The coIN Loft
@coINLoftDE
Kurbi
@GoKurbi

“My startup story began when my friend and I quit our marketing services jobs, and the very next day we started a our own business.”
— Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“We figured that there were for sure other people like us, so we started traveling around and hanging-out in coworking spaces and attending events like these.”
— Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Before, we would essentially meet in coffee shops. We felt like community settings were a better way to build a company, and eventually we decided to found a coworking space (in Wilmington, DE).
— Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“By end of last year, we were acquired and entered into a private partnership w/ a company called Startitup DE.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Kurbi is geared towards patients and families of patients that are living w/ chronic conditions. At this stage, Kurbi is particularly for families of MS. It allows families to communicate about and share vital healthcare-related information.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“For people living with MS, Kurbi helps them balance healthcare-related exercises and posts selected results to Facebook and twitter.”
–Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“The starting place of your business is not necessarily where you end up. I feel as though most people focus far too much on their startup’s genesis, and it can prevent them from growing and developing their business into something more than they’ve envisioned.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Following our first year, I realized I had no idea what it was like to know and work with patients and families of patients. So, I took some time to observe them, just to better understand what my app needed to do in order to help and explore new ways to help.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Its not until you dig into people lives that you understand the novelty and usefulness of your app or product.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“As entrepreneurs, we are crazy people asking other people to put coins in our jar, and we have to understand that people may view us in that way.”
–Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Leading (interview) questions suck! We need to learn how to interview people in new and better ways.”  — Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“We opened a space, had 25 desks and the first day, the grand opening, no one showed. People were supporting us on the internet, retweeting us, but no one showed up to work, maintain the space and build the community. It was a serious lesson for us.” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Stay clear (cognitively), don’t be afraid to throw away the first iteration of your idea, because it will most likely be the most incoherent version of that idea.”
–Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“The hard work of entrepreneurship is to craft something that is meaningful to others”   –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“People are our foundation. Maintaining and building a network of connections is how we thrive!”  –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“It’s important to trust people. By and large, most people have no interest in stealing your ideas. So, dont live in fear of having someone steal your idea from underneath of you.”   –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“The example I use is: ‘If you had to draw a dog, what would you do first?’ Everyone has a different approach on one task, even something as simple as drawing a dog. The difference in those approaches or processes will appeal to different people, which will ultimately alter your end-game.”
— Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“The example is used to convey that even if someone were to steal your idea, they’d do it completely different than you would.”
–Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“It started off as an idea that Steve (a friend) had, he wanted to give money to students and not the institution. We called it ‘USeed DE’. We pitched it to the university of DE, and they loved it! We actually gave it over to another guy and now he’s based in AZ. He’s doing things with it that we would have never dreamed of!” –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“So, as a leader or founder, don’t be afraid to get out the way, and let other people take over. Some people might be able to do things better than you could ever do it. Dont feel like it’s something that you have to control.”
–Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Kurbi has a data sharing feature and a social feature. It allows people to understand that they’re not alone and can thereby feel supported. What we have observed is that Doctors will glance at the data, but the nurses are the ones that refer more heavily to it. If we are able to create a product that is so helpful that they don’t ever close it, then that’s a serious benchmark for us @GoKurbi.”
— Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“I really believe that getting away from your idea allows you to reform your intent.”  — Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Everything we do with Kurbi is patient-driven. Patients invite their doctors and nurses to use Kurbi.”  –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

“Since 2012, Kurbi’s app costs three dollars a month, on a month-to-month basis. Compared to the overall healthcare costs that patients and families spend in a month, we think it’s fairly priced. Building these deep in-roads to the healthcare system through our app has proven to be helpful for patients, and their families.”  –Wes Garnett Jr., @GoKurbi & @CoINloftDE

That’s his story and he’s sticking to it!

“While I like the introduction that Chris gave me; ‘a jack of all trades’, at my age, Id like to be a king!” (audience laughs)
— Dana Hoffer, General Partner @VRevolution

“Todays pitch is all about how well you can convey meaning to others.”
— Dana Hoffer, General Partner @VRevolution

“I help people get the resources they need to grow their business, and
Im good at getting resources, so that they can grow their business.”
— Dana Hoffer, General Partner @VRevolution

“You can see great storytelling all the time, in everyday life.”
–Dana Hoffer, General Partner @VRevolution

“Be compelling. Have a message plan and get it out their!”
— Dana Hoffer, General Partner @VRevolution

” A Museum, is directly translated to mean a place for muses to congregate. The Muses are the nine daughters of Zeus, goddesses of inspiration, the source of knowledge, related orally.”
— Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“These are the 9 muses (points to projector), their names and interests; … Euterpe (music), Erato (lyric poetry), Melopomene (tradegy), Polyhymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy) & Urania (Astrology).”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“Resources; its easy to win if you have the right resources, and this relates to the importance of great storytelling”
— Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“History, Herstory, whats your story?; I’ve done a little research and Im convinced that the definition of history is ‘his-story’.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“Having a story is good but you have to back it up, because otherwise (one) might say that it’s fiction.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“Hows it going?; Set yourself up to succeed by including information that is clear, compelling and include the whole story”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

Knowing your audience and piecing your message to fit you audience is hugely important”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“If you want people to help your business or gain resources, you have to get them to buy in on you.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“You have to establish credibility and its something that people tell you not to do, but not establishing credibility is a mistake. And its a mistake people make all the time.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“By staying focused on what the whole story is can protect yourself from saying things that don’t need to be stated.
We should be able to answer any story-related questions before they have ever been asked and avoid sharing things that don’t relate back to the story.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“You may need multiple versions of the same story in order to tailor it to your audience. And, that is something you should be prepared to do, if you haven’t already”
— Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“I was at a black-tie event, and an investor approached me and asked what my story was. And, I told him that  I help people get resources they need to grow their business’. That got him interested in me, and he asked if I was looking for funding. So, I asked the investor if he had 20 dollars, and he laughed and said that he was thinking more like $100,000. He ended up investing $300,000 instead. I spoke his language, by challenging back, I was able to establish credibility with him. We’re still good friends to this day.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“When you understand your audience properly, you can contextualize your story the most effectively and you will have success.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“Don’t ask angels for money, you have to offer something that they want and ask for help on it.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“Most angels are investing to ride in the flow of your success”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“A lot of times, people get money and they don’t manage it correctly… So, pay yourself when you can. I see people neglect to do this all the time and if you don’t (pay yourself) it will create problems.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

“If your looking for resources networking will always be helpful. Communicating is what people require to work and coordinate in a team and gain resources. Don’t forget to ask for help and don’t forget to offer help also.”
–Dana Hoffer, @VRevolution

Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion!

Special Thanks to the @23NorthDigital Multi-Media Team:
-Jehrin Flanik: Photos, Jehrin@23northdigital.com
-Michael Luttermoser: SUMU Vignettes, Michael@23northdigital.com
-Sean Deminski @IgniterTV: Live SUMU Stream, seandeminski@gmail.com

Setting the Precedent for Best Practices & Social Responsibility

“There’s over a thousand BCorps around the world, at this point and time.”
–Sarah Haggarty, Services Team @BLab

“BLab is the non profit that certifies B Corporations. We certify environmentally and socially responsible businesses. We also do two other things; we have BAnalytics, which is a platform that drives capital to entrepreneurs. And we also work on a legal structure in passing benefit corporation legislation, which is passed in Pennsylvania, which is exciting.”
— Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“So What is BCorp all about? The big picture of BCorp is that this is a new form of capitalism…There is a new way to do business around the world, and it’s BCorp. In addition to doing business, BCorp is also a means to do good in multiple ways.”
–Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“Companies who are focused on people, product and planet can equalize and pool all of those things together, rather than focusing merely on profit alone.”
–Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“BCorps are creating a new sector of the economy that are not only competing to be the best organizations in the world, but the best for the world.”
–Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“We assess prospective BCorps as a holistic company. We’re looking at the product, we’re looking at how they manage their employees, their investments and many other things. We look at the company in its entirety, its not just about the product anymore, its about the company and how they hold themselves.”
–Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“In January of this year, we launched the ‘BtheChange’ champaign. This was an opportunity for people to use business as a force for good. It’s a way for us (BCorp) to help consumers jump on board with BCorp movement.”
–Sarah Haggarty, @BLab

“If your a startup, we have a few different paths that you can take. Before this summer, the only path was for full certification, and that means that you need about six months of being up and running as a business. This means that your business is fully operational and generating revenue, and things of that nature in order to take the assessment.”
–Sydney Smith, Standards Team @BLab

“One of our Cofounders, Jay, started this idea of a ‘Pending BCorporation”, like a patent pending BCorp the full certification.  It’s a twelve month allowance to use BCorp’s intellectual property and connect to the community.”
–Sydney Smith, @BLab

“We started with a very small investment, the proceeds of the sale of a young horse, worth about seven thousand dollars. We bought our first load of what we believed at the time to be the world’s most comfortable shoes, in Denmark, in my husband’s home town in fact. We didn’t want to reinvent a new mousetrap, but make available something that hadn’t previously been available.”
–Mandy Cabot, CEO/Cofounder @Dansko

“We started with a suitcase full and gave away many, many, pairs (of shoes). We seeded them on the feet of professionals who stand long hours in all kinds of industries, healthcare, teaching, food service and hospitality, and reinvested all the proceeds in the company.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

One of the first employees that we every had that knew anything about shoes, was Mimi Curriy, Lyn’s wife. Who has really helped us grow, from a tiny startup to a company now with a 180-some employees, and over a 150 million dollars in revenue, with zero debt.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“I came up with seven reason why initially we decided to join BCorp. The first is that BCorp provides standards. How our business impacts our community, our environment, our employees, etc.
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“We were new to the shoe industry when we started. We weren’t interested in just putting more stuff on the planet, just for the sake of doing it. We wanted to make better shoes, but also pioneer a way to treat employees and be involved in the community. We wanted to our stakeholders favorite, and to do that, we needed standards.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“We think that we have high employee engagement, but we use on third party (BCorp) to validate it.
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“The second reason we joined BLab is that BLab provides comparability, not only for companies in a similar industry, but with companies that are different than us. We can compare ourselves with other companies from the same geographic region, size and so on.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“Our BCrop certification helps us (@Dansko) stay focused on best practices, such as less packaging or lower energy usages. It allows us to measure, report and track the areas that mean the most to us.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

BLab also provides a significant degree of resources, upon certification (or pending certification). If you really believe in corporate social responsibility, you need a full time staff dedicated to everything that you do. They can see things that we internally might not have thought of.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“BLab provides community!”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“Bcorps love to share great ideas, about marketing, sourcing, operations, community outreach and much more”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“Being in the company of other Bcorps generates a tremendous amount of goodwill and positive energy.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“The BCorp retreat is my personal way of reconnecting with, ‘why am I even doing this (business owning thing)?’. Its sort of like an intense workout, crossed with swedish massage and meditation for the soul. It is difficult to quantify in bottom-line terms, but it makes us stronger, more focused and more visionary, all at the same time.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“Sharing ideas with other BCrops is a tremendous value for me personally”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“BLab helps market our collective vision. We’re not fond of tooting out own horn, so BLab does that for us.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“There’s definitely a halo effect that comes with being a BCorp”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“BLab also mitigates the green-washing effect that many self proclaimed corporate ‘socially responsible businesses’ claim to have.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“Compared to businesses that only claim to be socially responsible, BLab means we actually walk the talk”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“BCorp Companies give other BCorps preferential treatment, such as discounts on products and services, which we resource a lot. The community that we give each other is really a great benefit.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“BCorps are afforded preferential tax status in certain areas, including the city of Philadelphia and San Francisco.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko

“I thought two more reasons (to be certified by BCorp) last night, and its hard to prove this, but we believe that being a BCorp allows us to attract employees who share our values. Or at least being a BCorp puts our values front and center, so perhaps those prospective employees who apply for jobs at Dansko self-select. Another benefit is that the research has shown that employees who work for something more than just themselves, who have a sense of purpose, and desire to contribute to an effort greater than themselves have higher engagement, retention and ultimately, productivity. Being a BCorp shows were not here just for personal gain, but for something bigger than that.”
–Mandy Cabot, @Dansko
Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion!

Special Thanks to the @23NorthDigital Multi-Media Team:
-Jehrin Flanik: Photos, Jehrin@23northdigital.com
-Michael Luttermoser: SUMU Vignettes, Michael@23northdigital.com
-Sean Deminski @IgniterTV: Live SUMU Stream, seandeminski@gmail.com

“I was born in a small town in Virginia. How many people here are from West Chester that have always lived here? Anybody form Delaware? Anybody from Virginia? South Carolina? Florida? Georgia? Kansas? Arkansas? Tennessee? Well, I’ve lived in all those place and that is the reason I have so many stories to tell. Every place I went I met interesting people and did interesting things.”

“I was born in a small town in Virginia. Woodstock, VA, not the other Woodstock.They was nothing going on in that town and I made my singing debut at age six, in the only theater in town. My Parents didn’t have enough money to buy a piano. So, my mother took me to a piano teacher and I got a Piano book and in the back it had a cardboard keyboard, which we cut out and pasted in on the desk. And that’s how started.”

“Within a year, when I was nine years old, I won a state competition in piano. When I was ten, I won again, and at eleven I won again.That year there was a man that was a judge, who taught Piano at Hollins college, in Roanoke, VA. And he said ‘Well Miss Dickenson, when you grow up I’d like for you to come to Hollins and study piano with me’, and I did! But between then there was a second world war.”

“He (General Patton) and my father during that time joined the army, which is why I lived in all those different places. I was with my father when he was getting his training in the Army, and fought in the Second War. It so happens that my father’s unit liberated Luxembourg! And when they (Luxembourg ) were celebrating their sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Luxembourg I received an email fro their government, saying ‘would you please come and represent your father, so my sister and I went and I sang at the American Cemetery.

“In the thirties, my father play Polo with George Patton (General Patton) in the cavalry. George was a Major and my Dad was a Lieutenant. Interestingly enough, when I went to sing in Luxembourg, General Patton’s Granddaughter was there.I was asked what she was doing in Luxembourg, and she said ‘I’m living in Germany, I married a German Doctor’. And it turns out that her husband’s grandfather was to be killed in a firing squad by the Russians, but was saved by her grandfather General Patton. Every chapter in book was an interesting story like that you’d never imagine could actually happen.”

“What seems like everybody I meet, there is somebody that I know that you know. That’s been the fun and the exciting part of my life.”

“So here I am, Im 85 and I’ve just written a book and I’m still working. And last night at four in the morning I got an idea for a song, so I stayed up for an hour and finished my song.”

“In these small towns where there were Dupont Nylon plants there was really not much going on because the town didn’t have anyone to direct or organize things. So I would get all the choirs together in the the whole county, whichever town I was in, and we would perform ‘The Messiah’,’Elijah’ and all those big choral pieces. Well, I just loved directing it, and of course the whole town loved it. And the whole town came out. And They were all free because I didn’t charge anything. I just borrowed the music found the soloists and it all worked out.”

(During the times of Segregation) “One interesting thing, When I did “Elijah” I had four little children at home, and a Black lady that helped me with the kids ask me, ‘May I come (to the show)?’, and I said ‘Well, of course! Its free and open to the public’. And she asked me, ‘Could I bring the people from my church?’ and I said “Of course!”. So they all came. I was new in town and didn’t even realize that they hadn’t ever set foot in the (White) High School.There were no tickets and no ushers, so they filled the whole balcony.”

One lady (who attended the concert in the White high school), a teacher, in the Black school wrote me a letter. I never met her because we moved right after that. It was the most beautiful letter I’ve ever gotten in my life. And when we were planning the my book, my son called and said,’Mom you got to put that letter in about Mrs. Watson because thats (first desegregated concert in that area) most best thing that you’ve ever done in your whole life’.

“So here I am, I’ve got a brand new BMW because my son in Tampa sells BMWs (audience laughs). And he says, “Mom, you got to join the human race. You need a GPS because your going to have all these book signings, and you need to know where your going.’ And Im going to all these towns where i used to live because there in my book, and thats a lot of fun.”

“So, I just keep reinventing my life. I don’t know how it happens. It just does. Now I have a GPS and now I have a smart phone. Im just beginning to learn how to use it (85 years old)… As long as I have the energy and the health, I’m just going to keep learning new things.”

“People keep asking me, “where do you keep getting these creative ideas”. I’ve always been a church choir whenever I’ve lived and I’ve always believed if God made my brain, then he’s sending me messages. So, even before there was computers I called it Capital “G”Mail (audience laughs).”

“I get ideas, and I have a piece of paper and a pencil next to my bed, always have. I write down things because I don’t want to forget it when I wake up in the morning.”

“West Chester was really my grounds for finding talent for my shows. I like people. I want to know where they’re from and what they do. I don’t think anyone is a stranger ”

“We are Jesse’s Jar. I want to tell you a little about our story. Our story starts with our family. Seven years ago Jesse’ was born into our family. I have three boys, Daniel, Jack and Jesse. Jesse is our middle guy. He’s seven years old.

“We live life like any other family. Jesse, was born with special needs. He has a disability, but I cant tell you what it is because he falls into the undiagnosed realm. There’s no genetic disorder, no Autism, he doesn’t have a disease, he just has a disability. Jesse is incredibly awesome. He’s got a personality that draws you in.”

“We were invited into Jesse’s class this year. In Watching Jesse’s teacher talk to her students about what its like living with multiple disabilities, I said to myself,’Man! Kids with disabilities need kids without disabilities, and kids without disabilities needs kids with disabilities because kids with disabilities have something to offer too. What if we could communicate this need for one another to the community and increase the resources available for people who care for children with disabilities?”

“Around us, at Coasteville highschool, there are hundreds of family with children of special needs. Its not just us. We did some research, there are 6.1 million children in the US with special needs and that number in increasing every year.

“Out of every 100 children, 2 have Autism, 7 have ADHD, 8 have a learning disability, and 14 have a developmental delay. Devolpmental delay is what my son would fall under. It means there is no specific diagnosis, but it keeps them from doing what some other kids can do. These stats came from the center for disease control”

“There are school funding gaps for kids with special needs. The West Chester School District did some research into the funding trajectory for schools in our community. We found out that federal and state funding gap of 3.1 million dollars, which not unlike the previous statistic, is increasing very year.”

“When you look at the fiscal need for funding in schools who care for kids with special needs, that need well surpasses the access to readily available resources.”

“If you think its difficult for a school district, just think how difficult it is for a family with a fixed income?. Your dependent upon grants or resources given from the state, but if the state has gaps, then you wont get as much funding for your kids. Theres is always a need for more funding for these kids”

So, how do we close this gap? Well, it takes generosity. You can close the gap by fundraising, you close the gap by a number of different ways. Every month my son comes home with a flyer of something you can buy to raise funding. Smencils, its a pencil with a smelly erasers, ginormous pack of candy bars, recyclable trash bag, a lollipop tree, spirit gear; with microsoft clipart from 1985. What kid wants to wear clip art school gear? And ‘mmm cookies’. This is all the typical stuff that they use to raise funds.
…

“Typical parent fund raising is to either get an extra job or brutally work out your one job. Which generally involves sweating it out and feeling like, ‘we’re not gonna be able to close the gap.'”

“I went on every major school fund raising site. In the country it funnels down to two or three. There are two or three companies in the country that sell and distribute all the products.”

“I visited one site that listed all the various types of fund raisers they offer. Bands, Boy Scouts, Church, PTO, Preschool and countless others. And if you went through the whole list, you’d find a bunch of different causes and organizations that are interested in fund raising, except what you wont find on this list is, What? You wont find a special needs fundraiser.”

“Nobody seems to be thinking, ‘how do we close this (special needs funding) gap?’. Instead they focus on new Mac computers, or a big field trip, or a playground equipment. Very rarely you find anybody particularly interested in the one class in every elementary school that has kids with special needs in it.”

“We thought to ourselves,’What if we created something better, easier and more special. Something that was streamed-lined. Something that was ongoing, that parents really wanted to buy and that was connected to the technology of today. so that I could purchase something and tell everyone I could possibly know about it via social media.”

“We took an ordinary mansion jar that ordinary people already like to use and filled it with stuff. We filled it with products, all different sorts of products, such as coffee, ginormous gum balls, chalk, games for kids and many many other things. We also created a product line that enabled people to consider buying it as a gift for someone else.”

“Jesse’s Jar is about cataloging all these products, creating a better catalog of products and using social media to people that we are buying this product for this specific need. We chose to ship the Jar in a beautiful box that encouraged people to give it as a gift, and the proceeds of this gift go to helping children with special needs.”

“Chose to start locally, here in West Chester. Got local business to put their products in the Jar. We leverage the resources and skills of local artisans, like candle, candy, t-shirt, makers. Taking any product that was locally made like BBQ sauce, or anything else to help close the funding gap in our community”

“Our mission as a family, because we want help kids and families like ours, and because we want to help the organizations that help care for children with special needs. Quality and creative products that successfully raise money, so that special needs projects can be achieved.”

‘Its a simple way to give a special and loving gift. Choose a jar, choose a product, choose a lid, write a note and ship it off.”