… because entrepreneurs need to have fun too! ROFLcon is a conference all about internet culture and memes. Last night I cracked. I bit the bullet and signed up while at a bar on my iPhone. If you have no idea about these types of things, you’ve probably missed out on the following:

• Homestar Runner
• Marmaduke Explained
• George Washington
• I can has cheeseburger

There are these and so much more at ROFLcon. I am excited. The only thing I am disappointed about is the creator of goatse won’t be there anymore. He seems to have disappeared from the list .

Make sure you register at the DEMO website. Mark your calendars! Greg and Brian will be on stage on Wednesday, January 30th 10:45am PST (1:45pm EST). We’ll probably have it projected on the wall at BetaHouse. Let me know if you’d like to come. This is a big deal for us, and we’re really excited to get a sneak peak out to the world.

Be there, or be square.

Here’s the link to register, drop me a comment with your email for the password.

This reminded me of an article Ramit at iwillteachyoutoberich.com wrote a few months ago. He does a better job of tearing apart their business model, so if you are interested in that – take a look.

In my old job, we used to take potential clients out to lunch. Buying lunch was an excuse to get their undivided attention for an hour. In that time we could establish what their needs were and if we could move forward with a potential relationship. We didn’t win them all. However, it did enable us to know most people in our small industry.

This Ameriprise thing is structured in such a way that it’s more of a fishing expedition. Throw some bait in the water and see if anyone bites.

It is a waste of time and money for them. Sure. I feel like Joe is a nice guy and I’m happy he bought me lunch. Im not going to go any further than that!

What is your reaction to this kind of marketing?

Thanks to Nate Aune of Jazkarta and BetaHouse fame for the link!

Now is a great time to leave your current job and get into tech. If you’ve been thinking about it, If you’ve been wondering “when should I start my business”, or “when should I apply for jobs at a startup?”. The answer is now

Here’s a laundry list of why:

1. A friend of mine at a Venture Capital firm told me that in the first half of 2007, Boston based web startups had more investment than San Francisco based startups. I think the balance may have changed with the facebook $740 million
2. I spoke with a recruiter recently who told me companies are doing significant hiring at the moment
3. Companies are getting investment based on ideas without a product yet
4. Investors are giving companies crazy valuations again (Facebook $15 billion valuation)
5. The cost to start a web company compared to 7 years ago is relatively small (ruby on rails, amazon ec2 & s3, slicehost)
6. People are attending local entrepreneurship and technology events like never before – if you’re in boston, check out Marks Guide for upcoming events

All of these combined make the time ripe for starting a company or getting into a Web 2.0 startup. When are you starting your business?

Unfortunately, I can’t afford to fly like those damn consultants I hung out with the other night. Nor can I justify the price for the luxury bus from boston to new york. I also value my life, so I wont take Fung Wah. I’ll take Greyhound!

Colin Nederkoorn’s Resume