Ever thought what Iddictive would look like live? Probably not, but I did.

The result is SHOWCASE, a one-day conference showcasing exciting new projects and product launches from hot start-ups and growing companies.

This first event will take place in my own backyard and focus on developments in the world of cloud, mobile and web-based apps. And it’s free.

If you’re going to be in Ireland on September 16th, come check us out.

Site: www.showcaseconf.com

So this is the 301st post on Iddictive – big thanks to all of you who’ve commented, sent in ideas and helped spread the good word on Twitter, Facebook and your own blogs.

And now that we’ve notched up a reasonable number of posts, it’s about time that we got around to setting up a Facebook fan page for Iddictive, which you’ll now find here: Iddictive on Facebook

If you’d be so kind to pop over and give us a little like (or click in the LikeBox on the sidebar below) it’d be much appreciated. Now on with the next 300.

Last month we put out a call for contributions to our upcoming ebook about what motivates people to start their businesses?

Since that post we’ve had dozens of responses – some short, some long, some funny and some heartfelt.

At the end of next week (Friday, May 21st) however, we’re going to call time on new contributions so that we can compile all the answers into a sexy little ebook. And for those of you that enjoy the feel of paper, there’ll be a print-on-demand version too.

If you’d like to contribute, simply pop over to the original post and add your answer in the comments or email them directly to iddictive [at] gmail.com

If you happen to be kicking around the NW of Ireland on June 3rd, you should check out Idea Hacking.

Idea Hacking is our new series of events designed to bring smart, creative people together to discuss one big idea at a time.

Each event will feature a diverse panel of invited speakers giving short (10 min max) presentations on how the given theme applies to their work. After that, you’ll have the chance to grill them in a group Q&A session.

The aim of each Hack is to promote debate, fuel collaboration and bring together people and ideas that might not otherwise meet.

It’s also about encouraging you to take these big ideas and rework, reimagine and otherwise hack them into shape for your own projects.

And if you’re not in the NW of Ireland but fancy the idea of running a similar event in your city, get in touch.

www.ideahacking.com

[Hat tip to events like BarCamp, Good Ideas Salons, Refresh and others for the inspiration]

Pic: Flowers&Fleurons

Why Did You Start?

Thanks to everyone who answered our quick survey a few weeks ago about what topics you’d like us to cover. One of the fave replies was ‘inspiration’ and more particularly what motivates entrepreneurs to start their businesses.

I think this is a cracking idea. Personally I’ve learned far more about business from conversations with entrepreneurs than you could ever fit into a textbook on the subject.

So, with that in mind, I’m setting out to ask as many interesting, innovative and unconventional entrepreneurs as I can find one simple question:

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Why did you start your business?

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I’ll compile the best answers into a free ebook which I hope to release sometime in April in July.

I’m not 100% sure at this stage what will constitute ‘best answers’ but every [real] answer that comes in will be featured on the site with a link back to the persons website or profile.

I’m going to reach out directly to a bunch of entrepreneurs that have inspired me personally. But I also want to open things up to contributions from anyone who’s done something interesting or started a business. (Social enterprises, non-profits and events are cool too.)

So, if you’ve started a business, social enterprise, event (or anything else) and you’d like to contribute your 2 cents worth then you can:

• Leave a reply in the comments below (make sure you include your website)
• Tweet your answer to @iddictive
• Email your answer to me iddictive [at] gmail.com including your name, a short byline to include alongside your answer and the URL you’d like us to link to
• Use this handy little Google Doc

Looking forward to reading all your inspiring replies …

Mark

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A few notes:

• PG13 please
• Be honest. There’s no point is sugar coating or bigging yourself up, we’re looking for the real reasons you started. Whether it was to change the world or to woo the ladies we want to know
• The planned ebook will be distributed free under a creative commons license – leave your email address and I’ll let you know when it’s ready
• If you send in a reply that means you’re OK with me publishing it – and no, you wont be paid anything
• It also means you’re OK with me doing a little editing if need be – although I won’t add anything or change its meaning I might need to trim it up for length

Drop me a line if you’ve any questions.

[Update: A few of you asked where you can buy the poster in the image at the top of the post. It's available from Etsy here.]

Today we celebrate a birthday of sorts – this is Iddictive’s 200th post since launching back in January 2009. [Wait for applause]

Anyway, for most of the last year or so, I’ve run Iddictive as a hobby. I love business, especially niche, funky, odd and passion-filled businesses so it’s been great fun bringing you some of my favourite new business finds.

So much fun in fact, that in September 2009, I set up Own Brand Media – a tiny little publishing company which will focus on creating exciting content for entrepreneurs.

I’ll be continuing to work on building Iddictive (with a few changes – see below), but will also be working with organisations (like enterprise agencies and incubators) to create branded content and compiling all the research we’ve been doing into some cracking entrepreneurial guides in both print and ebook format.

Phwew.

So what’ll be changing here at Iddictive?

Anyway, here’s a little sneak peek at what we’re working on here …

1. Design: We’ll be getting a facelift to make the design of the site easier to use and accommodate lots of new content.
2. Content: The focus will shift a little from a running list of business ideas to include entrepreneur profiles, some case study-based ‘how to’ content and an even greater focus on lifestyle business models.
3. Guides: We’ll also be releasing a steady-stream of FREE ebooks which take a broader look at various industries and business types. These will be released for free under a creative commons license but we’ll also be offering sponsorship and licensing options to help pay the bills. If you know anyone who’d be interested in helping out, please email me for a little more info.

What Would You Like to See?

I’d also love to get your input into what kinds of topics you’d like to see covered here.

If you’ve got 30 seconds please feel free to suggest some ideas in the comments or pick your faves from the list of proposed ebook ideas here.

Other than that, a big thanks to all of our readers, ‘commenters’, subscribers, contributors and retweeters from the last 200 posts – your support means a lot.

Iddictive.com is designed for all those people who are addicted to new business ideas.

The people who simply can’t get enough of them. The people who have half a dozen new ideas every day but never enough time to do them all. The people who buy business magazines for fun, check out the latest trend websites, read books about innovation and talk about new business ideas at the pub.

We want to scratch your itch.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for a new business venture, innovative ways to grow your existing business or just need a regular innovation fix to satisfy your curiosity – hopefully you’ll find it here.

Feel free to drop us a line anytime, leave comments, blog about the ideas we feature and share them with your friends.

Most importantly, if you have a great business idea that you’d like to share – or find one you think we should cover – make sure to let us know (even if it’s your own).

I hope you enjoy and I’ll look forward to getting to know you better.

Mark