Amber J. Adams, the Gen Y Journalist

Member of DIY Together Beta Group

#BHAG2012: To promote Gen Y happiness in work and life, and become a thought leader for the unstoppable Generation Innovation movement. 

Thefablifeproject.com • amberjadams.com 

@amberjadams

What do you do?

I’m a journalist, who specializes in documenting the Gen Y experience, and I’m a writer on a mission to help young adults learn to define happiness and success on their own terms.

What do you need help with, in order to achieve your #BHAG2012?

I need to present myself as a person with vast knowledge on Generation Y. I also need to continuously publish my thoughts on the topics I’m interested in.

Who do you want to meet or work with?

I want to work with people who believe that our generation is destined to change and repetitively redefine what it means to be an entrepreneur, intrapreneur and innovator.

In two sentences or less, what is your mission?

To create media that empowers Generation Y to lead purpose-driven lives of their own creation.

What are you working on right now?

Co-producing a documentary called 77, about Gen-Y’s shifting attitudes toward work and entrepreneurship, promoting the Generation Innovation movement and freelance writing for individuals, small businesses and publications.

Of all the projects you’ve worked on, which one was your favorite and why?

I get excited about everything I’m doing! But I see so many good things coming from 77, that I can’t help but be inspired by that the most right now.

What are your top three strengths?

Telling stories, generating ideas and helping people figure out a strategic plan to accomplish their less-than-practical goals.

How did you get started as a creative person?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a rock star, but I figured out quickly that I can’t sing. Luckily, I can still tell stories through writing.

Amber J. Adams’ Bio:

Amber J. Adams is a Southern Belle with a sassy streak. She’s on a mission to change the world in some way. Adams hopes to spend her life inspiring people to stop fighting themselves in the name of honoring their truth, and believing in who they really are. She thinks this will manifest in many ways, but hopes to empower her generation through 77, a documentary that tells the story of how, and why, we think the way we do.

—

Amber J. Adams is a member of the DIY Together Beta Group, a tribe of creative entrepreneurs, filmmakers, designers, writers, friendly fashionistas and business developers who are helping to build the DIY Together movement, which is all about collaborative entrepreneurship.

Read more about the DIY Together Beta Group here.

Communicate with Amber during our #diychat, our monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

Golzar Selbe Naghshineh, The Activist

Member of DIY Together Beta Group

#BHAG2012: Finish Just The Tip and get the film into SXSW.

@JustTheTipMovie • @FeministGolzar

What do you do?

I’m an anti-violence-against-women activist, who uses various mediums to further my cause, and I’m creating a documentary on relatable guys who identify as feminists. I’m also studying the use of movement to work through trauma and mend people’s relationships with their bodies.

What do you need help with—in order to achieve your #BHAG2012?

Fundraising for production, and accountability partners to keep me going when the uphill battle gets rough. I would also love an executive producer or a co-producer for Just the Tip.

Who do you want to meet or work with?

I would love to meet feminist funders or another filmmaker who is passionately dedicated to feminism.

What’s your mission?

To de-stigmatize feminism and live to see the day when violence against women is both no longer tolerated and no longer an epidemic.

What are you working on right now?

I am fundraising for my documentary and developing skills to help heal trauma through movement and re-create a mind-body connection for those who’ve lost it.

Of all the projects you’ve worked on, which one was your favorite and why?

I love being in the trenches and being able to experience a shift in consciousness. My first documentary, Making Waves, Saving Lives, was a wonderful experience in that I was able to communicate directly with Kenyan women and survivors, but also work toward the prevention of rape.

What are your top three strengths?

Organization/management, networking and relationship building (using passion to inspire commitment, volunteerism and fundraising).

How did you get started as a creative person?

Creativity always played a role in my life and happiness, but my first film gave me permission to use creativity with confidence. 

Golzar Selbe Naghshineh’s Bio

Golzar is an Iranian–American, feminist activist with extensive experience in women’s issues and gender equality. She has worked in Kenya, China and New York, with a principal focus on ending violence against women and girls, including working with V-Day and Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues).

In 2008, in Kenya, she worked with an anti-rape organization and filmed the documentary Making Waves, Saving Lives. Released in 2009, she produced and directed the documentary with a completely volunteer, yet experienced, staff and has screened the film and lectured on rape across various institutions.

She holds an M.S. in Non-Profit Management and Urban Policy from The New School University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside, where she founded Evocative Magazine, a progressive women’s publication that highlights college women’s voices.

She holds a certificate of Modern Psychoanalysis from CMPS and is currently learning and practicing mind-body connection and healing through movement. She focuses her time on her new film, Just the Tip of Feminism, a documentary about relatable guys who identify as feminists.

—

Golzar Selbe Naghshineh is a member of the DIY Together Beta Group, a tribe of creative entrepreneurs, filmmakers, designers, writers, friendly fashionistas and business developers who are helping to build the DIY Together movement, which is all about collaborative entrepreneurship.

Read more about the DIY Together Beta Group here.

Communicate with Golzar during our #diychat, our monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

1. Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference 2011

Are you a photographer, writer, editor, designer, artist, musician, promoter, crafter, or Etsy seller who wants to grow your business or get more work?

2. How to write a business plan (for creative types)

Snap Food Truckers share tips for getting your plan down tight. “Add a slush fund,” “prepare an elevator pitch,” and “don’t freak out” rank high on the list.

3. 5 of IndieGoGo’s most successful campaigns

By IndieGoGo CEO and Co-Founder Slava Rubin

4.  How to attract, develop and maintain strong business relationships

New York graphic designers Raven + Crow share tips for attracting likeminded clients for long-term partnerships

 5. #diychat: The coolest monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere

Join the former ReadyMade Editor-In-Chief for #diychat on March 1

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

Get ready for a mouthful of a #diychat topic.

On March 1, we’re dedicating one hour to Thinking Big: Where Do Awesome Creative Ideas Come From, and How Do You Actualize Them?

Andrew Wagner, former ReadyMade EIC/Chief Brand Officer, is co-hosting our Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere with two other big-idea leaders: Modcloth.com Co-Founder Susan Gregg Koger and Giant Thinkwell developer and UX designer Donald DeSantis.

Back to Andrew: Shortly after ReadyMade folded in 2011, Wagner spoke at the Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference, and took a position as director of Krrb, (pronounced “curb”), a safe place to buy, sell, trade and give to your neighbors—locally and in-person.

Andrew also wrote this genius piece for The New York Times: “What You Make of It: Turning Egg Cartons Into Stools.”

If you couldn’t tell, we think Andrew Wagner is a creative genius, and that’s why we asked him to be a member of the DIY Business Association Board of advisers.

Photo of Andrew Wagner and Jen Turners's egg-carton stools by Trevor Tondro for The New York Times. Click to read the story.

 

MORE ABOUT ANDREW WAGNER

Prior to joining ReadyMade in 2009, he served as the editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine. Wagner was also the executive editor and founding managing editor of Dwell magazine, where he helped push the boundaries of architecture and design journalism, garnering the publication the coveted American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) General Excellence Award in 2005.

In 1997, Wagner founded LIMN, the unorthodox design and arts magazine published by the equally unorthodox furniture and design company of the same name, and served as its editor-in-chief until 2000. Wagner was also the founding editor of Dodge City Journal, a magazine dedicated to documenting life in America’s under-explored cities.

Wagner has also served as a consulting editor at Places magazine and has been a guest lecturer at University of California Berkeley, Southern California Institute of Architecture, California College of the Arts and Columbia University. His writing has been published in, among others, Azure, Blueprint, Breathe, Loud Paper, Vanity Fair, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Travel and Leisure. He has also penned the forwards for Princeton Architectural Press’ Handmade Nation and Chronicle Books’ soon-to-be-released Unhappy Hipsters as well as written chapters for Phaidon’s Vitamin Green series. @WagsisSticks

—

Read more about Andrew Wagner here:

ReadyMade Editor Andrew Wagner to co-headline Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference (June 7, 2011)

Did you miss the third #diychat on February 2? We’re bummed you couldn’t make it.

Put this in your calendar right quick: The topic of the next #diychat on March 1 is Thinking Big: Where Do Awesome Creative Ideas Come From, and How Do You Actualize Them? Click here to read details.

In the meantime, here are some highlights from the February #diychat, which was about organization, fighting procrastination and Next Attainable Action Steps for Accomplishing Your #BHAG2012.

Our featured hosts were Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business, and Hillary Rettig, author of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer’s Block.

JOSH KAUFMAN (@joshkaufman)

“Business angst = the sinking feeling you don’t know much about business. Feelings of confusion, feeling like an impostor.”

“Remedy for business angst: Learn the 1% of business ideas that = 99% of the value. Goes away when you know what you’re doing.”

“Entrepreneurship definitely isn’t *easy*, but it’s not as difficult as most people make it out to be.”

“Don’t outsource things that are core to the business, or aren’t necessary.”

“Jack of all trades, master of none, is often times better than master of one.”

“Sometimes procrastination comes from a sinking feeling what you’re doing isn’t working.”

HILLARY RETTIG (@hillaryrettig)

“Procrastination often mimics productive work.”

“If you have fears or conflicts around a project it may be tempting to abandon it for another.”

“If there’s something you really want to do but are afraid you can’t, don’t settle for Plan B. Let’s figure out how you can do Plan A.”

“Fear is often caused by perfectionism which causes a *terror* of failure.”

#DIYCHAT PARTICIPANTS

“Embracing being an extraordinary generalist is also important. Expertise is great, but no match for jacks-of-all-trades.”—@k_tighe

“I’m finding that the organizational piece is the biggest hurdle.”—@eyeonyou320

“Spending most of your time doing the parts you love is also so important for keeping your enthusiasm up!”—@GraceDobushToGo

“Entrepreneurship can be incredibly liberating. Focusing on the positive can carry you through tough spots.”—@DeniseKiernan

Want to read the entire #diychat 3 conversation? Click here to download a nice-looking PDF of the one-hour conversation.

 

 

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

I’m super excited to announce the latest addition to our growing DIY Business Association/DIY Together team: Jenny An, whom I worked with back in the day at my first company, Venus Zine.

Jenny Ann is joining us as a contributing Columns Editor for the soon-to-launch DIY Together site about collaborative entrepreneurship.

An is a 20-something who writes about food, travel, culture and technology, like many other 20-something Brooklynites.

Most recently, she was with the Village Voice alt-weekly in Denver before deciding to move to New York based on too many movies she watched as a kid. Her work can be found at Mashable, Conde Nast Traveler and Time Out Chicago, among others. When not at work, she schemes about creative and/or startup projects, plans her next dream trip, watches terrible television and attempts to teach herself how to write code.

Send your top-notch ideas to jenny.an3 [at] gmail.com, and follow her on Twitter here: @jenny_an 

By Suzanne Chang, #diychat Moderator (@kbyesuz)

Do you need help accomplishing a big goal for your business or a creative project?

I invite you to join me February 2 (8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. Central) for #diychat, the monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

"You Make It Happen" by Virginia Kraljevic. Click to purchase this 8x10 typography print at www.etsy.com/shop/virginiakraljevic

The topic of the one-hour online conversation is “What are your Next Attainable Action Steps (NAAS) for Accomplishing Your #BHAG2012?”

We’ve got two experts joining us:

Josh Kaufman (@joshkaufman @personalmba) founder of PersonalMBA.com and author of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business 

&

Hillary Rettig (@hillaryrettig) productivity coach and author of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer’s Block.

Follow me on Twitter at @kbyesuz

As #diychat moderator, here are the questions I’ll be asking:

Q1. For Josh Kaufman: Josh, what is “business angst” and how do you recommend people deal with it?

Q1. For all #diychat participants: Have you experienced business angst, and how have you dealt with it?

Q2. For Hillary Rettig: Hillary, you have great tips for fighting procrastination. Can you offer advice for DIYers who can’t settle on one idea or task to pursue?

Q2. For all #diychat participants: What are others’ tips on fighting procrastination?

Q3. For Josh Kaufman: Josh, you’ve said people don’t have to know everything about business but should master a few good things. What are these good things?

Q3. For all #diychat participants: Does anyone else have anything to add to Josh’s advice on good things? What good things do you want to master?

Q4. For Hillary Rettig: Hillary, alongside procrastination, you talk about perseverance. What are your tips on not giving up?

Q4. For all #diychat participants: Do you have advice on how to persevere and jump over business hurdles?

Q5. For all #diychat participants: So with all this advice, what are your Next Attainable Action Steps for Accomplishing your #BHAG2012?

—

Read more and prepare for #diychat:

We recommend using Tweetchat.com. Read our tips: “How to participate in a Twitter chat.”

Feeling overwhelmed by your big ideas? Join our February 2 #diychat to talk about your Next Attainable Action Steps

Ready, set…get closer to your #BHAG2012 by setting Next Attainable Action Steps

#diychat schedule

—

UPDATE: Did you miss this #diychat? Click here to read “Best of #diychat3: Highlights & Feed from February 2, 2012.”

 

Featuring Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business author Josh Kaufman and Liberation from Procrastination expert Hillary Rettig

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

Let me take a wild guess: When it comes to brainstorming and brewing up big ideas, you have no shortage of creativity, innovation and originality.

This photo doesn't actually have anything to do with this post, except that I like the creative usage of zip ties.

Let me take another wild guess: You need help with organization, streamlining, monetization and execution.

At least, that’s usually the case for me and the majority of creative people I know.

The good news is that once you bullet-point your ideas into a doable to-do list, you’ll be ready to do the work. And, get this: If you announce your to-do list, you’re 100%* more likely to actually finish it.

More good news: When you’re surrounded by a supportive community, you’re a 105%* more likely to meet your deadlines.

Enter #diychat, the monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

On February 2 at 8 p.m. EST, you’re invited to our one-hour online conversation called What are your Next Attainable Action Steps for Accomplishing Your #BHAG2012?

Josh Kaufman

Independent business professor, education activist, founder of PersonalMBA.com, curator of a list of the best business books and author of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business, an international bestseller in the business training category. @joshkaufman @personalmba

Hillary Rettig

Productivity coach, author of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer’s Block, and The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World Without Losing Your Way. @hillaryrettig 

Want to participate in this #diychat? Click here to read the #diychat schedule, and click here for #diychat tips using Tweetchat.

“Ready, set…get closer to your #BHAG2012 by setting Next Attainable Action Steps”: DIYTogether Beta Group members bullet-point their NAAS for the month ahead

“Move your #BHAG2012 forward: Set Next Attainable Action Steps” 

Tamara Warren, The First Lady of Automobile Journalism

@tamaratam • tamarawarren.com

Member of DIY Together Beta Group

#BHAG2012: Finish my book. Easy to say, tough to write.

1.     Picture yourself at a networking event filled with entrepreneurs, creative people, journalists, and PR folks. How do you answer this question in two sentences or less: “Who are you, and what do you do?”

I am a writer, journalist, and editor for both print and digital media outlets. I have covered cars, art, music, design and social issues for over 100 magazines, websites and newspapers.

2.     In two sentences or less, what do you need help with, in order to achieve your #BHAG2012?

Organization and ways to make tasks more efficient on a daily basis. 

3.     Who do you want to meet or work with? 

I like to meet people who inspire me to write new things as subjects or as examples. I like to work with people who are self-starters, open to change and meet their deadlines. I value age—the fresh perspective of youth, but most importantly, the wisdom of the sage.

4. In two sentences or less, what is your mission?

To expand on my work as journalist into longer-form creative fiction and non-fiction, and to teach writing. I would also like to grow my blog, Gotryke.com, into a larger force, as a place people seek out for new ideas, and continue to work as a freelance writer for bold, insightful outlets.

5. What are you working on right now?

A memoir about the places I’ve been and the experiences and people who’ve shaped me along the way: Detroit, cars, music and the arts. This month I have contributed to The New York Times Wheels Blog, Forbes, Lifeandtimes.com, MIT Technology Review and Gotryke.com.

I am also a teaching assistant at The New School where I’m finishing up a master’s degree in creative fiction in the spring. I lead a weekly creative writing workshop for teenage girls in Harlem.

6. Of all the projects you’ve worked on, which one was your favorite and why?

I’m fulfilled when I’m able to write in a way that affects people lives. I like new challenges. I’ve been lucky to build a career on the aspects of work that bring me joy.

7. What are your top three strengths?

I’m a big-picture thinker, I’m reliable, and I always try to do my best.

8. How did you get started as a creative person?

I think it’s in my nature, but creative people also nurtured me.

Tamara Warren’s Bio:

Tamara Warren has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Automobile, AutoWeek, Life and Times, Vibe, Nylon, The Detroit Free Press and Delta Sky. The Motor City native co-founded Gotryke.com and lives in Brooklyn.

—

Editor’s Note: This is a profile prototype for diytogether.biz, a professional networking site for entrepreneurs to connect, share and build work opportunities. DIY Business Association will launch diytogether.biz in beta in the first quarter of 2012.

Tamara Warren is a member of the DIY Together Beta Group (formerly known as the First Official DIY Together Incubator Group.) DIY Together Beta Group is a tribe of creative entrepreneurs, filmmakers, designers, writers, friendly fashionistas and business developers who are helping to build the DIY Together movement.

Communicate with Tamara Warren during our #diychat, the Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

DIYTogether Beta Group members bullet-point their NAAS for the month ahead

Coordinated by Amy Cuevas Schroeder & Rebecca Jackson

Photos by Seth Kushner

Have you set a personal Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal for the year ahead?

Awesome. We’re eager to help you accomplish your #BHAG2012.

Next question: Are you ready to make your BHAG a reality, but feel overwhelmed about getting started? If you answered “yes,” good news—you’re a normal human.

As a tribe of creative entrepreneurs, we the DIYTogether Beta Group work together to accomplish our goals. We meet monthly to discuss our entrepreneurial projects, share resources and advice, and design systems to grow our respective businesses on a budget.

The latest installment of DIYTogether development is Next Attainable Action Steps (aka NAAS): An ambitious yet realistic to-do list of chewable, bite-size tasks to attain a personal Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. We recommend that you set NAAS one month at a time. Once you accomplish a month’s worth of NAAS, you’ll devise the following month’s NAAS. 

NAAS criteria:

1. Based on the amount of time and energy you have (not wish you had), set a month’s worth of clear and attainable steps toward accomplishing your BHAG. Once you accomplish your first set of NAAS, you’ll set NAAS for the next month.

2. Be specific about numbers and quantities whenever possible.

3. Edit yourself (or ask someone to help you). After writing your list of attainable next steps, briefly visualize yourself doing those tasks, and “calculate” the estimated hours to accomplish them. Add up the hours of all your NAAS. If the task hours exceed your available hours, trim the fat, and place the Non-Attainable Action Steps on your list for the following month.

Amy Cuevas Schroeder, The Collaborator

Currently working on: Being the CEO of DIY Business Association.

#BHAG2012: To become a leading philosopher and inventor of collaborative entrepreneurship.

NAAS Due February 5:

My first goal toward accomplishing my #BHAG2012 is to write about actualizing collaboration for a major publication. That said, I need to get my pitching booty in gear. Here’s how I plan to do that:

• Write a new bio and post it on diybusinessassociation.com/about. DONE!
• Research the best publications to pitch an article about collaboration to. DONE!
• Research leading philosophers and philosophies about collaboration.
• Think about the angle of the collaboration article and how it will stand out from the pack of published articles about collaboration. DONE!
• Take notes in Word docs. DONE!

Read more about my #BHAG2012 and NAAS here.

Golzar Selbe Naghshineh, The Activist

Currently working on: Producing Just the Tip, a documentary about men who identify as feminists.

#BHAG2012: Finish Just the Tip and get it into SXSW.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Rewrite proposal and budget.
• Meet grant deadlines.
• Revise pitch to use when contacting potential high net-worth donors.
• Prepare to release IndieGoGo fundraising campaign.

Amber J. Adams, The Gen Y Journalist

Currently working on: 77, the Gen Y­–focused documentary about shifting attitudes to work in the wake of the recession. Also freelance writing for Essence.

BHAG2012: To promote Gen Y happiness in work and life, and become a thought leader for the unstoppable Generation Innovation movement. Also, I want to get published in Forbes and Fast Company and name 2013 the “Year of the Innovator.”

NAAS Due February 17:

• Launch Facebook group to increase traction and get people talking. DONE!
• Finish editing 77 sizzle reel.
• Establish 77 website.
• Reach out to as many Gen Y bloggers as possible to build relationships as well as awareness of 77 and Generation Innovation.
• Research four story ideas that I‘m interested in pitching to online and print publications in my field.

Douglas Calhoun, The Next Big Thing in Interior Design and Gay Culture

Currently working on: Determining how to best leverage capital to implement the Queer Interior project (subsequent to successful $15K Kickstarter fundraising campaign).

#BHAG2012: To become an established and trafficked queer brand.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Improve meetings with editorial team. Begin implementing project management tools like benchmarks to completion, delegating of tasks and goals achieved.
• Revisit business plan and update.
• Find one intern/collaborator for first and second issues of The Queer Interior. Using social media and job searching websites like urbaninterns, craigslist and idealist.
• Create content strategy.

Shaminder Dulai, The Nomadic Storyteller

Currently working on: Co-producing (with Amber J. Adams) 77, the Gen Y­–focused documentary about shifting attitudes to work in the wake of the recession. I’m also increasing stream of freelance photography work and organizing nightly dozens of scribbles on scraps of paper.

#BHAG2012: To backpack around the world in 2012.  

NAAS Due February 17:

• Finish editing “77” sizzle reel, launch website, build up Facebook groups for 77 and Generation Innovation, bring on board a web developer/news app designer, and create budget for final pitch for 77 fundraising.
• Negotiate potential photo workshop teaching opportunity for the summer.
• Get freelance work (photo journalism, editing, writing, helping with Kickstarter campaigns, web projects, social media, branding).
• Pitch fashion story to XXXXXX.
• Take more meeting with editors with new portfolio.
• Revamp and launch shaminderdulai.com with new portfolio and branding and blog more frequently.
• Find partners for VidScribe.
• Create new logo and biz cards.
• Return library books on time.
• Start swap site and snap dap web series.
• Take advantage of being in NYC and explore everything, including Staten Island.

Seth Kushner, The Photographer

Currently working on: A variety of freelance photography and passion projects. Co-creator of TripCity.net and author of two photo books—The Brooklynites and Leaping Tall Buildings.

BHAG2012: Figure out how to make passion projects pay in 2012.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Create new “prettier and cleaner” work, as suggested by agent, to get new freelance work, mainly lucrative advertising work.
• Fire old book agent (DONE!) and spend time researching other agents in order to find the “perfect” one.
• Finish formulating pitches for new photo book projects and show to trusted colleagues for feedback.
• Keep tinkering with various passion projects.

Frieda Klotz, The Irish Journalist Does New York

Currently working on: Freelance writing, a book project (about women in America) and improving work-life balance.

#BHAG2012: To write and publish a non-fiction book. I also want to hone my niche and get work featured in national U.S. print magazines.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Identify two magazines that I seriously want to freelance for and research pitching perimeters on mediabistro.com.
• Reach out to two new editors.
• Keep the editors I already know “warm”—meaning, contact the two editors whom I’ve worked for in the past, but not recently, and remind them of my existence by pitching them.

Lesley Ware, The Friendly Fashionista

Currently working on: Fashion blogging, designing own clothes, modeling and being a pre-teen fashion instructor.

#BHAG2012: Write and publish a fashion guide for pre-teen fashionistas.

NAAS Due February 17:

Niema Jordan, The MultiTasking Writer

Currently working on: Writer working on various projects including working as a freelance editor at Essence magazine.

#BHAG2012: To start a media company that incorporates content creation and curriculum development

NAAS Due February 17:

• Figure out how to put various skills (teaching, blogging, editing, etc.) under one “umbrella brand.”
• Undertake free workshops on business planning, business structure and rolling out business.
• Put examples of each element of her projects/curriculum up online so people can better understand the offering.
• Consider target audience.

Rebecca Jackson, The Former Banker-Turned-TBD

Currently working on: Freelance consulting opportunities (pro bono and hopefully paid), personal projects and trying to relax following leaving Wall Street job less than a month ago.

#BHAG2012: Undertake a journey of self-discovery to determine roadmap to get on the path to securing a dream job while simultaneously launching a business consultancy for creative entrepreneurs.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Secure paid freelance consulting work.
• Start contributing to DIYBA blog on business topics.
• Take a vacation.
• Learn how to slow down and relax!
• Book a class for something fun.

Colleen Ryan, The Get Sh** Done-er

Currently working on: Umpteen projects! Freelance video production, web design and managing four startups—all with the help of four home computers and a landline.

#BHAG2012: To contribute to getting at least one startup up and running in 2012 where they are in a financial position to operate and market themselves to becoming a profitable national brand within two to four years. [Editor’s Note: She’s well on her way, considering she’s working with four startups, including DIY Business Association.]

NAAS Due February 17:

• Launch first phase of diytogether.biz.
• Get thequeerinterior.com scheduled and budgeted. [Editor’s Note: Colleen Ryan works closely with Douglas Calhoun to develop The Queer Interior.]
• Work on personal website.

“L,” The Incognito Artist

Currently working on: Representational artist completing work for next show. Also working on two entrepreneurial ventures: business management model for artists and artist book project (minimum-value collection of images that could be traded in a secondary market).

#BHAG2012: Complete body of work for next solo exhibition, find a great business manager and create a model for other artists. Create limited-edition artist book prototype.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Finish two paintings.
• Flesh out wishlist of business-manager capabilities (e.g., someone with business and art-world experience) as well as salary/revenue split.
• Follow up with business-manager leads and other art-world contacts.
• Meet with book designer to assess potential for limited-edition book.
• Research whether anyone else in the art world is undertaking a similar project.

Tamara Warren, The First Lady of Automobile Journalism

Currently working on: Freelance writing for various magazines and sites covering cars, culture and more. 

BHAG2012: To finish my book. Easy to say, tough to write.

NAAS Due February 17:

• Continue to write every day for 2–3 hours (by hand!).
• Read works by admired authors for guidance on structure and general inspiration.
• Continue to keep cutting things that are not working from all aspects of life.
• Take definitive time for myself.

—

Are you a creative entrepreneur?

We’d love to connect with you. Share your #BHAG2012 below in comments, and join us on February 2 at 8 p.m. EST for #diychat, the least intimidating Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere.

—

Read more about DIYTogether Beta Group