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Creative Mornings to join DIY Together Speed Connecting NYC

14 Mar

SwissMiss’ right-hand man, Kevin Huynh, to talk about “Ted For the Rest of Us” March 28

A Creative Mornings New York event on February 10, 2012, at Open House Gallery in Mahattan. Charles Renfro of Diller Scofidio + Renfro was the speaker.

 

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

You can’t get much more pro-creative than Creative Mornings, the monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types that seems to be taking over the globe lately.

SwissMiss blogger Tina Roth Eisenberg started Creative Mornings in 2009 as an accessible, inspiring way for people to meet in New York. Fast-forward three years, and Creative Mornings has exploded to include chapters around the world, from Zurich to Atlanta to Vancouver.

The growth is thanks in large part to Kevin Huynh, Creative Mornings Breakfast Lecture Series Specialist, and Eisenberg’s right-hand man. “Thanks to Kevin’s help, we’ve grown the chapter number from four to 24 in six months,” the TeuxDeux designer says. “It’s quite amazing.”

On March 28, Creative Mornings is joining DIY Together Speed Connecting NYC as a collaborative partner, and Mr. Huynh will speak on a panel called Thriving in the Entrepreneurial Age.

DIY Together Speed Connecting is an action-packed event in collaboration with New York organizations that foster entrepreneurship and creativity, including NY Tech Meetup, Freelancers Union, Krrb, Loosecubes and New York Foundation for the Arts. Read more about the event and purchase tickets at diybusinessassociation.com/speedconnect.

WORKSHOP Co-Founder Jessi Arrington speaks at Creative Mornings at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

About Kevin Huynh

Kevin traded all of his belongings for food and transplanted from the Bay Area to Brooklyn in July 2011.

In addition to his Creative Mornings work, Huynh strategizes at Lovely Day, serves as editor for TBD, goes to battle as an organizer for The Feast Social Innovation Conference and produces a variety of shiny creative projects.

@kevinhuynh | http://kiwimonk.com

We looove this Rainbow Parade produced by Jessi Arrington after her Creative Mornings appearance on 11.11.11. (Photo by Younga Park)

 

Where do awesome creative ideas come from?

23 Feb

Connect with leading creative visionaries from the comfort of your home during #diychat on March 1

By Amy Cuevas Schroeder

Good ideas rarely happen overnight.

They need time to incubate and have sex with other ideas. And that’s where you come in.

On March 1, we’re hosting a one-hour Twitter chat called Thinking Big: Where Do Awesome Creative Ideas Come From, and How Do You Actualize Them?

Inspired by the book Where Do Big Ideas Come From? by Steven Johnson, we selected three of the brightest creative minds in America to share their experiences with you.

Thursday, March 1, 8–9 p.m. EST

(That’s 7 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Mountain/5 p.m. Pacific). Visit worldtimezone.com if your time zone isn’t listed.

Featuring:

Susan Gregg Koger

Chief Creative Officer of ModCloth, the online retailer selling independent designer fashion and decor with a highly engaged following of millions of female shoppers. Susan started ModCloth when she was just 17, taking her love of thrifting to start an online business. ModCloth was operated out of dorm rooms and basements for four years, and after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, Susan and husband/co-founder Eric Koger decided to expand by selling vintage-inspired clothing from talented indie designers around the world.

@SusanGKoger | Read more about Susan Gregg Koger here.

Andrew Wagner

Director of Krrb, a fun, friendly and safe place to connect with your neighbors for local and in-person commerce. A member of the DIY Business Association board of advisers, Andrew produces the “What You Make of It” column for The New York Times. Andrew is the former Editor-in-Chief of ReadyMade. Before that, he worked as editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine, and before that as the executive editor and founding managing editor of Dwell magazine.

@WagsisSticks  @krrbsale | Read more here: “Where do Andrew Wagner’s big ideas come from?”

Donald DeSantis

Partner at LIFFFT, an app development and product incubation company. Writer of the GigaOm article “Everything I need to know about startups, I learned from a crime boss.” In his free time, he works with Startup Weekend organizers around the world to help make their events successful.

@donalddesantis | donalddesantis.com | liffft.com

How to #diychat

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

Prepare for this #diychat: Click here to read the questions that Suzanne Chang will ask during the Twitter chat.

#diychat is moderated by Suzanne Chang (@kbyesuz). For more details about #diychat, follow @diybusiness. If you would like to receive a reminder email about this #diychat, sign up for our e-newsletter here.

Where do Andrew Wagner’s big ideas come from?

7 Feb

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)

 

 

 

Best of #diychat 3: Highlights & Feed from February 2, 2012

6 Feb

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 Rettigauthor 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.

 

 

Meet Jenny An, our DIY Together Columns Editor

5 Feb

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 

February 2 #diychat questions: What Are Your Next Attainable Action Steps for Accomplishing Your #BHAG2012?

31 Jan

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.”

 

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

26 Jan

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?

The February 2 #diychat features two expert guest hosts:

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.

RELATED ARTICLES

“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” 

Coming soon on diybusinessassociation.com: #diychat Moderator Suzanne Chang will post the #diychat questions that she’ll ask Josh Kaufman, Hillary Rettig, members of DIYTogether Beta Group and you!

*Amy Cuevas Schroeder is no mathematician, but 99% of the time, her guesstimations are right-on.  

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

 

Communal goal-setting: The feed & highlights of #diychat 2

11 Jan

For one hour on January 5, 2012, dozens of creative entrepreneurs talked about their Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals with our special-guest #diychat co-hosts: Busy Beaver Buttons CEO Christen Carter and The Handmade Marketplace author Kari Chapin.

Click here to read the entire feed of #diychat 2, or check out some of the highlights…

“My Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal of 2012 is to do less—to be more focused on the most important things.” @GrammarGirl

“I dreamt up [my #BHAG2012] on New Years Eve & grabbed my journal—the ideas were free flowing.” —@CreativeCookie

“I wasn’t using my energy efficiently in 2011. I need to regularly get into the vision zone for 2012.” — @BusyBeaverCC

“I won’t pursue my frivolous interests this year, but will give myself treats related to my frivolous goals for being so practical.” —@GrammarGirl

“My #BHAG2012 is to develop a craft incubator in my community.”—@wunderaround

“A SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities and Threats involved in a business venture.” —@diybusiness

“Baby steps! Imagine your BHAG. Write down all the things that it will take to get there. Start doing them. It won’t go perfectly.” —@BusyBeaverCC

“I believe in breaking things down to the most doable pieces. Want to travel the world? First, you need a passport.” —@GraceDobushToGo

“Most of my #BHAG2012 relates to how I run my business—rather than things my business does. Anyone experiencing that?”—@karichapin

“Accountability buddies help me! Tell them what and when you want to have things done; have them hold you accountable.”—@BusyBeaverCC

“When I taught journalism, I had my students write their five-year-in-the future resumes.” —@k_tighe

“I learned that collaboration is easier said than done, but it’s extremely valuable when done well.”—@diybusiness (aka Amy Cuevas Schroeder)

Join us February 2 at 8 p.m. EST for the third episode of #diychat to talk about how to create Next Attainable Action Steps to achieving your #BHAG2012. Read details here.—Amy Cuevas Schroeder

#diychat: The coolest monthly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs everywhere

3 Jan

#diychat was a one-hour Twitter chat designed to connect and engage creative entrepreneurs around the world. #diychat took place monthly from December 2011–March 2012.

Best of #diychat (Archive) 

Thursday, March 1

Thinking Big: Where Do Awesome Creative Ideas Come From, and How Do You Actualize Them?

Hosts:

Susan Gregg Koger

Chief Creative Officer of ModCloth, the online retailer selling independent designer fashion and decor with a highly engaged following of millions of female shoppers. Gregg Koger started ModCloth when she was just 17, taking her love of thrifting to start an online business. ModCloth was operated out of dorm rooms and basements for four years, and after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, Gregg Koger and husband/co-founder Eric Koger decided to expand by selling vintage-inspired clothing from talented indie designers around the world. @SusanGKoger | Read more about Susan Gregg Koger here.

Andrew Wagner

Director of Krrb, a fun, friendly and safe place to connect with your neighbors for local and in-person commerce. A member of the DIY Business Association board of advisers, Wagner produces the “What You Make of It” column for The New York Times. Wagner is the former Editor-in-Chief of ReadyMade. Before that, he worked as editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine and before that as the executive editor and founding managing editor of Dwell magazine.  Read more about Andrew Wagner here.

Donald DeSantis

Partner at LIFFFT, an app development and product incubation company. In his free time, he works with Startup Weekend organizers around the world to help make their events successful. Writer of “Everything I need to know about startups, I learned from a crime boss” (GigaOm). @donalddesantis

• Official March 1 #diychat post

• March 1 #diychat Recap

Thursday, February 2

What are your Next Attainable Action Steps for Accomplishing your #BHAG2012?

Guest Hosts:

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

Read more about the February 2 #diychat:

Best of #diychat: Highlights & Feed from February 2, 2012

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

Prepare in advance: Here are the questions that Moderator Suzanne Chang will ask

January 5, 2012

What’s your #BHAG2012?

Hosts:

Kari Chapin, Author of The Handmade Marketplace (@karichapin), Amazon’s top-selling craft book of 2010

&

Christen Carter, Founder/CEO, Busy Beaver Buttons (@BusyBeaverCC)

Busy Beaver’s long-term BHAG: “A button on every person.”

Christen Carter’s personal, short-term BHAG: “Tour the country to share the history of expression through buttons.”

Christen Carter’s “more idealistic and even larger-vision” BHAG: “People respecting others’ opinions through meaningful interactions.”

Read more about the January 5 #diychat:

• Communal goal-setting: The feed & highlights of #diychat 2

• Top DIY business leaders to co-host #diychat on January 5

• Want Help Setting Your Personal BHAG for 2012? Check Out These Inspirational Examples

 

December 1, 2011

How Do You Collaborate?

• The Questions we asked

• Recap and feed: #diychat 1 feed (December 1, 2011)

 

Want help setting your personal BHAG for 2012? Check out these inspirational examples

30 Dec

Writing books, starting businesses and leading movements are just some of the Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals of the First Official DIYTogether Incubator Group

Update to this post: On January 19, 2012, we changed the name of the DIYTogether Incubator Group to DIYTogether Beta Group, mainly because it's shorter and snappier.

By Amy Schroeder

With all the losing, getting rid of and, eventually, giving up on and feeling guilty about that surrounds New Year’s Resolutions, it’s no wonder most people resent them.

That said, why not pull a maverick move and join the movement to set a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal for 2012?

The BHAG (pronounced “bee-hag”) is a term coined by Jerry Porras and James Collins in their book Built to Last, which examines the qualities of successful visionary companies. They found that one factor that distinguished successful efforts from unsuccessful ones was the use of ambitious—even outrageous—goals to motivate people and focus them toward concrete accomplishments.

To gear up for what’s sure to be a huge year for the Entrepreneurial Era, we’re inviting you to apply the BHAG philosophy to your passion project, entrepreneurial endeavor or awesome startup.

And, since this is also the Age of the Artist as Entrepreneur, we’re going to spend an entire year developing communities, technologies and promising practices to help creative self-starters, new businesses and ambitious people accomplish their Biggest, Hairiest, most Audacious Goals.

On January 5, we’re kicking off the #BHAG2012 campaign with our brand-new #diychat Twitter chat, co-hosted by the members of the First Official DIYTogether Incubator group and by Busy Beaver Buttons Founder Christen Carter and The Handmade Marketplace author Kari Chapin. You’re invited. Read all about the international event here: Top DIY business leaders to co-host #diychat on January 5”.

So, before we give you our DIYTogether members’ #BHAGS2012, let me ask you this: What’s your Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal for 2012? And, how can our community of ambitious self-starters help you accomplish your BHAG?

Some of the members of the First Official DIYTogether Incubator Group, from left: Shaminder Dulai, Amber J. Adams, Rebecca Jackson (we haven't told you about her yet), Niema Jordan and Colleen Ryan. This photo was taken on December 15, 2011.

DIYTogether Incubator Group Member BHAGs for 2012 

Amber J. Adams: The Gen Y Journalist

Thefablifeproject.com

amberjadams.com • @amberjadams

“My Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal for 2012 is to promote Gen Y happiness in work and life, and become a thought leader for the unstoppable Generation Innovation movement.”

Shaminder Dulai: The Nomadic Storyteller

Co-producer (with Amber J. Adams) of 77, the documentary about the back stories of Gen Y and how they’re affected by the recession.

Shaminderdulai.com • @SDulai

“I want to backpack around the globe in 2012.”

Golzar Selbe Naghshineh: The Activist

Producer, JustTheTipOfFeminism.org

@JustTheTipMovie • @FeministGolzar

“I want to finish Just the Tip and get the film into SXSW. … Is that big, hairy and audacious enough? It’s kind of just THE goal.”

Me, Amy “Collaboration” Schroeder

Founder/CEO, DIY Business Association and DIYTogether

@diybusiness @amyschroeder

“My #BHAG2012 is to become a leading actualizer of collaborative entrepreneurship.”

Sammy Davis: The Martha Stewart of the Vintage World

Founder, Sammy Davis Vintage 

sammydvintage.com • @sammydavis22

“My #BHAG2012 is to be cast in my first TV show for 2012!”

Shaina FeinbergThe Funk Fixer

Inventor of Alignment and HyperCrafting; This American Life contributor, audio producer, writer, and collaborator with comedian Dave Hill

F-berg.org

“My BHAG is to finish my feature-length movie.”

Frieda Klotz: The Irish Journalist Does New York

@FriedaKlotz  friedaklotz.com

“My BHAG2012 is to write and publish a non-fiction book. I also want to hone my niche and get my work featured in national U.S. print magazines.”

Colleen Ryan: The Get Sh** Done-er

caryaninc.com • @CARyanInc

“My BHAG is 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.”

Lesley Ware: The Friendly Fashionista

Founder/Blogger, The Creative Cookie

creativecookie@me.com • @CreativeCookie

“My #BHAG2012 is to write and publish a fashion-instruction curriculum and guide for pre-teen fashionistas.”

Meet the newest members of the First Official DIYTogether Incubator Group

Niema Jordan: The MultiTasking Writer

Freelance journalist, blogger, fiction writer, and poet. Her work can be seen in ESSENCEEBONY and Venus Zine. She also contributes to OaklandLocal.com in addition to documenting the Bay Area arts scene for 38th Notes.

@niemajordan • niemajordan.com

“My #BHAG2012 is to start my own media company that incorporates content creation and curriculum development.”

Tamara Warren: The First Lady of Automobile Journalism

Self-made Writer; Founder, gotryke.com: Where Culture and Transportation Converge; Forbes blogger (blogs.forbes.com/tamarawarren: The Return of Street Savvy)

(@tamaratam) • tamarawarren.com

“My #BHAG2012 is to finish my book. Easy to say, tough to write.”

I keep a journal about the progress of the First Official DIYTogether Incubator Group. Get up to speed here: 

Introducing the members of the first DIYTogether Incubator Group Chapter 2 (November 15, 2011)

The Diary of DIYTogether Incubator Groups” Chapter 1 (October 25, 2011)

#diychat 1 Feed from December 1, 2011 (December 3, 2011)