There comes a time in every budding entrepreneur’s life when they need to expose that deep dark ‘brilliant’ idea to the light and glare of the public. And one of the best means for doing that in an age of global sharing and collaboration is through events developed specifically for the task – Startup Weekends.

Startup Weekends bring together ideas and people who can act on ideas in a way that quickly tests and validates your dream within 54 hours. They do it at far less cost, time and personal angst than anyone can do alone. In a room of hipsters, hackers and hustlers you will articulate, refine, test and validate your idea in super-quick time.

And you can win prizes and enormous glory while you do it.

Startup Weekend Byron Bay kicks off on Friday November 20th and finishes on Sunday 22nd. It is cohosted by SAE Creative Media Institute Byron Bay and StartInno in the Ewingsdale Road Campus and Byron Bay Arts and Industrial Estate respectively.

The weekend is part of Global Startup Battle 2015 which means local creatives and entrepreneurs will be joining of thousands of others from across the globe for one of the most innovative weekends of the year. Byron Bay will be one of the 250 cities competing to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week.

It;s not all about tech either. Technology is often a driver and enabler of change but good ideas must also satisfy business needs and provide a purpose that compels a customer to take up the product or service. Hence rounding out your idea in a broad forum is critical to developing its validity. Startup Weekends around the world have brought together designers, creatives or anyone with business ideas together with tech to produce amazing things! Dr Dan Swan, lead organiser of Startup Weekend Byron Bay and Founder of Byron Bay’s startup innovation and coworking hub, StartInno, says: “Take artists and designers, they do what they do because it comes naturally, commerce however is another challenge. The same can be said for Tech. The growth in startups mean that commerce is no longer the domain of spreadsheets and beancounters, it’s a creative process in itself. Startup Weekends help people who previously weren’t able, become startup entrepreneurs instead of leaving vital decisions to others.”

So whether you have new ideas or just want to see and hear the latest in innovation go to Startup Weekend Byron Bay and grab a ticket for what is shaping up to be a great weekend

For more information or to contact the organisers: https://www.startinno.com/events/startupweekend-byronbay

[email protected] @startupbyron #startupbyron

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“I’ve been involved in numerous successful technology start-ups,” says Dan Swan, who has a PhD in Innovation in the Creative Industries. “I’ve worked in the US, UK and in Australia, and my experience in innovation spans the full project lifecycle which is where I see how I can help people wanting to start a business.”

For Sonia Friedrich, the impetus to work with Swan came from her desire to help entrepreneurs and business owners understand the human behaviour that lies behind business decisions. “I really want people to gain this information before they talk to marketers, advertisers, PR companies and the media because it’s so vital for them know how to present and communicate their ideas to customers and to investors.”

Working specifically on how customers behave towards price, Friedrich, who has a Bachelor of Business in marketing, and has worked for numerous Fortune 500 companies, says that the secret is in understanding what she calls, “behaviour economics. There’s been a lot of research done into the brain and how we (and therefore customers) make judgments and decisions. We understand the biases that are used to support personal beliefs and choices – but what I’ve learned is that we can directly change behaviours.”

Swan, who began StartInno to encourage local businesses through their start-up phase, is a firm believer in the concepts of networking, and co-working. “Byron Bay is a melting pot for new business,” he says. “Outside of the main cities we have the highest density of creative industries anywhere in regional Australia – to me the idea of business start-ups being able to access a community that includes seasoned entrepreneurs as well as fledgling business ideas is a great way to share what’s worked – and why it’s worked. My journey began by just starting, and so what drives me is to help others ‘just start’ as well.”

One of the main topics for the night will be to help participants understand the emotional engagement customers have with price and how to use it to their advantage. Topics will include:

• The path of least effort
• The pain of paying
• Decoys
• The power of free
• Why discounts permanently damage
• and more

Sonia Friedrich, business mentor and consultant

Dan Swan, StartInno founder.

For Friedrich, teaching business owners how damaging it can be to discount their price is something about which she is passionate.  “When I mentor business people on this it’s incredible to see the direct result that occurs from the shift in thinking that prices have to be discounted to never discounting – it’s a very powerful thing to learn,” she says. Until recently Friedrich was mentoring everywhere but Byron Bay, but – a bit like Swan – she too, as a resident of almost 12 years standing – has seen so many creative businesses start up here, that now she has applied her mentoring to herself. “I realised that I’d really rather not get on a plane to Sydney for work if I didn’t need to,” she says. “I’ve also found it’s very rewarding working with business owners in Byron Bay because small business owners are risk-takers. Unlike many multi-national companies where fear of change can set in, or people are worried about introducing something new because they fear they might lose their job, I find principals of smaller companies welcome the change – directors of small to medium size firms can see the advantage of these ideas and actually implement them in a few days or a week.”

To book tickets go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/attracting-customers-with-sonia-friedrich-tickets-16854039887?ref=ebtnebtckt

https://www.startinno.com/events/attracting-customers

For more information on Sonia Friedrich go to: www.soniafriedrich.com  For more information on StartInno go to www.startinno.com

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