Seattle Startup Week kicked off strong with a full day of sessions and a variety of topics that facilitated conversations on issues that needed to be addressed in the startup environment. More so, it provided entrepreneurs a platform to connect and share ideas.

I got to attend a few sessions which sparked off some very interesting conversations with the people around me:

13 Strategic Marketing Actions Every Startup Must Get Right

The first  session I attended was led Lisa Fernow, CEO of Fernow Consulting. She has more than  with 15 years of experience working with startups. The session covered a set of strategies she described as the 13 market imperatives that every CEO should know.

The four basic action steps are:

1. Identify Need
2. Develop Solution
3. Bring them to the Market
4. Accelerate Performance.

She said, “Marketing can make or Break your Startup’s success” and that a common misconception is that marketing serves as a means of communications when really it should be seen as a way to help develop a better performance.

Vet DNA: How Veterans Add Value to Startup Organizations

Panelists, Greg Adams, Co-Founder and CEO at Stabilitas,  Blake Ilstrup, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Kineta and Brian Vowinkel, Chief Revenue Officer for VRStudios also sparked another  deep discussion on transitioning veterans from the military into the startup environment.

Vowinkel points out that “The Military teaches you to accomplish intent and have initiatives and contingency plans.” Out there in the battlefield, you were done the second you stopped thinking and planning ahead. The discussion shines light on the environment in the military where it fostered capabilities for decision making and working with uncertainty. These were all characteristics that translate well into the Startup environment, and precisely the capabilities that allowed one to excel in this particular workforce.

More importantly, Ilstrups shines light on the misconception of veterans being inflexible. The “Military has ‘structure’ and is often seen as hierarchical, but the set of rules are there to help one navigate the chaotic environment of uncertainties.”

Veterans are often trained for the startup environment as they are motivated by activity and stimulation and admired for their military discipline. With the right training and network, veterans are a natural fit for working in and leading startups.

Making B2B Companies Scale: Women Entrepreneurs Weigh In

Panelists, Mary Jesse, Chief Strategy Officer of VRstudios, Beth Kolko, CEO and Co-founder of Shift Labs, Adina Mangubat, CEO of Spiral Genetics and Rebecca Norlander, CEO of Health123 were led by moderator Janis Machala, Managing Partner; Senior Business Executive of  Paladin Partners.

On the topic of Women Entrepreneurs, panelists all agreed that at first glance, their backgrounds did not lend itself to B2B. Their passion, curiosity and a market need prompted them to take the B2B route.

When the panelists were asked about the biggest lessons they learned as a women entrepreneur,

Mangubat said her biggest lesson was to not let gender be an impediment. She said, “Just be aware, don’t let it stop you from pursuing.” She points out that seniors do not necessarily know more than you do, and often everyone is guessing as well. “Don’t let other people tell you how something will turn out, trust your gut. Don’t put more weight on other’s judgement than your own.”

To wrap up the conversation, panelists were asked to share their best decisions thus far as a CEO. They reached the consensus that  “waiting and finding the right co-founder” for their enterprise was the single best decision so far. “[It is imperative to find] people with aligned core values,” said Norlander. They may disagree on some decision, but it’s important they share the same mission and values.

All these sessions I attended provided a variety of perspectives I got experience in a way I have never done before.

There will be number of exciting sessions offering similar insights in the next four days. The events are free, fun, and educational. WTIA is co-organizing a Job Fair with CodeFellows on Friday, Oct. 30, noon to 3pm at Impact Hub. Find out more about the Job Fair and the dozens of other session here. It’s easy to register.