July 7, 2022 6:00 am
National Emoji Day is this month, on July 17th. Emojis have an interesting history, dating back to 1990s chat rooms. By 1999, the characters put together to express emotions in a chat room were given a name. “Emoji” comes from the Japanese words for “picture” and “letter” – only coincidentally sounding like the word “emotion.” More than 20 years later, emojis have only taken a firmer hold. There are approximately 3400 emojis in use today and it’s hard to imagine a society without them. At 3 Steps to Start Up, one of our “three steps” for supporting innovators in West[...]
June 7, 2022 6:00 am
One of the ways we support West Virginia small businesses at 3 Steps to StartUp is by spreading useful knowledge. Our venture fairs and LIINC events last year brought innovators and entrepreneurs together to share their technical knowledge with aspiring small business owners. We also strive to provide information through our blog with posts like this one! Social media cannot be ignored in today’s business world. With widespread social media use by consumers, a small business would be making a mistake to skip participating in social media. Business social media pages are a primary source of inbound marketing in today’s[...]
March 1, 2022 8:00 am
Many entrepreneurs attribute the success of their businesses to hard work… and a little bit of luck. This month, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we ask: is luck the determining factor for a business’s success? The consensus is no. Entrepreneurs who credit good luck for their success usually indicate that it is only a portion of what goes into business success – and far smaller than the majority. Most of them give luck credit amounting to 20% or less. When pressed, the common thread for what people consider “luck” is actually just good timing. Elon Musk revealed that Tesla[...]
December 7, 2021 8:00 am
When people talk about owning their own business, they discuss the concept of “being your own boss.” Overall owning your business is liberating! Entrepreneurs make their own decisions – ranging from where they work to how much money they make. If you are thinking about making your idea a reality, 2022 could be your year! Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t wait to go for it in the new year: It’s time for you to take control of when and where you work. There’s no better time than the present to regain control of how much you work. Many[...]
November 2, 2021 2:23 pm
At 3 Steps to Startup, we are excited to present an opportunity to attend our free, virtual venture fair on Tuesday, November 16th, from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm. Our second venture fair of 2021 builds upon the work we did earlier in March 2021 at the 3 Steps to Startup Venture Fair. If you missed our March event, all recordings are accessible here. What exactly is a venture fair? A venture fair provides the opportunity for entrepreneurs, funders, economic developers, and other startup stakeholders to gather and share information. The goal of a venture fair is to match small[...]
October 5, 2021 8:00 am
LIINC Up with 3 Steps to Startup! This month, 3 Steps to Startup will host two “LIINC” events: Linking Innovation, Industry, and Commercialization. These events are designed to allow hopeful research entrepreneurs access to business acumen and venture capital while simultaneously allowing those in the private sector to collaborate with a researcher in an area of interest. The two LIINC events will take place virtually on October 6th, 2021, via West Virginia University, and on October 20th, 2021, via Marshall University. Researchers are essential members of the entrepreneur community. At our virtual LIINC events, 3 Steps inspires collaboration between researchers[...]
September 21, 2021 8:00 am
Whether you’re a natural or not, networking is truly vital when you’re starting a business. 3 Steps to Startup recognizes this necessity! We offer five reasons why you should focus your efforts on networking from the startup process to the day-to-day operation of a business. Access to Resources, Including Venture Capital Networking quite literally means expanding your “network” of people, creating links as you go. Those in your network are resources for you to contact when you find that there’s something you can’t accomplish on your own. Connections can put you in touch with their connections, and the network[...]
