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Wantrepreneurs Gift Guide 2011: What to Get Your Special Wannabe

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By Adrianne Jeffries 12/22/11 10:00am

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The blanket definition of a wantrepreneur is simple: someone who wants to start a company but hasn’t yet. They may have an MBA; they may be freshly escaped from the JP Morgan hamster wheel, or they may have recently inherited a large sum of money immediately before watching The Social Network. Whichever it is, wantrepreneurs are strivey, enthusiastic and most of all, ubiquitous. These creatures have become a staple of the New York tech scene, so odds are you’ve got at least one of them on your gift list. And if not, remember that even though that wantrepreneur may be a douche bag, they do RSVP to every one of your meetups. Soooo maybe you should get them something, we dunno, just to be nice. Who knows, maybe one day they will launch that augmented reality app, subscription service or daily deal site, and you can say you helped them a little bit on the way with these wantrepreneur-friendly accessories.
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Stack of NDAs

Perfect for the wantrepreneur in stealth mode. You think Larry and Sergey walked around with the algorithm for PageRank written on their foreheads? Fuck no. Great ideas must be protected. Give the gift of peace of mind: get your wantrepreneur a printed stack of crispy non-disclosure agreements, a fountain pen, a sturdy briefcase, and perhaps a notary or some sort of witness.
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How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn

Also: The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, The Art of Nonconformity by Chris Guillebeau, The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk, and The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Tim Ferriss. These books are the "how's the weather" and "how about them Yankees" of the tech scene: bits of common knowledge that are critical to the startup canon as well as cocktail party and New York Tech Meetup conversation.
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MacCase Premium Leather Folio 2 for iPad 2

Every good wantrepreneur has an iPad, so your special aspirant most likely already has one. But the only thing better than an iPad (sorry, iPad 2) is a badass iPad case. We recommend this gorgeous leather folio. It has "SERIOSE BUSINESS" written all over it. Only $127.
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Magnetic Poetry, a.k.a. Domain Name Inspiration

Jack Dorsey says the best tool for coming up with a startup name is the dictionary. Bullshit! Magnetic poetry is more fancy, more fun and makes for better PR boilerplate. (Jim was opening the fridge to retrieve an old turkey sandwich when his eyes landed on two words: RAIN DAZZLE.)
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Field Notes

Besides serving as yet another repository for all those ideas, slick designer-y notebooks are super scene right now. Field Notes are the Moleskines of the tech industry, and the thirteenth FIELD NOTES COLORS release, for Winter 2011, or “The Northerly Edition,” is cast-coated, milled and finished in upstate New York, with white graph lines on a light, cold, blue-gray Finch paper. Just $9.95 for a 3-pack "belly-banded in silver" or go all out and get him or her a $97 subscription.
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New Social Media Thing

Want to give your wantrepreneur real joy for the holidays? Tip him or her off to the latest underground social network. It's probably too late for Pinterest, but go the extra mile and register his or her username on Autopia, the new social network for van fans, or Catwalkr.me.
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Interactee

Having trouble finding your technical soulmate? We'll let you in on a little the secret. Nerds are shy! They prefer the passive approach. This is the startup equivalent of a stoplight party (you know, wearing green means you're single, red means you're taken, and yellow means "it's complicated"?) Assertive, but not too aggressive, this tee may be the only thing better for your credibility than a five-year old South By Southwest t-shirt. Just $17.
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48x72" Quartet® Motion™ Marker and Bulletin Room Dividers

If there is one thing wantrepreneurs are never short on, it's ideas. So don't get them those! Do get them this premium porcelain magnetic whiteboard with two-locking wheels, graphite metal frame and flip chart pad holder, just $935.99.
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$3,000 Gift Certificate to General Assembly

Do you really love your wantrepreneur? Do you really want them to succeed with their startup? For a measly three grand, which covers the cost of GA's new ten-week Sales and Business Development program, you can guarantee they'll get funded (or at least have put together a really mean slidedeck). "From foot in the door to closing the deal," this course will get your pre-founder ready to snag partnerships like Dick Costelo and cold-pitch like Tristan Walker. And if the course is full, your check will pay for a GA membership for seven and a half months.
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Klout

A high Klout score can get you discounts, preferred membership, investment and friends. We guarantee there is probably nothing your wantrepreneur wants more (besides being a real startup boy/girl) than a big number by that badass K. So give your idea man (or woman!) some Christmas (or Hanukkah) Klout. We're not sure how to do that, exactly, but it sounds like it could be the next big thing! Maybe your wantreprenuer can build it.