T’was the night before disruption … A startup Christmas poem
December 22, 2016 | Bobby Burch

With inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore’s classic A Visit from St. Nicholas, Startland News wanted to take a creative crack at wishing our readers a merry Christmas and happy holidays. Hope you enjoy 🙂
T’was the night before Christmas when all through the land,
Not a founder was sleeping, for at work they still stand.
Their laptops of silver did twinkle and gleam.
And on gizmos and gadgets they continued to dream.
Red-eyed they remained and alert in their lair
In hopes that disruption would soon be found there.
They scoured the market to find just the right fit
With the maxim “fail fast,” the duds they’d omit.
But the creators were restless with inspiration remote
More time to researching, they’d surely devote
“The investors stopped calling,” I said to my friend.
“Perhaps a bold pivot!” she replied with a grin.
Distraught and downhearted, I slunk in my chair.
“What can we concoct for the masses to care?”
And then in an instant, with speeds near gigabit,
I heard a thunderous crash like the roof had been split!
At once I turned round to my screen on the right
And before me stood Santa made of bits and of bytes.
“What here is the problem?” he chortled with glee.
“Our startup is flailing!” and he seemed to agree.
“We tried tweaking this and we shifted to that.”
I gasped in frustration, then he showed me his hat.
“Take a look at my cap — this advice you should heed.
It’s simple yet useful and fulfills a great need!
“Your pursuits are noble and aim for everyone,
But a product so broad is really tailored to none.”
Like a big bag of bricks his note arrived with a smack!
“A narrower focus will get us on the right track!”
Pixelated and plump, his cheeks rosy with cheer,
Santa whistled to summon his team of reindeer.
But I heard him exclaim when they left quite abrupt
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all who disrupt!”


2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Wild Way closing: Coffee camper drips bittersweet blend of emotions as owner’s cup runs dry
Nearly six years after she began serving lattes in her popular Wild Way coffee camper, Christine Clutton is saying goodbye to the business at the end of the month, she confirmed. Wild Way Coffee — featured on the Peacock series “The Simple Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” and approved by KC-raised actor Jason Sudeikis —…
Sass-a-brass trumpets representation as demand grows for its roving queer street performances
When Rosie O’Brien first organized a queer street parade brass band — specializing in Mardi Gras and Pride vibes — the sousaphonist-turned-arts leader had no idea the cultural impact and representation Sass-a-brass could bring to Kansas City. “The first time we got together as a band was for the first Lawrence pride parade in 2018,”…
Juneteenth efforts confront ‘complex history’, generational trauma in KC communities
Celebrating Juneteenth in Prairie Village — a community that historically excluded people of color — is a sign of progress, said Dr. George Williams. Stand Up For Black Lives+ Prairie Village and the Johnson County NAACP recently organized a weekend Juneteenth event — the groups’ fourth annual commemoration of June 19, 1865, the day the…
