Author Archives: mwillee

The mobile app Angry Birds ranks as one of the most popular portable games of all time. Created by the Finnish game developers, Rovio Entertainment, it has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times and has inspired multiple iterations (including Star Wars and Transformers versions). For many, it’s a great way to pass the timeContinue reading “Artist Sues Pet Toy Company Over Angry Birds Trademark”

Previously on our Taking the Scary Out of Startup series, we discussed becoming an expert and paying it forward. Competition is a Good Thing When you do not have competition, you basically have no choice but to evangelize like a madwoman to get your company’s name and products out there. 

The word “bootcamp” doesn’t exactly conjure positive thoughts in the minds of most people. It’s associated with long days filled with exhausting exercises, followed by sleepless nights preparing for the next day. As pointless as it may seem while you’re going through it (and trust me, it does seem pointless), the ultimate point of bootcampContinue reading “Learn How to Crowdfund (and More) at the 3rd Annual GCCB”

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”

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”

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:

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.

Previously in our Traklight Trakers Series, we introduced you to Chris Platt. Today’s feature is Erik. When we interviewed Erik for this internship position, we did a little research to review his social media posting skills (as an intern with Traklight, you must possess an understanding of social media so that you can write socialContinue reading “Meet Erik, Traklight’s Intern”

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”

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”