Dan W Bliss

The Entrepreneur Event of the Year

Today we announced the Top 50 pitches for The Perfect Pitch 2009 conference.  Congratulations to all of these amazing entrepreneurs.  Here is a link to the Top 50 entrepreneurs:

THE PERFECT PITCH 2009 TOP 50

This is a great lineup that includes a broad range of entrepreneurs.

The Perfect Pitch 2009 Conference tickets are going fast.  This event will be sold out soon.  As you know, Virgin’s Richard Branson is our keynote speaker, and we have 20 other amazing speakers, including big-name entrepreneurs and investors.  This event will change lives.  CLICK HERE to order your tickets.

I hope to see you there.

We came up with a fantastic idea that’s resonating with Twitterers.  (Damn, that’s hard to say!)

Our Twitter Icon

We are offering a $2,500 trip to Los Angeles for the best “microPITCH”.  We figured that Twitter invented micro-blogging.  We’re going to invent “microPITCHING.”

The winner of our competition wins airfare, hotel, PerfectBusiness Gold membership, consulting services and tickets to The Perfect Pitch 2009 Entrepreneur & Investor Conference.  Sir Richard Branson will be the keynote speaker, so this adds to the excitement.

We launched this competition just two days ago, and it’s spreading like wildfire.  I’m starting to gain a fonder appreciation for what Twitter is capable of.  We posted the rules and a feed on our conference site.  It’s fun to watch all of the activity.  You can see it here: http://www.perfectbusiness.com/theperfectpitch/twitter.cfm

If you are a Twitter user, please tweet the following:

@perfectbusiness Tweet a creative business idea under 140 characters & win a $2,500 trip to LA. http://bit.ly/micropitch #micropitch

I have always loved off-the-beaten-path marketing tactics.  It will be interesting to see where this goes.

He'll be here - in person!

If you haven’t heard yet, we are organizing a conference in Los Angeles with some really big hitters!  Richard Branson of Virgin will be our keynote speaker.  Here’s the basics:

The Perfect Pitch 2009 Entrepreneur & Investor Conference

October 26th, 2009 at The Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey

We are allowing entrepreneurs to submit online pitches for a chance to present their businesses to our live audience.  We have an amazing group of speakers, and more will be announced soon.  Stay tuned!

For more info, go to www.ThePerfectPitch.com.

I’ll try to tread lightly on this subject, but it may not be possible. So, here it goes.

Woman Thinking Like an Investor

It is common for women in relationships to believe that they can change a man for the better. Of course, it is not very easy to do. Men will be men.

In the movie Jerry Maguire, there’s a famous line where Renee Zellweger’s character says, “I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is.”

It occurred to me that VC and angel investors often evaluate startups based on upside

potential. While investors may have more influence on a startup than a woman might have on her man (a whole separate debate), I thought the similarities deserved a closer look.

I discovered that women evaluate men similarly to the way investors evaluate startups. Here are six ways they are similar:

1. Women and investors get excited about the upside potential of a prospect.
2. Women and investors often follow their gut instincts.
3. Women and investors confer with a group of advisors.
4. Women and investors regret overlooking negative signals.
5. Women and investors believe that they can change an imperfect prospect.
6. Women and investors prepare an exit strategy before entering a deal.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to ALL investors, nor does it apply to ALL women. It is simply an observation.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list.