7/22/2007

Greetings from China

Blogging will be light for a while. I am traveling with my daughter in Asia. We are in Xi'an China currently.

7/07/2007

Leadership Quotations

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.
--John Buchan

To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!
--Lao-Tsu

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
--Harold R. McAlindon

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
--John Quincy Adams

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
--Margaret Mead

From this collection of Great Quotes on Leadership

7/05/2007

Take Charge of Your Life

"Consciously following a path towards your goals instead of blindly drifting through life really is the secret to success..." So concludes this
post from Matt Inglot that explains how an entrepreneurial wake up call rescued him from a career of "writing boring code for stuffy monolithic corporations..." More of the post follows:

"I had a[n]...experience several years ago which completely derailed me from my current path, which at that point was simply going in the direction life took me in. Sure I was making “choices”, such as planning on going ahead with a degree that I deep down knew wouldn’t be right for me, and planning to somehow be happy working in a cubicle the rest of my life (despite having had a chance to briefly try it and strongly hating the idea of being in front of a computer all day doing someone else’s work).

After all programming was my talent, so why on earth would I want to be anything other than a programmer graduating with a computer science degree? I had goals too, or so I thought. Surely a Ferrari was a goal? I mean it wasn’t humanly affordable on the salary of a corporate computer drone, and I had no plan to attain it otherwise, but yes that was my “goal”. I completely didn’t understand that where I was letting myself drift in life had nothing to do with what I actually wanted. To make things worst this direction was highly encouraged through high grades in “smart people” courses and congratulations from others on making such a great and rewarding choice.

Luckily the entrepreneurial bone in me activated and... I was exposed... to a strange freedom that was offered nowhere else. I read some extremely positive literature from people that seemed...happy. This was a world that my programming books had never exposed me to. Never before had I seriously read about ideas like goals, personal development, financial planning, and the idea that becoming truly successfully was something other than luck or born talent...

It’s not that I disliked programming - I’m having an absolute blast putting my skills to use with my website development company - it’s that I enjoyed working on projects of my own devising and not some insigificant cog in an obese software application. I took a year and a half off instead of going straight into university during which I awakened consciously further and further.

In the end I chose to enter a business program and because I had the opportunity I chose to go the double degree route and end up with a computer science one as well. My end choice in degrees is not important however, what is important is that for the first time in my life I had honestly been able to step off the beaten path, consciously examine my surroundings, figure out where I actually wanted to go, and then go in the direction that would actually take me there.

It’s possible and relatively easy to get to where you want to be in life if you stop long enough to start moving in the right direction..."

7/04/2007

Ten Score and Eleven Years Ago...


Our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. The Declaration of Independence was ratified on this date 211 years ago. For much more on this document, visit Declaration of Independence, from ushistory.org.

"This site provides a wealth of information about the signers of the Declaration, the history of the Declaration, and an online version of the Declaration for you to read.

"The site also provides links to other Declaration-related biographies and histories and a guestbook where you are invited to add comments and ideas. This site is a good resource for anyone curious about the Declaration and its history, or for the student who needs resources for his or her research paper.

"The original Declaration is now exhibited in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in Washington, DC. It has faded badly, largely because of poor preservation techniques during the 19th century. The document measures 29-3/4 inches by 24-1/2 inches. See picture.

"What's on the Back?
"People who watched the popular movie "National Treasure" want to know. On the back, at the bottom, upside-down is simply written: "Original Declaration of Independence / dated 4th July 1776." Regarding the message on the back, according to the National Archives, "While no one knows for certain who wrote it, it is known that early in its life, the large parchment document was rolled up for storage. So, it is likely that the notation was added simply as a label." There are no hidden messages.

"You will find the following resources on this site:

The Declaration of IndependenceThe text and image of the Declaration.
The Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceThis section gives a profile of every delegate who signed the Declaration in 1776. You will find factual information such as birth-death dates, occupation, education, etc. Each signer also has a short story of their life. A good resource for students.
Related InformationThis section provides a listing of people (George III, Patrick Henry, etc.), Events and Things (Boston Massacre, a Tax Stamp, etc.), and Laws and Resolutions (Sugar Act, Quartering Act, etc.).
Thomas Jefferson's Account of the DeclarationRead the lengthy excerpt from Thomas Jefferson's autobiography that talks about the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the history of the document, and various other factors which involved the authoring of the Declaration.
The Declaration HouseHere is where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration. The house has been reconstructed and is now part of Independence National Historical Park. The Independence Hall Association, host of these web pages, led the efforts to have the Graff House reconstructed in 1975, in time for the Bicentennial.
LinksThis excellent collection of links provides other online resources about the Declaration of Independence. Such sites include analyses of the style of language in the Declaration, the story of the drafting of the document, and the relationship the Declaration has to other historic documents.
TimelineA Chronology of Events, June 7, 1776 to January 18, 1777.

7/03/2007

Legal Issues in Internet Contracting

"Online contracting raises novel legal issues that any business attempting to set up an online contracting site should consider. However, most legal hurdles can readily be overcome by appropriately structuring the web site, entering into an electronic trading agreement, or (in the rare case) performing one or more steps of the transaction off line.

"Clients frequently wonder what legal pitfalls they may encounter in setting up a web page for online contracting. In fact, contract law principles such as offer and acceptance, or the requirement of a signed writing, can generally be accommodated on the Internet.

"In some ways the Internet is the ideal environment for entering into contracts, as many companies are discovering. However, certain practical differences between online and offline contracting should be kept in mind.

Read more in this article from Thelen Reid & Priest, that includes the following subtopics:

Issues Regarding Formation
Requirement of Writing on Paper and Providing a Signature
Legal Requirement of a Writing and Signature
Digital Signature Legislation
Utah's Digital Signature Legislation
California's Digital Signature Legislation
Illinois' Digital Signature Legislation
Other States' Digital Signature Legislation
The Mailbox Rule
Determining the Terms of a Contract
Special Issues Regarding Handling Money Over the Internet

Tips to Become a Better Writer

"1. Read great writers...Pay close attention to style and mechanics in addition to content...
"2. Write a lot...
"3. Write down ideas, all the time...
"4. Create a writing ritual. Find a certain time of day when you can write without interruptions, and make it a routine...
"5. Just write...
"6. Eliminate distractions...
"7. Plan, then write. This may sound contradictory to the above “just write” tip, but it’s not really...
"8. Experiment...
"9. Revise...
"10. Be concise...
"11. Use powerful sentences. Aim for shorter sentences with strong verbs...
"12. Get feedback...
"13. Put yourself out there. At some point, you’ll need to let others read your writing. Not just the person who you’re allowing to read it, but the general public...
"14. Learn to be conversational...
"15. Start and end strong..."

Read more in this lifehack post.

Change Ahead of the Curve

"Many companies wait too long to attempt transformations, doing so only when the signs of trouble have become obvious. But that's almost inevitably too late. High performers, by contrast, change before they must, knowing that the best way to transform is from a position of strength."

Read more in this article from accenture

6/28/2007

Employment Confidentiality Provision Unenforceable

"Many schools [and companies] have provisions in their employee handbooks or employment contracts that make clear that an employee's salary and other compensation elements are to be kept confidential...A little known provision of federal law makes such confidentiality statements unlawful."

Read more in this Fisher & Phillips article found via the newsletter of Employment Law Information Network.

6/27/2007

Inc. Magazine Seeks Your Feedback

Inc. magazine is asking for your feedback and vote on your favorite of four startups recently profiled by the Magazine. You can join entrepreneurs--Tim Gill of Quark, Paul Orfalea of Kinko's (NYSE:FDX), Roxanne Quimby of Burt's Bees, and Gordon Segal of Crate and Barrel--to provide the founders (and the rest of us) with your feedback. The four companies:

- A product design start-up (their first hit is a rolling runaway alarm clock) started by Gauri Nanda, our cover subject, a woman from Detroit who just completed her master’s at MIT

- TechShop, a geek’s paradise in Silicon Valley, where you can go to learn how to use welding equipment or a lathe or whatever crazy machinery you want

- Zsweet, a new sugar substitute (forget Splenda) that’s sold through Whole Foods

- A new software company in Oregon called GreenPrint, that cuts down on printer waste

You can find the links to the main feature’s page, as well as individual links to each fresh new founder, below.

How to Launch a Cool, Profitable, Worth-All-The-Risk, Kick-Ass Start-Up (And Live To Brag About It)

Case Study #1: The Reluctant Entrepreneur
Case Study #2: The Inventor's Best Friend
Case Study #3: The Taste Maker
Case Study #4: The Enlightened M.B.A.

6/24/2007

Tips to Encourage Others

Dave Cheong offers the following 8 simple things you can do to encourage others:

Show genuine interest...Let them know you care. Express genuine interest by asking questions. Get them talking...

Acknowledge what’s important to them...affirmation and validation is like nitro for their confidence and self-esteem.

Say “Well done”. ...These magical Words of Encouragement at the right time can make all the difference between “keep going” and “give up”.

Say “Thank you”. Common courtesy. Good manners... A simple thank you lets others know what they have done is worthwhile and meaningful to you.

Reciprocate the favor...Think of this as a pendulum. They do something nice for you. You do something nice for them. They do something nice for you. You do something nice for them. And so on…

Respond with something unexpected...

Ask for advice or confide in them...

Offer to lend a hand...If that person sees that you are willing to commit your own time and energy in their interests, they will be more committed to seeing it through and less likely to give up...

6/21/2007

The VC Method of Startup Valuation

"How should one value a startup? It’s obviously a difficult question because the company typically has no revenues, few assets (apart from people and some IP), and cannot be traded in a market with enough participants (and enough information) to accurately determine a price."

This post from Ryan Junee describes is one of the most widely used (often called the ‘VC method’) using a simple scenario of a company that takes only one round of venture financing, and then show how this method can be expanded to handle multi-stage financing, stating:

"The first thing we need to calculate is a ‘terminal value’ for the company. That is, a value at some point (say 5 years) in the future. This point may be an expected liquidity event (IPO or acquisition), or failing that should be a point where the company is at least earning a profit...

Lets make this clearer with an example. Our company, Infelidoo, is expected to earn a $3M profit in year 5. Comparable companies in Infelidoo’s industry are trading at PE ratios of around 15. This means Infelidoo’s expected terminal value is $3M x 15 = $45M...

The Venture Capitalist’s Required ROI
Lets say our VC is ready to invest in Infelidoo and needs to value the company. The company needs $2M to get started - and in this simplified example will need no more cash over the next 5 years to reach its goal. Given the risk of this project, the VC decides she needs a 50% annual rate of return on her investment (more on determining the rate of return later).

This means in year 5 the VC’s investment must be worth (1 + 0.50)5 x $2M = $15.2M. [That’s just (1 + IRR)years x Investment] So, in year 5 the VC expects the company to be worth $45M. Her share of the company must be worth $15.2M. Thus her ownership stake in the company must be 15.2/45 = 34%.

Note: by taking a 34% stake in the company now, in exchange for $2M, the VC is valuing the company at $6M.

The Discount Rate
Above we used a discount rate (rate of return) of 50%, which may have seemed somewhat arbitrary. The discount rate reflects the level of risk in the company (the higher the chance of failure, the higher the discount rate should be)...Figuring out the exact discount rate to use is more art than science. Some approximate guidelines for discount rates based on the stage of the company are:

Seed stage: 80%+
Startup: 50-70%
First-Stage: 40-60%
Second-Stage: 30-50%
Bridge/Mezzanine: 20-35%
Public Expectations: 15-25%...

Forms for Solos

Carol Elefant at MyShingle.com, announced the launch of her new feature, SOLOFORMANIA - "a cornucopia of forms for the busy solo - ranging from FREE sample practice guides, fee agreements and retainer letters, to court forms for all 50 states (some free, some fee) to general form files on the Internet."

Sorry Gotta Go

The Web site SorryGottaGo.com offers a collection of audio clips to help people get off the phone with telemarketers. Hilarious. Thanks to Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog for the link to the site, which you will find on his blog.

This gives me an idea for how to deal with a perennial question I receive, "Can you spell your last name?" Of course I can. With a click on my computer linking to a recording of the spelling, you will also be able to.

6/17/2007

Venture Capital Alternatives

"If you’re struggling to find success in your quest for venture capital, maybe you’re looking in the wrong place. Venture capital is not for everybody... there are plenty of other options available when it comes to finding capital. From angels to credit cards, here are 25 alternatives to consider when it comes to funding your business.

1. Angels
2. Private Placement
3. Initial Public Offering
4. Bootstrap Financing
5. Fund From Operations
6. Licensing
7. Launch Customers
8. Vendor Financing
9. Sweat Equity
10. Self Funding
11. SBA Loans
12. SBIR and STTR Programs
13. State Funding
14. Home Equity Loans
15. Community Banks
16. Microloans
17. Finance Debt
18. Silent Partner
19. Friends
20. Family
21. Form A Strategic Alliance
22. Sell Some Assets
23. Business Lines of Credit
24. Personal Credit Cards
25. Business Credit Cards..."

Read more in this article from Business Fund.com.

6/13/2007

So You Want to Share the Pie?

"Many private business owners sell (or grant options to sell) minority ownership interests in their business to employees, investors, family members, friends and others. The majority owner selling these minority interests may be motivated by many reasons, such as: the desire to obtain new capital, incentivize, reward or put "golden handcuffs" on employees, strive for family harmony, obtain estate planning goals and reap the emotional feeling of power or largesse.

"The majority owner’s goals, while certainly well intended and understandable, often focus only on these positive aspects, but seldom factor in the countervailing concerns" that are addressed in this article [from Business Law Today]."

The article notes that, "The sensitivity of majority owners to common pitfalls in their relations with their minority partners, together with their taking reasonable precautions prior to and after offering ownership positions to minority owners, can minimize litigation, improve harmonious inter-owner relations and improve the business’ prospects for success."

The article provides the following list of factors to consider when taking on minority investors:


Overall fundamental fairness/exercise of fiduciary duty. A vigilant or persistent minority owner will be entitled to scrutinize carefully every action or inaction by the majority owners. These rights exist, within reasonable limits, whether the minority owner sincerely questions the majority’s conduct or is trying to use its position to frustrate or hinder the majority.

In general, minority owners may assert that the majority breached its fiduciary duty or engaged in bad faith and unfair dealing and other contractual breaches based on various fact patterns. To support those legal conclusions, minority owners will seek to weave a tapestry of facts showing that the majority regularly or systematically, or at least occasionally, favored itself over the best interests of the business or the minority...

Affiliate agreements. Minority owners seeking to challenge a majority owner’s conduct may be entitled to carefully scrutinize all contracts, agreements and other arrangements between the business and suppliers, customers, consultants and other businesses owned or operated by the majority. The fairness of the price, comparative quality of performance and openness of the bidding for the affiliated company’s goods and services are often subject to criticism...

Salaries, bonuses. Similar to issues raised under affiliate agreements, compensation arrangements with key employees, particularly those employees who are majority owners or related to majority owners, will be subject to scrutiny on the same basis...

Distributions of excess cash vs. reinvestment. The different priorities of majority and minority owners are magnified in the area of a privately held business...Majority owners want the untrammeled flexibility to reinvest the free cash in the business, buy additional businesses (whether or not in the same line of business as the existing business) or make distributions to owners...while the minority...often looks to the business as a source of cash...

Sale of business and structure. The minority owner may challenge all aspects, substantive and procedural, of the ultimate sale of the business. Besides the obvious substantive areas for challenge such as the timing (either too soon or too late) and the price and payment terms, minority owners may examine other aspects of the transaction that allegedly favor the majority. Substantive areas often challenged for their alleged mischief include:

• allocations of the sale price to noncompete and consulting and similar arrangements in favor of the majority (thereby reducing the net consideration available to the minority),

• other post-closing arrangements between the buyer and the majority (such as leases or purchase-and-supply contracts) and

• the overall tax structure and financing of the transaction...

Business focus, priorities. A minority owner, whether wanting to make mischief or fervently convinced of its position, will scrutinize and criticize the business priorities and focuses of the majority. Frequent areas of dispute involve new business opportunities, geographic areas of sale, distribution practices, treatment of disappointing product lines, joint ventures or outsourcing and hiring or retaining key personnel...

Dissenters’ rights on sale. While dissenters’ rights are a creature of and will vary with state law, they typically provide grounds for challenges to the fairness of the price of the sale or merger transaction. Absent a showing of fraud or other egregious abuses, dissenter rights statutes will not allow a minority owner to block a transaction, but rather, to seek a higher price for its shares...

Information rights....Two major implications flow from such disclosure of information. First, to the extent that "knowledge is power," a minority owner may be better equipped to ask questions, challenge entity action and cause unwanted delays and confrontation. Second, dissemination of information increases the risk that it will be disclosed to competitors or those who could otherwise use the information to the entity’s detriment...

Participation rights. Minority owners frequently try to expand their rights to participate in the affairs of the business in a manner disproportionate to their minority position. They may seek rights to approve fundamental transactions through super-majority thresholds for any number of matters. These may include the right to approve a sale, major acquisitions, budgets, capital spending, borrowing, compensations, hiring and firing of key personnel and a litany of other areas...

Future opportunity rights. A majority owner may desire to expand the business — or buy a competing or complementary line — by forming a new entity in which the minority does not participate, and thereby exclude the minority from benefiting from this new opportunity. This raises issues such as affiliated entanglements discussed above, the loyalty of the majority to the existing business, breach of fiduciary duty and usurping corporate opportunity...

Co-sale rights. Minority owners...will attempt to assure the right to sell their interests in the business at the same time, and on the same terms, as the majority...These "tag-along" rights...may impinge on the majority’s flexibility if:

• it desires to reap a premium for itself, at the expense of the minority, for possessing control of the business,

• it desires to sell, or the buyers desire to buy, only a portion of its interests and, therefore, the minority’s tag-along rights will reduce the majority’s sale proceeds accordingly or

• certain procedural requirements in the tag-along process are not followed and render the sale susceptible to challenge.

Conversely, if a buyer desires to purchase all ownership interests in a business, the minority’s refusal may result in a blocked sale or reduced price...

Redemption rights....Obligations to repurchase the minority’s interests could affect the business’ free cash flow and divert resources from investment in more productive activities, or distributions to shareholders, to recapitalization...

Keep Your Corporate Veil from Piercing

This Wikipedia entry explains:

"The corporate law concept of piercing (lifting) the corporate veil describes a legal decision where a shareholder of a corporation is held personally liable for the debts or liabilities of the corporation despite the general principle that those persons are immune from suits in contract or tort that otherwise would hold only the corporation liable. This doctrine is also known as 'disregarding the corporate entity'."

This article, Determining Your Company's Legal Structure, contains a good overview of the options for the legal structure of your business and the following tips for avoiding "veil piercing" claims:

Be sure that you always conduct business through and in the name of your entity rather than in your own name (unless you are a sole proprietor). Failure to follow the rules for the entity allows creditors to try to deny you liability protection because you did not really conduct business as an entity.

Always have the entity adopt resolutions to authorize action, even if there is only a "ratification" after the fact.

Use the proper form of entity signature by always signing documents in representative capacity as an agent of your entity: "XYZ LLC, by John Q. Smith, Managing Member."

Use proper signs, advertisements and business cards showing an entity rather than an individual (e.g., "John Smith, President, ABC, Inc." rather than "John Smith, Owner/Proprietor").

Use proper fictitious name filings.

Avoid commingling your business and personal funds in the same bank account.

Pay business and personal bills from separate accounts.

Maintain separate personal and business bank accounts.

Prepare notes and other documentation of all loans between the business and its owners.

Your entity must have a minimum capitalization reasonably adequate for the business to be conducted. Insurance counts.

Don't sign contracts or make commitments for the business until you have filed the correct papers to organize it, since you will be personally liable. The liability shield of the corporation or LLC does not exist until the entity exists through a filing in the state capital.
Found via this Kauffman eVenturing post.

6/12/2007

Getting Paid for Your Export Sales

Laurel Delaney links to a chapter from her book, Start and Run a Profitable Exporting Business, entitled, "Methods of Payment: Terms, Conditions, and Alternative Financing Sources for Export Sales," [pdf file] explaining how to ensure payment for export sales and the various complicated methods for doing so.

See this post from China Law Blog for active links

6/04/2007

Random Color Splashed Around


"And then I saw this, the random color splashed all around. No one had painted it and still it was so beautiful. I guess the beauty of randomness."

-Soumya Soumata speaking about this photo taken yesterday at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and part of the Pittsburgh Pool on Flickr.

The photo also demonstrates something about living: Open to possibilities - You find what you look for - Look for beauty and you find it - Be ready.

6/03/2007

Thinking About Thinking

"There is nothing more practical than sound thinking. No matter what your circumstance or goals, no matter where you are, or what problems you face, you are better off if your thinking is skilled. As a manager, leader, employee, citizen, lover, friend, parent — in every realm and situation of your life — good thinking pays off. Poor thinking, in turn, inevitably causes problems, wastes time and energy, engenders frustration and pain....

Consider the following key ideas, which, when applied, result in a mind practicing skilled thinking - sticking to the point (thinking with relevance), questioning deeply, and striving to be more reasonable...

1. Clarify Your Thinking

Be on the look-out for vague, fuzzy, formless, blurred thinking. Try to figure out the real meaning of what people are saying...Explain your understanding of an issue to someone else to help clarify it in your own mind. Practice summarizing in your own words what others say. Then ask them if you understood them correctly... When you cannot do this to their satisfaction, you don’t really understand what they said. When they cannot summarize what you have said to your satisfaction, they don’t really understand what you said. Try it. See what happens.

Strategies for Clarifying Your Thinking

-State one point at a time
-Elaborate on what you mean
-Give examples that connect your thoughts to life experiences
-Use analogies and metaphors to help people connect your ideas to a variety of things they already understand...

2. Stick to the Point...

When thinking is relevant, it is focused on the main task at hand. It selects what is germane, pertinent, and related. It is on the alert for everything that connects to the issue. It sets aside what is immaterial, inappropriate, extraneous, and beside the point...

Ask These Questions to Make Sure
Thinking is Focused on What is Relevant

-Am I focused on the main problem or task?
-How is this connected? How is that?
-Does my information directly relate to the problem or task?
-Where do I need to focus my attention?
-Are we being diverted to unrelated matters?
-Am I failing to consider relevant viewpoints?
-How is your point relevant to the issue we are addressing?
-What facts are actually going to help us answer the question? What considerations should be set aside?
-Does this truly bear on the question? How does it connect?

3. Question Questions

Examine the extent to which you are a questioner, or simply one who accepts the definitions of situations given by others...Good thinkers routinely ask questions in order to understand and effectively deal with the world around them. They question the status quo. They know that things are often different from the way they are presented. Their questions penetrate images, masks, fronts, and propaganda. Their questions make real problems explicit and discipline their thinking through those problems. If you become a student of questions, you can learn to ask powerful questions that lead to a deeper and more fulfilling life. Your questions become more basic, essential, and deep...

4. Be Reasonable...

Notice when you are unwilling to listen to the views of others, when you simply see yourself as right and others as wrong. Ask yourself at those moments whether their views might have any merit... One of the hallmarks of a critical thinker is the disposition to change one’s mind when given good reason to change. Good thinkers want to change their thinking when they discover better thinking. They can be moved by reason. Yet, comparatively few people are reasonable. Few are willing to change their minds once set. Few are willing to suspend their beliefs to fully hear the views of those with which they disagree. How would you rate yourself?..."

Read much more in this excellent article from CriticalThinking.org from which the foregoing was quoted.

6/01/2007

Three Rivers Arts Festival Music Lineup

The Three Rivers Arts Festival opens today and kicks off summer in Pittsburgh by filling downtown streets and plazas in the city with art and performance. Here is the evening concert lineup at the Stanwix Triangle Stage

The following evening concerts start at 7:30pm Monday-Saturday, 6:00pm on Sundays, except where noted. All shows are free and open to the public.

Fri, June 1
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Sat, June 2
Martin Sextonwith special guest
Jon Check at 6pm
Sun, June 3
Ozomatli
Mon, June 4
Black Moth Super Rainbow at 8:30pm
Race the Ghost at 7:30pm
Jack Wilson and Dums at 6:30pm
Tues, June 5
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Weds, June 6
Lotus
Thurs, June 7
Roomful of Blues
Fri, June 8
Cowboy Junkiessponsored by Point Park University
Sat, June 9
Koko Taylorwith special guest
Willi Tri Blues Band at 6pm sponsored by Point Park University
Sun, June 10
Los Lonely Boyssponsored by Point Park University
Mon, June 11
Stephen Pellegrino
Tues, June 12
Ike Reilly Assassination at 8pmwith special guest
Earl Greyhound at 7pm
Weds, June 13
The Avett Brothers
Thurs, June 14
Joe Bonamassa
Fri, June 15
Jackie Greene
Sat, June 16
Rickie Lee Joneswith special guest
Lohio at 6pm
Sun, June 17
Spyro Gyrawith special guest
Rodney McCoy at 5pm sponsored by Mellon Financial Corporation