#launch48

In 2009 I ran a reasonably-successful hackathon calked Hackitude. It was the first time I'd tried anything like it, and was pleased with the final result, even if I did end up coding which I'd promised myself I wouldn't.

After this weekend's Launch48 fun and a few conversations, I started wondering whether there was perhaps room for another non-thematic hackathon. So how does it work?

For a few weeks before the event, anyone can suggest a problem, or a "what if" scenario. Things like "What if all the lampposts had QRcodes so we could use our mobiles to report when they'd gone out?" or "What if there was a map of all the allotments in Birmingham?" (We actually built the last one.) Developers and ideas people can then sign up to the event, and on the first night we pick the problem(s) we want to solve, then spend the weekend designing and building.

It's a less-talk-more-action kind of feel, borne out of frustration with a city that does lots of talking, but not much doing.

The first Hackitude was held at Aquila's former offices in Broad St and started off with a dozen or so people. I'd struggled getting events off the ground after that, but I'd like to try again. The only question is...

Test Driving the Beam for Launch48 Business Model

This weekend, you mght be one of the lucky people being invited to test-drive a Beam Smart Presence Device in London, so as to get a sense of your interest in using this device.

The team here at PilotPresence is chipping in and testing out the concept of RPD Rental – or “instant personing” and please feel free to help out in an way you can.

The team is part of a Oxygen Startups / Launch48…

This Weekend (starting Friday night) is an event called Launch48.

I wanted to highlight this because if you have not attended an event like this or a startup weekend then this is something you need to do!

I have no affiliation with these guys other than the fact I attended last year and thought it was one of the best 'startup' experiences of my life! After this event, I was truly hooked on all things startup!

On the Friday everyone gathers, and anyone with an idea goes to the front and pitches their idea, everyone votes until there is 4 or 5 ideas left and then you join the team that interests you. 

For the next 54 hours you work non stop on building a business around this idea with your group, stopping periodically to pitch your progress with a group of mentors who give you feedback on how to improve the product. By the end we were so excited we were looking to form a company!

I truly believe that regardless of your background whether it is sales, marketing, design, finance, you will see what it is like to build a business with incredible momentum and excitement- you will see what startups are all about! This is the beauty of Launch48 you do not need to be tech savvy (although it helps) because every business needs a team with a different skill set to succeed.

In less than a years time I will qualify as a chartered accountant (all being well) and I always assumed that at that point I would naturally know exactly what I wanted to do in life. Accountants know stuff don’t they? They understand the world of business and have an unrivalled knowledge of how the various areas fit together. And what the people in each of these areas do. On a day to day basis. And how happy they are. And consequently what the perfect job is. And they’d be awesome at that job because they are an accountant. And everybody needs an accountant. Don’t they? So basically by this point my career would be sorted.

Sadly I’m coming to realise that this is not the case. Accountancy is just another area within the world of business. You can sit and crunch the numbers, and you might be able to draw a few conclusions from them, but that alone doesn’t help to see the wider picture. Not properly.

A couple of weeks ago I realised that I still had no idea what I want to do when I qualify, other than that I don’t want to be an auditor. That’s what I do now. I’m at one of the big four and although this provides a great opportunity to make contacts and really explore all the potential career paths you could take, I haven’t exploited any of the resources available to me. It’s becoming ever more apparent that its not enough to just be there and do a good job. You have to get out there. Meet people. Be proactive.

These things terrify me. The thought of taking myself out of my comfort zone and talking to people in business about business- a subject that I’m meant to know so much about already- is enough for me to convince myself that actually I will be very happy in audit. I won’t mind spending my evenings and weekends checking people’s accounts. It’ll be fine when I find a massive error in them at 3am, when they’re meant to be signed the next day. I also enjoy abuse from clients, and arguing with them as to whether they refer to their widgets as ‘inventory’ or ‘stock’.

Okay, maybe not.

So I’ve decided this is my year of enlightenment. I need to see what else is out there. I know I have a head for figures, and that actually there are many aspects of accountancy that I really enjoy, but surely there must be something more exciting than just producing the same spreadsheets month after month? Or am I just being naive? Is a job meant to be something we do just for the money and actually derive little pleasure from?

This year I will bite the bullet and throw myself into the world of business. I will attend events and ask the stupid questions that I haven’t dared to before. I will research- through whatever medium necessary. And I will learn. By the time I qualify I will know the next step that is right for me to take, and during the year I will have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge.

That’s the plan. To get me started I need something big. Something that will kick start me into the process, and will inspire me to carry on. Such a thing presented itself serendipitously whilst out for lunch with friends last week, when one announced that she would be going to an event for budding entrepreneurs in which they would be given the task of starting a business within 48 hours (‘launch48’). After a little research into the event and a fierce battle with my inhibitions I signed up for it.

After an inspiring summer of sport, Launch48 Weekend is back at UCL in London to build ideas for new startups, have fun, and help you meet new people and maybe a co-founder.

When: Friday 19th October to Sunday 21st October 2012.

Where: UCL Engineering Front Building, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE. See directions

Cost: Super Early Bird tickets starting at £69.95. Student tickets are available.

Get your ticket now Included in the ticket price you get:

Free beer, wine and soft drinks on the Friday evening.

Free beer, wine, soft drinks and pizza on Sunday.

Free coffee during the event.

Access to mentors consisting of Londons top entrepreneurs and investors.

A Launch48 goodie bag worth over £3,500.

1 month free access to the Launch48 Online premium content site (coming soon).

50% saving on our Launch48 Launchpad Ground Control November event. See below for details

Get your ticket now (25% discount for Enternships members)

Discount code: enternships25

Startups are after the best employees on the market. It's an intense environment on a very limited budget where performance is everything; they can't afford to have dead weight.

Not to worry though. We all know you are the best candidates (as you're using Enternships) so here is my 5 skills you need to practice and show off to bag your dream startup job.

1. Maggie Thatcher work ethic

A strange example, but the former Iron Lady was famed for only sleeping 4 hours per night - that is a work ethic.

Startups go hard and push themselves to the limit. This involves long hours, weekends and holidays, but if you choose the right startup you will be doing something fun, exciting and interesting.

Startups look for people that have a passion and work hard to make sure that passion is done to the best of your ability.

To highlight work ethic in an application show your hobby (knitting, rugby, air fix models etc) and show what work you have done over a prolonged period of time with the results that were achieved. As a side note please don't tell a possible recruiter how you did no work all term but managed to cram for 48 hours solid to pass your exam; not cool.

2. Take a leaf out of the Friends cast personal lives

Probably the best example of a group of friends that kept an active social life. Follow their lead and show a startup you have a group of friends that you spend time with outside of work (despite my last point you will have a social life).

Startups appreciate you need a social life and will be impressed by an active one. It shows that you are happy outside of work, and this will effect your performance at work.

Highlight trips / travelling that you have taken with groups of friends, show events that you go to, or hobbies that you do with your friends. The more you show you are an active and sociable person the more value a startup can see in you.

3. Organise yourself

99% of startup founders will be in the 1% of the most unorganised people in the world. It is in their DNA, they can't look after themselves as they are constantly chasing dreams and trying to execute their amazing ideas.

If you can show them how amazingly organised you are they will be stunned beyond belief and will not be able to comprehend what you have just shown them.

Highlight how you manage your amazing social life with your dedicated work ethic through a series of notebooks, calendars, and to-do lists and you will get any startup founder begging you to look at their mess of filing system and personal to-do management.

4. Bet the business, but know what you're doing

Startup founders are inherent risk takers, they like to take chances and reap the big rewards.

Startups look to their people to take similar risks in ensuring the business moves forward and delivers. Highlight your risk threshold through examples of when you have tried something others were too afraid to try.

However, a word of warning, you will be betting the startup founders money so be prepared to be accountable and show that you can rescue any situation.

5. Move from tech nomad to tech know how

Please don't reach for the the closest computer science text book to learn about database management.

However, an understanding in the basic technology concepts will do you no harm. Show that you understand HTML, CSS and basic Javascript and could talk to a hardcore developer about basic website design and structure.

There are tonnes of resources on the web to help you get started and this will demonstrate to any startup that you are dedicated to the online world.

Plus one

The above 5 points should help you bag your dream startup. The final point is that a startup will look favourably on startup experience. No one understands what it takes to work in a startup like someone that has been involved in a startup already.

No, you don't need to rush out and start a startup. Instead come to the next London Launch48 Weekend in October and start working with startups. You will quickly learn what it takes to launch a startup and how to create an action plan to take a startup forward.

Not only that but you will meet mentors that have launched dozens of businesses between them and have made over $200 million between them. It wouldn't harm any interview to say you have met these people, some of them may recruit you directly as well.