Did you ever want an inside view into a Fortune 50? What actually happens? How to work with one? How to sell to one? How to meet the right person inside the company that can help you with your own venture? What technologies and products they have that can power your own business success (without being over whelmed by the sheer number of options? Where the Fortune 50 sees opportunities for growth in the future? What the CEO’s office even looks like? Now you can.
The past two months since I joined Dell as the company’s first Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) have been a whirlwind of events, executive meetings, networking and getting up to speed on Dell’s business and technology solutions. In this short time, I’ve already had the opportunity to connect with some of the most inspiring minds in the entrepreneurial community and today I’m proud to announce we’ve reached our first big milestone with the program, the launch of Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence website EIRatDell.com.
I believe that it’s the first site of its kind in the Fortune 50, to invite access, visibility and create an authentic “bridge” between “big business” and the emerging companies of our economy today. Click on the image below to check out the new EIR site:
Like any new entrepreneurial venture, this site created by and for entrepreneurs and business owners was built on tight budget. I have found that one of the keys to success inside of Dell is that in fact, each group operates like its own “mini business” all managing their own budgets and working with one another to cross leverage resources. This site was built with the help and feedback of individuals like Steve Felice, Karen Quintos, Erik Dithmer, Kim Hibler, Jennifer “JJ” Davis, Mark Gambill, Sam Miller, Sujal Nantavi, Liz Dyer, Kara Krautter, Preston James, Laura P. Thomas, Christel Cordoba and more. The production team of Bob Blomquist, Stephen Sheppeard, and Randall Maxwell complimented the external team of LG Pictures to make the videos come alive. Jill Bach’s Marketnet pulled it all together.
The EIRatDell.com site is designed to be a resource that provides visitors with access to the information and the tools needed to grow and expand their businesses. Among other features, we’ll be showcasing a series of entrepreneurial stories and highlighting the tech solutions to meet your business needs at whatever stage you’re in, be it just starting out, or having 500 employees and looking to expand into a new market. Additionally, with the new site and through Dell’s other social properties including our Woman Powering Business LinkedIn group, we’re developing a vibrant community in which entrepreneurs can connect, share best practice and build business opportunities with one another.
And the timing couldn’t be better what with Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) happening worldwide! Powered by the Kauffman Foundation, this week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. More than 40,000 events are occurring throughout the week in 123 countries, and it’s estimated that 10 million people will participate in this year’s activities. Dell is proud to partner with the Kauffman Foundation, Startup America, and Startup Britain in their support of entrepreneurs for GEW and beyond. Look for more to come on these partnerships.
To back up a little bit, let me explain a little more about my role as Dell’s first Entrepreneur in Residence. Since EIRs are usually associated with venture capital firms and universities you might be wondering what one is doing at a large tech company like Dell. For Dell to continue to bring to market solutions that solve real business problems requires thousands of conversations with customers every day to determine their wants and needs from their technology provider. So in creating my position, Dell is expanding the ways we connect with, learn from and understand the needs of growing businesses so we can bring solutions and services to market that help them succeed. I want to act as a true bridge from Dell to the entrepreneurial and business owner community that I interact with every day.
During my time at Dell I’ll be identifying and assessing new business and technology solutions for SMBs and serving as a representative and media correspondent for Dell at key business events, all while working on developing my next business venture. I’ll also be helping Dell to determine if the EIR program is something we should roll out more broadly worldwide.
If you’re interested in hearing more from me and my role as Dell’s EIR, join me and some of the Advisory Board members for a Google+ Hangout on Monday, November 21 at 12-1PM CST (10-11AM PST and 2-3 EST) including top venture capitalist and entrepreneur, Lauren Flanagan (BELLE Capital and Current Motor), Garth Davis, star of Discovery Health’s “Big Medicine” and surgeon from the Davis Clinic and Lyn Graft, (Founder of LG Pictures, former producer for CNBC’s American Made series and one of the top 5 producers of entrepreneur videos in the US). We’ll be discussing strategies for business success, tips on doing business with a Fortune 50 and products and services from Dell that have been and will be helpful to our own growing businesses. Don’t forget to check back here as I’ll be providing regular updates on my time here at Dell and on all the inspiring entrepreneurs I’m meeting along the way. If you have questions or suggestions for our EIR program, I’d love to hear them.
You can find me on Twitter at @ontheroadwithIV.