Old journalists don't fade away, they become bloggers

If you've been following Doonesbury, you know veteran journalist Rick Redfern was laid off from the Washington Post and has taken up blogging.

If you've been following me, you know I "retired" from the Boulder County Business Report a year ago to launch my brilliant new career as a PR professional and entrepreneur.

And if you've been reading this blog, you know what a struggle that entreprenurial part has been. We've been on the phone and occasionally on the road trying to get 3D Radio in front of the right people to put the greatest radio innovation since the transistor (hyperbole alert -- but what to do you expect from a reborn flack?) onto store shelves.

All that to say when the request went out for folks to blog about the Angel Capital Summit, I could not resist. Like the fictional Redfern, once a newshound always a newshound.

So here's the quick and dirty about the event:
Who: Rockies Venture Club and EKS&H, hosts
What: Angel Capital Summit
When: Friday, Nov. 21, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: Marriott City Center, 1701 California St., Denver, Colo.
Why: Forty entrepreneurs will present their businesses to hundreds of investors. Not just any entrepreneur is allowed to strut their stuff; they are screened, hand-picked and coached prior to making their pitch.
How much: $159; members of ACS Investor and association partners $129; VIP registration $189; Town Hall only $25.

Time management

During the past couple of weeks I've noticed a real change in my attitude. OK, noticed isn't the right word because I actually made a decision about time management.

The decision? Work on 3D Radio first during the day, then move onto my "day job."

It might not sound like a great breakthrough, but the successes we've had since then prove it was the right thing to do.

For most of 3D Radio's life I worked as a newspaper editor, a job that consumed the bulk of my time and energy. I enjoyed it immensely, but knew that to make our startup fly I needed to devote more time and energy to that.

So when an offer to work part-time doing another communications-heavy job with people I knew and respected at a much higher hourly rate, it was obvious what to do.

The Protestant work ethic in me (yes, even Jews are susceptible) leaped in to do the best damn job I could for my new colleagues. Each morning I'd tackle my projects with enthusiasm.

Satisfied with my progress, I'd turn to 3D Radio. But it was already mid-afternoon. I was running out of creative steam. Those folks on the East Coast I should be connecting with were wrapping up their days. Bike trails beckoned. My pots I drying at the Pottery Lab were probably firm enough to complete and put on the bisque shelf.

The bottom line -- even with our bizdev guy in place we were treading water.

Now we're starting to swim.