Hello, world!
Yesterday, at Startup2Startup’s March event (Startup2Startup.com put on by @DaveMcClure), Tony Hsieh spoke about corporate culture and his experience in starting businesses. One of the most memorable points he brought up is that you should follow your passion- and enjoy waking up every day to go to work. He says if we follow our passion, the money will follow (which of course, I believe internally already).
Tony made me do a quick re-evaluation of my life and where I am right now. What motivates me? Why am I doing what I do?
I made a list and here is what I came up with:
Leet Management
Leet Management is my consulting firm- we help businesses with their current marketing strategy and establish a presence on social sites. My motivation for making Leet Management a success is my new account executive, Kevin. Fresh out of college, I’ve been training him and coaching him because I want to help him achieve his dreams of becoming financially independent. His passion and my passion are both aligned- we both are passionate about helping small businesses bloom.
LiveUmbrella
I founded LiveUmbrella very recently- 2 months ago, actually! LiveUmbrella is a company that develops web applications and focuses on enhancing interaction between users online. We focus on bringing people together “one app at a time”, as our slogan goes. Why LiveUmbrella? Well, being the entrepreneur I am, I saw an opportunity to create something in this field and had two passionate, dedicated friends willing to play. Doors opened, we created, and now we’re coming together and building something beautiful. LiveUmbrella will not only allow each one of us individually achieve our personal dreams, but allow us to create utility for our customers. Our combined passion to be at the forefront of change is what keeps LiveUmbrella going.
Reborn Luxury
Reborn Luxury. Our slogan: “A Symbol of Empowerment”. I founded Reborn Luxury after being in the jewelry business for the past 7 years. Jewelry was my first business venture, but slowed down after I began my battle with domestic violence. After I was finally freed from the pain, Reborn Luxury was created. It is essentially a young woman coming into power once again, finding her voice, and hoping to empower the women around the world with beauty. This is where my heart rings loudest. I WANT to lift the world up, empower women, educate the youth on domestic violence. With the Reborn Luxury brand, we hope to have women who want to be empowered be reborn through our luxury jewelry. 20% of our proceeds go back to the cause, but we’re not stopping there. MyRebornLuxury.com is being created to give more back to the cause, and allow everyone to feel like they can give back. MyRebornLuxury (coming May 2009)collects jewelry (send to PO BOX 2254 Cupertino, CA 95015 with name, address, and reason for donation) and sells it online with 100% of the proceeds going to the cause. Any type of jewelry, vintage, new, old, worn… we’ll accept ANYTHING because every little bit helps.
I have different motivating factors for each business venture, and once Leet and LiveUmbrella can fly a little sturdier without so much of my guidance, Reborn Luxury and My Reborn Luxury will be my top priority.
So many women are lost after the abuse- so many women never regain their voice- it is those of us who do who need to take a step forward. We can’t forget the pain- we must remember it and remember what we can do NOW, now that we have been freed.
Sigh! Thank you so much, Tony, for reinspiring me! I am a symbol of empowerment- and I am here to empower the people around me. So yes, yes you did achieve your mission last night- you brought more happiness into the world. :) I cannot thank you enough.
-Lady Leet
