Our friends at Blossom Street Ventures, a top software venture capital firm here in Dallas with clients worldwide, recently had us look over some posts on their blog. It's a really damn good blog, full of software investor advice. Obviously the market for such investing has (pun intended) blossomed over the last decade plus and software venture capital investing is as hot as ever. We learned a lot from their website:

Since the purchase price of a software acquisition will likely be heavily royalty based (the chances of getting an all cash deal up front are basically zero), you’ll need to be patient as the acquirer’s dev team pours over the old coding, the sales team gets up to speed on new possible avenues for deployment, and the acquirer talks up and promotes your product to the world. If all of the above goes smoothly, getting fully paid maybe twenty or so months after the day the acquirer bought the code. That's being generous.

Selling IP is incredibly difficult and finding a buyer is a big part of the battle. In this case the recovery was very small relative to capital poured into, the process took nearly two years, and there were a lot of people involved to make it all go smoothly in the end. We also spent a ton of money on legal fees, data scientist consulting, patent reinstatement and recovery, shipping of servers, etc. A lot of that expenditure was done along the way so we had to put more money at risk for the possibility of maybe recovering cash in the sale. It wasn’t easy, but it got finalized and we moved on. Hopefully we never have to do it again and neither do you. Learn more at their awesome SAAS venture capital blog by clicking to the left.

The peeps at ProStar Garage Door Repair in Frisco recently did some wonderful work on our property and we just wanted to give them a big shout out and say thank you for the wonderful customer service experience. While we only needed minor garage door repair, they offer a full line of related services and can handle both commercial and residential jobs with ease.

If your house is your personal refuge, your garage door is the drawbridge. There's no point to let the entryway to your home look old, worn-out or ordinary. ProStar Garage Doors is a professional garage door company that can install all kinds of garage doors, including fiberglass, steel and cedar. You can choose the design and style you want and give your house a brand-new look. If you need other residential or commercial garage door services, you can rely on them for everything.

You! More than likely. Even if it's just a preventative job to keep the gears running smoothly, there's no shame in getting a checkup before things break. You probably use your garage door daily, don't leave it to chance. Let the pros take care of it. Like we did!

After years of sitting dormant the most amazing bit of hangover cure fighting technology is back. The Hangover Cure has been relaunched with a new improved formula and is here to help you with even your worst morning after symptoms after a night of too much boozing. Check out this sweet product picture:
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There are tons of product reviews out there for this bad boy already, check out the Gaping Void blog for an example of one. It's also been featured on The Street and plenty of other drinking blogs plus Under30 CEO and some university sites. The secret to its epicness is that it helps prevent hangovers before they start with an insane concoction of vitamins, electrolytes and other good stuff your body loses when you go out and drink all night.

As a local company, we are thrilled to spotlight this awesome product and wish it nothing but the best going forward. People from all over the world love it and so you will you. If you are experiencing hangovers and need to cure a hangover with a specialized drink, you are in the right place. Retail rollout will begin in October of 2021 including several bars and headshops. Classy!

We are proud to add one of the top chimney sweep operations in Dallas Texas to our directory of sites. Located at 5818 E. University Dallas TX 75206 and serving all of Dallas Fort Worth with expert services year-round (including the holidays and freezing cold months here in DFW), we were most impressed by DCW and were happy to give them a recommendation. Some of their services include:

• chimney cleaning
• wild animal removal
• chimney repair
• chimney caps
• dead animal removal
• free quotes

No matter what your needs, they are here to help. But don't delay, this company gets busy with a capital "B" during the winter months because of how many chimneys there are in Dallas that need cleaning. This is especially true after the horrific ice freeze of 2021 that caused many chimneys to work over time.

One thing we learned while talking with the owner of Chimney and Wildlife Experts is that a broken chimney cap can lead to problems not only from wild animals invading your home, but also from wasted energy (heating and air) escaping.

Nash's Automotive is regarded as the top mechanic in Allen Texas and today we are spotlighting some of their top maintenance tips. Read the entire article at their website:

​Save Time and Money with Preventative Car Maintenance


Every day, car owners are surprised by issues that land their car in the shop unexpectedly.  This is costly in both time and money and usually comes with quite a big headache. But we have some good news!  Although car repair is an inevitable situation, the sudden shock and cost can be kept down significantly by a few preventative measures.  Here we’ll take a look at some of the basics of preventative car maintenance that any car owner can master.  Simply run through this checklist on a monthly basis and you are guaranteed to save on time and money.  We hope it helps you feel safe and secure in your daily travels!

  Read Your User’s Manual

Before doing anything, consult your user’s manual.  The user’s manual will have information on maintenance that is specific for your car’s make and model.  Things like how frequently to check your tire pressure or type of oil and fuel to use are among the details that will vary from car to car.  If you’ve misplaced or lost your user’s manual, one can usually be found online for your make and model.

 Do a Monthly Inspection

With the help of your owner’s manual, run through a general inspection of your car at least once per month.  Check basic things like tire pressure and that all lights are functioning.  A  tire gauge is great to keep in your glove compartment for use whenever needed. 
Also be sure to check the tread on your tires. One way to do this is to use the ‘penny test.’  Place a penny head-first into several grooves across the tire.  If you can consistently see the top of Lincoln’s head, your treads are worn and you most likely need a new tire.  If Lincoln’s head is always covered by the tread, then you most likely do not need to replace the tire.

Have Your Tires Rotated and Balanced

While tire rotation is something that needs to be done by a certified mechanic and will cost you a small amount,  it’s worth it and will save you money in the end.  Rotating your tires will help the tires wear evenly and prolong the life of the tires.  Balancing your tires will ensure that the car runs as smoothly as possible on the road which will in turn, save you money on gas.  It’s also a great idea to ask your mechanic to check the wheel alignment at the same time, as this further ensures the longest life of your tires.

Check All Fluid Levels

Paying someone to change your wiper fluid is an unnecessary expense.  This is something you can easily learn to do on your own.  


In the summertime you will need a fluid that has a soap base for bugs and dirt; and in the winter, one that has antifreeze in order to keep your windows from frosting over.  Other fluids that must be regularly checked are coolant, antifreeze, and power steering fluid.  
Coolant is usually located in a transparent container near the radiator.  It is essential to keep your car from overheating and damaging the engine.  You can check the levels easily by looking at the measurements on the side of the container.  Antifreeze keeps your car from freezing in the winter and also plays a role in your car’s cooling system.  Power steering fluid maintains the proper tension necessary to drive the mechanical parts of the steering system. Most cars have gauges or dipsticks to allow you to test fluid levels.  
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         Even if you don’t change all of your fluids yourself, you can still run monthly checks on levels.  That way you can respond as soon as possible if you suspect a leak.

And by "the community" I mean me. Every day my drive is messed up because of this stupid traffic and I'm about sick of it. They say it will be cleaned up by April but who knows. More to follow.

Two rapid areas of growth in terms of local business start-ups here in Dallas-Fort Worth are the mobile mechanic concept and fence and deck stain services. Why? Because both require little more than some small start up capital and a basic working knowledge of cars and construction.

Franchises for both business concepts are also popular choices for north Texas entrepreneurs looking for a new venture. Steve of S & L Mobile Mechanics said he spent years as a mechanic before stepping out to start his own on-site car repair service in the mid cities. The concept has grown to the point where Steve now has 3 employees assisting him with his growing clientele.

While many construction companies treat fence staining as sidework or a quick upsell, Dallas Stain Pros is handling things a little differently. The company was recently purchased by DFW Fence Doctor and will serve as the company's division dedicated exclusively to restoration of existing wood. If you are looking for a money-making idea, consider a niche within an existing industry like both of these North Texas companies did.

We will be adding profiles for the following companies that are located in Dallas in the next few weeks. We appreciate the interest from these local businesses and will be more active in the coming months:

• Best Texas Appliance
• Dallas Photo Booth Fun
• Dr. Andy Davong

We have already added Dr. Davong to our Dentist section even though he is a little further out of the area, and will be creating categories for photo booth rentals and appliance repair in the coming weeks. You may contact us for more info on getting listed.

Kenny's Grill is located just off the Tollway and Beltline in the Southwest corner, near the gas station on the corner. There's a Marble Slab in there as well if I'm not mistaken. It's part of the Addison Walk Shopping Center and affiliated with the equally good Italian restaurant of the same name.


Why this place is amazing:

• Great drink specials
• Great crab cake appetizer
• Awesome setting and vibe
• A well-stocked bar
• The pork chops
• The French toast
• Bloody Mary's are great

It's also fancy without being pretentious, which is nice. Kenny's features standard business hours for a bistro. It harkens back to an old-school Chicago style restaurant and the bar is pretty awesome. 

If you live in the 75254 zip code and are looking for a good local bar with some great food, this is the spot. It's particularly convenient for visitors to Dallas who flew into the Addison Airport. Visit Kenny's website for more.

The new Dream Cafe, now located near Sherlock's in Addison, is now open. The menu hasn't changed and is still amazing. Worth checking out if you are looking for some pretty healthy food in the area. Whole Foods can also help with that issue.

We recommend: The Greek Burger, Shrimp Tacos


The new location on Beltline near the Tollway: