Category Archives: Social Entrepreneurship

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A Letter To My Family (the 25 Years of Age Update)

by: Jamey Brown

So I got to the office early today. Poured my coffee. Turned on my computer. Teed up my to-do’s list. And began clicking. But this morning was different than other mornings – and you can ask my coworkers, I cherish my early morning time. This morning I could not stop thinking of what it is I do and why I do it. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing what we love we don’t have time to actually love it. So, I switched over to my personal e-mail account and decided to write a letter to my family (which, sadly, I rarely do). Below is what I wrote, with inspiration from Chris Pirillo - following is the response from my father (the best man I know):

Hi Family, 

You know, I grew up in the world of sports and hard work. Sweating was what equalled success. And believe me, that is the mentality I still have, and always will have. But today, my interests have shifted – not changed, just altered (bc I still love cracking some beers and watching a Braves game and obviously a UGA game. That will never go away). But now, I consider myself a “geek” and a “nerd.” Deep down that’s what I enjoy on a daily basis. I enjoy digital media, social media, screenwriting, nerding out with movies, tv shows, certain comics. That being said, I think what makes the difference, what makes it a career, is the business side that goes along with it – the drive to get others talking about it and connecting with the zealots out there. Rallying people for a cause, expo or brand is what I love to do. And today, that is best done by storytelling – a gift I think I have. I lack in a lot of areas (don’t we all?), but I feel I am here right now, right here to do what I am doing. Many people can’t say that with an honest face. Moving aside from my genetically passed down philosophical points of view, I wanted to share a quick 2 minute video. Please watch with full sound (the music is good). I have been following this dude for a while and seen him make his career. How did he do this? He unapologetically loves what he does and has made a thriving career for himself. Yet with all the digital and tech in his life he lives in beautiful Seattle with his wife and values relationships – real, connected relationships. He values how digital and tech can help better our real life relationships and day to day activities. That is a hard combo to find. Therefore, I find this as genuine inspiration. So again, please watch below with headphones, let it sink in and cheers to change and loving what you do. 

 
Just had some time to give you all a 25 years of age update, 
Your son
RESPONSE FROM MY DAD 30 MINUTES LATER BELOW
I am pleased that you are able to do something you are passionate about, and  have the work ethic you have developed-maintain it as you will need it throughout life. The fact that your primary interests and focus may have changed is part of life-but I have never cared for a “classification”-it implies being one dimensional which I don’t think is good or healthy. Follow your passion-enjoy what you enjoy-but remember this statement (I can’t take credit for it) – “To label me is to negate me”. 
 
Be a compilation of ALL of your interests, past, present and future- your influence upon others will be heightened.

 
We’re proud of you, son.

DAD 

First off, I think it’s safe to say my father is awesome. Secondly, I know it is hard to do what you love and make a career out of it. You are going to have horrible days and you are going to struggle and be unhappy at times. But as long as you are working hard at what you love doing then it is always worth it. Always.

- Jamey

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A Letter to the Next CEO/Founder of the Next “Groundbreaking” Startup

by: Jamey Brown  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* I have experience in helping build a startup from the ground up. This hypothetical letter comes from observations I made along the way. 

Dear Mr. or Mrs. CEO/Founder of “The Coolest, newest and hippest” Startup,

Firstly, let me hit you with some truth that probably has not entered your head yet (it might have, but maybe not): as of now, your brand sucks. It is only groundbreaking, transcending and hip because you are the only person who thinks it is. You, and a few friends, are the only people who know about it. Incorporate this into your thinking, and use it as fuel for the hard work you are going to put in. Funnel this thought into your day-to-day pushes that will make this brand truly the next awesome thing. Tough? Very. Effective? Big time.

Secondly, check your ego at the door! No room for any of that here. You are about to enter a world of pain and frustration if you can’t trust your delegation and if you want to micromanage everything. Yes, I know this brand is your baby and you are the innovator and all that jazz, but it takes a small village to build something like this – get ready to collaborate and welcome new ideas that come to the table. Oh yeah, and don’t just say you are “all about collaboration and welcoming potential new ways to do something” and then just make ALL of your decisions anyway. If you do this, you will A. probably have no employees who want to work for you by the end of the week, and B. run your brand into the ground because it’s so “dear to your heart.”

Thirdly, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY BEFORE OFFICIALLY RAMPING UP. I will leave it at that.

Fourthly, Do NOT incorporate social media too early. I cannot stress this enough (and this is coming from me!). Make sure you, and your partner if you have one, understand EVERY in and out of your brand: What is it? What does it do? How does it benefit its customers? Are there any tricky aspects about it people need to know upfront (yeah, I am speaking to you nonprofits.)? The worst thing a startup brand can do is try and incorporate social media too early. Why? Because it will eventually become the ONLY channel of marketing you use because it is “free” and “easy.” Social Media should NOT be your only source of marketing for your brand – it needs to be a digital tool that highlights various touch points of your brand, thus creating a good online community of zealots.

Finally, don’t try to grow to fast. I have witnessed people wanting to jump to things months into the future without focusing on the tasks at hand. Take things in bite-sized chunks so that they get done methodically and effectively.

Bonus: Stick to the basics! Don’t just be the “idea guy.” Get real, everyone is an “idea person.” That’s great that you had an awesome idea and got things initially running, but now what? It boils down to developing goals with strategy and STICKING TO THEM. If all you have are great ideas, but no realistic means of execution, your strategies will fail. Do not sporadically jump from strategic idea to strategic idea – it’s an unfocused waste of time that will confuse your brand’s tone of voice, therefore confusing your audience.

Well, I hope I didn’t scare you too much. Just be sure to incorporate these ideas into the development and management of your startup. The bottom line is that it is a very brave and scary adventure you are embarking on. Kudos on making your passion a reality. As long as you keep a level head, and a sense of self-awareness and balance, you should be alright.

Good luck with your “coolest, newest and hippest” startup!

Best,

Jamey

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How Social Media Can Inspire Entrepreneurship

by: Jamey Brown

Firstly, I am glad to now be on WordPress! I have been a Tumblr user for a long time, but I also love WordPress. So, I am now on both – my Tumblr account will be geared more towards my personal blogging and my WordPress account will be catered to digital media, current events and updates on my new venture as the Director of Social Media for Umano (sorry for not linking back to Twitter – we are situating everything with our creative before fully launching our handle). But this new venture has brought up many ideas that have been rattling around in my head. So, why not share them?

To say social media has been a big part of my life is an understatement – it has been (almost) my entire career so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed every in and out of the field and will continue to enjoy them – it is a field that has NEVER felt like work to me. But how do you turn something that isn’t work into a profitable and rewarding career? Well, like I always say, let your passion guide you as best you can to the field you love and then do your best to be the best. If I had to rate myself on a scale from 1 to 10 (I know, I know, many people hate the 1 to 10 scale), I would rate myself between a 5 and a 6. But wait, doesn’t this sound low for someone who says this is their passion? Not at all. I ALWAYS leave room open to garner more information – I firmly believe that listening is the best ability to have in social media. The hunger to listen and learn more is what takes people from good to great and is what drives curiosity. Curiosity then drives vision. Vision then drives execution. So, in saying all of this, I am proud to rate myself between a 5 and 6 because I will never be at a 10, but you better believe I will always work to get to a 10. But how does this passion and drive for social media inspire entrepreneurship?

What is entrepreneurship? By definition, it is the adjective form describing the ideas behind an entrepreneur, which is “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.” But I would also like to include that it can be in MANY different forms, and we all have it in us, we just have to find it. Entrepreneurship allows that person to really go for it, seek their dream. It allows them to be honest, find their passion, converse with various kinds of people and become a pioneer in the desired field. Social Media is the perfect outlet for this – it allows users to be 100% transparent, interact with one another and connect with people and communities that they are passionate about. It can then enable people to build a social, online presence (let’s just say a brand for example) and develop a community of dedicated fans, followers and believers. Social Media unlocks the gate for people to focus on the “Why” over the simple “What.”

I have allowed social media to help me progress in my career and it has been tremendously rewarding. Granted there was hard work on my end as well. I have enjoyed being able to connect with online communities and come truly as myself. I am now doing my best to build one of these social communities and am having a blast. So I will end on this: Go Get Some.

Has social media inspired entrepreneurship in you? If so, how?