Ag Jobs A to Z: FFA Advisor

Photo credit: A-P FFA

When I was a senior in high school, there was a student teacher from Iowa State in our agriculture class. That year, he was a big part of our classroom and FFA chapter. He helped teach our classes, attended FFA conferences and even had us out to his parents' house for a delicious dinner one night. Our student teacher was Mr. Carlton Ness. Today, he's an Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor at Aplington-Parkersburg High School.

I really enjoyed having Mr. Ness as a teacher for a short time in high school and I know his students at Aplington-Parkersburg are lucky. I appreciate the time he took to share his perspective as an FFA Advisor on for today's Ag Jobs A to Z blog post!

1. Where did you go to school? 
I graduated from Iowa State University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ag Education and a minor in Agronomy.

2. What inspired you to pursue a job as an FFA Advisor? 
Growing up on a farm in Jewell, Iowa, I always knew agriculture was going to be the career field for me. I think what influenced me the most to choose the career I did was my experience with my High School Ag Teacher/FFA Advisor. He had such an impact on me. In fact I had to teach a lesson to my Animal Science class in High School and when I was done he asked me if I have ever considered a career in Ag Education. At the time I thought he was kidding, but 5 years later I was starting my career at an Ag Educator/FFA Advisor.

Photo Credit: A-P FFA

3. How long have you been working as an FFA Advisor? 
I am now in my 4th year of teaching at Aplington-Parkersburg High School.

4. What skills are necessary for a career as an FFA Advisor? 

I think to be a successful Ag Teacher/FFA Advisor you need a number of different skills. You need to be a good communicator, as you work with students, other teachers, administrators, community supporters and business professionals. One of the most overlooked skills is that you need to be a good salesman. Because your classes are electives, you have to pitch your program and the experiences you have to offer to young people. Finally you have to be passionate about agriculture! It is hard to get people excited about what you are doing if you are not excited as well!

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?) 
I get to work directly with students and my purpose is to hopefully guide them to careers in agriculture. I teach classes in Animal Science, Agronomy, Plant Science, Welding, Ag Mechanics, Ag Business, and Ag Issues. My goal is to inspire them to find one of these topics and become passionate about them like I am.

The people that help me most are ag business professionals and agricultural members of our community. The best thing you can do in this profession is surround yourself with experts and people that value what you are doing. I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with great people in multiple segments of the ag economy including agronomy and seed sales, animal science professionals, manufacturing professionals, and farmers. Their support has been unbelievable!

Photo Credit: A-P FFA

6. What career/internship opportunities are there as an FFA Advisor? 
In terms of internships, Iowa State Universities College of Ag and Life Sciences has field base experiences for students interested in Ag Education. The final “internship” would be your student teaching experience.

As far as career opportunities the possibilities are endless! A degree in Ag Education can take you so many places. If teaching interests you, a job will be waiting for you as soon as you graduate. Statewide we are currently facing a shortage in Ag Teachers. We need more people that care about he future of agriculture, to inspire young people about the industry that is the backbone of our Iowa Economy.

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?
I choose this career because I like variety. Everyday I do something different, and I can even say every hour I do something different. Growing up I had such good experiences with all different facets of agriculture, whether it was animal science, agronomy, ag mechanics, crop production or FFA. I found a profession where I could experience it all on a daily basis. I get to travel all of the time (gearing up for our trip to Louisville next week), work on farms, go to livestock shows, interact with the community, and develop great relationships with other ag teachers in my profession. But the best part is helping young people find their passion in agriculture and watching them grow and meet their goals.

Thanks Mr. Ness for his encouragement and advice! With such a passionate teacher and advisor, I know his students will do well. I hope our paths cross again at Iowa FFA Convention. Thanks for reading!

Ag Jobs A to Z: Extension

Photo credit: Iowa State University

I know I've shared my love for social media before, but today I'm especially reminded of that as I introduce you to Dana Schweitzer. This summer I "met" Dana through #AgChat, a weekly Twitter discussion surrounding agricultural topics. Every Tuesday I saw her online, she had great comments and it was so fun to read another Iowan's perspective. At the time, I was in Indiana with Beck's Hybrids, so we didn't meet in person until I returned to campus in the fall.

Once school was back in session, we met at The Hub to chat and enjoy coffee. In a matter of minutes we discovered her husband was from my hometown, we both have an interest in travel and share a love for communications. That afternoon we shared our ag stories and personal goals. Today, I'm excited to have Dana share her story with you!

1. Where did you go to school?

My undergraduate and master’s degrees are from Iowa State.

2. What inspired you to pursue a job in Extension?

My experience in 4-H, especially State 4-H Council, introduced me to the wide variety of career opportunities in ISU Extension and Outreach. As a student intern, I worked with Iowa 4-H during the sesquicentennial Iowa State Fair in 2004. I also completed a communications internship at ISU in 2006 that introduced me to many of the faculty and staff in the largest branch of ISU Extension and Outreach, Ag & Natural Resources.

3. How long have you been working in Extension?

In my current role @ISU_Farm_Energy, I’ve been working with colleagues in Extension and Outreach to address agricultural energy efficiency for more than five years. 

4. What skills are necessary for a career in Extension?

I think those who thrive in Extension and Outreach have a desire to help people find information and resources to help them with decision-making. If you are a self-starter with an ability to clearly communicate with clients (via phone, email, face-to-face, etc.), there is a career for you with ISU Extension and Outreach. Like any large organization, the university and the statewide county offices provide a foundation, but your connections with colleagues and clients will influence your work and help you to identify and develop your strengths. 

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?) 

As energy prices have fluctuated during the past several years, the ISU Farm Energy team has worked with the Iowa Energy Center, the ISU Ag & Biosystems Engineering department, and statewide utility service providers to update information and resources for agricultural producers who want to improve the energy efficiency of their crop or livestock enterprises. Our work includes case studies, field research, and tips for managing and conserving diesel, gasoline, electricity, and propane all around the farm.

6. What career/internship opportunities are there with Extension?

Many career opportunities are connected to STEM fields. For example, on the ISU campus, many departments hire undergraduate students during the academic year and some opportunities may lead to part-time or full-time summer internships. There are also state-led internship programs affiliated with specific departments or colleges at ISU, such as the Heddleson Summer Internship with Human Sciences Extension and Outreach or the Rising Star Internship Program. Some of the counties across Iowa also offer summer internships with 4-H or related youth programs.

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?

Working in a full-time career with Extension and Outreach may require hours outside the normal working week, but with that there are also great opportunities to travel for conferences, presentations, or professional training. Being a lifelong learner is important in any career, but I think it is especially valuable in Extension and Outreach as we connect with people to help them find answers to the questions that impact their businesses, communities, and families.

I'm so glad Dana and I connected on Twitter and look forward to seeing where our goals take us. Thanks to Dana for sharing her story!

Ag Jobs A to Z: Economist

Photo Credit: Iowa State University

As an Agricultural Business major, I've been lucky to meet several economists in my four years at Iowa State. I remember the first time I met T.J. Rakitan as he talked me through my Econ 101 homework in the Econ Help Room. These days I run into T.J. at department events and schedule planning meetings. He always has a good long boarding story or comment that makes me laugh when our paths cross in Heady Hall.

T.J. is a PhD Econ student, but also helps underclassmen as an adviser and is a great subject resource. Thanks for sharing his experiences and advice, T.J.!

1. Where did you go to school?
I did my undergraduate work in Economics and Foreign Languages/International Affairs at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.  I also earned an M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis, and I am completing my PhD studies in Economics at Iowa State.

2. What inspired you to pursue a job in Ag Economics?
I began my academic career studying environmental and resource economics, and many of the research questions that interest me have broad application and relevance to agriculture.  
For example, I’m interested in how the energy industry interacts with agriculture when wind turbines or oil wells are constructed on farms.  Also, I’m interested in the public policies aimed at preventing environmental degradation and role played by agriculture in helping preserve environmental value while helping feed the world.  

3. How long have you been working in Ag Economics?
Since 2008, when I began my M.S. studies at UC Davis.  

4. What skills are necessary for a career in Ag Economics?
To borrow from the late, great John Maynard Keynes, “the master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts […] he must be mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher—in some degree.”  

An economist must be comfortable considering the logic of abstract concepts while applying them to the “real world,” and agriculture is about as real as it gets!  It’s often handy to have a background emphasizing mathematical skill, but the goal of applied economics is the considered understanding of how people make decisions and how this determines societal well-being.  Both analytical and communication skills are necessary—the challenge of the agricultural economist is to translate informed observation and scientific study of incentives into recommendations for policy and practice.  

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?) 
Agricultural economists compile, analyze and interpret data to help ag practitioners and policymakers make better decisions.  In my own experience, I work with public officials, state data collectors and industry participants to analyze policies such as the placement of wind energy installations.  Additionally, many economists work as educators, teaching classes at universities to help students understand how resources are allocated and how individual behaviors add up to market-level effects.

My research is aimed helping evaluate the costs, benefits and effectiveness of policies and regulations, which contributes to the information available to the general public.  Other economists, however, work more directly with agricultural groups to analyze the markets for Iowa ag production and consult on the economic value of ag inputs.  For example, some ISU Econ Dept. faculty work with the ISU Extension, working with farmers, cooperatives and agribusiness firms to disseminate information about market-level trends in prices, quantities and expected returns on investment.  The ISU Econ Department also publishes the Ag Decision Maker tool to help farmers make informed decisions about how to allocate resources within their farms.  

6. What career/internship opportunities are there with Ag Economics?
Career-wise, most economists seek jobs in private industry (commodities trading firms, ag consulting firms) or in the public sector (U.S. Department of Ag, colleges and universities, extension services).  At the undergraduate level, the typical economist may begin his or her career as an analyst who specializes in a single commodity or group of businesses, while Masters and PhD graduates are often employed in broader research capacities.  
The skills emphasized by training in economics are often quite general—that is, the economist must have a basic understanding of how optimal decisions are arrived at, and must then tailor this understanding to help explain the happenings in a specific industry.  Internships tend to focus on precisely this: students will know how to analyze things, but may not yet know the ins and outs of their industry of choice.  

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?
I should emphasize that subject knowledge is important!  Economics provides an excellent set of tools for analyzing the decisions by which scarce resources are allocated, but knowing something about which resources are actually being allocated makes a huge difference.  It’s no accident that many ag economists have roots in rural agrarian communities.  Those of us that didn’t start with this background (like me) have had to learn it along the way! 

Thanks again to T.J. for sharing his perspective as an economist. Thanks for reading!

Ag Jobs A to Z: District Field Manager

Janelle Kracht (top) and 
Carrie Dodds
Photo Credit: Iowa Corn

D is for District Field Manager! I'm excited to introduce you to not one, but two of the fantastic District Field Managers at Iowa Corn. I had the privilege of working with these ladies at pump promotions and the Iowa Corn Indy 300 during my market development internship two summers ago. I still run in to them from time to time and Carrie works closely with the ISU Corn Growers I'm involved with on campus.

Janelle and Carrie have a similar role, but serve in different regions of the state of Iowa. They each bring a unique perspective to the organization and are wonderful ambassadors for Iowa agriculture. 

1. Where did you go to school?

Janelle: I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Turf Management.

Carrie: I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor or Science in Animal Science and Ag Business and a minor in Marketing.

2. What inspired you to be a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I knew that I wanted a career that would present the opportunity to make a difference in the world every day.  It was very important to me to end a work day knowing that what I did was helping someone and bettering our society and industry. 

A friend from college, who had worked for Iowa Corn, reached out and encouraged me to apply for the DFM position.  The rest is history.

Carrie: My love for working with farmers is what lead me to pursue this position.  I feel it is imperative for farmers and the agricultural industry to tell their story. 

3. How long have you been working as a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I will be celebrating my 8th Anniversary as a District Field Manager with Iowa Corn in November, 2015.

Carrie: 3 years.

4. What skills are necessary for a career as a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I believe a successful District Field Manager is passionate about the industry, organized, is a good communicator, has a strong work ethic, is a good listener, is driven and is not afraid to have constructive conversation.  

Carrie: You must be a motivated self-starter and flexible.  No day is ever the same and your schedule can change with the weather, literally.  If it is raining and one of your county groups can meet sometimes you have to shuffle something around to get a meeting in.  I feel you need to be comfortable working with people of all ages and demographics.  One day you could be meeting with a group of farmers or doing elevator visits and the next day you could be presenting for a group of 100 Second graders. 

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?)

Janelle: I primarily work with corn farmers who are active within their local county corn grower board.  We are engaged within the community educating consumers about the Ag industry, i.e.; where their food comes from, the benefits of ethanol, biotechnology, sustainability, conservation, water quality, etc.  We understand the need to work with the youth in agriculture and educate them about the importance of getting involved.  Local county boards also recognize the importance of being engaged in the political aspect of industry. 

Carrie: As a DFM you are tasked to tell the story or help others tell the story of Iowa Corn and the agricultural industry every day. We help farmers tell their story and work with audiences to understand the importance of where their food comes from and the vast uses of corn in their everyday lives. 

6. What career/internship opportunities are there with Iowa Corn?

Janelle & Carrie: We have a marketing internship for the summer and we are looking to hire a social media manager full time. Here are the descriptions for each:

2016 Summer Marketing Intern: Iowa Corn is seeking a smart, organized, energetic person to assist with activities in our current Marketing & Communications department. This internship offers an excellent opportunity for a talented student committed to help implementing programs that increase demand for corn and creating profitably for Iowa’s corn farmers. The Marketing Intern will work closely with Iowa Corn’s Marketing & Communications team to provide support for state and local programs.

Social Media Manager: This position is responsible for the management of an effective and efficient communications program for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association.  It initiates and manages communications projects, specific to website management and social media platforms, with other internal departments in the areas of research, marketing, public policy and grower services, ensuring that the organizations’ image is consistently and appropriately communicated in the various target segments. 

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?

Janelle: It’s important to be involved and engaged in the Ag industry.  There are so many different outlets that will allow you to become involved and many organizations that you can belong to to help keep you engaged with what is happening within the industry.  These organizations are working for you and working for the best interest of the farmer. Organizations strive to find students, farmers and agribusiness’ to be engaged in their respective organizations.  Your input is vital to success of an organization like the Iowa Corn Growers Association. 

I can't thank Janelle and Carrie enough for sharing their experiences and advice today. I certainly look up to them as exemplary women in agriculture. Be sure to stop by and say hello if you see them at the Iowa Corn Career Fair booth next Tuesday! Thanks for reading!

Ag Jobs A to Z: Communications

Photo credit: Morgan Myers

You may have noticed I got a little sidetracked from the #AgJobsAtoZ series, but I hope you enjoyed reading about Startup Ireland last week. The opportunity to travel came up so quickly, there wasn't a lot of notice here, but thanks for hanging on for the wild ride. Starting today we're back on schedule to cover a variety of careers in the agriculture industry.

Today I'm sharing Sarah Duwe's perspective as a communications expert. She works for Morgan Myers, a strategic communications firm out of Wisconsin. I've met Sarah and several of her colleagues through National Agri-Marketing Association and have seen their work for accounts such as the Illinois Soybean Association, Oscar Mayer and the Midwest Dairy Association. Thanks to Sarah for sharing her time and wisdom.

1. Where did you go to school?
I went to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and have a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in broadcast. The first five years of my career I worked as a producer, reporter and anchor for two Wisconsin TV markets before switching to PR and Marketing.

2. What inspired you to go into communications?
I was inspired by telling stories. I always wanted to be a writer growing up and, while today I can’t say I’m the strongest writer, I’m still telling stories in creative, resonating ways for great clients.

3. How long have you been working in communications?
I’ve been working in communications for 8 years and have been with MorganMyers for more than three years now. I started at the associate level but quickly moved up thanks to great clients, helpful colleagues and a strong learning-focused environment.

4. What skills are necessary for a career in communications?
Great communicators are smart, perceptive, good listeners, have fine attention to detail and ask great questions. They also should be able to simplify complex ideas.

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?)
MorganMyers is a strategic communications firm that builds, protects and promotes great brands that help feed the world. We have a great client roster, including Illinois Soybean Association, Oscar Mayer, Merck Animal Health, Foremost Farms and more. We have a broad scope of work we do within agriculture. A passion several of us share at MorganMyers is creating dialogue between farmers and consumers to improve understanding of current farming practices and hopefully increase acceptance.

In terms of who helps us … MorganMyers is involved in several industry organizations, including National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and American Advertising Federation (AAF). I serve on the board of our local NAMA chapter helping to provide valuable professional development and marketing opportunities to local agri-marketers.

6. What career/internship opportunities are there at Morgan Myers?
MorganMyers is always looking for great talent. We offer a summer internship program during which students experience client interaction and a breadth of project work ranging from digital to copywriting.

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?
All of our work starts with listening to understand a client’s unique situation and needs. From there, we roll up our sleeves to create the right ideas that tell your stories at the right time, in the right places. MorganMyers is a great place to grow a career in ag and food communications.

Thanks again to Sarah for sharing her advice. Be on the look out for Morgan Myers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Fall Career Fair just around the corner on October 20. Thanks for reading!

10 Things About Ireland Nobody Told Me

I've had a great time in Ireland and for the most part, it is very similar to the US. People speak English, love coffee and are very friendly. There are just a few little things that are different that nobody told me.

1. You need to get used to revolving doors. Learn to get through them with a rolling suitcase, backpack and 40 lb. purse if you want to go anywhere fun.
2. Light switches are on the outside of the bathroom. Knowing this ahead of time will save you a good two minutes of panic as you dash to the loo.
3. Also, here a "bathroom" is only in your home. Even though it may seem graphic to say, "I need the toilet." that's totally normal here.
4. Most electric outlets have a switch. When you plug in your phone and it doesn't charge, don't sweat it. Just flip the switch and you'll be grand.
5. On that note, no one here says good. Say "grand" or "brilliant" to avoid strange looks.
6. Also, from experience, I learned when someone asks, “How did you find ____________ (the hotel, a person, event or city)?” They aren’t looking for an answer like “I googled it” or “we have a mutual friend.” In the US we would say, “Did you like ____________?” If you forget, they’ll probably laugh and clarify their question for you.
7. Also, in the United States, we might say “that guy” or “that girl.” In Ireland, the phrase to use would be “your man.” For example, “Your man in that funny commercial.” It threw me off for a little bit, considering I had nothing to do with the person referenced, but after some help I began to catch on.
8. If you travel to Ireland, be prepared they like to have fun and use plenty of sarcasm. Have a good time and dish it back or they’ll take advantage of the fact you’re a little gullible. You don’t want to be like the group of Americans who believed Irish cars don’t have reverse because of all the round abouts my new friend told us about.
9. When your packing to come to Ireland, keep in mind, they don’t dress as casually as Americans. During the week I never saw the baggy sweatpants that people wear to their morning classes around campus. Over there, they aren’t as common and are called a track suit. Probably a good hint that they’re only appropriate for the gym. Dark jeans, a sweater and collared shirt with tasteful accessories is perfectly acceptable for everyday wear.
10. Last, but not least, the attitude toward time is much different in Ireland. I don’t remember a single one our meetings starting less than 10 minutes behind schedule, and in that culture it’s perfectly acceptable. For people who constantly find themselves running 5 minutes behind, it will be a relief. For those who define late as less than 10 minutes before an appointment, it’ll be a good lesson in adaptability. ;)

I hope you get the chance to travel to Ireland and experience it for yourself. If you go, I'd love to hear about your trip and the things that caught you by surprise. Thanks for reading!

Startup Ireland: Day 5 - Galway

Galway on Friday was the last day of big Startup Gathering events. The whirlwind of new foods, a different time zone, and lack of sleep caught up to me that morning. Since I wasn't feeling well, I missed several of the speakers and didn't explore the city as much as I had hoped. Thankfully, I bounced back quickly and was still able to experience some of the city.

They mayor of Galway spoke during the morning forum. Photo credit: Paul Condron

Like most of the other cities, the mayor came to speak about the importance of startups in their region. It was really cool to see so many important people make the Startup Gathering a priority and recognize the positive impact a good startup ecosystem could have on their area.

The rest of the morning forum proceeded as normal with breakouts, panels and keynote speakers. After those wrapped up, smaller events with a more industry specific focus took off around the city. Rachel, Clayton and I chose to attend the open house for an incubator office sponsored by Bank of Ireland that was recently completed. The space was beautiful and we all agreed we would love to work there. Here's a picture from a fun little side room that would be perfect for a conference call or locking yourself away form your devices to get work cranked out before a deadline.

Isn't this just the cutest little space? Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

The rest of the office was super hip bright orange and blue with nice big tables and huge presentation screens. I want an office like that some day!

In the evening, things wrapped up with a reception, just like all the other cities. The keynote speaker was a man who had recently sold his successful startup. He made two comments that really struck me.

• "Out of adversity there is always opportunity."

This quote hit me like a ton of bricks. It really is all about perspective.

• "There is absolutely no reason you can't start a business anywhere in the world."

This comment was made as he spoke about technology and all the doors recent advancements have opened. It really challenged me personally to learn more about the technology resources available to me. I need to learn, and use them effectively to achieve my goals. 

Galway was a great place to wrap up our tour of the country promoting the startup message. I feel so blessed to be a part of such an impressive conference and am thankful for all the new skills and connections I've gained. Stay tuned for a my final reflection on the whole trip coming soon. Thanks for reading!

Startup Ireland: Day 4 - Limerick

Limerick was day 4 of our 5 city journey across Ireland. Like every other city the morning began with an organized forum of speakers and panelists. I enjoyed learning from all kinds of organizations that have resources for startups. Hearing the trials and triumphs of experienced entrepreneurs was very interesting.

Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

There were lots of quotes throughout the morning that made me think, but this one especially stuck with me. "It takes a community to raise a child. Equally it takes a community to raise a successful startup and a country to raise a successful scaleup."

Part of the morning session included a breakout exercise where attendees divided into 6 groups. These teams brainstormed ideas related to networking, state, education, environment, skills and culture that would help improve the "startup ecosystem" in their region. It was fascinating to float around and hear their innovative solutions.

Breakout sessions in Limerick.

Each city had a city coordinator that handled a lot of the event planning in the region and leveraged their local network to make their big day a success. Gillian Barry was the city coordinator in Limerick, and one of my personal favorites. She was energetic, very engaging and communicated her passion for the startup movement well. Many of the speakers throughout the week were men, so it was fun to see a woman in such an important leadership position.

City coordinator, Gillian Barry and Startup Gathering CEO, Eoin Costello on stage in Limerick. Photo credit: Paul Condron

Just like all the other cities, several experienced entrepreneurs shared the lessons they learned the hard way. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from them:

• "My advice, hire slowly, fire quickly." - Adrian Fleming
• "I quickly learned, 'If you want it. Do it."
• "If you're out there doing everything for your customers, more opportunities will come." - Shane McCarthy
• "It is all about teams. It is about picking someone different than you that has complementary skills." - Kevin Sherry
• "Every company starts with the first employee. You can't export from day 1. Establish and prove a customer wants it." - Kevin Sherry

Entrepreneur panel in Limerick. Photo credit: Paul Condron 

In every city, there was also an evening reception where the mayor, city coordinator, the Startup Gathering CEO, and a keynote entrepreneur spoke. In Limerick, the keynote speech from Jimmy Martin, CEO of AMCS Resource Technology really grabbed my attention. My phone was dead by that point in the day, but here are a few of his key points I scribbled in a notebook as he spoke.

• "I learned the importance of sales at a very young age. My father was a farmer and a big part of farming is business."
• "You have to understand your product and market quite quickly."
• "Focus. Focus. Focus. I couldn't tell you focus enough."
• "Understand your customer. That's key."
• "A lot of companies make the mistake of not knowing how to sell."
• "Don't waste your time. It's valuable."
• "One advantage startups have over the big companies is they are nimble."
• "Don't be afraid to fail."
• "If you're not the sales person, find one fast."

I hope you're as inspired by the knowledge and advice the speakers shared in Limerick as I have been. Thanks for reading!

Startup Ireland: Day 3 - Cork

Our Startup Ireland journey across the country continues! This little habit of seeing both the sunrise and sunset is becoming quite a pattern this week, but with sights like this I don't really mind.

Sunrise over Cork. Photo credit: Paul Condron

Sunset in Waterford. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

It will be pretty hard to keep it wordless, but this Wednesday I'm sharing some images from my trip so far. Many thanks to the friends traveling with me that let me share their art.

This was the view walking to the evening reception in Waterford. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

Growing up, I remember hearing my Grandma Addy talk about Waterford Crystal. It was so fun to be in Waterford and see it in real life. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

There are so many beautiful buildings here. We saw this one on our way to a Tech Brew event and had to take a picture. Photo Credit: Rachel Kelly

These planters outside the Google European Headquarters looked like macaroni noodles. This venue has been one of my favorites. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

This was one of the panels in Waterford. Each day featured two panels and several other speakers. The panels were always my favorite part of the session. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

This is another beautiful building from Waterford. It was near the venue for an event called The Big Pitch. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

The Bank of Ireland was the main sponsor of Startup Gathering. Here's their building in Dublin all lit up for the week of events. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

My new friend, Margaret, who works for Startup Gathering, myself and Rachel in front of the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. There was quite an impressive light show there Monday night. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

The Iowa State social media team doing their job in Waterford! Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

Our hotel in Cork, The Kingsley, was the nicest hotel any of us had stayed at before. Out in the "car park," or parking lot there was a beautiful fountain and statues. Here I am with the team photographer, Paul. Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

The Iowa State social media team hard at work in Cork on Day 3! Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

These Go Cars were our transportation for the week. Go Car is a car rental service out of Dublin. Photo credit: Margaret Stafford

This was the scene in Cork behind The Kingsley Hotel. We took tons of photos of this sunset! Photo credit: Rachel Kelly

Thanks for reading! Good night!

Startup Ireland: Day 2 - Waterford

Wired. Inspired. Tired.

After a second full day of Startup Gathering events, I wasn't sure how I would even begin to share all we've been experiencing as the social media team. It has been so exciting and completely exhausting all at the same time. Finally, these three words seem to best describe my day.

Wired

From 6:00 am to 1:00 am we've been connected and interacting online. I've been blogging, instagramming, tweeting, facebooking, pinteresting, adding content to the app, and group messaging minute by minute. At home, I'll confess I'm on social media often, but this is like never before. In someways I haven't missed a thing happening with my friends back in the US because I've been on every platform nearly around the clock. We've been pushing out so much content, along with all the conference attendees and speakers, that #startupIRL has trended two days in Ireland now. (Keep up the good work team! ;)) I love the opportunity this technology offers to connect with so many influential people and share stories from anywhere in the world. Every corner I turn, I can't help but see a photo opportunity or status update for social media. Here's one we just had to capture:

Rachel and I are two of the three Iowa State students covering the events on social media. She's been a lot of fun!

Inspired.

Both days so far we've been bombarded with entrepreneur's stories of starting, succeeding and scaling. It's touching to see communities come together, passionate about the startup vision and the economic impact potential in their region. Many important figures have been present at the Startup Gathering events demonstrating their support. The speeches and panels have challenged me to think in a new way about the positive relationships young, innovative startups and established multinational companies can have.

This entrepreneur panel was one of my favorite today. Each of them had lots of good advice!

I could write for days about all the advice that was shared, but I'll just share a few quotes and let you search Twitter for the rest using #startupIRL.

• “Focus. There are so many things that will potentially distract you, but you’ll benefit from focus.”
• “When you are starting a new business you have to produce something that will cause people to change.”
• “Entrepreneurship is only 10-20% about the ideas, the rest is about executing them.”
• “Don’t give up. Successful entrepreneurs are ordinary people with tenacity.”

After being around all these energizing, visionary people I'm even more excited to get to work on a few things I've been brainstorming for a while. 

Tired.

Mom, you can just stop reading here and know that all is well. :) The last 68 hours have been so strange. One minute I can hardly keep my eyes open, the next (particularly at 1 and 2 am) I'm wide awake and ready conquer the world... or order pizza! It may be jet lag, it may be adrenaline. I don't know, but I've decided to enjoy it all. I'm sure come Sunday I'll crash hard, but in the mean time I just want to take it all in. It's pretty impressive what you can accomplish even on 8 hours of sleep in that time with a little mind over matter.

The Bank of Ireland has sponsored Startup Gathering, but I think we need a coffee sponsor too! It's a necessity around here!

On that note, it's about time to try to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before tomorrow's events in Cork. I'll be sharing everything on Twitter throughout the day with #startupIRL or check back later for a follow up blog post. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Good night everyone!

Startup Ireland: Day 1 - Dublin

It's 2:30 am here, so I'm pretty "wrecked". Rachel and I got up at 5:30 this morning and have been running around with the rest of the team since. This post will be short, but I wanted to post a quick review of the wild day we've had.

The Go Cars are a unique car sharing/rental system that is taking off.

First thing in the morning, we were picked up in the Go Cars the Startup Ireland team has been given for the week. It's been so nice to have designated vehicles for the week.

It was raining when we left the hotel, but we were told its common weather in Ireland. At first I was disappointed to start off the day in such a gloomy way, but it didn't really impact us at all. The day turned out fantastic!

The Google facilities were fantastic!

The morning began with the big forum event at the Google European Headquarters. The space we were in was called Google Foundry and was filled with bright colors, interesting speakers and exciting ideas. So many people were running around to make the event possible and they really pulled it off. Our hashtag, #startupIRL was trending right away in the morning and every bit of the presentation looked professional. 

Throughout the day, the social media team was in charge of taking quotes from the speakers, turning them into tweets and matching up photos. We made sure the huge Fandom screens were constantly displaying the things attendees were tweeting in. It was also important that we struck a balance between posting our own original content and interacting with others participating in Startup Ireland registered events across the country. Seeing so many people participate in the online conversation gave me a huge adrenaline rush!


In the afternoon, we split up and attended a few smaller Startup Ireland events and got more time face to face with beginning entrepreneurs. I particularly enjoyed Dublin Beta where the three of us from Iowa State visited with very young startups to create short highlight tweets featuring their ideas. Follow the @StartupIreland Twitter account to see who we met and the projects they're working on.

After, we regrouped at a final reception to hear a few more speakers. Then we loaded up the Go Cars again to head to Waterford, which is about a 2 hour car trip. I rode with a sweet Irish girl just a few years older than me named Margaret and two of the event speakers. I'm a terrible co-pilot, but eventually we made our way to the final destination.

At the new hotel in Waterford, we set up and regrouped a little. Most importantly, we had a little team bonding. Rachel and I even tried our first Guinness! We had lots of good laughs and were able to find humor in some of our miscommunications from the day. Even though I just wanted to go to bed when we got in, I'm so glad I went and hung out with the team. It's going to be hard to leave on Sunday!

Well, I better get some sleep so I don't nod off in any of the events tomorrow! Thanks for reading! Cheers!  

Good night! Photo credit: Startup Ireland