments. It’s art, laughter, friendship, innovation, intensity, transparency, discovery, and, for some, opportunity.

One thing I’ve gotten really good at is saying no. It’s taken childhood, puberty, those stupid years, the settling down stuff and now my reinvention phase. The first thing to understand about saying no is that it’s not just about you. When your gut tells you not to do a project, it’s taking the high road and thinking of everyone involved. And you thought your gut only had your interests to consider.

Case in point: I was recently contacted by an editor that I’ve worked with on a few how-to books. He wanted me to take on a 5-month project where I would be doing 90 percent of the writing. I know how these projects go. It would consume nearly 70 percent of my week because I would be responsible for the research, writing and then squabbling with my co-author (the expert in the field) about how it should be written. I said yes to the project even though my gut was saying, “no! no! no!”

I began by doing a little research and then drew up an outline that turned out to be all wrong for the book. Right then I knew I had to drop the project. My mind, my time and my heart was elsewhere. Yes, I needed the money but the project didn’t fit into my business goals of:

a) Taking on projects that align with the writer that I want to be
b) Taking on projects that I actually want to do

Luckily, I dropped the book project early enough so my editor could find someone else to fill my shoes. When I called to give him the bad news, he was very cool about it. After I hung up, I felt like I had just been given backstage passes to a private U2 concert. Well, maybe not that good, but pretty darn close.

Here’s how I now say no to something, before I take on a project:

Step 1: Digest. When a project or idea comes your way that you’re unsure about, don’t say anything. I’m not suggesting you mute up, but ask your inquirer as many questions as possible and then tell them that you need to think about it.

Step 2: Assess. When you’re thinking about the project on your own time, assess it within the scope of your other projects, your life and your future. Does this project align with your goals or are you just taking it on for the money or to kill time? If it’s just for the money, personally, I think that’s the toughest call to make. At some point you need to say no to money if you want to build your brand and focus your career. It just has to happen that way. If you’re looking to “kill time,” spend it on marketing yourself not committing to something you’ll regret later.

Step 3: Gut It Out. We all do it. We all ignore our gut instincts. Your gut is there for a reason - don’t deny it’s rightful place in your decision making!

Two weeks after I dropped the book project, two new clients dropped in my lap. Two FANTASTIC clients. Two clients who are a perfect fit for me. Two clients that I would’ve been forced to say no to if I took on the book project.

Don’t fear the power of no. At times, it’s just as good as saying yes.

This week my biggest mission has been sleep. Last Saturday I worked a marathon, from 9am to 3am (no joke), as I attempted to fix a project that I had delegated and poorly managed. Lesson learned. Each night since Saturday I’ve snagged maybe 3 hours of sleep, until last night when a heavenly 8 hour slot opened up and I jumped all over it like a squirrel at nutapaloooza.

Speaking of paloozas (cheeky segue, I know) . . . when I arrived at the Greater Hartford Women’s Conference yesterday, I was less than my usual energy-infused self. But, thank goodness I pulled my sorry act together to go. It was exactly what I needed.

Last week, I met with a really sharp, creative client potential. He’s forward-thinking, cool and just the type of folk I want to be associated with. At some point in our chat he said, “So, what is it that you really want to do?” Oh boy. Not this question. I never have a good answer for this one. Sad, but true. My answer was wishy washy and vague. I knew it was yucky even as it came out of my mouth. I can’t remember exactly what I said but the translation was pretty much, “I don’t know.” He picked up on it right away and said, “Well, when you get your s*&% together, give me a call.” No lie, those were his exact words.

Oy! There’s nothing like thinking you’re making a great impression on someone and then kicking yourself square in the nuts (so to speak, of course). So, fast forward to yesterday. I’m tired, I’m drowning in project work, I’m fuzzy, I’m kicking myself for recently taking on some projects that I don’t want, I’m anxious to spend time on my favorite baby, group88, and my 37th birthday is coming up in 3 days. That number is like 3 years from that zero number that I never thought I’d have to think about or face.

The first session at the conference is a panel of some very cool, smart women. They include Janet Peckinpaugh (award-winning TV anchor), Renee Sherman (Ameriprise Financial mover and shaker), Laurie Rosner (Rockville Bank bigwig), Karen Rossi (artistic entrepreneur) and . . . WHAT?!, who is that I see up there, is it, could it be? . . it is! Regina Barreca, UConn professor and sharp-tongued killer of bulls&*#. I could never get into her classes when I attended UConn and one time my mom (also a huge fan) and I tried to get to one of her speaking engagements and it was snowed out. Then I moved to NYC and life got in the way and so, meeting Gina has been a long time coming for me.

As I’m listening to the panel, my energy is coming back in full force. The discussion volleys back and forth between personal stories of the Old Boys Network pioneers and what, if anything, has changed since then. It’s good bonding that needs to happen at something like this. Chics bond, that’s what we do.

After the session ended I thought of something smart to say. Of course. If I could go back, this would be my commentary:

I think it’s great for younger women to hear about the early battles of feminism. We need to know our roots. Let’s face it, I just don’t have to work as hard because of their hard work. And, this leads me to my main point: I think the women who have fought so hard for respect and career advancement need to know that they have succeeded. We are there. We have accomplished the first “it.” I’m a great example. I was never told, “you can’t do that because you’re a woman.” I face different challenges. A friend of mine once said, “Women are a real pain in the ass to work with,” and he laughed it off like a joke. So, I think women today face more subtle challenges. The old mindset still exists but it has, for the most part, morphed. Saying degrading things out loud is now a no-no so they come out in fuzzy tones versus actual dialog. Often times I’ve thought, “Am I being treated like this because I’m a woman or because this guy thinks I’m a jerk?”

My point is that we are there, we did it. So, why are we still rehashing the old stuff? It’s time to take two steps into the future and kill that one leg in the past that is dragging us down. I realize that I just created a three-legged scenario here but, that’s what it feels like. If we’d just chop off that one unnecessary carnival-freak leg, we can sprint forward.

Either way, the humor and insight of Gina and Janet and the rest of the panel was the beginning of a day that has become a turning point for me. Here are the highlights:

1) I had a quick chat with Gina and bought her new book, Babes in Boyland. After finding out that I was an English major at UConn, she said to me, “How come I didn’t have you in a class?” I was impressed that she didn’t say, “did I have you in a class?” I’m guessing she does remember all of her students - or she can at least fake it really well which is just as good.

2) I attended three sessions. Two were excellent and one was not (that’s okay, it happens). My favs were “Designing the Life You Want” with calming Feng Shui expert Lin Huntting Congdon and “Great Presenters and Presentations: Fact vs. Fiction” with spitfire Debbie Fay. Both sessions were complete opposites and both were excellent. Both Lin and Debbie are extremely generous with their knowledge and time and I know I will be learning a lot more from them in the future.

3) Marcia Weider. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. I didn’t realize it but I sat with Marcia during lunch. I was across the table so I didn’t get the chance to chat with her. But no matter because her talk after lunch was worth every penny of my $129. Typically, I roll my eyes at motivational speakers. I have a bit of a closet arrogant side and usually am skeptical of someone else inspiring me about things that I already know or feel like I should know. Marcia is different. Marcia’s schtick is about dreams. But she doesn’t talk about dreams in a floaty, head cloudy kind of way. She talks about dreaming as a way of living. So, you want to be a dentist? You want to live in Key West? What are you doing about it? Her approach focuses on understanding that our realistic side is really just doubt’s ugly step sister. Our doubt paralyzes us. This is not revolutionary, of course, but the way she frames it has made me think about my own approach to life. The time has come to get off my arse and start doing the two things I really want to do: 1) become a great commentary writer and 2) make group88 successful. I have morphed her ideas into one, simple, three-word question that I will now forever ask myself each time I doubt my decisions: “Who will die?” Really now - if the result of my decision is not death for someone, either family, friend or stranger, than I have no excuse.

4) Dr. Norling. This week we rented out the group88 space to Dr. Sharon Norling and crew from the Mind Body Spirit Center in Westlake Village, California. Dr. Norling is a renowned optimal health expert who focuses on integrating natural and traditional practice. Dr. Norling, massage therapist Lorri Dzuiba (had a chair massage today - she’s awesome!) and Biofeedback Specialist Jim Holton have been meeting with their East Coast clients all week. They love the space and I love having them here. They’re good people. When my group88 co-founder, Jaye Donaldson, said, “Why don’t we have Dr. Norling do a lunchtime talk before she leaves town?”, I thought - can we really pull that together in 2 1/2 days? Well, yes we can! While at the conference Janet made an announcement about our very reasonable $10 lunchtime session on Friday with Dr. Norling and I immediately got 3 business cards handed to me. Dr. Norling’s session at the conference was packed and there were a lot of chics, like me, who weren’t able to get in there so we’re really happy to be able to do this. And, we’re getting the group88 name out there in a big way. Niiiiiiiiice!

5) I know Debbie Fay is reading this and seeing that I now am presenting a list of 5 things which, according to her is okay but not as good as just having 3 things because we all can’t handle more than 3. She’s absolutely right about that. But, frankly, I think 4 things is too weird and I wasn’t about to cut any of them. Odd numbers just seem to work for me which is not odd at all considering I like to think of myself as sufficiently odd. So, number 5 is really just that, number 5.

My crossroads has arrived. I have two career priorities that have been lost in the everyday shuffle of life but no more. I’ll let you know how it goes. Now that I’ve written out my dreams in this blog, I’ve gotta do it, right? Marcia will be proud, I’m sure.

And, by the way, the end of the day topped off with a great bonus: I won a raffle prize! I won by default because 2 other chics were not present, but who cares? It was the perfect prize too of a massage appointment and spa stuff. I deserve it after this week of laptop hell.

Thank you to the South Windsor Chamber and the committee for the Greater Hartford Women’s Conference. The event was phenomenal. Next year will be even better.

It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?”

This week I attended two girl power networking events, both discovered while rummaging through MeetUp.com. Although hosted in the organizer’s home, each event was very different. The first was The Professional Women’s Lunchtime Collaborative in Springfield, Mass., a small group of business indies who gather once a month with a purpose. Each month a member takes the wheel and presents a project or challenge for the group to nosh on. I like this approach. We bring our lunches, get to know each other in small bits and do our best to stay on topic.

The second event was a wine and chocolate half-social, half-networking evening. About 20 gals and one unsuspecting guy (don’t worry, we went easy on him) gathered in a very cozy fireplaced family room. The group is the Western Mass. sect of eWomenNetwork. This is atypical of their monthly meet ups which are usually a paid-speaker-dinner event. The flow of this event was possibly too casual, as discussions drifted here and there, but I didn’t mind. We kept topics to 90% business and the ideas flowed plenty regarding marketing, staying motivated and looking for new avenues to grow business.

Both events confirmed a gut feeling that I’ve had for several months now: women are itchy. Today’s professional women are energetic, smart and eager to suss out new opportunities. We’re competitive and supportive all at once. Business networking has really grown up and we all recognize the value in creating communities that have direct and indirect impact on our business.

I believe the focus for women succeeding in business is finally shifting from isolated big strides to a multitude of smaller but more effective leaps. In the early days of my career I worked with several women who were still living in the residuals of vigilante feminists. Don’t misunderstand me here – I am a huge proponent of competition and empowerment. I also believe competition is at its best when it coexists with mutual respect and support.

With the long-time career women I encountered in the 1990s, fear of not getting ahead was the driver and an expectation of suppression was a natural response. They were still “fighting the good fight” but their fight was not of 1970s and 1980s solidarity. Their fight had moved from “the man” to protecting their hard won territory against the younger women who were looking for mentorship and empowerment. It was a weird time. My views of this time were possibly skewed because I was green and new to office politics but I doubt this is the case since I see a definite change these days.

We are beyond the 1990s confusion of “every woman for herself while pretending to stick together.” Today, it’s not an either/or situation. In the U.S., it’s not about conquering territory and making a claim anymore. Now is the time for action where the focus is not reaction but impact.

The opportunities now open to everyone in business is causing an itch. I can literally see it in people at the networking events – they’re jumping out of their skins. The breadth of opportunity is immense. It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?” Moms take time off to hang with their kids and then they float into business whenever the opportunity strikes. I met a woman the other night who quit her job last summer and is just now thinking about getting another one, if the right one comes along. The organizer of the eWomenNetwork group home schools her six kids, yet finds time to help build a community of professionals who are focused on motivating and philanthropic business practice.

Man or woman in business, it’s time to scratch that itch. I want 2008 to be defined by action. Your actions should result in success for your business and for others in your community. Big or small, the actions we take to improve the business environment for others will always have great rewards for our own growth and success.

Predicting what 2008 will bring is tricky business. It’s an election year, housing is moving on from sellers-market denial, credit card debt continues to eat away at our economic stability, the U.S. dollar has seen better days, old media continues to fight the once-good fight while new media prepares for all-out infiltration and conglomerate air time is continually consumed by the Writer’s Guild strike and Britney Smears instead of our troops.

Armageddon? Not yet. As far as I can tell, turmoil breeds panic for the timid and intrigue for everyone else. The business climate, depending on the business, is at once volatile and filled with opportunity. I see the upcoming two years as less of an end to a decade than a precursor to the incredible shifts that will take place beginning in 2010. Virtual living and working will cause person-to-person business to make room for better online practices and philosophies. To be truly successful in the Web 2.whatever, businesses must synergize online and offline activities. Your business’ relationships, revenue and mojo depend on it. Enough about the decade, let’s just focus on 2008 for now.

Below are WallFly’s top three predictions for the upcoming year. I have to admit they are a mix of prediction and hope. Maybe I should have called them “Business-Fulfilling Prophecies” instead?

Recession Schmession

Smart companies will improve relationships, not business plans.

I’m not suggesting you avoid streamlining. We’re all making measured decisions with our cash flow. Just last week I considered not sending out a business mailer for the holiday season. Instead I opted to spend less money at Panera and wait until the new year to hit Staples.

Move your numbers around all you want but if you’re not taking time out to do the following, you are losing ground with clients: a) connecting with your clients on a regular basis (phone, mail, email or events) to increase opportunity for more interaction b) learning when, why and how your current clients interact with you, and applying that knowledge to improving your value and c) feeding your positioning with a menu of competitive activity, impending growth and your customer’s changing climate.

We all know that getting a client takes double the effort versus convincing a happy client to stay, so why do companies continue to neglect clients in the off-season of interaction? Think about your best personal relationships and what makes them tick. Making someone happy in a relationship 90% of the time requires improving their life every day (i.e., taking out the garbage) versus buying an expensive gift one day out of the year (i.e., buying an iPhone). Next time you consider dumping all of your marketing dollars into a big trade show, think about the low-budget things you can do to reach out to clients throughout the year: start a monthly newsletter, make quality control phone calls, talk about how other clients benefit from you, make in-person annual visits or even send out a short quarterly email that shares info on upcoming developments.

Ecomm Grows Up

Utility will emerge from 80 gazillion social media apps.

I’ve seen some pretty useless Facebook applications - from starting a virtual snowball fight to getting hugged by a zombie. How do these strides in web development improve your business? They won’t. But they will change the way users interact with the web and that’s what you need notice. Once users start expecting things from the online world, they want it from everyone - a streamlined user experience, content that takes into account context and a site that understands the concept of easy.

The massive amount of activity taking place among developers for Facebook and now Google’s universal app platform will both increase the size of our kids’ behinds as they play less soccer (or play more virtual soccer) and generate technologies that users will want to see everywhere. If you have a website, start paying attention to the activities happening online. You don’t have to apply them all but you have to understand how it will affect your clients. I’ve advised some clients to skip blogging because it didn’t make sense for them. It’s not about jumping on the latest, new technology - it’s about understanding how all new technology is driving the way we do business.

Marketing Gets Stuck

New media will drive marketing. The stories that stick, win.

I was wondering when some smart marketing guy would take Chris Anderson’s Long Tail and extend it by applying it to branding. The smart marketing guy is Mohammed Iqbal and the essay is The Elongating Tail of Brand Communication, as found on ChangeThis.

One-hit wonders are not only increasingly rare in this climate of targeted success, aiming for them is the same as denying the tastes of various music fans. We are a culture of choice and highly personal demand. One size does not fit all and this philosophy applies to both your products or service and your brand position.

I recently discovered this in my research for finding a market for a Connecticut coworking space, Group88, that I will help manage in 2008. Some of the area professionals liked the idea of getting out of their home-based office to meet with other folks while others had no need for networking at all (I think there’s always a need for networking but I’m partial to the practice). You can’t be all things to all people so don’t even try. You can, however, choose the primary values of your positioning that appeals to your variety of customers. Using new media channels to test an idea and then kill it or expand it will yield higher results than picking one thing and crossing your fingers that it will stick. Don’t egg your basket - add crates and buckets and other things to put all your eggs into.

I’ve spent most of my career working for other people. Before I started WallFly, I had the everyday ritual of most Joe Workers: smack the alarm clock, drive to an office with other dutiful Joe Workers and then go home for a few hours before starting the process all over again.

I still smack the alarm clock but, depending on the previous night, it could be a 7 a.m. start time or maybe 10. How awesome is that? The freedom is the best perk. The solitariness, however, can make you feel really small. I wanted to find out who else was swimming about in the solo entrepreneur underbelly so I wrote Mavericks, an article for CT Slant. In my research, I talked with some really cool folks that ended up on the cutting room floor (1,000 words gets eaten up fast) so here are the Mavericks that didn’t make it into the piece:

Brightegg: www.brightegg.com

The Bright Idea: Smart websites for budget-smart professionals

How It Works: Brightegg has built an online platform for businesses who want to self-create, manage and market a website that is not cookie cutter and doesn’t break their bank. Their approach is unique. Designers from all over the world create themes for Brightegg and post them for purchase. Users can buy exclusive rights to a design (you’ll pay more) or choose a design that’s open to anyone (on the cheap). You can also hire Brightegg for a custom website. I know their work – you will not be disappointed. If you’ve ever tried to use free blogging software or set up a website yourself, you know the limitations with templates. Blech.

Start-up Life: Brightegg received funding for their gig and two of its partners are still juggling day jobs. Newly launched and in Beta, Brightegg has survived the funding and initial build phase and, according to co-partner Jim Kieffer, the next hurdle is traffic.

“The biggest challenge is getting the word out,” said Jim. “We offer companies something they can’t easily get anywhere else: a high-end, feature rich website, plus hosting and email, at an inexpensive price. We’ve got a great position in the marketplace but if the marketplace doesn’t know we exist, what’s the point?”

As a first venture, along with co-partners Leo Pellerin and Ryan Rose, Kieffer said one thing they’ve learned is that the money “goes much quicker than you think.” More than figuring out how to get funding, Brightegg has had to learn the nuances of working with investors.

“You need to think big. We thought big and still could have asked for more in our first round of funding. Ask yourself if you truly believe in your idea, product and business plan. Investors want a confident management team more than a good idea or product,” said Kieffer.

Kieffer advises other start-ups that a good idea is only the beginning.

“Think simple and targeted. People need to instantly connect with your brand without having to think about it. Also, take advantage of the new world of social networking and outsourcing. If done right, it can be tremendously helpful and rewarding.”

Go Cross Campus: http://gocrosscampus.blogspot.com

Designs on Dorm Dwellars: Gaming meets happy hour

How It Works: GoCrossCampus, or “GXC,” creates online games that mimic real locations. Gamers play on custom maps of their campus or surrounding area while interacting socially with other gamers. The first game was done by the Yale College council and had over 50% of the undergrads participating. Each game is custom-created to last 4-6 weeks.

Start-up Life: Unlike Brightegg, GXC is taking on the give-it-away-now-sell-later model. The games are free and, according to co-founder and Yale student Brad Hargreaves, the social networking-casual gaming platform is hoping to build a community that will attract a big player buy.

“You have Facebook versus games that were surrounded by a stigma – think of the fat kid in his basement. We want to break down that stigma. We think GXC is a great way for people to interact.”

Hargreaves, with his Yale crew, found resistance with their YouTube-like philosophy of building a following and then monetizing later on. The group had to go out of the state for funding. Connecticut investors wanted to see a strong revenue model that wasn’t part of GXC’s philosophy.

According to Hargreaves, Yale has “really taken care of us” with space, connections to advisors and people who shared theGXC philosophy and asked for nothing in return. Next on the horizon for GXC is getting more developers on board, partnering up with schools to play the game in Beta form and building a Facebook app so gamers can put stats on their profile.

For the initial games, GXC spent nothing on marketing and spent their Angel and VC funding on the product build. Hargreaves said that his biggest challenge was not getting funding but finding talent.

“The West coast is competitive. It’s tough to get the people you need because you are pulling them away from Google and Yahoo. Here it’s finding the people you need from a limited pool because they’re headed to the West coast.”

Hargreaves’ advice? “Get your idea out there. You’re not working on the Manhattan Project. If you have the opportunity to speak to Yahoo, go do it. If you’re huddling around your idea, you won’t get very far.”

XLerant: www.xlerant.com

Good Sheet: Accounting software for non-accountants

How It Works: BudgetPak is a “budgeting agent,” similar to Turbo Tax for accounting. Xlerant found that the industry is limited by targeting only the people willing to invest time to learn financial software. According to XLerant, the people driving business don’t want to be involved in the budgeting and planning process, the core of a business, because every accounting software looks like Excel, a product bought by accountants.

Start-up Life: When President Larry Serven and XLerant’s Stamford-based co-founders first developed an idea for easy-to-use accounting software, they looked to Excel. Not as a model but as everything they didn’t want to be.

“Our vision is to redefine the industry. The standard for ease of use is not Excel. The standard is Apple, Amazon, and Expedia. When someone thinks of easy, they think of ordering a book on Amazon, but they reject a spreadsheet as being ‘easy,’” said Serven.

In 2005, XLerant began developing their application with their first customer and psuedo-investor. In exchange for funding the costs of development, XLerant’s first client received unlimited user license and perpetuity. The alternative would be to grab VC cash, build and then launch.

“As an entrepreneur, you’re not always looking for the money, you’re looking to build a solid working relationship with an investor. You’re looking for them to add value,” said Serven.

XLerant headed down this partner-investor path on the advice of CTInnovations. According to Serven, CTI has helped in revealing the product, map out marketing and positioning and determine the most effective way to spend their cash.

Next step for XLerant is building the sales and marketing force. The company plans to continue building BudgetPak and looking for new ways to fill a market need.

“Every entrepreneur has to evaluate each potential exit strategy or offer when the given time comes. For us, we’re focused on keeping our head down and doing the best in the industry and good things will follow.”

Right now I’m driving back to my little house in CT from the Geezeo ZoomInfo Compete + sponsored Tech Cocktail event in Bostonian MA. Cool event. Probably 500+ folks chatting, drinking, hanging.

This is the type of event that I like. Nothing planned except for a few fun events - particularly, a raffle coordinated with a money machine (fitting for Geezeo) where folks had to enter a booth and grab as much fake money as possible as it blew around their heads. I totally rocked this game (which didn’t matter because you didn’t win anything except for the chance to drop your biz card into the raffle - blah) but my strategy was killer. I’d tell you but then if we ever were to encounter each other at another geek networking event with a money-blowing-around-your-head machine competition, you’d totally trump me. Not cool. A Wii, of course, was also present. First time playing a Wii for me and I totally stink so it will probably be the last. There were probably a few other things that I didn’t pay much attention to. I was too busy chatting folks up.

At the bar I ran into Mark from MarksGuide, a guy my buddy Matt has been trying to connect me with for sometime. He has an awesome concept for a hyperlocal, biz event happening site and I’ve already got some great ideas for how he can build up some excitement and get some Craig’s List type hype. I also had several fabulous conversations with Jill from Fashion Public. Her mission is to get boutique fashion directly into the hands of fashionistas. Another awesome concept. Jill is currently in the fund gathering stage. If there’s anyone out there that would like to invest in a sure-fire hit company, please contact Jill and give her your money. I’d love to work with her and the funds will make this happen. Thanks.

I also ran into BzzAgent reps. BzzAgent and I go way back. Pete from Geezeo will tell you that I told him about BzzAgent like four years ago. It was great to meet the folks face-to-face. Awesome WOM company and I’m excited to learn more about their new Frog Pond adventure. I haven’t participated in one of their campaigns in a while but I will be sure to hook up with one ASAP.

Honestly, if every conference and seminar out there was replaced with a straight out networking event, I think they’d be 30% more successful. Maybe even 38%. It’s the right environment to make things happen - people hanging out, talking, getting to know each other. It just makes sense. Thanks TechCocktail funders - looking forward to the next one.

Back in “the day” when I was young-er and living in NYC, I was lucky enough to be a part of a group of friends that became like family to me. We were all in our mid to late 20s, making our way together through first career mishaps, crazy bosses, jackass men and a city that wouldn’t let us quit. We’ve all since split and moved to California, Ireland, New Jersey, Staten Island and Connecticut but there was one night in Port Chester, NY that we’ll never forget.

Somehow we fell into partying with this group of guys who were relentless at promoting themselves. This was the early days of mass email and these guys latched on - building lists of people that they could email write-ups about their weekend adventures and announcements about upcoming gatherings. At the time, retro ’70s was huge in NYC so these guys decided to have a Boogie Nights party. For me and my girls, it was like a message from the glittery gods of platform shoes and feathered hair.

We spent HOURS. We shopped out our costumes at Salvation Armies and cheap discount stores, we bought loud make-up and talked endlessly about what look each of us could carry off. The highlight of our make-ready was studying the blue eyeshadow of William H. Macy’s wife in Boogie Nights as she got jiggy with a guy who was not William H. Macy. We actually paused the scene so we could replicate the look. When the pause ended, we rewinded and paused again.

When felt boogied up enough, we jumped on a train out of the city to Port Chester where we anxiously talked about what everyone else would be dressed as or who would be there and how awesome the night ahead was sure to be. It seemed like days since we started getting ready. The time had come to shake it down.

Arriving at the train station, the host picked us up and provided many compliments on our presentation and effort. We didn’t seem to notice that he was sans Boogie Nights apparel. We were dying to jump right into the festivities. Walking into the house, I was pretty sure I could feel my wispy feathered do go limp as we entered into nothing. No balloons. No streamers. No people. Well, there were some people but they were all huddled in a side room watching a football game. Not one of them in polyester or blue eyeshadow.

They didn’t stay in that room long. We had arrived and we were ready to party. It took a while but we got that group off their butts and made a heck of a boogie out of that night. We have the pictures to prove it.

I think the best marketers and business strategists can take a page out of the Boogie Nights’ book. These days, so much effort is spent mapping and measuring and mulling over promotional strategies that will garner X, Y, Z penetration and deliver A, B, C results. We spend more time trying to control the outcome of a product or company than actively living in the goodtimes and pitfalls that happen every day. When you live in the moment, you are agile and aware. You can recognize opportunities that you may have missed by looking at tomorrow.

If my pals and I knew that we’d show up to a blah party that night in Port Chester, we would’ve done something else. But we didn’t. Instead we spent too much money on ourselves, too much paste on our face and too much time giving each other belly laughs. The result wasn’t showing up to a disappointing party. We were the party and, today, friends for life.

The latest thing in networking and working, if you haven’t heard, is Jelly. Started by Amit Gupta of ChangeThis and BarCamp fame, Jelly-type gatherings bring solo entreprenuers and freelancers together to work out of somone’s home once a week or whenever. The result is a mutt environment of social hanging out, idea storming and actual working - all sans office politics.

Jelly is the hippie, laidback sister-in-law to the evergrowing Coworking trend where independents pay to come and go at jointly-funded office space. A local example of this is Betahouse in Boston. From what I’ve heard, the slots are for established techies versus just-starting-outs. A colleague of mine is dying to get in to Betahouse because of the networking potential. I’m sure Betahouse serves its renters well but the whole concept of how this developed intrigues me. I am always fascinated by how trends take shape and sometimes morph into the very thing they were getting away from. In this case, one of the goals of creating non-traditional work spaces through Coworking was to stave off office politics and create an open environment. Betahouse only has so many desks (12, I believe). It makes sense that they would limit those slots to folks that would most benefit from working in close quarters, but by channeling the networking, has an environment of exclusivity been created, similar to those found in traditional office politics? This isn’t a rhetorical question, I’m really asking. If anyone in Betahouse or any other Coworking space stumbles on this post, I’d like your thoughts.

Note that I have no idea if someone would be turned away from Betahouse if they didn’t fit the typical characteristics of that crowd - and, if they did, so be it. They have every right to do whatever they want with their rental space. I just find the evolution of certain types of social networking intriguing. No matter how organic an idea begins, it’s bound to get formalized. Rules follow, opinions clash and pretty soon bloggers like me start jumping all over it.

Pals of mine recently started a Jelly in Connecticut, Jam At Work, and so far I’ve only attended one afternoon. I liked it - I actually did get some work done and had a few laughs in the process. I’m sure I’ll return in the future. I doubt, however, that I will rent a coworking space anytime soon but I won’t discount it down the road.

I could start a jam or jelly or preserves of my own. Of course, this would require me to keep my dining room table free of papers, coffee mugs and random items that seem to crawl up out of nowhere. On second thought, I’ll preserve my workspace and keep the jelly in the fridge.