Biz Buzz: Entrepreneur writes about hard-learned lessons

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One of the toughest parts about being an entrepreneur is dealing with the lack of sleep.

Between working long hours, having the family's financial future at stake and looking out for employees, there is enough going on to keep any business owner tossing and turning all night.

David Ingram knows what they are going through and wants to help.

"It's in these types of economy that most businesses are created," he said.

Ingram is president and CEO of Capital TechSearch, an IT staffing and executive search firm based in Henrico County.

He started the company in 2001 and said he spent many a sleepless night wondering what would happen to his business and how he was going to stay afloat.

Capital TechSearch has a Washington office now and has been named two years in a row to the Inc. 5000, the list compiled by Inc. magazine of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.

Ingram has parlayed the experience of growing the business into a book called "15 Bedtime Stories that Keep Entrepreneurs Awake at Night."

In it, he uses his experiences getting Capital TechSearch off the ground as examples.

Each chapter is a lesson on a particular subject, including "Don't Avoid Confrontation" and "Don't Mess Around with Rotten Attitudes."

In one section, he writes about using the equity in his house and his personal savings to fund the company.

"I would soon learn that everything a new business needs to get started is three times more expensive than anticipated," he writes.

In the next sentence he adds: "If that isn't enough to mess up cash-flow projections, I would also learn that everything takes longer to develop than you planned -- especially receiving payment from clients."

Ingram said writing a book was something he wanted to do, but he thought he would wait until retirement.

"I just saw the opportunity when the economy turned, with a lot of people starting businesses, and figured I'd do it now," he said.

In all, it took him about a year to put the book together. It was released Thursday.

Libbie, Grove brides

Merchants along Libbie and Grove avenues in Richmond are joining forces Oct. 8 for a bridal show.

Brides-to-be will get to shop 15 of the shopping district's retailers at the event, including Arcade Café, Paper Plus and Mango Salon. The retailers will set up shop at Carreras Jewelers, at 121 Libbie Ave., which is sponsoring the event.

The event is called Happily Ever After on the Avenues. It is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Short Pump café opens

Café Caturra opened last week at the Short Pump Crossing Shopping Center.

The new location of the coffee shop-café-wine bar features a patio with seating for 40 and a wood-burning fireplace.

This is the fourth shop for locally based Café Caturra. Its first opened in 2005 on Alverser Drive in Chesterfield County.

Free marketing help

The Pop-Up Marketing Shop, where businesses can get free marketing and public-relations tips for five days next week, will be held in the Innsbrook Corporate Center starting next Monday. It will be held in Suite 200 of the Highwoods Plaza building at 4470 Cox Road.

Organizers first planned to hold the event at the former Richmond Piano store in Carytown, but they were unable to secure the space.

During the five-day event, Richmond-area advertising and PR firms will give out free advice to small-business owners who might not otherwise have access to or be able to afford these types of services.

Business owners can either show up to get help or call for an appointment.

For more information, visit hooplegroup.com.

Gas-pump marketing

You'll soon be able to get coupons as you fill up your tank, thanks to a Richmond-based company. ValuPump, which has an office on South 17th Street, will begin placing coupon dispensers at gas stations in western Henrico early next year.

The idea is that business owners can get in front of customers for a few minutes and give them a piece of advertising they can take with them.

ValuPump will sign leases with gas-station owners to place the dispenser at each fueling station. The company said it wants to create the "first 'take-one' gas-pump advertising network in the United States."

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or LLLovio@timesdispatch.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/RTDBizBuzz.