Ignite Alabama Podcast Archives

Book-it Legal: A Marketplace Startup for Lawyers and Law Students

June 11, 2017 by Sheree Martin

Episode 21 of the Ignite Alabama podcast features Sheree Martin’s conversation with Jack West, CEO and founder of Book-it Legal, an innovative startup in the legal space.

Book-it Legal is a marketplace startup that helps law firms hire law students to do legal research, legal writing, and other related work. Jack is a lawyer who spent a few years practicing transactional law with a corporate law firm in Birmingham before starting Book-it Legal, LLC in 2016.

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The Book-it Legal Big Picture

Book-it Legal got its first boost through the Alabama Launchpad program when it won $50,000 in funding to push the new company from idea to minimum viable product.

Most recently, Book-it Legal was one of 10 startups (out of 100 applicants) selected to make up the first cohort of the Velocity Accelerator Program through the Innovation Depot. The first edition Velocity Accelerator ended in April and, I believe, applications are still open for the second cohort.

Jack’s plans for Book-it Legal, LLC for summer of 2017 are to grow and scale the enterprise. At the time of our conversation in late April, law students from 5 schools were available for projects and lawyers from 11 states had signed up.

Advice for Entrepreneurs

The biggest piece of advice Jack offers to new entrepreneurs is to find a local entrepreneurial community and get involved.

Jack started by attending meetups of Birmingham Startup Drinks, a meetup group in Birmingham facilitated by Tony Summerville. The first meetup Jack attended happened to be the first pitch night for Birmingham Startup Drinks. That evening, Jack met lawyers on the board of Innovation Depot, along with Summerville, who introduced him to Nate Schmidt, executive director of the Velocity Accelerator program for Innovation Depot.

We also talked a bit about mindset challenges. Jack is fortunate to have the support of family and his fiancé, but he realizes that it’s easy for an entrepreneur to fall into the trap of equating company success with life success.

This is a bit of a paraphrase but, in effect, Jack said it’s important that the entrepreneur not “bind up who you are, your value, based on how your company is doing at any given time.”

Business success is a “marathon, not a sprint.” Success always takes longer than the entrepreneur might expect, so you need endurance to push through the obstacles.

I mentioned the hero’s journey and how that fits into overcoming obstacles on the way to success.

Books and Resources for Entrepreneurs

I asked Jack to recommend books and other resources that might help aspiring entrepreneurs.

[Links to books on Amazon are affiliate links and your purchases through affiliate links help support Ignite Alabama podcast to keep the episodes coming.]

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is where any entrepreneur should begin.

The book Jack wishes he’d read earlier in his startup journey: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Jack also recommended White Tears, a recent work of fiction by Hari Kunzru.

Jack and I also talked briefly about All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a book that I was reading at the time of our conversation in late April. Jack said it was next in the queue on his fiction reading list.

Jack suggested that entrepreneurs who want to start a marketplace type of business check out Share Tribe Academy.

Other Mentions in this Episode

In addition to the resources, books and other companies mentioned above, we also talked about:

TBD Law [an unconference gathering by lawyers who are at the edge of the future of law] by Lawyerist.com. I [Sheree Martin] was a participant in TBD Law 2, back in late February 2017.

Upwork

Task Rabbit

Hourly Nerd (now Catalant)

Y Combinator

Futureproof Bama: Preparing Alabama For AI and Automation

March 26, 2017 by Sheree Martin

Taylor Phillips, managing director of the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit Futureproof Bama is the guest on Episode 20 of the Ignite Alabama podcast.

The mission of Futureproof Bama is to raise awareness of “technological unemployment” and help Alabama quickly prepare for what I like to call the 21st century economy.

Alabama has, at most, a 10-year window to prepare for a future where 30% or more of the jobs that exist today will be replaced by AI, robotics and other automation technologies.

The time to prepare for this new future is today, but that can only happen if there’s awareness that leads to action.

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I’m optimistic about how my own life will fit into the new automation paradigm, but, like Taylor, I’m concerned that Alabama is woefully unprepared for the future that is already arriving. Many jobs are being lost to AI and automation technology right now.

The Impact of Automation

When most people think of automation and robots they think of robotic welding and factory floor assembly lines.

In reality, the job sectors are going to be hit first and fastest will be the traditional administrative positions in banking and finance, insurance, document review and assembly and the like.

Trucking and transportation will also be hard hit. We’re less than 10 years away from a reality where autonomous vehicles, including delivery trucks and long-haul trucking, are commonplace. Although autonomous vehicles are still in the experimental stage, these experiments are now occurring “in the field” and wider implementation is in the very near future.

Although lawyers won’t be replaced by robots in the immediate future, the legal profession is seeing the benefits of time-saving in document review and analysis. It’s common to use AI now to review documents produced in discovery for litigation and in contract due diligence. Rather than hire 5 paralegals and 8 law clerks, a medium-sized law firm might only need 2 today paralegals and 3 law clerks, thanks to AI. Multiply that across a state or profession and you see the impact.

MDs won’t be replaced by robots this year either, but AI is being used in both diagnosis and radiological reviews.

Every profession, every trade, every job category will be impacted by automation, AI and related technology.

How To Become Future-Proof?

The message is not that everyone needs to learn to code. Future-proofing is not about obtaining a particular job skill but, Phillips says, more about possessing and developing the necessary traits to adapt, grow and exercise creativity.

I like to call it “connecting the dots.”

Individuals who can cultivate their creativity, who can learn to think outside the box, and who are willing to experiment and try new things can figure out how to adapt and thrive in the 21st century economy.

Those who like things “they way they used to be” (or the “way they are”) will be left behind. Those who fear of change prefer to stay with what is comfortable and “known” will be left behind.

Connect with Futureproof Bama

Website: https://www.futureproofbama.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futureproofalabama/

Instagram: @futureproofbama

Twitter: @futureproofbama

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The Business of Sustainable Farming

June 28, 2016 by Sheree Martin

The business side of sustainable farming is the focus of episode 19 of the Ignite Alabama podcast. My guests are Matthew & Jesie Lawrence, owners of Marble Creek Farmstead and owners of a majority interest in the new USDA-certified Pell City Processing at The Trading Post.

We don’t talk about it in the episode but Matthew & Jesie have put together a campaign on IndieGogo to help raise funds for their Pell City Processing facility. Help them out if you can–we need this facility in Alabama. Campaign runs through July.

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Marble Creek Farmstead is a sustainable farming operation in Talladega County producing pastured poultry, pork, turkey, beef, goats and rabbits along with a variety of produce and other specialty meats.

One of the biggest challenges for small Alabama poultry producers who are working to meet the intense demand for pastured poultry has been the lack of a USDA-certified poultry processing facility in the state (and limited availability or other meat processing facilities for smaller producers of beef, pork or other meats).

Matthew Lawrence has an undergraduate degree in finance and an MBA . His wife Jesie has a business degree in marketing. Together, they work as a team to operate their farm and processing facility as a business, while also continuing to preserve the purpose and mission of the farm. Profitability is a requirement of sustainability, but their vision is one of stewardship as well as financial success.

To grow their business, they needed a better option for poultry processing. They saw a need AND a business opportunity to bring USDA-certified poultry processing to Alabama and started working earlier this year to solve that problem.

In this episode, Matthew & Jesie give some details about how they make it all work.

Alabama Now Has a USDA-Certified Poultry Processing Facility

In April, Matthew and Jesie opened Pell City Processing at The Trading Post. Matthew and Jesie own a majority interest in this venture.

Alabama farmers no longer need to travel all the way to Kentucky to process poultry in a certified facility. Previously, small producers had the option to process on-farm using a USDA exemption for on-farm processing. Processing using the on-farm exemption limited market opportunities and came with some confusion about how the exemption worked (as well as some additional liabilities and risks).

To learn more about processing options at Pell City Processing you can:

Visit https://marblecreekfarmstead.com/processing-plant/
- A website is in the works for Pell City Processing at The Trading Post
Email: PellCityProcessing@gmail.com
Call: Matthew Lawrence at 205-936-6120

Matthew & Jesie take a wholistic approach to farming and problem-solving or prevention on the farm. They use a systems approach, to achieve synergies that result from a complex natural ecosystem working as it is designed to work.

Rather than seeking to simplify, Marble Creek Farmstead is about embracing complexity and letting nature do a lot of the work, which builds resiliency into the business model.

Matthew & Jesie run their businesses to be:

Profitable
Sustainable
Transparent
Collaborative

These are values that are near-and-dear to my own heart.

Sustainable Agriculture Can Transform Alabama’s Rural Economies

I’m a big believer in the power of sustainable agriculture to be a force in the economic transformation of rural communities and small towns all across Alabama. Farming itself can provide an income for farm families and can have a multiplier effect when economies start to flourish.

Learn more in episode 40 of Birmingham Shines, where I talk to several farmers who sell at the East Lake Market in Birmingham.

I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word about how important it is to support entrepreneurs who are working in the farming, value-added food sectors, and related fields.

This episode includes about 75-80% of my interview with Matthew and Jesie. I edited out a few segments that are very farming focused.

If you want to hear the entire episode, I’m releasing the full conversation as episode 24 of the Shine Springs Farm Shinecast, also available on iTunes and as soon as the extended version is available I’ll include a link here for where to find the downloadable version and show notes.

Birmingham Venture Club Spark Match Pitch Event

June 16, 2016 by Sheree Martin

In this week’s show you’re going to get a taste of some of the innovative ideas in development by a few of Alabama’s brightest startups delivered at the Birmingham Venture Club’s first startup pitch event.

The Birmingham Venture Club was kind enough to let me attend the first round of the inaugural Spark Match Pitch competition held May 26, 2016 at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham.

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Spark Match Round 1 Competitors

Eight startups were selected from over 25 applicants to participate in the first round of the Spark Match using a video-based application process.

Four of the original eight were selected to advance to the semi-final round set for July 28. Semi-finalists were selected through an audience voting system using the sli.do app.

At the Spark Match, the startups were placed in one of two divisions–the Vulcan Division and the Rickwood Division. If you’re familiar with Birmingham, you probably understand the division names. Vulcan, of course, is the original iron man, the cast iron statue that’s the symbol of the Magic City. Rickwood is the legendary baseball field–America’s oldest surviving professional ball field.

Paul Pless, treasurer of the Birmingham Venture Club and a principal at New Capital Partners, had the planning lead on the Spark Match for the BVC and served as moderator and, what I’ll describe as the, explainer-in-chief for the competition.

The 8 startups pitching in the inaugural Spark Match were:

SimplyProse
Fetch
ShadowSafe
Alternavisit
SelectMySpace
2b Electronic
Slate XP
Nourish

For Round 1, startups were asked to focus their 3-minute pitch on defining the problem and explaining the solution their company offered.

Votes were cast to select a finalist for each division, using, as I mentioned, the Sli.do app.

Spark Match Semi-finalists

Alternavist came away as the top vote getter in the Vulcan Division, with Nourish taking the top spot in the Rickwood Division.

Once we had identified the two division winners, a third vote was cast to select two more competitors from the remaining six startups to advance to the semi finals. More on the voting process below, along with information on the dates for Round 2 pitch events.

ShadowSafe and 2b-Electronics took the third and fourth slots to advance.

If you’re a long time listener to Ignite Alabama you might recall that Jake and Cole of Simply Prose were my guests on episode 6 of the show last year. You can still get the episode through iTunes or download it directly here: IgniteAlabama.com/6

The remaining two positions in the at-large vote were ShadowSafe and 2b Electronic.

Once the total votes were tallied the final rankings for the semi-final round of the Spark Match look like this:

1st Seed: Nourish

2nd Seed: Alternavist

3rd Seed: ShadowSafe

4th Seed: 2b Electronic

The semi-finals will play out in two competition rounds.

The top seeded Nourish will meet 4th seed 2b Electronic in the July 28 semi-final round of Spark Match.

2nd seed Alternavisit will face off against 3rd seed ShadowSafe in the Sept. 22 semifinal round.

The Spark Match pitch competition events are open to the public, with the purchase of a ticket. Members of the Birmingham Venture Club attend free.

To learn more visit bvcsparkmatch.com.

Photos of the Spark Match pitch competitors coming soon.

Thank You to the Birmingham Venture Club

I want to extend my thanks to the BVC board, BVC Treasurer and Spark Match coordinator Paul Pless, and Jack Eyer of Relax Its Handled for allowing me to attend round 1, record the pitches for the Ignite Alabama podcast and enjoy a complimentary lunch.

If you like the podcast, please share the Ignite Alabama with your friends and visit AlabamaIgnite.com to subscribe.

I’m Sheree Martin, this is the Ignite Alabama podcast. What’s YOUR business idea?

Vulcan Security Systems

April 30, 2016 by Sheree Martin

Jason Maddox, president of Vulcan Security Systems, in Birmingham, Alabama talks about IP video surveillance security technology and the commercial video security solutions his company provides.

Clients include small manufacturers and industrial operations, warehouses, shopping centers, retail establishments, churches, daycare facilities, private schools and similar enterprises. Learn more about Vulcan Security Systems services, applications and technology.

THIS EPISODE CONSISTS OF PROMOTED CONTENT FOR WHICH PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION WAS GIVEN.

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Video surveillance systems will often pay for themselves, quickly, through better inventory control and loss prevention, workplace safety compliance, risk management, and remote monitoring capabilities.

Hunting lodges and farms can also take advantage of video surveillance technology to control access and solve problems related to vandalism and theft.

Vulcan Security Systems, Video Security over IP, Birmingham, Alabama

Patent Law Basics with George Kobler

September 29, 2015 by Sheree Martin

George Kobler, an attorney in Huntsville, Alabama whose practices in the area of intellectual property, is the guest on episode 16 of the Ignite Alabama podcast.

IP law encompasses patents, which is the focus of today’s conversation, as well as copyright law, trademarks, and proprietary information that falls within the realm of trade secrets.

In this conversation George explains the difference between copyrights, trademarks, patents and other forms of intellectual property. Our focus is on patent law.

Since the focus is on law and George and I are both members of the Alabama State Bar I wanted to give you the standard disclaimer that lawyers are required to use in advertising and other marketing materials, just to make sure that George and I are both in compliance with rules of the Alabama State Bar.

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

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This podcast is intended to provide general information only and shall not create or constitute an attorney-client relationship between the speaker and any listener.

To determine whether something might be eligible for patent protection, the first question is whether it pertains to eligible subject matter.

If the invention, discovery or process is within the scope of eligible subject matter, the next question is whether the invention or discovery is both novel and non-obvious.

I pose several hypothetical examples for George to use in his overview, including one from the realm of digital technology and one involving the mechanical adaptation of a lawn mower.

We also cover situations involving co-inventors, modifications to someone else’s design, inventions and discoveries made in the course of employment or using employer’s resources outside of the scope of employment.

We finish up the question with hypotheticals relating to the team and project-based environment common today, where independent contractors come together to work on one business idea, while remaining free to pursue outside ventures.

Connect with George Kobler

George Kobler on LinkedIn

He’s also on Twitter: @RocketCityIP

A special thank you to Rich Ortiz for letting me use the photo of George taken at Investor Day Huntsville.

14 Tips for Talking with Investors

September 15, 2015 by Sheree Martin

Episode 15 of the Ignite Alabama podcast is a quick recap of two panel discussions from Rocket Hatch’s Investor Day about how to pitch to and work with VCs and angel investors.

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I’m giving you these takeaways in list format, and not necessarily in order.

Since there was a lot of back-and-forth and echoing of the tips, I decided to credit these to the panel, than the specific investor offering the tip.

Tip 1: Know something about the person you’re pitching to. Show them you’ve done your homework.

Tip 2: Before making a cold call, do your research. Look at the VC portfolio of companies. Is your product or service a good fit for their portfolio?

Tip 3: Use LinkedIn to do your homework and see if you have a common connection. If you do, perhaps use that common connection to learn something about the investor that reveal what the investor cares about most.

Tip 4: It can help to have someone introduce you, so if you have a common contact, take advantage of that.

Tip 5: Research the investor’s background. Find out if they’re from finance, accounting, marketing, sales. That will give you an idea about how to frame the pitch so it resonates with that mindset.

Tip 6: Venture capitalists and angel investors are in the relationship business. It’s important for you to develop relationships.

Tip 7: The character of your team matters a lot to the investor and this ties back to the relationships.

Tip 8: Investors are looking for an entrepreneur who is coachable. It’s OK if you don’t know everything. The VC has probably been in your shoes and knows what you don’t know, so be open to receiving guidance.

Tip 9: Some angel investors and VC funds like particular combinations of management teams.

For example, The Lamp Post Group likes 3-founder companies. Others may have a different preference. So try to identify this before hand, to maximize your opportunities and pitch to the right investor.

Tip 10: Know your numbers on your product and your market.

Tip 11: Tell a good story.

Tip 12: Practice your pitch. Practice it over and over. Get feedback and practice some more.

Tip 13: When you’re updating your investors, give them 1-2-3 specific things they can do to help you move forward.

For example, you might ask them to make an introduction to a specific person who could be valuable in getting a big account or landing a contract opportunity.

Tip 14: Heads-up for the women entrepreneurs. Many of the panelists, if not all of them, expressed an interest in hearing from women entrepreneurs and a desire to invest in women-led startups. So there’s an interest on the VC and Angel investor side to working with women. But we need more nurturing on the ecosystem side.

I also put together this Storify recap of tweets from the Investor Day Huntsville event:

I hope you found this episode helpful.

Check out Episode 14 for my conversation with Antonio Montoya, who explained the genesis of Rocket Hatch.

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Rocket Hatch – Huntsville’s Creative, Startup Community

September 8, 2015 by Sheree Martin

Welcome to episode 14 of the Ignite Alabama podcast.

This week’s guest is Antonio Montoya, an entrepreneur and one of the forces behind the Rocket Hatch, a startup and creative community in Huntsville, Alabama.

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Rocket Hatch Investor Day

The Rocket Hatch Investor Day is set for Thursday, September 10, 2015. The Investor Day event will bring together investors and entrepreneurs from across the Southeast to share experiences related to investing, pitching, launching and growing high tech startups.

The event will include panels on startup investing and pitching and will conclude with an open networking event at Sip+Hatch. Details here.

Antonio talks about the upcoming Investor Day in this podcast.

Rocket Hatch Community Values

The RocketHatch statement of values are a perfect reflection of what every true 21st century enterprise should cherish. Here’s an example:

Collaboration over competition
Trust over agendas
Encouragement over criticism

Those values reflect what I’m trying to offer through this podcast and my larger Shinecast mission. This podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators without no agenda other than sparking innovation and entrepreneurship in Alabama–in whatever form or shape it emerges–and perhaps helping me to grow my own entrepreneurial ventures.

Most people know Huntsville for its role in the NASA space program and for the many companies, large and small, that play a role in the national defense of our great country.

But Huntsville is also an arts community and it’s much more than a city for defense department contractors.

Before meeting with Antonio last week when he was in Birmingham for the Alabama Launchpad Innovation awards event, I spent some time reviewing the first annual report of the RocketHatch and I found it so refreshing.

I’ll just let the conversation with Antonio unfold and tell you the rest of the story.

I look forward to visiting with lots of Rocket Hatch community members on September 10, 2015 at the Investor Day event at the Space and Rocket Center.

Be sure to sign-up for the Ignite Alabama free email newsletter so you don’t miss an episode or news about Alabama’s entrepreneurial scene.

Thank you so much for listening to the Ignite Alabama podcast.

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Innovative Manufacturing – To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co.

September 1, 2015 by Sheree Martin

To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company in Fitzpatrick Alabama is the recipient of the Alabama Launchpad 2015 award for Outstanding Achievement in Innovative Manufacturing.

These awards will be presented at Alabama Launchpad’s annual Innovation event, September 2 in Birmingham.

Today’s guest is Peggy Sutton, who co-founded To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company with her husband and they’ve grown the business from a kitchen startup to a major economic force in Bullock County, with more than 30 employees.

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Founder Peggy Sutton shares her entrepreneurial journey with To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company, how the company has grown, and how its product line fits into the rapidly growing global market for real food.

I’m a big proponent of eating real food and believe that real food–like organic sprouted grains–is a linchpin in solving two major problems in Alabama: Chronic disease and also rural economic development.

Thanks to the willing support of her co-founder husband, Peggy’s company is now sprouting 10,000 pounds of grains and legumes each day and serves a global market.

You can purchase To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co. products through the company’s website.

This interview will also be published on the Shine Springs Farm Shinecast and the Discover Grow Shinecast. If you want to learn more about how to prepare real food and real food fits into a healthy, happy life I hope you’ll check out my latest podcast, the Discover Grow Shinecast, and my soon-to-be-released ebook, 7 Days of real Food.

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Alabama 49th in Kauffman Index of Startup Activity

August 25, 2015 by Sheree Martin

E. J. Reedy of the Kauffman Foundation is the guest to talk about the 2015 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity. We cover the Index methodology and look at some of the characteristics of Alabama’s dismal 49th place ranking.

You can read and download the complete Kauffmann Foundation Startup Index reports here.

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We also talk about national trends in entrepreneurship over the past 35-40 years, where Alabama falls in the longitudinal look, and what types of economic development policies might hamper or enhance the climate for entrepreneurship.

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Book-it Legal: A Marketplace Startup for Lawyers and Law Students

The Book-it Legal Big Picture

Advice for Entrepreneurs

Books and Resources for Entrepreneurs

[Links to books on Amazon are affiliate links and your purchases through affiliate links help support Ignite Alabama podcast to keep the episodes coming.]

Other Mentions in this Episode

Futureproof Bama: Preparing Alabama For AI and Automation

The Impact of Automation