5 Great Startup Events for Rookies and Gurus Alike

5 Great Startup Events for Rookies and Gurus Alike Taking the leap from a more structured environment to the freedom and responsibility of entrepreneurship isnt easy. When I think back to the day I made the decision to quit my job and start a business, I see that one of the things I most desperately wanted was a way to test the waters. If youre in the same state of mind, dont worry. Today, there is a bevy of startup intensives that can give you the chance to try out the startup grind for a day, a weekend, or a week at a time. behauptung events, held frequently throughout the year, can help you decide if starting up is right for you.1. If Youre Just Getting Started, TryStartup WeekendIf you simply want to dip your entrepreneurial toe in the water, consider attending a Startup Weekend event. These events, held every week in cities around the world, are easy to find and gain access to. Be prepared to pitch an idea for a company and work on someone elses idea, in case yours isnt selected by the group voting process as a top team.Over the weekend, youll work with a group of strangers to create a new company and plan for its growth. By the time Sunday night pitches roll around, youll have a good understanding of some of the traits it takes to be a successful entrepreneur e.g., the ability to work under pressure, lead a team, and wear many hats.2. If You Have a Business but Youre Struggling to Gain Customers, TryLean Startup MachineIf youve tried a few Startup Weekends and are looking to further build your entrepreneurial skills, or if youre running a startup company that is in its early stages, try attending a Lean Startup Machine event near you. This weekend is geared specifically toward those who are trying to identify and build customer-driven products and organizations. Lean Startup Machine events operate in the framework established by Eric Riess The Lean Startupand the work of Steve Blank.You may not like hearing customer feedback especially if those customers dont value yourproduct or tafelgeschirr but by finding out what customers thinknow rather than later, you can begin to understand theproblems your customers do have and avoid wasting your time and money building things that no one wants to buy. While this event is also relatively easy to access, a thick skin and a willingness to talk to strangers are necessary to get the full benefit.3. If You Have Technical Skills, Try a HackathonWhether youre a student or a professional developer, hackathons can provide you the time, support, and freedom to build what youve always wanted to build. While hackathons vary in length, intensity, and focus, you can find a good collection of student-targeted events atMajor League Hacking. If youre in my neck of the woods (the Midwest),Hack Midwestis the banner event of the year. There are even distributed hackathons, open to anyone in the country, like theATT NYU C onnect Ability Challenge. Its also worth mentioning that these events often have pretty attractive cash prizes (and bragging rights) at stake.4. If Youre a Maker, Inventor, or Hardware Hacker, TryMake48If using Arduinos to create your own home security system isnt cutting it for you anymore, you might want to try a weekend-long event like Make48. While this particular competition is based here in Kansas City, there are similar robotics builds, invention challenges, and other makeathons around the country. If you get more pleasure out of creating physical solutions to problems than coding software, maker events like this offer a hands-on equivalent to a hackathon.5. If Youre Just a Little Unbalanced, TryStartupBusAre you a regular ultra-marathoner? Does a Tough Mudder sound like fun to you? You just might want to try your hand at being a buspreneur. StartupBus is a four-to-five day startup intensive created by a team of entrepreneurs who had attended Startup Weekends and asked themse lves, Could we do that on a moving bus?If youre invited to become a buspreneur (yes, the program is invite-only and requires that you be connected enough to find former buspreneurs and secure an invitation from them), you will find yourself facing all the challenges one might imagine the act of trying to build a company ona moving vehicle would entail e.g., spotty and/or insufficient Internet access, limited resources, motion sickness, ice storm, etc.But successful buspreneurs find a way to thrive in this environment, securing paying customers, raising seed money, and garnering national media coverage for a barely-hatched idea. Its a crucible, but if startup life doesnt seem daunting enough for you on its own, you may want to consider trying a trip on the StartupBus.Regardless of how you learn about the startup lifestyle, getting a chance to try it out before jumping in with both feet can be helpful in many ways. You can make friends and begin to build a network of support to lean on when times get tough. You can start to understand the structure and process of testing and iterating quickly. Even if you should decide that startup life isnt the right fit for you, your time spent dabbling in the startup world wont be wasted. You can apply you new understanding of how to make big things happen with few resources to any aspect of your career.Versions of this article originally appeared Startup Grind and BusinessCollective.Melissa Roberts is the president ofFree State Strategy Group, an integral public affairs firm the helps clients develop and execute grassroots advocacy strategies to build engaged and receptive communities both online and offline. Melissa is a proud Kansas City startup community feeder, serving on the Board of the Kansas City Startup Foundation/Kansas City Startup Village, working with theEnterprise Center in Johnson Countyand the Mid-America Angels investment network, and advising a handful of local startups in strategic communications and digi tal marketing efforts.