Someone(s) to Run With

Over the weekend, the e-mails came pouring in. "Congrats!" they said. "Your town was featured in the New York Times as one of the top tech towns in the world." "Most e-mailed article in the business section!" another friend said. "What a cool accomplishment!"

When Blaze Travel Guides decided to make Boulder, Colorado, its home and headquarters, the resolution came about more because our executive editor is a native Coloradan who was set on her zip code and our executive officer wanted to live in a place where she could properly train for an Ironman. We both knew Boulder served our lifestyle purposes, but we had no idea that it would also be a great place to start a business.

Boulder, however, is not just among one of the most active, most educated places to live, it is one of the most entrepreneurial in the country. The article published in Friday's New York Times talks a lot about the supportive network of mentors, venture capitalists, and fellow founders who frequent the towns coffee shops and hiking trails who are willing to lend time and an ear to a start-up newbie (can you get any greener than that?). Regular meet-ups such as the Boulder-Denver New Tech and presentations such as Ignite Boulder are also great ways to stay abreast of the rapidly-changing tech scene and network with people who are driving that innovation.

This is welcome support for those who make the ultimate business decision to go their own way. Starting a company, running with an unproven idea, can feel a lot like biking alone on desert flatland into a Texas headwind, and having your speedometer break so that you have no idea how far you have come, how far you have to go, or even if you are on the right track. Pardon the cycling metaphor, my fellow runners, but most athletes know that that when you're on a bike and you've got a long dry haul ahead of you, there's nothing more awesome than finding yourself in the company of a peloton. It's faster, it's more fun, and your legs will be that much fresher when you get to the Pyrenees.

So cheers, Boulder tech scene, for driving business and innovation in our town and in our world. As our launch date gets closer and closer, Blaze is looking forward to becoming more active members of this energetic environment (and add some much-needed feminine presence to what, from the NYT photos, comes across as a mostly male-dominated).

We'd also like to give a shout-out to our buddies at Everlater who were featured in the article. Back in September we wrote a short profile piece on these guys with knowledge that they were going places even more exciting than the ones they'd already been. They've come a long way on an absolutely incredible odyssey, and you can learn more about the travel journals they've created at Everlater.com.