This blog is part of our AccelerateOTT: Scale or Fail Speaker Series. View the full series here.
Ryan Hoover, Founder, Product Hunt and Weekend Investor and Robleh Jama, Product Lead, Shopify
Speakers: Ryan Hoover, Founder, Product Hunt and Weekend Investor and Robleh Jama, Product Lead, Shopify
Title: The Rise and Impact of the Maker Culture – Empowering the Next Entrepreneurial Generation
Before taking the stage at #AccelerateOTT: Scale or Fail, Ryan Hoover and Robleh Jama decided to change things up. Turning the dial to chill, these two entrepreneurs shifted their keynote fireside chat to a conversation between two like-minded, long-term friends, who happened to be successful entrepreneurs. They invited the audience into their world of makers, movers and doers. Together, they shared experiences and strategies for success; explored ideas and spoke to the “maker culture”; and, talked inclusivity in a company. Sounds like a lot of great content, right? That’s because it was. Here are only a few of the key takeaways from their morning session:
- Money does not motivate everything or everyone. For makers, the intention is to create and learn.
- Fail, fail often, fail fast, learn and move on.
- Build a tight community. E-mail new users, customers, or subscribers personally and establish a connection. Form a small community > lay the foundation > open it up!
- Create a sense of exclusivity. An example: have a private mailing list.
- Make your product accessible, and it will be used by more people. And bring more people into the process of creating; this will mean better products which, in the end, means more money. It’s that simple.
Aquisitions of companies with an inherent #makerculture is a tricky thing… you innovate, but you innovate somewhat differently post acquisition to keep the values alive and strong @rrhoover @robjama #AccelerateOTT #ScaleorFail
— Catherine (@C_Maciaszek) June 13, 2018
Mad respect that @rrhoover and @robjama’s fireside chat brought up the notion of best ways of supporting youth entrepreneurs, diversity and inclusivity in entrepreneurship ????????????#AccelerateOTT #ScaleorFail
— Catherine (@C_Maciaszek) June 13, 2018
AccelerateOTT brings together the city’s innovators, creators and inventors. Work in tech? Starting a business? Just want to dip your toes in the proverbial entrepreneurial waters? You’ll be surrounded by founders, mentors and venture capitalists (some from as far as Silicon Valley) providing strategic and sage advice.
Since 2012, Invest Ottawa has ignited the Accelerate series in Ottawa, providing a conference that truly fuels the entrepreneurial fire. The day is packed with world-class speakers, power networking breaks and an epic after party!
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