|
Welcome to this issue of The Austin Business Review, a weekly roundup of great local events and insights for Austin business owners (plus some other cool stuff for your life outside of work).
|
|
There’s a new competitor in town. Well… Sort of!
|
|
Zach Dell’s (yes, that Dell) company, Base Power, just announced a whopping $1B Series C to revolutionize residential energy.
|
|
They’re building out their production facility right here in town, in the old Austin-American Statesman HQ, near the water. And to mark the occasion, they created a special edition of this newspaper (complete with crossword and comics).
|
|
This is a huge win for for Base, a win for Austin’s startup ecosystem, and for American energy overall, so congrats Zach and team! Check out interviews with them here and here for more on what they’re up to.
|
|
|
|
If you’re looking for a place to kick back and sip a cold one while reading your new Base American newspaper, St. Elmo Brewing is throwing a party to celebrate the one-year birthday of their Springdale location.
|
|
It’s one of my favorite spots in town (I do a lot of group events here). In fact, I’ll be there tomorrow morning with a bunch of readers, talking about lead-gen over coffee. If you’re free, come join us.
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
|
|
🗓️ TONIGHT: Importance of Community & Connection In Tech: Featuring Hugh Forrest, former co-president of SXSW, talking about his new venture, Gather & Grow
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 10: Leads Discussion: Every month, I lead this book club for founders applying Alex Hormozi’s $100M Leads to their companies. Join us!
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 10: Founder Coffee Tasting: Mark Helwig, founder of Ratio coffee, was recently featured on Peter Attia’s podcast, and will be at this event telling his story
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 14: Advanced Computing Community: Jay Boisseau, is running this free workshop at Google downtown about AI tools for scientific/technical productivity
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 14: Most Common Startup Legal Mistakes: Part of Shannon Sibold’s annual ScaleUp series, for founders growing from 7- to 8-figures
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 14: Flavors of Growth: Killers from the local CPG community, like Michelle Breyer, CMO of SKU, will discuss what makes Austin a CPG powerhouse
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 14-15: Willpower Catalyst Series: CPG folks – Bill Murphy pulled together marketing leaders from LALO, Kendra Scott, and Caraway Home for a killer panel
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 15: ATX CTO: Every month, William Baxter curates a discussion for senior tech execs. This month’s topic: Measuring Team Performance (and how AI adoption factors in)
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 15: Austin AI Alliance: Their monthly meeting takes place over at ACC Rio Grande, between 12th and 13th streets
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 15: Design Minded: Joey Zeledón will discuss lessons from two decades as an industrial designer, working with companies like HP, Banana Republic, and others
|
|
🗓️ Oct 15-17: Women Growing Wealth: Tamar Hermes is leading this two-day retreat for women focused on long-term wealth. Get $200 off with code 200WOOP
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: ATX Marketing Pro’s – Bowling Night: The name pretty much says it all! Jay Tye is gathering a bunch of marketing pro’s to sling resin on S. Congress
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Quantum ATX: This panel is full of rockstars, including William (Whurley) Hurley, who sold multiple companies, and is currently CEO of Strangeworks
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Austin Women in Tech: Three speakers including Carlisha Robinson, former C-suite exec at Beyond Inc., will discuss their experience building advisory firms
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Acquire & Invest Happy Hour: Dan Jensen and Henry Carter’s monthly happy hour for people who buy businesses.
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Texas House Race Weekend: William August Herrmann and the team at Texas House are hosting a pre-race soirée, complete with cars and live music, at Stubbs
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Marketer x Motorsport Mixer: In case you didn’t get enough supercars at Stubbs, head over to East Caesar Chavez to hang with fellow marketers and talk F1
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Consumer VC Live: CPG folks – Marc Nathan is organizing this premier day-long event, focused on knowledge-sharing between founders, retailers, and investors
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 16: Elevated Interactions: Local Investor Cody Todd is gathering people at Cosmic Pickle for drinks. Fun fact: He’s an investor in Cosmic too 🍻 Ask him about it
|
|
🗓️ Oct. 17: TWIB Monthly Luncheon: Shuronda Robinson, former CEO of Austin Woman, is speaking about her experience with 30+ years in media & communications
|
| |
| |
|
Mark your calendar…
|
|
These three are a little further out than I typically share, but I want to get them on your radar early:
|
|
Oct. 20-24: Austin Tech Week: Five days of sessions and speakers, including many names you’ve seen in this email over the years. Badges range just $10-$65
|
|
Oct. 24: White Collar Fight Night: What better way to round out Tech Week than ringside cocktails and a lineup of six boxing matches between local CEOs (yes, this is real)
|
|
Nov. 2-4: Main St. Over Wall St: Local legend, Codie Sanchez, is hosting the fourth annual version of this event, featuring speakers like Joe Lonsdale, Jenny Just, Bill Perkins, and more
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Other Fun Stuff Coming Up…
|
-
TONIGHT: Candlelight Comedy at Rozco’s
-
Oct. 10: Girls, Girls, Girls! Fully Improvised Broadway-Style Musical
-
Oct. 11: Pilates & Paddle at Rowing Dock
-
Oct. 11: Pancakes & Booze Art Show at Far Out Lounge
-
Oct. 12: Roosevelt Room Masterclass – Brandies of the World
-
Oct. 12: Useful Plants of Texas
-
Oct. 13: Linger – With Best-Selling Cookbook Author Hetty Lui McKinnon
-
Oct. 14: Backyard Chickens 101
-
Oct. 14: Ink & Drink Tattoo Experience at Dark Horse
-
Oct. 15: Secondhand Strut – Thrifted Fashion Show Competition
-
Oct. 15: Caribe – With Chef/Author/Owner Keshia Sakarah
-
Oct. 15: Road to the Race: Grand Prix Kickoff Gala
-
Oct. 16: Late Night Talking – An Evening of Silly Conversation
-
Oct. 17: Fest of the Senses at the Science & Natural History Museum
-
Oct. 17: Jay Lenno, Live
-
Oct. 17: Imbibe – Wine Tasting: 90’s Cellar Night
-
Oct. 18: Master Study Painting Class – Hilma
-
Oct. 18: Trusting Yourself – Therapeutic Yoga To Heal Self Doubt
-
Oct. 18: Sourdough Pumpkin Bread-Making Class
-
Oct. 18: Succulent Terrarium-Making Class
-
Oct. 19: Master Chef All-Stars – Live!
-
Oct. 19: Fly Into Fall – Stained Glass Bat Workshop
-
Oct. 19: Whose Slide Is It Anyway – Improv Comedy Powerpoint Show
-
Oct. 19: A Night of Comedy & Woodworking with Nick Offerman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Word On The Street
|
|
A roundup of cool local opportunities to grow your business, wealth, or personal brand
|
-
Fundraising Soon? Central Texas Angel Network is kicking off cycle 6 – their last funding cycle of the year – with Angel speed dating on Oct. 17th
-
Venue Needed: On Nov. 8th, investor Ben Pfeffer is bringing together 50+ young innovators as part of the Global Shapers initiative of the World Economic Forum. They’re looking for a venue that can host the group. If you’ve got one, reach out to Ben here.
-
AI for Non-Technical Founders: Nat Eliason is about to drop a big update on his course, Build Your Own Apps with AI. Looks like you can get $200 off with code FRESH before Saturday. This ain’t an ad. I just recommend this class all the time (and paid full price for it early this year). If you’re an idea-person who’s less technical, and want to learn to build stuff fast, go get it now and thank me later.
-
Attention Woodworkers: Austin School of Furniture got a bunch of new tools donated recently, so they’re hosting a garage sale Oct. 19th from 1:30-5PM. Swing by… Because that’s what you need is more tools 😉 (Seriously though, it can’t hurt to peak… Oh look, Nick Offerman’s in town that night too)
|
|
|
|
|
Meet Your Neighbor: Andy Allen of Repackify
|
|
Today, we continue my new series where local founders share some of their best tips and stories from both in and outside work. If you’d like a chance to be featured, fill this out!
|
|
Andy Allen is the co-founder of Repackify, a marketplace for industrial shipping supplies (think pallets, crates, and f*ck tons of cardboard). It’s a surprising business most people never even stop to wonder about.
|
|
One of the things I love about their story is how they’ve brute-forced GTM.
|
|
For example, when I asked how they got their first client, Andy said his co-founder literally filled out a hundred contact-forms on prospects websites until people started emailing them back.
|
|
And for growth, one surprising yet simple tactic was to pay VA’s to go on Google Maps’ satellite view, look for warehouses, then email the companies listed there.
|
|
After getting shot down by 150+ VC’s, they found someone who saw the vision, and not only raised their seed, but also brought Favor’s old CEO on as an advisor. Now they’re prepping for a series A
|
|
Fun Fact: Andy’s also fighting in the White Collar Fight Night I mentioned above. So check out his story, then grab a ticket to cheer him on in the ring.
|
|
Enter Andy…
|
 |
|
He launched Repackify while getting his MBA, and did a stint at the UN’s innovative new AI Lab, focused on the UN’s Sustainable Development agenda.
|
|
|
What's something most people either don't know or misunderstand about how businesses in your industry actually make money?
|
|
The greenwashing of recycling has put something of a mental stain on most people's minds, but in fiber, lumber, steel, shipping businesses it's economically imperative – it's a crucial part of these industries. The average cardboard box is recycled 7 times, the pallet industry has a 92% recycling rate.
|
|
What's one important part of the business model or strategy that you've changed your mind on since starting?
|
|
Instead of trying to force e-commerce conventions onto an industry that relies on relationships, timing, and trust, we shifted to building a platform that works more like a brokerage + workflow engine in the background.
|
|
What was the last purchase of less than $1,000 that made a serious impact on your life?
|
|
An ice wall climbing tour in Colorado – realizing you can do things you see in the movies for cheap.
|
|
What's your "retirement number" and why is it that? What are you planning to do with the money?
|
|
Planning ahead for future inflation, $7mm. I want to restore an old hacienda style house, own a couple motorcycles, and work with organizations focused on UN sustainable development goals.
|
|
What's one book that fundamentally formed your views on money, wealth, or investing, and why?
|
|
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers- business is about solving people's problems, first and foremost is being helpful to others. Also, the hell yes or hell no philosophy.
|
|
What's a favorite under-the-radar spot in Austin that you keep going back to (and why)?
|
|
Monks Jazz Club – BYOB jazz club with primarily UT professors and students performing at. It's so good we got our office in the same building!
|
|
What's one part of your life outside work that you're most proud of, and why?
|
|
Growing relationships. Every year I noticed my new years resolutions always revolved around enjoying time with friends more, and meeting new people. I finally realized this is a totally free act, it just required me being more extroverted and keeping it at the front of my priorities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
That’s all for this week!
|
|
-Ethan
|
|
Leave a Reply