What is it about life in a startup that is so compelling? Certainly not the coffee. We have amazing developers in our company, none of whom left a promising career as a barrista to join our team.

For me, it’s the opportunity to have impact. The ability to go out on a limb. The chance to come up with ridiculously creative ways to save a buck.

Attending Sage Insights 2010 conference in Denver this week. Hanging with old friends and making new ones in the Mile High City. For those of us that have done time as the “booth babe” or “demo dolly”, traipsing our laptops, banners, flags, t-shirts, business cards and promotional literature around the country, we recognize the high cost of shipping all of our wares from show to show. After 10 years and over 100 shows, someone suggested I try taking my booth on the airplane with me. Ok, it’s hardly carry-on luggage. The pilot never comes on to suggest that anyone wheeling aboard a trade show booth should please place it in the overhead bins wheels first. I took it anyway. It’s about $800 to ship one of these things, not to mention, for us Canadians, the pain and suffering of dealing with customs brokers while cross-border shipping.

So, away I went, booth in hand. If you’ve never shipped one, they’re not exactly teensy. About 65lbs and over 3 feet tall. Basically, it’s like shipping an 8 year old. A really wide 8 year old with wheels on the bottom. I expected it to take a while for everyone to figure out what to do with my over-sized package, so I made sure I arrived very early for my flight. Much to my surprise, they’ve handled this sort of thing before. No problem. 25 bucks and a baggage tag later, I was dropping the booth off at the oversize bag check-in.

Of course, arriving in Denver, I fully expected to deal with lost luggage, my booth bound for Spain. Nope. There it was, in all its glory, already unloaded from the belt when I arrived by the carousel, and as fast as I could wheel it over to the regular luggage offload area, there was my suitcase. Now, of course, I’m expecting the worst. Nothing goes this well for me when traveling. Must be a hassle waiting for me with the cab, the hotel, the delivery of the new shirts, something. Wheeling out the big black case, the suitcase and the laptop bag, I head for the taxi stand, fully expecting a negotiation with a mini-van driver on the oversize nature of my belongings. Instead, I’m greeted enthusiastically by a driver who insists he can fit everything into his car. And he does. Flat rate to city, just like everyone else. Tipped well.

Checking in? Everything is ready Mr. Todd (note, they actually used my real last name and got it right. Interchangeable first and last names are a curse, but that’s a whole other story.) Oh, and there’s a package waiting for you – must be those shirts you ordered. Wow. At this point, I’m waiting for the Apocalypse. Nothing goes this well on the road.

The point of the story? None really. The next step was to get ourselves to the store and buy some monitors to give away at the booth. Renting ANYTHING for a trade show is outrageously expensive. $1400 for internet service, $1000 for carpeting and vacuuming, $300 to rent a monitor, $3.50 for a bad cup of coffee – you get the idea. So, instead, I buy brand new monitors and give them away. Makes me happy – no waste. Instead of renting at inflated rates and wasting money, I get to make 2 people really happy as they wing home with their new monitors.

We head down to the local Office Depot store and find the monitors we want. “We’ll take two”, we say. “Sorry, I can only sell you one”, is the reply. Apparently, “one to show and one to go” is their stocking policy and they refuse to sell their display monitors. Fortunately, the store manager arranges for us to pick up a second one at the other store. We hop on Denver’s free tram service (really cool service that runs the length of the 16th Street mall) and a short 3 or 4 or 6 or 7 blocks away – depending on which story you believe – we pick up our second monitor and we’re away to the races. Oh ya, stopped by the Capitol Building for a photo opp with monitor – I think we’re making this a tradition.

Keynote session has just let out. People to meet, coffee to be had. 7 hours at the booth ahead. No sweat, I’m wearing comfortable shoes.