Design. Start. Code.
Money DECEMBER 2014
From A to VC:
An Introduction to Angel Investors & Venture Capital By Claire Jordan Dunn, page 45
Within you is the power to make 2015 your most lucrative year yet.
Dear Readers, In our first issue, Velma shared origin stories; we invited some of our friends to tell us about a pivotal moment in their lives that led to a new beginning. In issue two, Velma looked at a few women living and working in Austin to solve wicked problems. Each story in these two issues illustrates an individual’s resilience to persevere in the face of odds and obstacles. Nowhere in these stories is the solution to throw money at a problem or shove it under the rug; rather, the solution lies in a human being—or beings—sitting down and doing the work to make change happen. Even in the absence of money, we do not need to become martyrs to create positive change. Too often women find themselves in “helping” professions, earning less than their male counterparts. For too long, roles for women have been restricted to supporting the work of others and therefore receiving less pay, benefits, and recognition. With the emergence of social good entrepreneurship and innovative approaches to business models, it is now possible for women to define success for ourselves and determine how we expect to be compensated for our hard work. Creating flexibility in our careers and personal lives has never been so accessible. Within the pages of this third issue, we are initiating a dialogue about money. Money is something we all deal with on an everyday basis, but we so rarely hold practical conversations about it. Sometimes even within our most intimate relationships we shy away from discussing finances. It’s no wonder that this fear of money can ruin relationships, block us from advancing our careers, hold us back from building personal wealth, and push retirement further away. We hope the articles and information provided to you in this issue shift your perceptions about money into a more positive direction. Financial management is far less scary (and cumbersome) when you understand it. Remember, you are not a victim of your financial circumstances. Within you is the power to make 2015 your most lucrative year yet. Happy reading!
Jess
Yours truly,
Jessica Lowry Founder, Velma Magazine P.S. From all of us at Velma Magazine, we wish you and yours a magical, fun, and loving holiday season. Be present and enjoy every moment of it!
Meet the Velma
Staff Claire jordan dunn Editorial team
Claire, a native Austinite who returned after spending a year in London, is a Digital Producer helping organizations build meaningful relationships with their audiences through engaging social media experiences. Claire is an academically inclined teen media junkie, having previously composed extensive research on Gossip Girl and is currently conducting a close read of Pretty Little Liars without a shred of guilt. She’s also an aspiring mixologist and the loving caretaker of a scruffy little shelter mutt. Claire’s involvement with Velma stems from her belief that “the techie female Austinite’s voice is clear and strong—it’s just needed the perfect avenue for amplification.” @ClaireJordanATX
Danielle Selby Design team
Danielle is a recent transplant to Austin and is originally from Abilene. She’s an artist & designer at Pasadya, where she creates illustrations, abstract fine artwork, murals, and logos; she brings these skills to Velma as well and is to credit for the staff sketches featured here. She’s also a photographer, specializing in photos of “loving families, beautiful people, and simplistic scenery.” Danielle is a proud owner of a socially-awkward Boston terrier and an accomplished baker of lemon meringue pies. Danielle finds Velma a refreshing addition to her life and enjoys being surrounded “by bright, supportive individuals who are both generous and courageous to share their skills and experiences with others who are excited to learn.” @DanieSelby
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Velma Staff
virginia honig Design team
Virginia Honig is an aspiring service designer who grew up in South Carolina and spent her summers swimming in the Texas Hillcountry. Virginia recently moved back to Austin to set up shop within the greater design community, as she finishes her thesis for the graduate service design program at SCAD. She has a knack for working with her hands and listening to other people. She finds joy in conducting human-centered research, building prototypes out of ideas, and making sure user experiences are full of delight. Virginia has a weakness for fine wine, spanish olives, and a block of salty cheese. Even though she has to stick to a tight budget as a grad student she won't deny that she will splurge and when that happens it tends to be food related. @DesignObserve
jennifer aldoretta Design team
Jennifer has one of the best job titles ever, and as CoGroover and CEO of Groove she makes tools that educate and empower women to take control of their reproductive health and fertility. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Jennifer has lived in Austin for a little over a year and can be found riding her bike all around town, often in search of kale and/or dark chocolate. Jennifer is featured in the first issue of Velma and believes in the mission of the magazine because, in her own words, “I think it will help inspire the next generation of change-makers.� @JAldoretta
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Velma Staff
valle hansen Editorial team
Valle is a Senior UX Researcher who asks people questions about the Internet and then tries to figure out how to make it a better experience for them. Valle grew up in New Jersey but has called Austin home for over four years. Valle has a knack for controlling her face, a weakness for pretzels, and a guilty pleasure in watching Tommy Lee Jones. Valle believes in Velma because, “Women in tech are few. There should be spaces for women in tech (and everywhere) to feel heard / empowered / supported / proud / nervous / scared / frustrated / humble / hilarious / awesome without having to scream too loud or look too hard. Thanks, Velma.” @ValleTown
kelly hitchcock Editorial team
Kelly, a technical writer at CSID specializing in APIs and SDKs, hails from Kansas City but has called Austin home for over three years. She is an accomplished writer currently working on her third fiction novel. When not wordsmithing technical documentation, short stories, and poetry, Kelly heads to the gym to stay sane. Her indulgences include watching mass amounts of football on the weekends and ordering the house wine at Winebelly. Kelly believes in Velma because “the women in tech scene in Austin needs more light and less heat. I know too many local female developers and other tech professionals that it’s silly for them to feel alone.” @KellyHitchcock
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Velma Staff
Nicholle Shaver communications team
Nicholle is from Orange County, CA and has called Austin home for two years. As Event Manager at Capital Factory, Austin’s entrepreneurial center of gravity, Nicholle coordinates the pre-planning and on-site execution of 40+ events a month, including hackathons, meetups, VIP receptions, and, most notably, a visit from the President and White House staff in 2013. Nicholle has a prolific sweet tooth, indulges in all things Star Wars– and Harry Potter–related, and aspires to be able to do a cartwheel someday. For Nicholle, Velma is about “breaking down barriers, providing a community to spark positive conversation, and helping make big things happen. Velma provides a platform for women to voice their opinion, offer resources that might otherwise not be available, pursue an idea, ask for tips or help, and so much more.” @NicholleJ
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Jessica Lowry
Cover Artist & founder
Jess does not consider herself an artist. However, she was raised by two Pratt Graduates (both painters) who influenced her to think in terms of form and function. She created the cover as a homage to her favourite folk artist and cartoonist. The collage style of Lynda Barry was her main influence for Velma’s “Money” cover. The storytelling of collage feels unique to Americana Artists and reflects the values of most Austinites. There’s an honesty in folk art and collage. Jess is drawn to the vulnerability of imperfection. For her, flaws are what distinguishes expressive art from commercial art. Jess used photoshop to layer photos by Danie Selby and Amy Parks. She texturized the layers with a watercolor effect. The result is a depiction an authentically Austin scene. The city skyline cluttered with cranes while the subject ponders what will come of all of the growth and change surrounding her. @JesLowry
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Are you a student looking for real-world experience? Join Velma’s internship program! Each internship runs for 6 months and requires a time commitment of 10–15 hours per month. If you’d like to apply, please send an email with cover letter, portfolio, and resume to staff@velmamagazine.com.
Journalist Internship
Design Internship
Communications Internship
Velma is looking for a smart, fast-thinking intern well versed in current tech trends and eager to learn the ways of Velma’s editorial team. You’ll be reporting to Velma’s lead editor, who shepherds Velma’s monthly article production strategy. Most of your time will be spent assisting the editors and following up with writers. You’ll be expected to perform at a high level with short turnarounds—and love it!
Do you love creating original designs using Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign? If so, you’ll be able to assist Velma’s design team in layout and design of our magazine. Candidates must have a strong portfolio of previous layout work and must be able to prove proficiency in InDesign to do quick, accurate styles. We’re looking for talented, creative, inspiring individuals!
Support Velma’s communications team by researching inquiries and responding to comments from fans via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and emails, assisting with special events, and working with the Velma editorial team. Duties will also include administration for the communications team lead, in addition to maintaining contact lists and behavior analytics tracking.
The Good Ol’ Girls Club: Belle Capital in the Capital of Texas
Ingrid Vanderveldt Photo by: Danie Selby
Written by: Kelly Hitchcock Edited by: Valle Hanen and Jennifer Aldoretta
Creative Layout by: Jennifer Aldoretta Photos and Design by: Dani Selby
About Ingrid Vanderveldt, Chairman and CEO of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020) @ontheroadwithiv www.ebw2020.com
Ingrid Vanderveldt Photo by: Danie Selby
Ingrid sits on the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council, is a Managing Partner of Belle Capital, founding organizer of the GLASS Forum (Global Leadership & Sustainable Success), and cofounder of The Billionaire Girls Club. Previously, she was the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (“EIR”) for Dell Inc. where she oversaw entrepreneurial initiatives worldwide helping to build a $250 million business segment and founded the $125M Dell Innovators Credit Fund, Dell Founders Club, and the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs during her three-year term. Page 9
The Good Ol’ Girls Club
Written by: Kelly Hitchcock Ingrid Vanderveldt grew up thinking she would be a missionary before she realized she was, in her words, “a pretty effective capitalist.” Even by Warren Buffett’s standards, “a pretty effective capitalist” is a gross understatement for Vanderveldt’s achievements. To name a few, she oversaw the Dell Innovators Credit Fund to the tune of $100 million. She cofounded the Billionaire Girls Club. She single-handedly brought Belle Capital to Austin.
“I realized that I would use my gifts to be an entrepreneur and create opportunities for myself, my family, my community, and, ultimately, the world,” Vanderveldt says.
Belle Capital is an all-women angel fund that provides venture capital to tech startups led by women. Its expansion from major cities like Los Angeles and Detroit to Austin got its unlikely start after a night of drinking scotch in Rio de Janeiro. Vanderveldt was attending the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) conference with Lauren Flanagan, the founder of the fund, and after hearing about all the things Belle Capital was doing for women in other cities, she thought Austin would be the perfect next step with its great pipeline of tech
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The Good Ol’ Girls Club
innovators and talented women. Since launching the fund locally, women in the Austin community have gotten involved, both as investors and as potential recipients of the fund. In fact, Belle Capital is set to announce their first capital recipient in Austin before the end of the year.
Technology
is the key
Vanderveldt feels that women have historically been discouraged from becoming financially savvy—not because they don’t want to be, but simply because men have been the ones in the drivers’ seats in the world of finance. It’s hard for anyone to admit when they’re not financially literate, but for women who are trying to talk to venture capitalists about investing in growing their businesses, the lack of knowledge becomes painfully obvious. “It’s still somewhat rarefied air [for women] to even be funded by venture capitalists, so that can be somewhat intimidating,” Vanderveldt says. Women still shy away from talking about money, struggle to be forthcoming in asking for exactly what they want, and routinely devalue themselves in negotiating the salaries they’re worth, even though they are continually emerging as leaders and control 70 percent of the global wallet. “Dealmakers want to work with dealmakers; they want to talk money.”
enabler—but
It was only natural that Vanderveldt’s passion for helping women and her desire to see them succeed in business bled over into the tech world, where women receive less than 5 percent of venture capital. In her words, “Technology is the key enabler—but also escalator—to women’s success as leaders, but also [as] entrepreneurs.” She feels that because, historically, there are few women in the tech field, expectations have not yet been established—leaving women in a unique position to define what’s possible.
entrepreneurs.
also escalator—to women’s success
as leaders, but also [as] – Ingrid Vanderveldt
Vanderveldt’s work with this wide swath of organizations and platforms has ultimately led to beginning one of her own. With the goal of “Empowering a Billion Women by 2020,” the aptly Page 11
WOMEN looking to grow their financial prowess don’t have to
go it alone.
There are a number of books they can use as a jumping-off resource on the road to financial literacy. Here are a few of Ingrid’s recommendations:
For help with acknowledging your own self-worth Overcoming Underearning: A Simple Guide to a Richer Life by Barbara Stanny.
For insight into the strategies of some of the most successful people out there MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins.
For a successful entrepreneur’s story of balancing material wealth with a life of spiritual love and purpose Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All by Russell Simmons.
The Good Ol’ Girls Club
named EBW2020 platform that is currently under development is uniquely crafted with women entrepreneurs in mind. Using this platform, women can input their businesses’ financial data and perform an analysis of where they stand. From there, they can pair up to receive mentoring and coaching on how to manage their balance sheets, reach their financial goals, talk to venture capitalists, and ultimately become more financially literate. “There are so many options for women in terms of the different groups they can join, different things they can do, so we really want this to be a gathering place for women to figure out, based on wherever you’re at and what you care about, what organizations best fit their needs,” Vanderveldt says. Her vision is that the EBW2020 platform be the link that pairs up women entrepreneurs with organizations plugged into the platform, and it is the driving force behind all Vanderveldt’s business, policy, and media initiatives. In her words, “I’m out in some ways to create the Good Ol’ Girls Club and really help women succeed.”
Ingrid Vanderveldt Photo by: Danie Selby
BIG lessons, small screens. Financial Literacy Apps for Girls Written by: Valle Hansen
Kids nowadays almost never use cash in daily transactions. They don’t balance checkbooks. They don’t have piggy banks. They often have their own credit cards and/or digital allowances (IOUs) from parents. In short, our daughters are even more removed from the realities of cold, hard cash and financial responsibility than we were as little ones. So, because technology has effectively
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created this chasm between the realities of physical money and the ethereal nature of digital money, it makes sense that technology also provides the bridge to helping our daughters develop a healthy relationship with money. To that end, Velma has scoured the iTunes store and Google Play to find the best and most innovative apps helping to teach our girls the value of financial literacy.
Big Lessons, Small Screens
Artwork by Danie Selby; Photo courtesy of iTunes
PiggyBot
Great Apps for Financially Savvy Girls
PiggyBot is one of the newer financial management apps for parents and kids. It’s a digital allowance and IOU tool so that parents and kids can keep track of kids’ finances without the hassle of actual cash transactions or paper IOUs. Like most of its competitors,
PiggyBot offers kids the opportunity to set goals for saving and spending—but it also includes a section for social “sharing,” a donation tool that encourages kids to think beyond their own desires to the needs of the world at large.
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Artwork by Danie Selby; Photo courtesy of iTunes
Kids Money
Big Lessons, Small Screens
Kids Money is an app primarily focused on helping kids save for long-term goals or bigger-ticket items like iPads or musical instruments. It offers inputs for recurring allowances and onetime gifts as well as deductions for spending, with each new
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input updating the estimated date when the purchase can be made or the saving goal will be met. Kids can see in real time how the interaction between spending and saving affects when they will reach their financial goals.
Big Lessons, Small Screens
Save! The Game
Artwork by Danie Selby; Photo courtesy of iTunes
Save! The Game is a gamified way to teach kids about the difference between saving for what they need and buying what they want. In the game, kids wander through a virtual world collecting money with the goal of trying
to get it all to the bank while avoiding the evil iWannas—impulse-buy items like candy or fast food that prevent kids from reaching the real goal (saving money) in a timely manner.
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Artwork by Danie Selby; Photo courtesy of iTunes
Bank of Mom
Big Lessons, Small Screens
Bank of Mom offers the standard functionality seen in these types of apps— allowance tracking, spending deductions, saving goals—but goes one step
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further and adds in very real-world elements of credit and interest. Kids can borrow money against future chores at an interest rate set by the parents.
Bankaroo is a pretty standard financial management tool for kids, offering checking, savings, and charity functionality as well as goal setting, but the
Bankaroo
Artwork by Danie Selby; Photo courtesy of iTunes
Big Lessons, Small Screens
really cool thing about this app is that it was actually created by an eleven-year-old girl who wanted an easy way to keep track of her finances.
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SheDesignsATX + SheHacksATX =
AWESOME!
There is no other event in Austin that pairs women coders and founders for a day of hacking. And this time we’re inviting designers to create complete product teams.
Originally, the idea of creating an event for founders to find help with their software product seemed simple enough. Women struggle more than any group to secure funding and scale their startup. As more women get into tech, too few opportunities remain to develop the leadership skills necessary for career advancement. Although there is much debate about why few women hold c-level jobs, get into technology, and remain in their careers for the long haul, events like SheHacksATX
Join Us
December 5–7, 2014 Learn more about the event and RSVP »
and SheDesignsATX help narrow the conversation and focus on taking action. Through practice, women develop the confidence to advance their skills and career goals. Startup founders get the benefit of expert help, while coders and designers get to practice their consultancy and leadership skills. We’ll be pairing up female founders with women coders and designers for the largest event of its kind.
The Case for
Bootstrapping
Joyce Chow Photo by: Danie Selby
About the Author: Joyce Chow, Founder of Huckleberry hellohuckleberry.com @joycechow
Joyce hails from San Diego, CA, and has most recently lived in Philadelphia, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Her love of travel and inability to stay off an airplane for too long landed her in Austin a year ago, where she stayed to launch Huckleberry - a new skincare concept that helps busy
women regain control of their schedule and enjoy the benefits of luxury facials at their convenience. A finance nerd at heart, Joyce previously worked as an investment analyst for several years and currently consults for other small businesses. Page XX Photo by: Danie Selby
The Case for Bootstrapping
Written by: Joyce Chow Congratulations! You have an inspiring business idea and made the difficult decision to start your own venture. So, how are you going to fund it? Bootstrapping should be your first goal, especially if you plan on bringing in revenue on day one.
Raising investor capital is a full-time job. You should be focused on proving your concept, streamlining your product and service offering, and maximizing your return on marketing dollars—in other words, building your business—rather than giving away half your company before you even start. Here are some tips for self-funded success:
“Bootstrapping should be your first goal, especially if you plan on bringing in revenue on day one.”
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Joyce Chow Photo by: Danie Selby
The Case for Bootstrapping
Plan Everything. Many entrepreneurs go years before they create a business plan or financial model. It is not impossible to run a company without one, but when you’re bootstrapped, you have little room for mistakes. A fancy document is not always necessary, but the Business Model Canvas is a thoughtful exercise that will help you thoroughly understand every facet of your business, ensuring that all future expenditures are indeed vital to your core business. Most important, develop a roadmap to revenue: When and where will your first dollar come from, and what is the absolute minimum you’ll need to spend to get there?
If you need help with a business or financial plan, you can hire an affordable freelance MBA at hourlynerd.com or skillbridge.co.
Get Organized. Once you have a better idea of how much capital you’ll need to set aside, open a low-minimum, no-fee bank account and start saving. Find one that easily exports everything to open accounting software like Xero or Wave and link up a free financial management service like Mint to monitor your spending. Use the debit card associated with your new account to pay for all your business expenses and easily track your money.
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The Case for Bootstrapping
Become Minimalist. The first product you build should reflect the absolute bare minimum necessary to test your business thesis. This is called a minimum viable product (MVP). Does the market exist? Who are your best customers? How can you charge them? Creating an MVP can be as simple as setting up a landing page or a pre-order form. There are many low-cost options—depending on your needs you may want to explore services like landerapp, Wordpress, or Squarespace for hosting and website creation, and/ or Austin’s own Volusion and BigCommerce for e-commerce.
Test Everything. Find the platforms your target customers are using and buy ads. Test your conversion rates: How many people click through to learn more? To pre-order? To download? Monitor your acquisition cost and confirm that it is less than your product margin or customer lifetime value.
Tell Everyone. Get on social media early and spread the word about what you’re doing. Identify and follow influencers, engage potential customers, refine your story, and win over early ambassadors! Public relations firms are expensive, so don’t hire one until you have solidified your branding, pricing, and product offering. In the interim, start local, use Twitter, set up Google alerts, and reach out on your own.
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The Case for Bootstrapping
Know What You Don’t Know. Don’t skimp on accountants and lawyers. Ask for help from mentors and other entrepreneurs, and network like it’s your job—it is! Offer help to others when you can; karma goes a long way in the startup world.
Some companies are obviously easier to bootstrap than others, but with the right planning and resourcefulness, it can almost always be done. There’s no shame in keeping your day job or moonlighting as a Lyft driver until there is a clear path to revenue generation. Hustle, plan, test, hustle some more...and make it happen!
Need help getting organized? Joyce Chow recommends the Business Model Canvas to organize your thoughts, goals, and plans.
Check it out here: http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc Joyce Chow Photo by: Danie Selby
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ASK VELMA Crafting Your Financial Strategy:
Use Design Thinking to Create a Personalized Plan
About the Author: Virginia Honig @DesignObserve
Virginia Honig Photo by: Danie Selby
Virginia is an aspiring service designer who grew up in South Carolina and spent her summers swimming in the Texas Hillcountry. Virginia recently moved back to Austin to set up shop within the greater design community, as she finishes her thesis for the graduate service design program at SCAD. She has a knack for working with her hands and listening to other people. She finds joy in conducting human-centered research, building prototypes out of ideas, and making sure user experiences are full of delight. Virginia has a weakness for fine wine, spanish olives, and a block of salty cheese. Even though she has to stick to a tight budget as a grad student she won’t deny that she will splurge and when that happens it tends to be food related.
Crafting Your Financial Strategy
Written by: Virginia Honig One of my favorite definitions of design is a throwback from a 2006 Fast Company article: “Although Design is most often used to describe an object or end result, Design in its most effective form is a process, an action, a verb not a noun. A protocol for solving problems and discovering new opportunities.” Design thinking is an empathetic, human-centered way to approach problem solving. It encourages the creation of objects and services and systems and whatever else is of want to create to include the very people who will find it useful. It encourages thinking, and making, and testing, and asking people what they really need. And it does so humbly, because it asks for feedback, it asks for help, it opens up the floor for discussion as to what does or doesn’t work, and it brings together people from various industries (creative and noncreative) to make it happen.
to develop a personalized financial plan, I was surprised I hadn’t thought of it sooner myself. Managing my finances has never been a strong suit, and even though I am a problem solver by trade, taking the time to address this one had never crossed my mind. The “out of sight, out of mind”ness of money (thank you, PayPal, credit cards, and someday soon Apple Pay) has rendered me an inactive and out-of-touch financial behaviorist. With design thinking, however, I am able to look the issue in the eye, identify key characteristics, brainstorm new ideas, and test out potential solutions to ultimately create a plan that works for me. And no matter what your financial situation and goals may be, following the divergent and convergent process of design is an engaging way to uncover real needs and develop a useful, usable, and desirable solution that works just for you. While design is typically a multidisciplinary collaborative process, this exercise is unique in the sense that you (the subject, the participant, the end user) will also be the designer.
When I was asked to apply design thinking
“Design thinking is an empathetic, human-centered way to approach problem solving.”
Photo by: Virginia Honig
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DISCOVER
Crafting Your Financial Strategy
Step 1: Discover Your Financial Self The beginning of the design process is exploratory. Your goal is to understand what your real needs are and how those needs are (or aren’t) being met in the current financial landscape. Collect data about yourself as it relates to the financial life you lead. Don the cap of a researcher, an investigator, a curious anthropologist fascinated with human behavior and spend time getting to know yourself. Listed below are a couple of examples of research methods that can be used to create this “as is” picture of your current financial self. Yet no matter which one(s) you use, the important part about this discovery phase is to collect a wide range of information that shows a complete picture.
The Classic Interview Ask yourself qualitative questions that will reveal your behavior, feelings, and habits regarding finances. For example, when it comes to earning, spending, and managing money, consider: Emotions: How do I feel? Habits: What do I do? Tools: What do I use? To complement this personal inquiry, map out the quantitative side of your current and future profits and expenditures. For example: What do I currently spend money on? How do I currently earn money? What do I want to spend money on? How do I want to earn money? Page 28
The Observer/Diary Mash-Up Sometimes answering questions out of context does not reveal the entire picture. As the classic saying goes, “It’s not what you say; it’s what you do.” Since you are both the researcher and the participant for this exercise, it’s important to both observe your behavior during key activities, as well as document what that behavior is. Start by identifying the relevant activities, such as checking your balance, depositing money at the bank, shopping for clothes, etc. Once you have identified these key activities, determine how you will record them, and gather the resources you will need to get started. For example, use a diary to record what happens while (or shortly after) you check your balance online. Categorize your observations using useful frameworks such as AEIOU (activities, environments, interactions, objects, and users) to ensure you are capturing the complete experience as it happens. Complement this journaling with visuals such as a photograph of your typical workspace when you check your bank statement. Pretty soon you will have A LOT of data about yourself. Regardless of the format and method you use during this gathering phase, the end result is a wide range of information that you will translate into patterns, themes, and insights during the next phase of the design process.
Crafting Your Financial Strategy
The define phase is all about sense-making. The goal of this analysis and synthesis phase is to delineate what matters most. Identifying insights, themes, and principles based on connections and patterns that emerge from the research will reveal key characteristics about your financial self. While there are many ways to sort and cluster the data, listed below is an example of how data can be translated into usable bits of knowledge that will carry forward to the next phase. Arrange (and rearrange) the data that you have collected in groups that collectively speak to characteristics of your financial behavior. Summarize the meaning of these groups in your own words—for example, “Mobile access to my bank is important.” Do this
for all of the groups that you have clustered and you will start to see even larger categories and themes emerge. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all method, so be open to re-sorting the information to reveal new insights. Create a list of insights that originate from these clusters of data to show a comprehensive summary of your financial self. For example, “I am disconnected from my finances because money lives in a virtual world” is an insight that summarizes findings from various groups. Based on these insights, create a financial persona that represents your goals, needs, and expectations. Use this persona to serve as a guide through the rest of the design journey.
DEFINE
Step 2: Define Your Financial Persona
Photo by: Virginia Honig
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DEVELOP
Crafting Your Financial Strategy
Step 3: Develop Your Financial Strategy This next phase of the design process is both generative and creative. Brainstorming as many ideas as possible to develop a strategy that meets the needs, goals, and expectations of your financial persona will uncover a range of potential solutions. The key to this phase is to develop as many ideas as possible and test them out as soon as you can. There are many activities and exercises that aid in idea generation and prototyping. Listed below are some examples.
Throw an idea-generation workshop (with your friends). While brainstorming alone can be fun (and seemingly easier), having other people around to build ideas off of creates a much more dynamic and fruitful outcome. Invite friends (or just one friend) over for a couple of hours to join in some brainstorming activities that will help you come up with ideas for your new and improved personal financial plan. Try various activities that encourage lateral thinking. For example, make individual cards for insights, tools you use or want to use for banking, and activities relate to finances. Pick one or two cards from
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each category and set a timer for ten to fifteen minutes. Brainstorm as many ideas or thoughts that come from the combination of the three, and record them on sticky notes, annotated drawings, or any other method that works for you. Rotate cards after the time is up and repeat the process.
Build it, try it, refine it. The only way to know whether those ingenious solutions you came up with will work is to try them out. Build low- to mid-fidelity mock-ups of potential solutions and step your persona through various use-case scenarios. However, the goal is not to build one high-fidelity solution (just yet), but instead several lo-fi prototypes that represent ideas you want to try. This allows you to quickly (and cheaply) test out what does and doesn’t work, so you can continue to refine it. For example, you may have an idea for a non-digital component that will help you keep track of daily spending. Start by building a rough prototype of this artifact with whatever material you have on hand, and then use it to perform a task. Note what works and what doesn't, and use this knowledge to continue refining and testing until it satisfies a need.
Crafting Your Financial Strategy
The final phase of the design process is like an iterative launch. Deciding on the framework and functionality of the plan (based on results from testing) and putting the necessary infrastructure in place for it to be usable are the next steps in this implementation phase. As you begin to use the plan in context, continue to adjust and refine as needed. Remember, design is a process. One way to capture how your personal plan works is to map it to the key tasks in your everyday financial life. Visualizing how you interact with the apps, websites, people, or objects that you choose to be a part of your plan is a great way to understand how everything works in relationship with one another, as well as pinpoint areas that may need refinement.
DELIVER
Step 4: Deliver Your Personalization Plan
Continue to Refine, Using Design Design is not magic, but it can produce magical things. Even a simple need, like getting a handle on managing finances, is addressed with thoughtfulness and thoroughness in the design process, to produce a solution that works best for you. Sources: http://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
Virginia Honig Photo by: Danie Selby
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Want to learn more about... Stanford DSchool
Design Thinking
Austin Center for Design / AC4D Design Thinking by IDEO’s Tim Brown
Design Research Society
Design Research
Observing the User Experience: A Practitioners Guide to User Research by Goodman, Kuniavsky, Moed
Service Design Tools
Design Toolkits
Human-Centered Design Toolkit by IDEO Collective Action Toolkit by Frog Design
Wise Up and Get Real about Money A Conversation with Real Talk Founder, Krisstina Wise
Krisstina Wise Photos by: Danie Selby
About Krisstina Wise, CEO & founder of GoodLife Companies @krisstinawise www.krisstina.com Krisstina helps career-focused women design and live a good life. She’s a devoted wife and mother of two who loves running, barre, reading, and cool technology.
Get Real About Money
Written by: Valle Hansen Being smart with your money isn’t about being frugal and depriving yourself of the finer things in life. It’s not about having an MBA or a solid handle on math, economics, or Wall Street investment firms. It’s not even about making a lot of money. It’s about being organized, making informed decisions, and planning for the unexpected. These are guiding principles that Krisstina Wise, founder and CEO of GoodLife Compa-
Photo by: Danie Selby
nies, has lived and worked by for the better part of two decades—and they’ve never steered her wrong. Now, with inspiration gleaned from a year of overcoming personal hardships, Krisstina has devoted herself to sharing her tried-and-true strategies with other women in a program called Real Talk. The program, is composed of courses and resources geared toward empowering women to not only financially liberate themselves, but also to get comfortable just having a conversation about money.
Get Real About Money
Velma sat down with Krisstina to talk a little more about why she wants to help women succeed, what her program can do for women, and what the future for Real Talk looks like.
Velma: When did you start thinking about financial freedom and helping women succeed?
Krisstina: In 2013 I got really sick and really fought for my life...and [it] put me in a place… [where] I felt like I had something else I was supposed to do outside the [real estate and technology] industry. I’ve just always had this passion to help women in business and to help women...with money very specifically, because I think we have to be able to get straight with money for us to be able to build businesses, for us to be able to build our careers, for us to be able to take charge of our incomes and our wealth and how we can build our future. When I look at where maybe women struggle the most, fundamentally, it’s down in this space that nobody talks about: money. We’ll talk about everything else as women; we can have some business conversations, we can talk tech all day...but we’re still uncomfortable having the money conversation. I want to change that. I want to help women to be comfortable talking about money...I want to help women [achieve] a “money savviness” so that we can build financial independence on our own and interdependence with others in other relationships.
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Get Real About Money
Velma: Why do you think women are still uncomfortable talking about money? Krisstina: Fundamentally, it’s because it’s a new conversation for us. Twenty, thirty years ago, women didn’t even really earn money; we weren’t in the workforce. So it’s new...Now, we as women need to get the confidence to know what we’re worth so that we can demand it.
To hear more about Krisstina’s fascinating story, check out her book, Falling for Money, and her six-week money-savviness course by the same name. With Real Talk, you’ll discover that money is a more approachable subject than you thought. Krisstina Wise Photo by: Danie Selby
Did you know
?
- 42 percent of women do not have financial security. - Nearly 50 percent of women either plan to work past 70 or don’t expect to retire. - 59 percent of women do not use resources like calculators or financial advisors to make decisions about their retirement savings. - Almost 90 percent of women do not feel comfortable with investing or picking a financial tool or product. - Only 33 percent of women have a financial plan for their future.
For more staggering stats about women and money, visit Women & Money Magazine!
Get Real About Money
Velma: How can technology help with managing money? Krisstina: Technology’s important for being able to take control of our finances, but I also think technology’s hurting us when it comes to our finances. [It] makes managing our money easier, but it’s causing us problems because it’s [also] made it easy for us to forfeit responsibility for our money...We [don’t] reconcile where we are financially, because we don’t have to...We don’t have the forced practice of knowing [where] our money [is]. Technology’s great if we have the practice in place...There’s a responsibility in practice of reconciliation that still exists despite the great tech we have today. The great tech we have without that practice equals financial distress for most people. Where the conversation about money and technology intersect is less around financial tools and more around how to use technology to be productive, because higher productivity means more money. Our value is always associated with our productivity and the quality of our productivity.
Velma: So you started the Real Talk program about a year ago. What have you been doing to further your vision of helping women take control of their lives through their finances? Krisstina: Well, I wrote a book called Falling for Money and...we created a money-coaching program called Real Talk where...it’s a safe place [for women] to talk about money. In December, we’re launching our money course, which is a six-week course where we break down and teach money philosophy, money practices, money in the framework of a good life. It’s not money for money’s sake; it’s money for the sake of living a good life. The goal really is to talk to as many women as possible about money so that [women] can feel really good about creating their own money savviness and money confidence.
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Photo courtesy of Sheri Atwood
How to Handle Money After Divorce About Sheri Atwood, CEO and Founder of SupportPay by Ittavi @SupportPayApp www.supportpay.com Sheri Atwood is the founder of SupportPay by Ittavi, the first-ever automated payment platform to help parents who live apart manage child support and share child expenses. Prior to starting
SupportPay, Sheri was a successful marketing and product executive with Fortune 500 experiences. Atwood was also named “Top 40 Under 40 Executive in Silicon Valley” in 2009. Page 39
Managing Ex-penses
Written by: Christine Holcombe “You’ll have no trouble finding money.” This was a refrain Sheri Atwood heard often during her three-year journey to get her company off the ground. However, after quitting her position as a VP in Silicon Valley, liquidating all of her assets, and searching in vain for investors, she was a day away from food stamps and a week away from giving up her dream before she finally found the right investor.
Looking For A Better Solution Sheri is the founder and CEO of SupportPay by Ittavi (short for: It Takes a Village), the first child-support payment platform and app for divorced couples and their families. As a child, Sheri saw her parents go through a divorce that she describes as “horrific.” When she went through her own divorce several years ago, she kept things amicable and was able to manage the divorce for only $350. Despite the efforts of her and her ex-husband to remain friendly for their daughter, the issue of managing and sharing expenses was a consistent concern. “Every purchase is scrutinized,” Sheri explains. “Tennis shoes, uniforms, you name it.” Even though she was a high-powered VP who was traveling the globe, she always returned to this issue of sharing expenses. Sheri thought: “There’s no way I could be the only person facing this problem,” but after doing some research, she found that there was no tool, organization, or system in place to help families who don’t share a household but do share finances.
Putting Ideas Into Action After mulling over this problem for several years, Sheri felt like she had an answer. Her idea was to develop a platform that would enable parents to track expenses and attach receipts to their purchases so that they would have transparency about how much money is being spent on what, and spend less time squabbling over money. Sheri finally quit her job in 2011; she went from managing 300 people to working for herself at home. It was a move that took courage and faith in her idea, since Sheri was basically starting from scratch. SupportPay was self-funded for three Photo courtesy of Sheri Atwood
Managing Ex-penses
years, during which time Sheri taught herself to code and created her first prototype and website. Once Sheri had her prototype in place, she needed to raise funds to sustain her company and move her ideas forward.
The Big Ask “It’s hard to raise money as a woman, but it’s possible. It is absolutely possible,” Sheri says. For years, she heard positive feedback about her idea from potential investors, but none of those assurances turned into funding. Sheri believes that finding the right investor comes down to getting introduced to the right person. Many investors she spoke with were pattern investors, meaning they invest in a well-established market or type of company. Since Sheri’s idea entered into uncharted territory, initial investors weren’t interested because there wasn’t a precedent for how her product would perform.
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Getting Smart Sheri eventually started targeting investors who had gone through a divorce. She crosschecked her list of potential investors against public records online to see whether any of them were divorced. After re-targeting her list toward investors who could easily see the benefit of her platform, she was able to make more headway with getting the right introductions. Finally, in June of 2014, after years of hard work and depleting her personal savings to keep her company afloat, Sheri received funding from an angel investor in Silicon Valley. Once word got out that she had backing from a Silicon Valley powerhouse, other investors soon followed. While there’s no doubt that Sheri’s own perseverance is a credit to her company’s success, she also attributes it to meeting the right person at the right time.
Check out some of these other apps that make divorced parenting a little bit easier:
Artkive Save—and share—all your kids’ artwork by snapping a pic with your mobile device and adding it to the Artkive database. Give access to your ex, share individual pics, or create a book out of the artwork.
Divorce Coping Get daily tips about how to deal with divorce in the real world. The tips are funny and practical, but never revenge- or anger-fueled.
Our Family Wizard Coordinate schedules, communicate with your ex, and share important family information without using your kids as the middleman.
Managing Ex-penses
“People tell me: ‘I wish I’d had this years ago so my parents wouldn’t have fought about money in front of me.’”
Future Vision SupportPay now has six full-time employees and 9,000 users, a number that has doubled since she received funding in June. “People tell me: ‘I wish I’d had this years ago so my parents wouldn’t have fought about money in front of me,’” Sheri says. It’s this type of feedback that sustained Sheri when she was discouraged about finding an investor and her savings were dwindling. Sheri is already looking forward to expanding on her initial idea. “If a parent is involved, you’ll get paid 97 percent of the time,” she explains, which is a statistic that drives the next iteration of SupportPay. Her idea is to include a shared calendar with the ability to upload photos from events. “I want to share photos with my ex, but I don’t want to be his friend on Facebook,” Sheri says with a laugh.
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Her own experiences continue to be an inspiration for what’s next for SupportPay. As her daughter grows up, Sheri envisions a way SupportPay can help teenagers manage finances along with their parents for bigger expenses like cars, credit card bills, and college. She also sees how SupportPay could expand beyond divorced parents, to siblings who may be sharing expenses to support an aging parent. Anytime that families share finances, but don’t share a household, her idea holds true. Sheri Atwood made her idea come to life through determination, perseverance, and belief in herself. She had a problem, she developed a solution, and she started her own company to help others. Above all, Sheri says, “believe in yourself when no one else does.” She admits that her faith in her vision was “almost to the point of insanity,” but she believes that’s what it takes to take a risk like she did and come out on top.
From A to VC:
An Introduction to Angel Investors & Venture Capital Photo by Danie Selby Artwork by Jess Lowry
Written by: Claire Jordan Dunn
From A to VC
No matter how, or even if, you’re associated with the startup world, if you live in Austin, you probably know of someone in pursuit of venture capital funding or an angel investor. But unless you’re in the thick of it or fortunate enough to have a mentor
guiding you through the process, you’re likely scratching your head at the concept, not sure how to get started. Let Velma be your mentor here as we walk you through angel investing and venture capital.
What Are They? Let’s start with the basics: Small businesses, no matter how great, need funding in order to survive and grow. This funding can come in a variety of ways (including bootstrapping—check out Joyce Chow’s article on this on page 21!), each with its accompanying pros and cons. For many small companies needing a financial infusion in order to truly get into gear or get past that initial launch, outside funding in the form of venture capital or angel investments is what makes the difference between “just getting going” and “making it.” Both angel investors and venture capital firms invest money in small businesses or startups that they believe have the potential for longterm growth and profitability. So how do these two groups of funders differ? Generally speaking, angel investments come from individuals,
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whereas venture capital is generated by businesses or corporations, and angel investors are more likely than venture capital firms to invest in early-stage organizations or startups that pose larger risks. It’s not unusual for a great idea to be funded first by an angel investor and later added to the portfolio of an established venture capital firm. By virtue of the fact that venture capitalists are often connected with firms, boards, and larger quantities of money (think millions), angel investors can provide smaller amounts of funding more quickly, and often do so for industries in which they have experience or a passionate interest. Angel investors and venture capitalists often provide contacts and connections to the organizations they fund, but typically it is only the angel investors who are willing to get
From A to VC
their hands dirty to help their fundee succeed. The most important thing to remember is that angel investors are using their own money to fund a business, whereas venture capitalists are using the money of others (other board
members, other investors, shareholders, and so forth); this impacts the amount of money contributed, the type of involvement expected on behalf of the funder, and how rigorous or structured the application process is in order for a small business to be considered for funding.
Photos of Claire were taken by Austin photographer, Amy Parks. Check out Amy’s portfolio on page 54. Claire Jordan Dunn Photo by Amy Parks
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From A to VC
Who Are They?
angel investors
Venture Capital Firms
are using
Venture capital means big money. Forbes’ Midas List of venture investors is topped out this year with none other than Facebook for their $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp. While this is a somewhat extreme example of what venture capitalism can look like, it’s representative of the mainstream practice: Venture capital is typically issued in the million-dollar range and up. Other VC organizations you may have heard of include Google Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and, of course, Austin’s own Austin Ventures and Belle Capital (check out the article on Ingrid Vanderveldt on page 9!). Firms like these are looking to get in with already-successful founders and entrepreneurs, many of whom may have already benefited from angel investors, in return for a seat on the fledgling company’s board and/or returns on their investment.
their
Angel Investors
venture capitalists
Due to the highly personal nature of their investments, the Who’s Who list of active angel investors varies depending on the industry. The ranks of angel investors are also somewhat opaque, as some of these personal investments may not be disclosed or widely publicized. However, some familiar names like Ashton Kutcher (who invested in Airbnb and Flipboard, to name a few) and Naval Ravikant (who notably invested in Twitter and Uber) give other angels an investment record to aspire to. In the tech sector, it’s not uncommon to see successful founders pay it forward once their companies have made it big: Esther Dyson has been in the game since 1995 and has funded companies such as del.icio.us, Meetup, and—im-
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own money to fund a business,
whereas are using the
money of others
From A to VC
portantly—Flickr. Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake is now, in turn, a selective but engaged angel investor who has used her financial success, in part, to provide funding for Etsy and Maya’s Mom.
Need Funding?
Now that we know who these groups of funders are, how do you get their attention and—with any luck—their funds? There are a number of networks and collectives already in place to help connect those needing funding with those interested in providing it. For our purposes, we’ll look locally and at women-focused groups that can help orient you toward the path to the funding you need. Not surprisingly, Central Texas has a thriving venture capital scene with a lot of reach and firepower. Texas Women Ventures offers capital solutions and engaged advisors for female entrepreneurs in the area and even has a sixty-second quiz you can take to check your validity as a candidate fitting their investment criteria. The aforementioned Austin Ventures provides both early-stage and middle-market funding to local Austin companies and has an impressive portfolio of investments—from medical to food, data to domains—that should encourage the Austinite entrepreneur no matter her business’s area of focus. If you’re interested in women-specific funding opportunities (and not everyone is—there’s a separate conversation to be had on the merits and limitations of keeping it within our gender), there’s great work being done by both 37 Angels and 500 Women. Both organizations work to recognize women in the startup investing scene. 500 Women, an initiative of 500 Startups, focuses exclusively on funding women-led startups and seeks to bring more individuals, in general, to the fund-providing table by including both male and female members from the investing side. 37 Angels, on the other hand, seeks to specifically empower women investors and continuously builds a portfolio of male- and female-led small businesses and startups. 500 Women and 37 Angels both provide funding in the “angel” range (as opposed to the VC range of one million plus) and continue to grow. There’s no secret recipe to achieving your goal of VC or angel funding, but in addition to researching all the options and firms currently looking to expand their portfolios, it’s always a good idea to get involved in the entrepreneurial community close to home to learn from the experiences of others. For Austinites, the Startup Grind meetup is a great place to start. Page 49
Looking for some financial backing for your big idea? Check out some of these options:
Texas Women Ventures An established venture capital firm, Texas Women Ventures funds established local women-led companies without taking away majority control or ownership. They also work to prepare the next generation of female entrepreneurs by providing networking opportunities and advice.
37 Angels The mission for 37 Angels is to increase the number of angel investors from 13 percent to 50 percent. That means YOUR fledgling company or idea could be funded by an angel with anywhere from $50K to $150K.
Plum Alley Neither a venture capital firm nor an angel, Plum Alley is a crowdfunding platform exclusively for women—like a girls-only Kickstarter. Get your project off the ground with like-minded ladies.
Want to Provide Funding? So this all sounds great, right? Well, if you’re not in (or contemplating joining) the startup world, you can still get involved in funding startups in other ways. Think about Kickstarter: Most backers for projects have similar qualities to angel investors. They’re passionate about the project, use their own money to fund it, and expect to get some kind of return for their investment. (Check the Page 50
Resources section of Velma each month for a highlighted local Kickstarter that you can help support!) Crowdfunding sites are a great way to pay your own success forward in smaller increments and invest in great ideas. Ready to scale your contributions to tomorrow’s success? MicroVentures, a venture capital investment bank,
From A to VC
provides an avenue for anyone to be part of a larger contribution to the next great idea. You have the opportunity to invest alongside accredited venture capitalists with a smaller buy-in than the big dogs but with more than you would put toward something like a Kickstarter project and with more bona fide returns on the company’s success. With past offerings like Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, and Meetup, this tried-and-true option is a great way to get your feet
wet in the VC game from the investor’s side of things. These options are alternatives to joining up with the more traditional, established startup investment groups outlined above. If you’re ready to take the leap into angel investing, there’s no strict formula for it but we recommend speaking with your financial advisor and reaching out to other local investors for insight and advice.
“... it’s always a good idea to get involved in the entrepreneurial community close to home to learn from the experiences of others.”
Claire Jordan Dunn Photo by Amy Parks
From A to VC
Claire Jordan Dunn Photo by Amy Parks
Keep Calm and Pitch On! We hope that by now you’ve got a better understanding of the basics of venture capital firms and angel investors, as well as how you can benefit from, or even participate as, these groups. There’s a vast ocean of information available on the subject and we strongly encourage those curious to seek out a mentor and join a meetup to get more regular exposure to the world of VC and angels. If you feel like you’ve been fighting to find the right investor for ages, remember: It can take months, if not years, of networking and applying before the right funding comes along, and it may not happen in the way you’d expect. You could talk to one hundred successful entrepreneurs and hear one hundred different stories of how they achieved their funding goals; your story is sure to be uniquely your own, too, so trust your path and carry on!
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Velma’s Featured Contributor Amy Parks, Photographer
“When I think of my work I believe what sets me apart from other photographers is that my images are photographic textures of life. Genuine emotion is expressed in every single photo.” - Amy Parks www.amyparksphotography.com
Velma’s Back Pages Velma features stories about women in Austin working within the tech/startup industry. Velma embodies smart, talented women who aren’t afraid of saying the wrong thing, and our readers are too busy getting things done to notice they’re breaking through barriers. Since our readers are so busy, Velma provides resources for the following activities:
connect discover eat & drink spend
Resources - Connect
ALPFA ALPFA aims to empower and develop Latino leadership in every sector of the American and global economy. To date, it has attracted more than 23,000 members—including professionals and students—with chapters nationwide.
More info: www.alpfa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&pageid=1
Her Domain This simple site provides lists of resources for women to take advantage of and organizations for women to get involved in. It offers a collection of links to resources ranging from basic lifestyle to technologies that fit specific needs in different fields.
More info: www.herdomain.org/women.html
Austin Small Biz Operations & Gorilla Finance Group Though not exclusively for women, this meetup provides a forum for small local business owners to get together and discuss issues relating to their financial and operations needs, including loans, leasing, and working capital.
More info: www.meetup.com/Austin-Small-Business-Gorilla-Operations-and-Finance-Jungle/
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Resources - Connect
Austin Women’s Investing Meetup Meet with some local ladies once a month to talk about experiences, questions, and concerns relating to the art of investing in your future.
More info: www.meetup.com/The-Austin-Womens-Investing-Group/
Keep Austin Funded Meetup The Keep Austin Funded meetup connects people who want to learn more about how to crowdfund their business startup or expansion. With more than 136 members in the group so far, this is a great opportunity to network with people who are constantly on the lookout for new talent and innovations.
More info: www.meetup.com/KeepAustinFunded/
Girlstart An Austin nonprofit, Girlstart encourages and empowers girls in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering. Programs include schools, online classes, and summer and Saturday camps for girls.
More info: www.girlstart.org/
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Resources - Connect
December 3 Austin Commission for Women The Austin Commission for Women serves as an advisory body to the Austin city council and city manager concerning the needs and challenges women in the Austin area have. They strive to attain better equality for women in social, economic, and professional pursuits.
Where: One Texas Center, Room 500, Austin, TX When: 1:30 p.m. More info: www.austintexas.gov/commissionforwomen
December 4 Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW) Austin Holiday Lunch at Fino Join Texas Wall Street Women for lunch at Fino Restaurant Patio & Bar to connect with professional Austin women in the finance industry including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital firms, mutual funds, and other money-management and service provider firms.
Where: 2905 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX When: 1:30 p.m. More info: www.txwsw.com/join-us-txwsw-austin-holiday-lunch-fino/
December 9 Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and Small Business Council Committee Meeting This city council committee seeks to foster the growth of minority- and women-owned businesses in Austin. Meetings start at 3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month.
Where: City Hall, 301 W. Second Street, Austin, TX, 78701 More info: www.austintexas.gov/department/minority-owned-and-wom-
en-owned-business-enterprises-and-small-business-council-committee
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Resources - Connect
Dec 20 Bitcoin Austin Meetup: Bitcoin & Agorism The Bitcoin and Cryptofinance meetup is joining forces with the Alliance of Austin Agorists for an evening of discussions surrounding stateless commerce and Bitcoin’s role in agorism.
Where: Brave New Bookstore, 1904 Guadalupe Street, Suite B (Downstairs), Austin, TX More info: www.meetup.com/BitcoinAustin/events/208551602/
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Resources - Discover
Soma Vida Soma Vida aims to build and foster a solid work/life balance as well as a collaborative working environment to promote health, well-being, and creativity.
Where: 1210 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, TX When: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., M-T; Friday More info: www.somavida.net
barre3 It doesn’t matter whether you are twenty-one or seventy-five, at barre3 you’ll learn a three-step workout sequence involving a unique interplay of ballet barre, yoga, and Pilates. These signature moves will help you burn fat and over time you’ll see a dramatic impact on your body.
Where: Austin Circle C: 5700 W. Slaughter Lane, Ste 330, Austin, TX
Austin Downtown: 115 Sandra Muraida Way, Ste 103, Austin, TX
Austin Hill Country Galleria: 12800 Hill Country Boulevard, Suite G-100, Bee Cave, TX More info: www.barre3.com
Austin Tinkering School The Tinkering School is a cool creation factory where kids design and build projects using real tools and materials. Adults can play, too, but they act more as collaborators than teachers.
Where: East: 2013 Holly Street, Austin, TX North: 8204 N. Lamar, Ste. B16, Austin, TX More info: www.austintinkeringschool.com/contact/
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Resources - Discover
MakerSquare MakerSqure is an immersive twelve-week software developer training program based on real employers’ needs for proficiency in programming languages, data structure, and algorithmic thinking.
Where: 716 Congress Avenue, Ste 100, Austin, TX More info: www.makersquare.com
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Resources - Eat & Drink
Vintage Heart Coffee Vintage Heart’s retro lighting and fifties music can easily slip you back to the old days, and treats supplied by local bakeries will make your mouth water. Try out their lavender-flavored iced soy latte, and enjoy the cozy corner couches.
Cost: under $10 When: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., daily Where: 1405 East 7th Street, Austin, TX More info: www.vintageheart.coffee/
Dozen Street Blues lovers, don’t miss Dozen Street, where tons of talented performers jam together. The bar has an outdoor patio, free pool tables, and great bartenders. Check out the Holy Child every Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Cost: under $10 When: 5 p.m. – 2 a.m., daily Where: 1808 East 12th Street, Austin, TX More info: www.dozenstreet.com/
Lisa Lawless’s Food Blog The holidays are right around the corner, so it’s probably time to start cooking! Check out Lisa Lawless’s food blog for tips, tricks, and anecdotes that will spice up your own cookbooks.
Lisa’s blog: www.lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/
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Resources - Eat & Drink
Odd Duck Restaurant The Odd Duck offers a truly local experience, with farm-to-table ingredients sourced only from the State of Texas. Chef Bryce Gilmore was named the “Best New Chef” by Food and Wine, and the restaurant’s fare was considered “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” by the Food Network.
Where: 1201 S. Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX More info: www.oddduckaustin.com
Austin Eats (Pinterest) A little food porn goes a long way. Check out Austin Eats on Pinterest to visualize yourself at one of our town’s many local favorites.
More info: www.pinterest.com/visitaustintx/austin-eats/
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Resources - Spend
Chase & Scout Design Check out Chase & Scout Design—based in Austin—for original and beautifully crafted jewelry in sterling silver, bronze, and gold.
More info: www.etsy.com/shop/ChaseAndScoutDesign#
Huckleberry Huckleberry facial sets are crafted from fresh natural and organic ingredients specifically for your skin type and cleansing behaviors. Take their Skin Quiz for personalized recommendations!
More info: www.hellohuckleberry.com
A Teahouse for Austin (indiegogo) Need a little more tea in your life? Austin’s own West China Tea Company is looking to establish a brick-and-mortar shop in the courtyard at Spider House. Lots of tea swag in your future if you donate.
More info: www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-teahouse-for-austin
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Resources - Spend
Sell Yourself without Selling Your Soul Order Susan Harrow’s acclaimed guide to mastering the delicate art of self-promotion, whether in business or in life.
More info: www.amazon.com/Sell-Yourself-Without-Selling-Your/ dp/006019880X/ref=zg_bs_355564011_4
Purse & Clutch Looking for gift ideas for this holiday season? Austin’s own Purse & Clutch sells handmade, fair-trade handbags that are unique, beautiful, and perfect for gifting.
More info: www.purseandclutch.com
Falling for Money: 6 Weeks 2 Financial Freedom A good life means freedom to enjoy little luxuries, freedom from debt, and the freedom to enjoy retirement. Do you have the wealth you need to live your good life? In only 6 weeks, Krisstina Wise can teach you a proven system for achieving financial freedom. Save big when you use promo code VELMA.
More info: www.krisstina.com/fallingformoneycourse/
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