This week thousands of investors and fans of big business will gather in Omaha to see Warren Buffett hold court at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.

But if you're looking for the next big ideas and the entrepreneurial spirits that will turn them into fast-growing companies, get your butt there two weeks later for Big Omaha (May 13-15, 2010) – a little bit of Silicon Valley in the Midwest.

The guy who got it all started, Jeff Slobotski, is one of Never Eat Alone's earliest and most enthusiastic fans. Now he's an impressive success story straight out of Never Eat Alone's Chapter 27: “Build It And They Will Come” about starting communities and conferences.

I asked Jeff to share a few tips with you about the surprising power of sharing your passions and connecting people craving connection.

Strong communities grow from strong purpose. What was your motivation for starting the Silicon Prairie News blog, which we've heard people call “the TechCrunch of the Midwest” and the Big Omaha conference?

I was working for a technology company based on the east coast. Through traveling for work, I noticed the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in cities like San Francisco, New York, Austin, and Boulder...and I knew that we had the same talented and creative people in the Midwest, too.

Too often in the Midwest we’re “siloed” – each of us working on unique ideas or companies, but doing it under the radar. For us to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, we need to build the community and support systems here like you see in those cities known for entrepreneurship.

I wanted to do something to connect and inspire the entrepreneurs in cities like Omaha, so I initially launched a blog called "Midwest to Manhattan.” A few months later, it became Silicon Prairie News.

How did people in the Midwest first receive the idea of Silicon Prairie News? What barriers did you encounter in the process and how did you overcome them?

When I decided to change my focus to people in my city, Omaha, and surrounding cities, and started to turn the camera onto them to capture their stories, one barrier I faced was convincing people to share their story.

Not many people enjoy going on camera the first time, especially for a group of hardworking, humble Midwesterners. So one of the biggest challenges was getting my friends and others comfortable with the idea of talking about themselves and their businesses – myself included.

A few years ago, I'd shy away from sharing my story and successes with others out of fear of seeming cocky or arrogant. But one thing I've found – and Never Eat Alone helped me with this, too – is that you can be confident in sharing your story and goals, while at the same time, truly listening to others and figuring out how you can help one another push things farther along.

Big Omaha has a speaker lineup that could measure up to any conference out there, with names like Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library, and Jason Fried of 37 Signals. And you even have a few speakers returning for a second year. What advice would you give to people who are just starting out and wanting to get access to such high-profile, aspirational contacts?

One key lesson I took from Never Eat Alone is that people are just people. We are the ones that build people up to a level at which they seem unapproachable. You might think, "Why would they ever agree to meet with me?" But that's such a misconception and will only be a self-imposed barrier to your success. Once you overcome those doubts, the sky is the limit.

Gary Vaynerchuk has always been someone I've looked up to for his passion, energy, and dedication to business, family, and life. I reached out to him on several occasions to bring him in for our first Big Omaha event in 2009. When Gary said yes, it took things to another level for the conference.

Since then Gary and I have continued developing our friendship, and he's done a lot to support our mission and help us get other highly influential people on board. It's just like the idea of “Anchor Tenants” for dinner parties in Never Eat Alone.

The best connectors are always trying to improve how they build and strengthen relationships, to connect more, to connect deeper. What's something you're doing now or going to try in the future?

Never Eat Alone continues to be instrumental in the way I live and do business, and it has so many tips that I find myself going back to it as a reference and to remind myself of things I should be doing.

One thing I've been doing recently is just pulling a handful of contacts from my Rolodex every other week and setting aside some time to call them for no other reason than to ask how they're doing and how I can help them with anything. I've been blown away by the response of the person on the other line when you call with the simple goal of checking in and showing them that you care.

For more info, visit SiliconPrairieNews.com, BigOmaha.com, or ping Jeff Slobotski at jeff@siliconprairienews.com

Big Omaha 2010 is May 13-15 in Omaha, Nebraska. To register, visit BigOmaha.com

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