This past Saturday a couple members of IDEA’s management team attended PR Advanced: Unleash Our Generation, the 6^th annual regional conference hosted by Boston University (BU) Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).  The conference focused on the merging of new media with traditional public relations in an effort to design the ideal PR model. After all, as BU professor Steve Quigley pointed out during his “warm-up” speech, “this is the most exciting time in the history of the public relations industry!”

Though the business of public relations is in indeed classified as its own industry, the various skills are transferrable and applicable to any industry. As members of the IDEA management team, we were naturally taking every bit of advice from the conference and relating it to how it might benefit student entrepreneurs.  Since startups in particular don’t always have the means to hire public relations agencies, they are often on their own when it comes to generating the essential good PR for their new businesses.

Thus, we have compiled a list of key takeaways from each area of the conference that every young entrepreneur should know:

Keynote Speaker

• BU’s Dean of Students, Kenn Elmore told attendees that no matter your industry, you need to be “eloquent, hip, bold, and persistent.” People want to know what you think of the world, what you’re reading and listening to, and how effectively you can tell your story. In order to be interesting, likeable, and relatable, you have to know about culture, fashion, and lifestyle. “It isn’t frivolous stuff. It’s how culture pushes itself forward,” he said. New social media is the perfect platform to share these ideas with the world and let them get to know you as cultured individuals.

New Media Panel

• Anne Weiskopf of Rip Off The Roof Consulting discussed the idea that in today’s society, new capital “is about the power of knowledge sharing, not hoarding. This is not understood by all but if you get it, it becomes intuitive.”
• Weiskopf also mused that Gen-Y finds and trusts information from blogs and YouTube as their two primary sources, while Gen-X goes to newspapers and company websites first.
• Patrick Foster of USA Today put the importance of social media in perspective when he said, “They’re going to have a conversation about you, do you want to be a part of it or not?”

Personal Branding Panel (featuring the Twitter stars of Boston)

• Joselin Mane (@BostonTweetUp) discussed the importance of getting out from behind your social media channels and actually meeting people. “You can’t hide behind tech,” he said. “You need to have both an online presence and a physical presence.”
• As if speaking directly to student entrepreneurs, Joselin said that “paying it forward has a lot of advantages. Promote yourself by promoting others.”
• “Be the person you want to follow [on Twitter.]”
• “The people you become associated with add credibility to what you do,” said Joselin.
• To gain followers, Tom O’Keefe (@BostonTweet) advised individuals to “know your market and audience, and provide good content for them.”
• “Don’t make your tweets 140 characters. If you want re-tweets, people need space to write their own thoughts,” said O’Keefe.

Start-Up Panel

• Kris Ruby, President and Founder of Ruby Media Group, said, “Your team is your best asset. Find a good team of people and mentors.”
• Liz Ricketts of AFUTU Project added, “Never think of it as yours; it is your team’s too. The moment you claim it as your own is the moment you start facing issues.”
• David Yarus, Senior Leader at Mr. Youth, suggested trying to work your team’s personal interests and passions into the business somehow.
• Liz Ricketts stressed the importance of broadening your scope before focusing on one key issue.
• Kris Ruby mentioned that young entrepreneurs should always consider barter deals. “Ask yourself, ‘Is there any way that I can get something I need by helping someone else?’”
• Branson Skinner of AFUTU Projects advised startups to “set your own bar and meet it before you try to gain clients.”

Interactive Career Panel

• “You need to combine your ‘work’ and ‘play’ personalities to really succeed and love your job.” – Mike DiSalvo, Account Executive at Ogilvy PR
• DiSalvo also advised individuals to “learn how to write in both the voice of your company and in a way that makes the company or brand stand out.”
• Brandi Boatner, Strategic Communications Professional at IBM, stressed that “networking is capitalizing on weak ties and understanding what that means.”
• “Be the person who follows up. You’ll get that connection.” – Chelsea Alexander, Associate Brand and Consumer Marketing at Burson-Marsteller

The conference featured an entire day of breakout sessions, lunch, a career fair, and lots of opportunities for networking. Throughout the course of the day, we learned that there is actually no ideal PR model—only great PR ideas to be implemented.

Christina Pagano contributed to this post. 

Northeastern University student Jennie White, IDEA’s Director of Social Media, former Staff Writer at BostInno and marketing coop at where, Inc., has found immense value in the outlets offered by today’s popular social media tools. After doing some research of my own, I sat down with her to discuss how student entrepreneurs can effectively use these websites as a means of promoting their budding businesses.  

Why is social media particularly important to new businesses?

As a relatively new business, you want exposure. You want to show investors and everybody else that you have a strong following and interest in your product. You want people to talk about your product and spread that word so that you have a large community. Investors want to see a dedicated following.

How can student entrepreneurs use social media to build their business?New businesses should stick with Twitter and Facebook. Take it one at a time to see how much time you can devote to each. I think that starting out on Twitter is your best bet because Facebook requires a deeper level of engagement. Twitter allows you to have a conversation with large audiences and spread your message faster. The number one thing to keep in mind is to be personable and share interesting things that you find, not just things related to your business.

How do you suggest startups use different social media outlets?

Twitter: You’ll most likely need to build a community on Twitter. A conversation doesn’t happen right away, however, so you need to be patient. I would suggest using Twitter to give a behind-the-scenes look at what your company is doing. Post pictures of your team having lunch, or various updates on what you’re doing. People love to see human interaction, and Twitter is the most appropriate outlet for that sort of thing. Most importantly, tweet as though you are talking to your friends.

Facebook: Facebook is super valuable for student entrepreneurs because of the extremely large networks that individuals have already built since Facebook was created. Use your existing connections on Facebook rather than solely trying to gain new audiences.  Create a fan page, link events, and share pages in order to get “likes”. Frequency matters on Facebook—you need to be careful not to post too much or else people will “unlike” your page. Facebook is valuable because you can have pictures, conversations, and see all of the interactions in one place.

LinkedIn: I think that everyone should have a LinkedIn account. Its main value is meeting the right people. You can use your connections within the layers of LinkedIn to make new connections. The site also allows you to see trends and who other people are connected with. I think using LinkedIn is the best way to build your personal community. Be your own face on LinkedIn, not the face of your business or brand.

Pinterest: Pinterest is not for all new businesses; it depends on your product. This social media site is perfect for someone marketing a tangible product, like IDEA venture Lily and Ivy.

Blogs: Blogs can be a great tool for promoting your business, but only if properly maintained. You should be posting at least once a week; otherwise it just looks silly and careless. You should only create a blog if you have the time to dedicate to it.

How do you know what to say?

You can talk about anything—start off by simply tweeting about a TV program you have found interesting. ASK QUESTIONS.

Start a conversation by asking random questions, and then you can ask deeper questions. Over time, the topic goes viral. It is perfectly okay to tweet about things that aren’t related to your business or field. In fact, I think your conversations should be 50% promotion and 50% other content. You can talk about fun things; just keep it PG. You want to be personable and relatable.  As a student entrepreneur you should promote other startups, show support, and in turn grab from their communities. As for opinion statements, I say go ahead. They get reactions and get people talking.

How personal should you get on your business account?

This is really a grey area. My first rule is absolutely no foul language. Don’t call out customers and avoid argumentative tones. Use your best judgment.

How can social media potentially harm your business?

First – if you have both personal and business accounts, make sure you are always aware of which one you are using. Be very careful not to mix the two up, especially when it’s the weekend and you’re out with your friends. Second – make sure your team is all on the same page. You need to have a discussion with whoever is representing your company regarding your social media plan to ensure that you all share the same values. Mixed messaging can cause confusion.

Finally, what are some general tips and strategies for effectively utilizing social media?

• Talk to your audience as though you are speaking to your friends. Don’t be who you think you should be. Just have fun and let your personality shine through.
• Schedule time out of your day to maintain your social media accounts. People don’t like inconsistency. Also, too many platforms are difficult to maintain and can dilute your message. Be sure to select those that are right for you and your business.
• Don’t get overwhelmed by social media. If it becomes too overwhelming, ask for help. We are a culture of instant gratification and therefore tend to get discouraged when things don’t happen right away. Know that it takes time and will pay off.
• If you make mistakes, you recover from them and it shows that you’re a real person. Don’t be a robot on social media. Just be you.

To learn more about IDEA, please visit our website or follow us on Twitter @IDEANEU.

At last night’s NEXPO, IDEA CEO, Chris Wolfel announced the joint effort by IDEA and Northeastern’s Center for Research Innovation (CRI) to create a Prototype Fund. The fund will help to further advance the entrepreneurial community at Northeastern by assisting individuals or teams in making a prototype for their company.

“The prototype fund is an exciting opportunity to help early stage innovations get to the next level,” explained Tracey Dodenhoff, Director of the Center for Research Innovation. “These funds will give awardees the ability to further evolve an idea, enabling innovators to test their concept and gain market feedback, which we believe will result in more start-up ventures.”

The fund, which is administered by IDEA and underwritten by CRI, is open to any current Northeastern student as well as any alumni who has graduated within 5 years of the deadline. The Prototype Fund will distribute up to three monthly awards of up to $2,500 to aid in the creation of a prototype.

A judging panel that will include the CEO of IDEA, a representative from CRI, the President of the NortheasternEntrepreneurs Club, an experienced entrepreneur and a Northeastern University professor will evaluate and review the applications.

“The collaboration between the Center for Research Innovation, IDEA, and the Entrepreneurs Club, is tangible evidence of the Northeastern innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem at work,” said Dodenhoff.

For more information about the Prototype Fund or to apply, please visit the IDEA website.

Last night, IDEA hosted NEXPO, the Northeastern Entrepreneurship Expo, where 25 ventures demoed their companies to over 250 attendees. The biannual event highlights ventures that have been working with IDEA to advance their businesses. The evening was filled with networking as investors and entrepreneurs from the Boston community, as well as Northeastern students and faculty visited the tables where IDEA ventures were pitching their companies and sharing the progress they have made.

During the event, Chris Wolfel, IDEA CEO, announced the winners of this month’s Gap Funding: Moniker Guitars,Apifia and Akrivis. Wolfel also announced the creation of the Prototype Fund, which will be jointly administered by IDEA and the Center for Research Innovation at Northeastern.

Highlights from NEXPO

“The best part of NEXPO is definitely the people, the business cards, and the information sharing. It is a supportive, not competitive, environment that is great for networking.”  – Harper Lei Team

“The overall atmosphere is the best part. It’s a professional setting, but you feel comfortable enough to pull someone aside and have a great conversation.” – Chuck Svirk of TabTap

“NEXPO is a great opportunity to network with other start-ups to cross-promote and help each other.” – Corey Bober of Collegiate Contact

“NEXPO was an excellent opportunity to link up with other young business entrepreneurs and receive valuable insight from other students on how to help expand our business.” – Mike Sullivan & Izzy Haar of Imusteat

“Coming back to Northeastern and seeing how NU is giving back is very exciting. That’s what this is all about, paying it forward and helping each other out.” – Dave Barry (Northeastern graduate) of Moniker Guitars

Dave Barry of Moniker Guitars showing off a custom Northeastern guitar.“I’m thinking about starting my own venture through IDEA and attending NEXPO was a great way to see how these ventures started and learn about what their journey has been like.” – Eddie Czech, 3^rd year Music Industry student at Northeastern

“The best part of NEXPO is the opportunity to get feedback from a cross-section of the community and to practice our pitch.” – Jeff Sakowicz ofMyDroid

For more coverage of the NEXPO, check out BostInno’s coverage here.

Brittany Troy contributed to this article. 

As early stage student ventures begin the process of laying down the foundation of their business, it can be overwhelming. With business plans to research, teams to form, proposals to be written and don’t forget class on top of it all, there is often a need for a reassuring voice who can guide these ventures through the early stages.

That is where the IDEA Coaches step in as part of the Coach, Connect, Fund method that IDEA implements.

This past Saturday, IDEA hosted the first Coaching Summit to bring together our coaches who work closely with our ventures as they move through the Ready, Set and Go stages.

Our coaches act as the face of IDEA to each venture, the moment they step through our doors. The objective of the coach-venture relationship is to facilitate the venture’s use of all of the resources that IDEA has to offer. The coach will work with each venture as they fill out the Business Planning Guide in order to advance their idea forward.

Coaches are upperclassmen students as well as recent alumni who can help pinpoint the specific resources that can be most helpful to a new venture. Whether it is help from our Graphic Design team, meeting with IDEA CEO Chris Wolfel during CEO Office Hours or an invitation to attend Investor Insights and hear from a panel of experienced investors, coaches ensure that all ventures are on the right track in the IDEA program.

“The main role of a coach is to point our ventures in the right direction,” explained Wolfel at the summit.

The biannual summit was held over lunch and led by Wolfel, Evan Stein, Head Coach and Dan Gregory, Faculty Advisor, to discuss how to improve the coaching process and further develop this component of IDEA. The summit ended with a crucial feedback session, because as a startup ourselves, we are always looking to improve.

The importance of finding someone with a better understanding of the resources at IDEA or even in your particular community is always an excellent addition to your team as you advance your venture.

View this article on our new BostInno channel.

When most of us hear the name “Tory Burch,” we think of high-end fashion and that eminent designer logo. However, Tory Burch herself stands for much more than luxurious shoes and purses; she firmly believes in social responsibility and the power of entrepreneurship.

To celebrate the one year anniversary of the Startup America Partnership, Startup Massachusetts hosted a fireside chat with national board member and entrepreneur Tory Burch, followed by a panel discussion featuring Dave Balter, Founder & CEO, BzzAgent; John Harthorne, Founder & CEO, MassChallenge; Karen-Michelle Mirko, Director of Customer Advocacy, American Express OPEN; and Dr. Eric Elenko, a partner at PureTech Ventures. The event, held at Northeastern University last week, focused on celebrating and supporting entrepreneurs in the community.

Following introductions by Director of Startup Massachusetts Cory Bolotsky, Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun, and Massachusetts State Senator Karen Spilka, a soft-spoken Tory Burch approached the stage with grace and poise, accompanied by moderator Karen-Michelle Mirko.

As the CEO and COO of a business that began in her Upper East Side apartment eight years ago and has since flourished into a worldwide fashion phenomenon, Manhattan designer, businesswoman and philanthropist Tory Burch knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship. When asked about her seemingly overnight success, she muses, “overnight was a really long night for me!”

Tory recalled years of gathering, sketching, and working hard to get to where she is today. “Where she is” refers to an international network of 60 free-standing boutiques, 500 department and specialty stores, Oprah endorsements, Forbes lists, CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards, and the trendiest Hollywood celebs sporting her gear. However, like most success stories, Tory has paid her dues. She spent two years working night and day out of her apartment, catering to 16 employees and 2 small children. While the idea of cold-calling invokes fear in the hearts of many, Tory highly encourages the practice despite how many times you might hear the word “no.”

Now, Tory strives to keep the culture of her high-fashion brand down-to-earth.  She has found that interdepartmental interaction is important for culture and innovation, and often uses culture surveys as a means of hearing from her 1500+ employees. In terms of hiring, Tory advises that young entrepreneurs “go with [their] gut” on hiring that first employee. “It’s also about necessity,” she says. When she realized she needed help sketching and translating her thoughts to paper, she hired someone that she knew could do just that.

Tory’s guiding thoughts on entrepreneurship include the following pieces of advice:

• Be tenacious
• Believe in yourself and your concept
• Surround yourself with great people
• Have good faith in your team

As for female entrepreneurs in particular, Tory advises, “Believe in yourself, and stop apologizing. Know your self-worth. Realize that you’re doing the same work as men.”

Finally, Tory believes in the importance of social responsibility and giving back. In 2008, she founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which seeks to empower women through microfinance and mentorship. She sits on the board of Startup America mainly because she feels it is her duty to share her experience with others. According to Tory, entrepreneurs must support one another and create valuable relationships in order to get America back to work in this difficult economy.

Prior to the main event, Tory attended a luncheon with female entrepreneurs in the community.  Each woman had the opportunity to introduce her company and discuss the various challenges they have faced. Despite Tory’s status as a contemporary fashion powerhouse, Lindsay Burke, founder of Harper Lei, describes her as “beautiful, inspiring, down-to-earth, and approachable.” According to Burke, Tory Burch is just “an ordinary person that has done a huge thing.”

Here at Northeastern University, we are best known in the Boston community for our coop program, which provides experiential education to our students. But more recently, Northeastern has been garnering attention for the entrepreneurial minds that inhabit the classrooms along Huntington Ave. The College of Business Administration has been consistently achieving impressive rankings for their undergraduate and graduate programs as well as the entrepreneurial offerings in the classroom. But that is just one component of the entrepreneurial community that is constantly growing on campus.

IDEA: Northeastern’s Venture Accelerator will be writing for our new BostInno Channel to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit that our organization, along with many others at Northeastern, are helping to promote.

IDEA, Northeastern’s Venture Accelerator, is a student created and run university program that helps students and alumnae organically create, develop and accelerate their own business ideas. IDEA provides coaching, mentorship, funding, and a number of other resources for ventures with an end goal of launching sustainable or investment-ready businesses.

We will be highlighting student entrepreneurship at Northeastern by shedding some light on what it takes to start a business while in college and launch into the entrepreneurial scene. Our posts will also focus on events and activities on Northeastern’s campus that are directly tied to the entrepreneurial space as well as highlighting events sponsored by our organization. We will also share advice and anecdotes from students as well as industry professionals who have been key assets to the growth of IDEA.

We hope you will enjoy reading along!