The Entrepreneurial Generation | Full Interview with Genystartup.com

I was approached by Tolu Babalola, a writer at Generation-Y Startup, to contribute some thoughts to an article on entrepreneurship and generation Y. You can read the article here at genystartup.com.

Here is the full interview:

What inspired you to get into entrepreneurship?

I think my main inspiration came out of a need for a lifestyle plan. I took a step back from my life and asked myself what I wanted most out of my daily routine. I came up with a short list that has influenced my decision-making ever since and I always come back to it when things get tough. This list is the driving force behind my business mission and goals.

My List:

1. Immerse myself in the arts while providing a much needed service to the artist community
2. Own my own schedule while working feverishly/passionately

3. Enjoy everyday through exploration and lifelong learning

Does location, (Baltimore, NYC, Silicon Valley) affect success rate of entrepreneurs?

Of course location affects the success rate of entrepreneurs, but I believe it is a common misconception that location "limits" entrepreneurship. In most cases it's the entrepreneur that limits success rate. Every location has its own entrepreneurial energy; it's up to the entrepreneur to harvest it.

Baltimore is a wonderful city for creative entrepreneurs. There is a great energy from the professionals in this city and there are so many people that support the fusion of entrepreneurship, arts, and technology. You can find out more from organizations like Startup Baltimore or going to events like Startup Weekend.
 

Do you see a shift in work dynamic of the gen y compared to previous generations? Are more college grads looking to 'do their own thing' versus work for other people?

Great question, at this point there have been many books written about how to "deal with" Gen Y. Really, you just have to understand the way we think and give us space to grow. The most recent Ignite Baltimore (an event that invites artists/entrepreneurs/personalities to present for 5 minutes on any topic) and one presenter named Greg Dekker presented on how "71 Million Americans Say Your Cubicle is Stupid". The reality is that Gen Y (the 71 million Americans referred to in the title) will be filling the shoes of the retiring baby boomers within the next decade. Though they are ready to break down the cubicle walls, not all of their actions will be destructive. Within the corporations, Gen Y will rewrite job descriptions and bring a new perspective to the traditional idea of the 9-5. Though, if businesses remain rigid, Gen Y will look towards greener pastures and choose to collaborate with fellow classmates either as leaders or supporters of new exciting ventures. If you challenge us just right, we will move mountains--deny us stimuli and assign us busy work, we will focus our energy on our own interests and leave your traditional job in the dust.

What are your biggest struggles as an entrepreneur?

Since I am at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I will say my biggest struggles as at this point are my impatience with progress, learning to embrace my mistakes, and balancing my home life with my desire to work constantly.

Another big struggle is finding the time get involved in the community. I believe it is so important to get out and interact. Today, building a business brick-by-brick on your own is no longer necessary. Many of my efforts have gone into networking or simply making connections with other inspired and passionate people. Do not let the fear of rejection or that you are "not worthy" get in the way of making friends (professional and non-professional). Any open community forum, event, or lecture is just that, open! I believe a real experience with another person will always make more of an impact then any handshake or business card (though those do help).

I cannot thank my friends and family enough (not to mention my two dogs and a cat) for their unconditional support. If you're not having fun and enjoying life while you build your business, then you risk burning out and losing sight of why you started in the first place.

Is Networked WordPress Right for You? | Wordpress Meetup with Zane M. Kolnik

Tonight, I ventured out to the Beehive Baltimore co-working space in Canton for a Wordpress Group Meetup. Roni Noone was originally scheduled to present on Blogging, Community & Lessons Learned, but she went into labor and will be rescheduling for another time (congratulations!).

Luckily, Zane Kolnik stepped in to demo networked Wordpress and domain mapping. To start, Zane offered-up the Wordpress codex for creating a network--simply visit http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network to get the full breakdown and requirements.

In essence, you will simply be placing code in your wp.config.php file and your htaccess file. After doing so, you will be prompted to login--if you are unable to login you will need to remove the code and start over (bummer).

In the next phase, you will need to choose whether your networked site will use subdomains or sub-directories--choose wisely as you will not be able to change your mind! To help you with your decision, below are two website examples. Visit each and compare the urls--also check out the content organization and notice how themes are adjusted according to the subdomain or subdirectory.

Subdomain

http://tutsplus.com/

(see "Our Sites" menu)

Subdirectory

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

(Click on Main Nav categories)

General Tips
*In version 3.1 you will see the "network admin" as a top right menu option.

*Be sure to enable uploads for the multisite in your network admin settings--towards the bottom there will be check boxes for images, video, and music.

*Initially, your uploads per site are limited in both number and in size. For example, each site may be only allowed 10 images at 1500kb each.

So why would you use this feature?
*Easily delegate administration
*Control user permissions
*Use separate themes / build unique themes within one website

*Works great for theme developers

*From a production standpoint, the subdirectory option helps to organize robust content

One attendee stated that this would give her a level of control that she required for a franchise business that will need theme and permission customization for their different regional locations.

To finish it off, here is Zane's favorite domain mapping plugin and his go-to tutorial
Plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mu-domain-mapping/
Tutorial: http://www.ottopress.com/2010/wordpress-3-0-multisite-domain-mapping-tutorial

I am more of a student then a teacher, so I would encourage you to review the Worpress codex and visit blogs like Zane's for more information!

I Heart Art: Finding Your Market with Megan Auman

Megan Auman recently presented for the I Heart Art seminar series at MICA. I was able to experience the presentation through a live webcast. As a chat room sardine I met many crafters, artists, and entrepreneurs anxious to refine their marketing strategy.
From the beginning, Megan had a great energy (despite all the sound blips and frozen screens) she really reached both live and online audiences with a great clarity. I believe her website states her mission best: 
"...what would business school look like if it was geared towards crafters, designers, and makers? At crafting an MBA, the goal is to help you polish those basic skills (like business planning and bookkeeping), develop a marketing plan (online and off), and help keep you up to date with trends in the business world – while also helping develop skills specific to a craft based business (selling online, craft shows, trade shows, and promoting your portfolio)." 

Everyone always tells us to "find your niche", but we often need questions and processes that allow us to really narrow the field.

Here are a couple of Megan's answers to the "niche dilemma": 

Ask a Bazillion Questions About YOUR Customer (Be Specific!)
Is your ideal customer male or female? Age?
Where do they live? Geographic area? Counties? City vs. suburb. vs. farm country?
What do they look like? Hair, skin, anything!
Are they in a relationship? Married? Single? Kids? Grandkids?
Employment/Career? Professional Occupation?
Office? Home? Checkout counter?
Income level? Do they get paid regularly? What is their pay check pattern?
Hobbies?
Vacation? Do they have time for vacation?
What do they read or listen to? TV? Books?
Trend follower?
Friends? Loner?
Stay at home type? Go out on the town type?
How is my ideal customer different then me?
(Your ideal customer is NOT you!) 

The Social Media Spy Cam
We all know you have researched old boyfriends/girlfriends from college on Facebook, why not put the same effort into researching your fans? What about your twitter followers--who do they follow?
*Pay attention to what your fans and followers talk about
*Send out a formal Survey: Facebook/Blog Polls or Survey Monkey
*Start to have a dialogue: Post questions that your customers will answer freely
*Even Google map your online purchases
 
Research your Competitors
Do they have a press page?
Which blogs or magazines feature them?
Look up the target demographic of that site or publication using online resources like alexa.com
What stores are carrying their products?
After your research is done be sure to ask yourself - how do I differentiate myself from my competition?

Amazing Resources and Presentation Links:
The Great Northern Crafts: All based on embroidery for Twin Peaks
Girls Can Tell: A craft shop that makes all products with diagram imagery
Peter Shankman: Social Media Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, CEO, Speaker, Consultant & Adventurist
www.mica.edu/spcs More information on the NEW Business program at MICA and other Continuing Education programs.
http://marketingformakers.com/ A 12-week marketing e-course by Megan Auman!
http://www.alexa.com/ Free traffic metrics, search analytics, demographics, and more for websites...

Refresh Baltimore Visualizes Data with Paul Smith and Everyblock

Refresh Baltimore presented another hit speaker last Thursday-- Paul Smith from Everyblock continued the top Baltimore tech discussion that was jump-started with the Baltimore's Civic Hack Day on Feb. 12. His presentation showed us how mapping and visualizations may be applied to the newly released Baltimore data.

The data repository, Open Baltimore, has created a feeding ground for programmers and designers alike. Paul Smith made this apparent with his playful investigation into the Charm City Circulator bus routes. He mapped the routes of the orange and purple bus lines overlaid on a map of the city. By breathing life into this data we were able catch glitchy nuances and morphing pathways that showed Baltimore city life in action.

Smith's relaxed and curious nature allowed for an open discussion regrading city mapping. I look forward to seeing Everyblock in Baltimore!


Here are some companies, programs, and services that were mentioned during the presentation:

Mindgrub
Fuses technology with a training development process to create rich applications that focus on the end user experience.

Everyblock
Track and discuss what’s new in your neighborhood.

Google Maps Static API
Lets you embed a Google Maps image on your webpage without requiring JavaScript or any dynamic page loading.

Quantum GIS
Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS).

Image Magick
A software suite to create, edit, compose, or convert bitmap images. It can read and write images in a variety of formats (over 100).

Google Fusion Tables 
Upload small or large data sets from spreadsheets or CSV files. 

Yourreps.org 
Web app created by Paul Smith U.S. Congress, State Senate, House of Delegates, and City Council representatives.

See.Click.Fix
SeeClickFix encourages active citizenship, by offering a variety of platforms to report your concerns. Report issues through our website, mobile apps, widgets, and voice mail. 

Socrata
Programmers get immediate and uniform programmatic access to government datasets.

Bear Hugs and Peacock Installations: Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever Party

This past weekend I had a blast the Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever party! I am a little biased since I helped plan the party, but this also means I have a unique insight into how it all went down.

A little background

After the Executive Director, Irene Hofmann, left for another opportunity on the west coast we knew that there would be a transition period that threatened to effect programming and events. Luckily, the Senior Administrator and Membership Director, Johaniris Rivera Rodriguez, was left in charge while the search for the new director began. She not only kept the museum afloat, but created an environment of unity and collaboration--promoting a solidarity among staff and supporters.

Cue the winter party

A challenge for the incoming director (Sue Spaid), members, fans, and staff to come together and pull-off an event of big ideas on an itty-bitty budget.

Platform Heels and Tunic Sweaters
The party kicked off with the exhibition opening of Agitated Histories--curated by Irene Hofmann. While you gossiped about art and sipped champagne, you may have caught a glimpse of a bear giving hugs and discussing modernist theory.

Peacock Punch
Meanwhile at the old Greyhound station, the artist duo "Peacock" was making last minute adjustments to the party space. Working feverishly the entire week before, Chris Attenborough and Sean Naftel transformed the old office spaces into installations and playful Cabin Fever puns. Highlights included The Shining twins frozen in time on adjacent TVs screens, a three-dimensional collage of skis in an alcove, and a red stenciled deer head that hinted at hunting season.

Fire Hoops and Loops
Making your way over to the party was easy, thanks to Regina Armenta (and crew) lighting the way with their flaming hula-hoops! Once the party had begun, she headed inside for a stilt walking performance--making sure to bring extra hula-hoops for guests. Regina, who runs Yoga on Wheels (again, I am biased since she used to be my yoga instructor), really took her performance to the next level and was a big hit at the party! It was amazing to see board members throwing caution to the wind to dabble in the often hilarious act of hula-hooping.

Hot Shots by the Fire
Entertainment included a slew of talented DJs and two amazing photography students from MICA that volunteered their time and skills to take photographs of guest posing in our rugged cabin themed room. Look out for a new museum Facebook album!

In the End (Ouch My Feet Hurt)

Through it all, what I enjoyed most about the party was the feeling that the hard work that everyone contributed really took the party to another level. I hope that this post helps those behind-the-scenes players know that they were the mini-marshmallows to the hot chocolate.

Baltimore Print Studios: Letterpress Workshop!

On Sunday, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in the Baltimore Print Studios first letterpress workshop. I very much enjoyed their previous class, though I was thankful that the heat was working this time around.

Taking us through a historical summary of the life of letterpress, Kyle Van Horn and Kim Bentley presented their passion for the medium through their expansive knowledge of the process. We started out on the Vandercook machines using wood type. I learned a variety of terms (quoin, furniture, type high, packing, etc.) that are still swimming around in my mind; luckily they provided us with powder-pink folded pamphlets for reference.

Our class of six banned together to experiment with printing wood type. I volunteered the idea of setting type for the Peppy Premarital Potluck I'm hosting on March 26th (two birds, one stone). We were energized by the rushed rolling, the clacks and clinks, and the subtle unpredictability of the resulting blocky letter forms.

After printing a variety of posters for my potluck, we were introduced to metal type and the platen press. Tasked with making speech-bubble coasters, we got to work sorting-through the catalogue of tiny letter forms and setting them with different sizes of leading to ensure even pressure. The press was smaller and used a stamping motion to achieve the desired result. I'm not sure if I'll put a water glass on these new fresh coasters, but I will be sure to heed the messaging provided by my press partner Emily.

Overall, I had a great time! If you're not sure if a BPS letterpress workshop is right for you, here are some perks for your consideration:

*Learn the fundamentals and history of letterpress in all its glory
*Bond and collaborate with fun interesting local folk
*Break bread at lunch in a bohemian restaurant
*Build muscle with the Vandercook two-step
*Take home colorful and useful souvenirs
*Achieve the know-how to rent studio time at BPS for your next printing project
*Do something different! Even if you're not a printmaker, designer, or artist of any kind you'll have fun exploring this medium.

Below is some candid iPhone documentation of the day:

Web Accessibility with Reinhard Stebner and Refresh Baltimore

I recently attended a Refresh Baltimore event on Web Accessibility. The speaker, Reinhard Stebner, was amazing. Honest and humorous, he made a big impact on my perception of web design and development. He is also completely blind. He spent the first part of the presentation answering questions about his lifestyle; cracking great jokes and making us understand a situation that is almost unfathomable.

What makes a website both accessible and usable? Using the JAWS screen reader he showed us how another group of people see the world online. Moving through various government websites, we heard how a 508 compliant website sounds. We also saw that most of the time these sites lacked usability. Reinhard also broke down the MICA website; made primarily of lists, it was difficult to find the main content of the page.

Here are some great points I learned about coding for a screen reader:
Limit your links.
Before the reader moves through the website, it sizes it up and gives the listener and overview of the content. "150 links" seems overwhelming and a little daunting and is something to consider in your editing process. What is necessary? What is extraneous?

Headings are for structure, not font styling.
As visual designers, we often see code as something we can twist  and manipulate in order to establish a visual dialogue. Yet if the site structure and design are not in sync, then the screen reader is unable to establish a hierarchy for the listener. For example, "News Headlines" is a H5 tag while the headline "A mischievous puppy was found trying to eat a giant rock" (true story from a minute ago) is a H2 tag.

Navigation should be made with divs and spans, not lists. I think everyone in the room scratched their heads when this was said. One of the first things you're taught about coding is how to structure a navigation and this is normally done with an unordered list. This list structure, however, is not conducive to the screen reader's logic. The span tag is not recognized by the screen reader, so it is one of the ways you can simplify your content for accessibility.

Display and visibility traits should come secondary to negative margins. If it's not on the screen, it's not going to be read. This varies depending on the screen reader you're using. It is best to have the necessary text, which may have been replaced by and image, visible to the screen reader to maintain the cascade logic.

Label all your graphics and images with an ALT attribute. This is something that is well known, but is still not always implemented during the coding process. He emphasized that accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought, but present throughout the planning and coding process.

Load order is king. The screen reader works with load order to convey content. If your header is loading last, but your CSS is popping it up to the top of the page you're only creating a visual solution that will not work for a screen reader.

Overall, I'm excited that I was able to have this opportunity and look forward to the ones that follow. I may introduce myself as a web newbie, but I hope to continue to learn from experts and the Baltimore web community.