There’s no question that Dallas is becoming a popular spot for entrepreneurship and innovation—and it’s not slowing down any time soon. We will continue to see a growth in our startup community because our culture is changing, not just in Dallas, but everywhere.

Millennials care more about purpose over stability.

Millennials care more about purpose over stability. Eighty-three percent of students don’t have a job lined up before graduating, and 66 percent of Americans make less than $44,121 a year.

The most logical alternative for the risk-taking millennial? Entrepreneurship.

It’s an exciting time for startup enthusiasts. Becoming an entrepreneur has never been easier. There are resources, such as social media, apps, and online crowd-funding, and technology, which has been a vital tool for entrepreneurs, that didn’t exist 10 years ago.

I love technology. My only fear is that it’s causing a decline in face-to-face networking for young professionals. I would not be where I’m at today if it weren’t for networking and building relationships. I started networking early. I was the kid in the 7 a.m. coffee clubs. I’ll be honest. It was torture, but I can’t deny that it didn’t accelerate my professional growth.

I stopped going to networking meetings because I was tired of being the youngest person in the room while getting pitched the latest multi-level marketing for which I had zero interest. I decided that networking meetings were a waste of my time, until I discovered Cyber Dust.

Cyber Dust networking meetings remove the awkward introductions and forced handshakes.
If you’re there, you’re part of a club.

Cyber Dust is an app created by Mark Cuban to help people keep their conversations private. Naturally, the platform is made up of entrepreneurs, all sharing quality content to help grow their businesses. That’s exactly what it did for me. I was able to quit a six-figure-paying job and replace that income with clients from relationships I built on Cyber Dust. I couldn’t ignore the opportunity to bring networking back to life.

The first Cyber Dust networking meeting had a whopping 600 RSVPs. It was clear to me that people wanted to network with a community they felt involved with. Cyber Dust networking meetings remove the awkward introductions and forced handshakes. If you are there, you are part of a club. For the first time, I could see a healthy age range—from millennials to baby boomers in one room, networking and making deals.

One success story in particular caught my eye. Max Wall, the 27-year-old CEO of Dallas Urban Farms says he’s a fan of Mark Cuban and decided to download the app to try it out. “I hadn’t heard much about the app, but figured if Mark were involved, there had to be something special here,” he says.

Brenda Heard downloaded Cyber Dust to win tickets to the College Playoff National Championship, but was surprised to see other benefits. “I’m retired, and I’m not concerned about privacy so I didn’t think it would be an app for me, but the relationships and opportunities I’ve had will never disappear.” Heard says. Heard is connected on Cyber Dust with the CEO of Urban Farms and decided to invite him to a networking meeting. Within one week, she invested $60,000 into his business and joined the company.

“Privacy makes business communications stronger.”
-Mark Cuban

Opportunities like these are happening every day. Who would’ve thought a privacy app would become such a hub for innovation and collaboration? I reached out to Mark Cuban, (on Cyber Dust, of course) and asked him what he thought about the growing popularity of the networking events. “Privacy makes business communications stronger,” he says. “I try to do any and all negotiations on Cyber Dust. It’s like meeting face to face.”

Let’s put the fun back into exchanging business cards. I’m going to change the way networking is done by combining business with experience. It’s my mission to inspire the younger generation to get out and grow their network. Cyber Dust gives me a platform to do just that.

Our community is growing, and we have one of Dallas’ greatest innovators providing us with a solid networking platform. Did I mention that it’s never been an easier time to become an entrepreneur?

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