There is No Better Time Than Now to Start a Web Business

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There is No Better Time Than Now to Start a Web
Business           

• So What Are You Waiting For?

Brad Spirrison brad_at_chicago.com Principal, LHF
Media Columnist, Chicago Sun-Times  
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A Brief History of the Internet Industry and the
Legacy of the Dot-Comedy        
Amazon.com Revolutionizes Retailing 
  Netscape Ushers In Internet Era

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Enter the Pets.com Sock Puppet    
A less than divine interVention 
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Great Companies are Often Created in Lousy
Economies - Who's Next?  

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Venture Capital is NOT Required to Get Your
Business Up and Running 

• -VC Investments in Illinois Historically Low 12
  Companies Combined to Raise 14 Million in Q1
  2009.
• -Even more difficult to raise money for seed and
  early-stage ventures. 
• -Startup costs are substantially reduced.
• -No excuse to not get started. Stop talking about
  what you are going to do and start building your
  business! 

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Chicago Hosts More Internet Success Stories Than
you Think

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Making with Facebook          
 Crowdsourcing Pioneer    
Bootstrapping to profitability        
Sold to Google for 100 Million    
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The Face of Tomorrow (Really Today)

• What can we 
• expect when 
• children who only
• know a world
• with the web 
• come of age? 

The story of the Mathmasters
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New Marketing Channels 
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Suggested Resources    

• -The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center
• (www.chicagolandec.org)
• -The Illinois Information Technology Association
• (www.illinoistech.org)
• -Tech Cocktail
• (www.techcocktail.com)
• -Tech Matters
• (www.suntimes.com/business/spirrison) 

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Keep the Conversation Going!

• Brad Spirrison
• (312)-804-9844
• brad_at_chicago.com
• www.twitter.com/spirrison 
• Contact me about a 15 Minute Consultation!