Author Archives: mwillee

For some reason, the past twelve months have presented me with an unusual amount of opportunity to take risks. Some of them I have taken, while others I have dismissed. The decision whether or not to take these risks was a rather boring process—with level-headed consideration about what risks would actually benefit me, and whatContinue reading “How Risk in Business Can Be A Good Thing”

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series provided a brief recap of the panel Mary sat on at SXSW V2V about alternative funding in the blog, “Alternative Funding From SXSW V2V: The Path Less Traveled.” Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading! When pitching to investors to fund your startup, it’s important to understand a keyContinue reading “Forbes Update: 5 Ways To Be The Savvy Entrepreneur Investors Look For”

The world of comic books is a fanciful place, featuring heroes and villains that can seem wholly unrealistic but nevertheless fun. Indeed, if recent box office returns are any indication, our appetite for movies based on those characters have never been higher. Our summers for years to come would appear to be stocked with filmsContinue reading “Trademark Infringement on the Big Screen?”

Previously in our Intellectual Property (IP) Best Practices series, we introduced step eight to maximizing your IP: regular IP audits. Please check back every Monday for the next part in this series. As important as protecting intellectual property (IP) is, it is just as important not to infringe upon someone else’s IP. Not only is it morally wrongContinue reading “IP Best Practices: Don’t Infringe on IP Rights of Others, Step 9”

Previously on our Taking the Scary Out of Startup series, we introduced the concept of having healthy skepticism.   Have Focused Fun! Traklight is the second startup for me but the first I have founded. That being said, it is no different than other places I have worked in that fun at work is mandatory.Continue reading “Taking the Scary Out of Startup: Why Startups Succeed, Part 20”

Imagine: You’re an entrepreneur working hard in the lab or slaving over a hot yellow legal pad coming up with the next big idea; the next invention that is going to change everything. Finally you arrive at the solution! You rush into the streets, into a grocery store and shout it out at the topContinue reading “Protect Your Idea or Invention without Breaking the Bank”

I’ve never been to a hackathon. To be honest, I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. I couldn’t believe that some of the participants hadn’t slept in 36 hours because they were still all furiously typing away, smiling and laughing with each other! But why would any of these young coders, developers, and entrepreneurs careContinue reading “What a Hacker Taught Me about Intellectual Property”

Guy Kawasaki was not only inspiring but funny. He politely asked if Microsoft was a sponsor and if Hubspot ever wanted them to sponsor the event and then trashed the ugly black PCs. (Sorry to all the Trakers with PCs instead of Macs!)  The top ten lessons from Steve Jobs to Guy were as follows:

Intellectual property theft could be called a silent killer as much as those who have high cholesterol or blood pressure. While that analogy might seem strange, the theft of intellectual property (IP) can meansomeone stealing your IP without you even knowing it after storing it on your hard drive. Once you find out you’ve had something stolen online,Continue reading “Intellectual Property Theft: From Trade Secrets to Non-Protected Media”

As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate. It’s safe to say that marketing, accounting, and legal all fall under your bailiwick. Your legal obligations alone can range from contract negotiations to submitting corporate filings.