Quietly, now.
I mentioned several weeks ago that I'm starting a company.
It's with
my friend Rob Emrich, who came up with what seems like a great idea.
I'm still not ready to tell you about it, but it's a chicken and egg business. Without the chickens. And without the eggs.
Before
we introduce the site, I need to gather a few sponsors, which will — in
turn — enable us to finish the design, programming, and initial content.
So here's the question: do you (or someone you love) want to sponsor SpeakerSite? Or do you want to work on it?
Dunno. What's SpeakerSite?
That's a great question. I'm glad you asked.
Before I say, let me ask you:
you are having a meeting and need a speaker, how do you find a speaker?
Especially if your budget is skinny? Do you just ask around? That's
inefficient and, dare I say, old school.
If you have a message
to share (even if you don't think of yourself as a "public speaker"),
how do you get found by audiences? Especially if you aren't famous.
The answer to those questions: SpeakerSite.
SpeakerSite
is an online social network where you can list your name and the topic
on which you would like to speak (for money, for fun, for passion, for
whatever).
And SpeakerSite is also an online social network
where you can search for speakers for a meeting at your company,
church, or community gathering.
Opportunity for Early Sponsors
Here are the details:
With your Early Sponsorship of $2,500 (paid by November 30th), we will
immediately feature your banner through April 2009. (Starting in March
2009, we plan to charge new sponsors $1,500 per month.)
Because we bought a great URL, SpeakerSite already attracts 50-250
visits per day, placing it among the top million sites. (This is, of course, before
we have launched and promoted.) Once we launch, during January 2009, we
will build substantial traffic and a much higher ranking.
We do need sponsorship today to pay for pre-launch development costs. Are you interested in becoming a sponsor?
If yes, please let me know. Chickens are standing by.
If you want to take a look — and even sign up as a speaker or event planner (go ahead!) — the site is here. But really, it's not ready for launch. It's still an egg.
Want to sit on the egg with us?
We do need at least one Web Programmer/Researcher for full-time, contract work in historic German Village in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
You can contact my friend Jeff, if the following looks good to you. As Jeff (thanks, Jeff) writes:
FULL TIME PAID POSITION – Columbus, OH
Description: Assist two successful local businessmen and social entrepreneurs with various website project work. This is an amazing opportunity for someone looking to build up their portfolio and be introduced to great Columbus networking opportunities. The right candidates will come away with excellent recommendations and the possibility for long-term future employment.
Requirements: Full-time programming and research position available for dedicated individuals to help with specific project initiatives for our consulting firm. Flexible schedule, but preferably regular hours, Monday-Friday. We are seeking a qualified candidate with some website coding skills who can master our template system quickly to help us develop our website. Ideal candidate would also potentially be able to handle occasional research and marketing. Some writing or sales background would be beneficial. Experience with design programs is a bonus. Pay is $1800 a month for the first 2 months, which is not great we know, but it will be increased over time and could develop into a long-term salaried position.
Must Have:
* Familiarity and strong understanding of the web and computers.
* Must be familiar with HTML, CSS
Any of these would be great(not required): PHP, Javascript, AJAX, MySQL, or Ruby On Rails.
Extra Design work also available for anyone who also has skills with: Flash, InDesign, Photoshop, and/or Illustrator
Desired Personal Traits:
* Intelligence, patience, optimism!
* Self-motivated and attention to detail
* A good attitude and ability to problem solve
* Interest in social entrepreneurship and technology
Office Location: Columbus, OH – German Village
Contact: Please reply with informal cover letter, resume and/or biographical information, and weekly availability to: Jeff@bamensch.com.
Speaker Site LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Location: German Village, Columbus, Ohio
Compensation: $1800 a month
This is a contract job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
I hope you can do all those things. (I can't.)