As I sit on a milk-carton on the side of Abbot Kinney, sipping my ice-cold whipper-snapper (what’s in this coffee? I like the name…), I wonder why I overwhelm myself with how “busy” I am. My parents have more bills and headaches to take care of than I do, but they manage to keep their calm about it, and find the time to enjoy life. They’re really good at not thinking about the things they …
Writing for two blogs, I’m still unsure as to when I should repost content on multiple outlets, but this article I posted on the StartupHen blog almost ten days ago seemed relevant enough to my personal life to repost here: StartupHen June Update Originally posted June 14th, 2012 on the StartupHen Blog (link) Phew, we’ve been busy over here! In the last few week’s, we’ve been: Helping Voicepic with their PR and marketing. Just yesterday, they were featured …
Here are some recent articles and links that I found through social media. Enjoy! For Social Entrepreneurs: Discussion: Where Does One Start? (Social Edge) Starting a Social Enterprise: Discussion on @socialedge hosted by @saulgarlick founder of @thinkimpact. #socent How to Find a Social Innovation Job (Innov8social) 44 tips for finding a job in social innovation. via @Innov8Social #jobs #socent (Check out tip #17!) Start-Up Accelerator and Incubator Programs for Social Entrepreneurs (Innov8social) 16 #Startup Accelerator and Incubator Programs for Social Entrepreneurs. via @innov8social #socent 50+ Fellowship Programs for Social Innovators (Innov8social) 50+ …
This is a blog post I wrote for the Hub LA blog regarding our second Founding Member Mixer. This time the magic happened at Caña Rum Bar, in Downtown Los Angeles. To quote a Hub LA Founding Member in attendance, “…walked into a room with a few dozens strangers, left a few hours later feeling I was leaving friends I’m honored to know.” This was the second Hub LA Founding Member Mixer hosted at the end …
It’s only recently that I’ve come to appreciate the things I’ve learned simply from being raised in a Japanese family. I’ve found that there are words in the Japanese language that have shaped the way I think, and that some of these words don’t translate into English easily. Ikigai is one of those words. According to Japanese Culture, finding your Ikigai is the most honorable and rewarding thing one can do. It’s the key to …
If you’re interested in networking and mingling with ambitious people who have unreasonable goals, or if you’re one of them, you might like some of these events. These were collected from Startup Digest, Coloft, and the event hosts themselves. Let me know if you know any more. Wednesday July 6th, 2011 Digital LA – SAG New Media: Monetize Your Content panel @ SAG HQ – Digital LA and SAG New Media present a panel of …
I believe, like many others, that this is a bubble, just look at all the signs that point to why it is (booming IPOs both in number and performance). However, assuming every bubble is different, there are a few factors worth noting that makes this time around different from the last, hopefully for the better. One is that this bubble hasn’t really affected the price of other technology companies yet. We saw that in 2000 …
The trailers for Electric Daisy Carnival are getting better and better every year! Electric Daisy Carnival 2011 Trailer Electric Daisy Carnival 2010 Trailer Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 Trailer Electric Daisy Carnival 2008 Trailer Electric Daisy Carnival 2007 Trailer Electric Daisy Carnival 2006 Trailer
I once briefly mentioned the process of Design by Coding, inspired by an article on Quora, “Life Without Photoshop.” Apparently, every part of Quora was designed in code from day 1. The benefits mentioned in the article are as follows: – Consistency and re-usability. – Forces simplicity. – Code structure begets design structure. – Ability to interact with functionality while coding. – Significant reduction in time/money spent. While Photoshop is still great for certain web design …
“If you got code problems, I feel sorry for you son. I got 99 problems, but a glitch ain’t one.” That’s my favorite Tweet I saw during the Start Up Weekend in October, it’s a shame I can’t recall who it was that tweeted it. I’m no professional developer, and I don’t claim to be one. I do know, however, how to code html, css, php and mysql. I started back in seventh grade when …
Today, we were lucky to have Robert Tercek talk to us about creativity in the work place. I was very happy to hear him talk about the importance of having a creative process. I once interned at a creative agency that had a 300+ index card deck of brainstorming processes for company use only; I read every single card and memorized many of them. My company has a very unique product development process. We can’t …
Between my work, some recent travels and the Founder Institute, it’s been a little hectic and I haven’t had a chance to update my progress. Hopefully, I’ll get back to recapping it later. Tonight, I finished my first functioning prototype! After receiving some feedback during last night’s session, I realized my next step was to start creating the product. I’ve never designed or developed any sort of mobile app, so this was slightly intimidating. I …
Before you get to take the admission test, they have you write a few essays. Nothing about your business idea, simply about who you are. Assuming honesty is the best answer (that’s what I was always taught), I typed up how I felt and submitted my essays. A few days later, I was invited to take the admission test. I hear only one in three people who take the test get into the Founder Institute. …
After taking a look at what the Founder Institute was all about, I decided that it’s awesome. It’s awesome for passionate hard working people who want to start a business, but don’t know where to start. It’s also great for people who’ve just started a (scalable) business and want to take it to the next level. I consider myself a smart and passionate guy that’s risk averse and afraid of commitment. That’s why I’m currently …
Some people say everything happens for a reason. I think it’s a great way to start a story. Six months ago, I was feeling defeated from not meeting a major milestone I’d set for my business. I was reading multiple books a month, putting all of my energy into one business, and for some reason, it didn’t work out. Bummer. That’s when I started networking. Stupid me, should have started doing that a year ago. …
Mendocino Farms. Sounds like a place with roaming cows and grassy fields, right? Wrong, it’s an awesome sandwich place in Marina Del Rey. We’re talking animals, long dead. I’ve been to the shopping center in Marina Del Rey a countless number of times. I’ve actually stood outside this sandwich shops a few times, but I was never drawn in. The Chipotle a few doors down was too tempting, and I always ended up there. I …
You were introduced to beer in High School, good for you. You then learned about kegs in College, and that made you cool, or so you though. You then realized that there was a lot more to beer than beer bongs and beer pong. It happened when you were introduced to microbrews. To appreciate beer as an art, not a drug, means to appreciate its aroma, flavor, and color. It means to sip the beer, …
I just bought my ticket to the Third Annual Digital Family Reunion Holiday Party tonight! Tickets are set as $50, but there are plenty of coupon codes floating around that drops the price to $30; one of them is “dfr51” [Updated]. I have to admit I’m wondering if it makes sense to pay for events like this; I generally don’t like paying cover for any event. However, I do realize the benefits of networking events …
A press release is a document that companies send out to the public to let them know of new occurrences, such as events and product launches. It’s a great tool for small businesses. It helps you with SEO, provides you with social media content, makes it easier for people to find you, and makes your business look more legitimate. All you need to do is find a few places to submit your press release, read …
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