[vimeo width=”600″ height=”400″]http://vimeo.com/54968690[/vimeo]This weekend, the Shopify Lounge will play host to dozens of potential entrepreneurs, all hoping to get their big idea off the ground. Startup Weekend is an opportunity to learn the priciples of “lean start-ups,” a methodology advocated by many tech entrepreneurs that encourages people to put their ideas into practice, learn quickly, and adapt fast. The idea is to create something that can scale and change based on the demands of consumers.
Getting underway tonight, Startup Weekend is a boot camp of sorts, where people can bring an idea and pitch it. Attendees can come on board and help out, or simply offer constructive criticism and guidance. Then, based on the ideas deemed interesting, groups will have one weekend to create a protoype for the business.
It’s a quick introduction, and one that helps new companies hone their ideas and get critical early feedback. “Everyone goes in with a different goal,” says Cheryl Draper, one of the weekend’s organizers. Some attendees might be there for feedback, while some might just want to learn the strategies.
And some, like Brandon Waselnuk, might find a team of founders to help bring their ideas to market. In 2012, Waselnuk showed off his idea for a community of tattoo enthusiasts at the weekend. And now, with the help of an indie-gogo campaign, he’s launching Tattoo Hero.
“We want to build a great community of tattoo enthusiasts and artists where they can all get inspired,” says Waselnuk. “It’s about time that we had a place to go to check out tattoo designs. And if you want, you can even connect with the artist and their shop.”
The weekend allows participants access to peers and mentors who can be helpful for future entrepreneurs and can motivate them to pull the concept together.
“We run our entire company on the concepts of lean startup,” says Waselnuk. “[Last year’s] weekend was a fantastic way to introduce those topics and force you to live them.” The folks behind Tattoo Hero are currently bootstrapping the company with funds raised from their crowdfunding campaign, but they have hope that their community can start to sustain itself.
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