"For nearly 20 years, there has never been a charge for these startup workshops, where people who have started share their startup experience. Why am I doing this? Because I want my grandkids to have the same opportunity to start a successful business as my father had in 1949, before the SBA started." John Wren (303)861-1447

Want to create a Good Living?

Join us when you need a boost as you start in a new direction with a new career, new project or campaign, or a new business! We call our members IDEA-Doers, we don't just talk!

Each IDEA Cafe is independent and self-governing. We'd love to help you start a new group!

Why IDEA? We take our name from a 4-step business creativity model many have found useful here over the past 20 years: I= Inspiration or Identify the Target; D= Develop Alternatives; E= Evaluatie the Alternatives; and A= Act! (Developed by John Wren and a consultant from the University of Denver for the local Bell (AT&T) operating company in the late 70s.)

We cooperate with local chambers and others to organize these free workshops and Franklin Circle Peer Advisory Groups (For more, Google "How to Start A Franklin Circle.")

Since 1994, our IDEA Cafes have invited speakers to share their career, business, project, and political startup experience and we share ideas. We've used Meetup.com to communicate about IDEA Cafes and to take RSVPs since 2005, we are now also using it as a tool to identify leaders of new groups and to help them get started with autonomous, self-governing groups.

Since 1994, we've heard from people such as: Dan Brogan, 5280 Magazine; Jared Polis, entrepreneur and U.S. Representative; Kenton Kuhn, Black-tie; Paul Lewan, Lewan & Associates; John Brackney and Joe Blake from the South Metro and Denver Chambers of Commerce; and hundreds of others.

IDEA Cafe Workshops are free and open to all, we just ask that you bring your brain for the brainstorming, you'll help others as you get help yourself.

For nearly 20 years IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops have helped people to make a Good Living who are starting down a new path with a new project or campaign, a new career or new business. Let us help you!

5280 Magazine says we've "infused Denver with an entrepreneurial spirit."

The Denver IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop is held twice a month on Friday afternoons, and it serves as the model for new groups, we hope to inspire the formation of 10 or 12 similar groups across Colorado by the end of 2013 in cooperation with local chambers of commerce, local community newspapers, and others. If you'd like to start a group in your part of Colorado, please let us know.

Inspiring the formation of these autonomous, independent, self-governing IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops is a project of your Small Business Chamber of Commerce, which is available to help  local chambers of commerce and others who want to organize new groups.

For more information, contact our founder & CEO John Wren at (303)861-1447 or John@SmallBizChamber.org .

What is a Good Living? Some call it Good Work or Right Livelihood. Of course making enough money is a big part of it. But it also means having enough leisure time to be a good neighbor, family member, citizen and friend. It means that you and those working with you are growing and learning, and the work is not just drudgery. First and foremost it means that you are engaged in providing a useful and necessary product or service that delights customers and over time converts them into friends who give you repeat purchases and referrals. If you sincerely want to make a Good Living, maybe we can help you. Talking with you about it helps us. Thanks!