Monthly Archives: March 2009
SXSW 2009
| March 18, 2009 | Posted by Angela under Business & Technology |
This is the 2nd year PEER 1 has exhibited at the SXSW Interactive trade show.
We display a ServerBeach branded booth and always have a great turnout. This year was no different. SXSW Interactive attracts so many web 2.0 start up companies that are responsible for changing the way we utilize the Internet – Facebook, Twitter. Can you imagine all the responsible parties all at the same show? That’s a lot of brain!
Jason’s company, Mosso / The Rackspace Cloud, was also exhibiting at the show. This year, we didn’t make it to the show but we did make it to a few after parties. I went with Jason to the Rackspace Cloud Party across from the Austin Convention Center. They went all out with belly dancers, hukas and cigar rolling. Cool party!
It was great to see a lot of San Antonio representation. IncSpring, Blellow, Salesby5 and of course Rackspace and ServerBeach / PEER 1.
We also went to the Belmont party. People that I ran into: Guy Kawasaki, Robert Scoble, Tony CEO of Zappos, Matt Founder of WordPress (the app I use for this blog) and many others. I was surrounded by well known innovators and thought leaders. People that inspire me and many others. I was in geek heaven!
I was able to get many photos with people. Here is a shot of Guy and I. He was very sweet to have stopped and taken a picture. He had to have been so exhausted from all the speaking and interaction with people.
To be Successful (in times like these) requires Creativity
| March 4, 2009 | Posted by Angela under Why I like San Antonio, Words of Inspiration & Motivation |
Erik Darmstetter from Salesby5 was interviewed today on the Kens 5 Great Day SA show. He talks about how you can start your own business and you don’t need a lot of money upfront, just a lot of creativity. You have to find what will be a true benefit to the end user. If the uniqueness is absent, you will be forced to compete on price.
You also have to be able to pitch your solution in less than 10 seconds. Nowadays, people are so consumed by so many various distractions – Blogs, iPhones, Blackberrys – you need to gain that interest right away for it to be worth their time.
I have personally met with Erik and my company, PEER 1, will actually be working with him and his company, Salesby5. How did I find out about Salesby5? Twitter! I was doing a search for something and came across the Salesby5 blog. I found the topic at hand interesting and I began to look at what Salesby5 offered. I was instantly impressed. I then come to find out that they are located right here in San Antonio; even more impressive!
I had the pleasure of meeting with Erik and his colleague, Nan Palmero, Chief Inspiration Officer. Nan is a strengths coach, a writer for Blackberry cool, and and an avid Twitterer (is that a word) with l775 followers as of today. I am looking forward to working with both of them.
I’d also like to add that in order for you to be successful, you not only need to have a creative idea but a creative way of getting your idea out there. It is imperative for start ups to embrace social networking. Traditional forms of advertising are expensive and not cost effective for start ups. Further, you need to rely on word of mouth, the best form of marketing, and what greater way then to use the free social networking tools out there. You’d be surprised by the power.
Below is Erik’s interview:
Erik Darmstetter Interview on Great Day SA
Beyond the Epic Run
| March 2, 2009 | Posted by Angela under Health & Fitness, Local Places & Events |
I had the pleasure of viewing the documentary film, Beyond the Epic Run, at the Bijou Crossroads last Thursday. I received a personal email from Annie with Jennings Public Relations & Advertising, who was promoting the film. They randomly found my blog and sent me an email with the details. So glad they did! I hadn’t heard of the film yet and the description sounded so interesting.
Serge and Nicole, a married couple, left their Switzerland home in February of 2000 to run around the world alone. I mean literally run around the world. Serge was on foot while Nicole followed on motorcycle. Serge was set off to run over 25,000 miles, on six continents and through 37 countries. It took them 5 years to complete their journey.
The film is an up close and personal view into their journey. They camped outdoors wherever they stopped. Serge was literally running around a marathon every 2 days. They ran into a war zone in Africa and had to take a detour. Right when they were planning on going through Iraq, 9/11 happened. They were advised to to take a detour. They caught malaria and almost died. Half way through their journey, the organization that was supporting them could no longer afford to support their cause. They were running to help children in poverty and that were in need. They ran into Hurricane Charly when in Miami. Serge’s mother passed away when they were in the Northeast USA. Everything seemed to go against them. Somehow, they found a power within themselves to continue their journey.
They met so many people from some many different cultures. One of my favorite scenes was when they ran into a family of 4. It was a man, his young wife and their 2 young children. They were on donkeys. All they had was the clothing on their backs and 2 live chickens. They had fled their village due to violence and they were literally living one day at a time with no place to call home.
Throughout the movie, you become more and more engaged. I was so touched and humbled by all their encounters. I cannot imagine doing what they did. Actually, I know I couldn’t. However, it does inspire you to do what you believe to be the unthinkable. Serge’s favorite comment is “Impossible is a stupid word.” He didn’t want to believe that he couldn’t do it. It takes an incredible amount of self confidence, faith and passion to do what he and his wife accomplished. I think a crucial part of this journey was their love for each other. That journey was not possible if they didn’t believe in each other. That bond was so important to their success and it just got stronger as they pushed on.
The film is being shown for free all across the USA. All they want to do is share their story with others in the hopes of inspiring people. That it definitely was. I hope that their message reaches more people than they thought was possible. Below is the trailer.
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