Archive for Blog

Matthew Mullenweg: Internet Powerhouse

Matthew Mullenweg is a beast. He is co-creator of many open course organizations, including WordPress, a program that powers over 31% of the entire internet. However, this idea didn’t come out fully baked. Back in high school, Matt noticed that there were few news websites on the web. Matt would instead read blogs written by various professors and write some blogs of his on using Movable Type. This program became costly, so he ended up switching to b2/cafelog. b2, an open-source blogging tool. Matt enjoyed coding, so he decided to build something that would combine the utility of Movable Type and cafelog, so him and a friend both put together the first iteration of WordPress in January of 2003. In May of 2004, WordPress was fighting to get a bigger audience, and they received much attention after a competitor changed pricings for their service. This drove many people away to look for other options for internet platform providers. WordPress was there, ready to help the thousands of people that were searching for a more affordable service. After CNET saw the great success Matthew was having, they invited him to come work on their site that was using WordPress. Matt, obliged, but eventually left to focus his attention on the program itself. The years go by, and Matt was doing great. He added many new features onto WordPress, and it catapulted in popularity over the next few years, and powers over a quarter of the internet today.

Ryan Hickman

Ryan Hickman began his entrepreneurial career at the age of three when he realized the importance of recycling and the potential for earning money. Ryan began his journey by making a trip to a local recycling center and then being rewarded a few bucks. This passion for recycling has grown and developed into a much larger project. The three year old who is now a teenager has widened his vision and now is driven to help clean up the earth one person at a time. Ryan now sells merchandise promoting the message “Making the sea trash free.” The profits of this merchandise, as well as his recycling business, go to the organization Pacific Marine Mammal Center. This organization is a rescue sanctuary for sea lions and seals. Ryan has had a meaningful impact on the efforts of cleaning up the earth. He is very passionate about educating people about how important it is for people to recycle. Ryan believes that if everyone did just a little bit to help, then we would see a large impact on the health of the earth. I think Ryan’s story is incredible and very motivating. As simple as recycling may sound, his passion has driven him to something so meaningful in this world and he has become a part of something that is bigger than himself. I think it is fascinating to see the parallels between what we talk about in class with innovation and the process of growing a business to Ryan’s specific story. I think Ryan will inspire a lot of people to make an effort in doing their 1% and turning this world into a much better and healthier place.Ryan Hickman

Anna Akbari

Anna Akbari is a Sociologist and entrepreneur. She combined her interests and is the founder of Sociology of Style. She is a former professor of media, culture, and communication. She has published books that she has written, she has co-written, and that the has ghost written. She believes she is an “innovation strategist” and that thinking differently is the key to innovation. Sociology of Style is a website with a weekly newsletter. Within this newsletter is commentary on culture, style, and image. Sociology of Style also focuses on topics such as technology, gender, sustainability, and other trending topics. An interesting fact about Anna is she eats the same breakfast and lunch every day. She states, “More choices require time and energy and shift our focus away from other things that matter. More choices also breed a sense of anxiety about making the right choice”.  Her posts have a very free spirit vibe, while also having an individualistic empowerment focus. She has created a brand so outside the box through writing, speaking, and leading high profile individuals. Once she gets people to trust what she is speaking about her brand makes money through self help books, courses, media appearances, and paying to work with Anna directly.

Mo’s Bows

Moziah Bridges grew up in a home in Tennessee, where fashion had a huge roll in his upbringing. His father used to walk around the house in suits, even when not going out in public. He was always taught to dress nice and present himself in a professional way. It was very rare that you saw a Bridges family member in a sweatshirt.Mo's Bows

When Moziah was 9, he remembers going to the mall and seeing very overpriced, low quality bow ties. Moziah begged his mom to buy one for him, but she said that they were way too expensive.  Moziah, who now goes by the name Mo, decided there to create his business, Mo’s Bows.

Mo’s grandmother was a skilled seamstress who taught him how to sew his own bows. This rocketed Mo’s interest in the fashion world. Mo’s Bows are high quality and affordable bow ties. Each and every bow is hand crafted and unique. While Mo is at school, his mother keeps the business going, and when he gets home from school, he helps her to package and ship the bowties.

The duo appeared on the hit television show, Shark Tank. While on the show, they gained the support of Daymond John who offered not only an investment but also an entrepreneurial mentorship. Starting off by selling bow ties on Etsy, Mo’s Bows are now featured on Amazon, ebay, and Mo’s personal website. Additionally, Mo has worked with the NBA becoming their personal fashion correspondent; many of Mo’s Bow’s feature the NBA logo.

Next year, Mo looks forward to graduating high school and going to college for fashion design. Mo’s story serves as an inspiration to other entrepreneurs, and he is a role model to young kids. He teaches the lesson that when there’s a passion, there’s a successful business to be unveiled. Mo’s business is something that he loves doing; so in a way, he never really works. Young entrepreneurs should take his business as a model of how they run their own businesses, find a passion and run with it.

Mikaila Ulmer: Founder of “Me & the Bees” Lemonade

Mikaila Ulmer is a 17-year-old girl who started her own lemonade business at a very young age. The business idea started after young Mikaila got stung by a bee and wanted to learn more about bees to overcome her fear of them.  At age 4, she started a business by creating a very small lemonade stand. Very quickly, this turned into the business “Me & the Bees” as a result.

Mikaila is widely successful, at just age 9, she struck an $11 million distribution deal with US supermarket giants Whole Foods Market. Mikaila has also been invited to the White House twice, featured on Good Morning America, NBC News, Forbes Magazine, and Time Magazine for her entrepreneurial success. Mikaila is very busy; she juggles school, her business, and public speaking. The unique thing about her business is that 10% of her brand’s proceeds are donated to bee conservation charities. It is amazing how she used a challenge of hers (getting stung by a bee) to learn more about it and start up a profitable and charitable business.

Mikaila’s lemonade recipe is unique because it comes from her great Grandmother Helen’s flaxseed lemonade. It is fresh-squeezed, and each bottle is made with care. Her family has a huge part in helping her business thrive. As an extension to her business, Mikaila has created a “Bee-to-Z guide” for young entrepreneurs. Here, young entrepreneurs can find inspiration, business tips, and more to make their big ideas come to life. A very inspirational quote from Mikaila reads, “My generation—we’re the future,” Mikaila says. “When we grow up, we’re going to be the people who are the presidents and the leaders of the world. […]  If we start at a young age making a difference, donating back, giving back, when we grow up we can do that on a larger scale.” Mikaila’s business proves that, just like the bees, you are never too small to make a difference.

The 9 Most Successful Teen Entrepreneurs in the World (careeraddict.com)

Mikaila Ulmer of Me & the Bees Lemonade | Microsoft In Culture

Matthew Mullenweg, Founder of WordPress

Matt MullenwegMatthew Mullenweg is the founder of WordPress, a popular blogging and website platform used by one-third of the internet. Although WordPress is a free product, Mullenweg has still been able to create a thriving business. Mullenweg, being a blogger himself, saw a lack of free blogging platforms. He previously used b2/cafelog, which was free but outdated. Upon seeing this problem, the idea of WordPress was born. Mullenweg, alongside Mike Little, took the codebase of b2/cafelog and began the first version of WordPress in 2003. As other blogging platforms increased their pricing, consumers began looking for alternatives. Many flocked to WordPress because it was free and highly customizable. Once WordPress started to grow, Mullenweg added new features that would attract even more users. Examples include forums, moderation, spam prevention, and themes.

Although WordPress gained massive adoption, Mullenweg did not have a way to gain revenue. Eventually, he created Automattic: a for-profit company that now oversees WordPress. Automattic is a collection of different subsidiaries; however, their most prominent is a premium version of WordPress. They will host your blog, ensure it is secured, maintained, and fast. Automattic also owns various paid extensions for  WordPress. A big one is WooCommerce, which allows WordPress sites to have e-commerce capabilities. It is used by a variety of companies that wish to have an online storefront that is feature-rich and customizable. By introducing these innovations, Mullenweg began to attract companies from all industries to move their sites to WordPress.

Mullenweg has also been innovative in how he runs his business. For many years, he has chosen to operate remotely. Even with 1,747 employees, Automattic continues to be remote first. Mullenweg believes this strategy allows for better productivity and cultivation of talent. He has previously stated:

“It’s one of my life missions to have more companies be distributed. It’s good for the environment. It’s good for opportunity. It’s good for the economy.”

Clearly, Mullenweg has proven himself to be a capable entrepreneur that is able to adapt and innovate. His practice of running a remote business has inspired others to do the same, especially amid the recent pandemic.


Sources:

https://www.yourtechstory.com/2018/08/24/matt-mullenweg-founder-ceo-wordpress/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/business/matt-mullenweg-automattic-corner-office.html

https://ma.tt/about/

Cristin Smith, Saffron & Sage

Saffron and Sage, a holistic health club, was created by Cristin Smith. Before her journey into healthcare, Smith used entrepreneurial skills in the non-profit sector working with companies and entrepreneurs to enhance their businesses by connecting then to their target market. She also worked in the finance and insurance world in the beginning of her career. However, what really led her to starting and working on her own company was an unexpected health issue. She was told after visiting with several doctors that her condition could require surgery and life-long medication. But she was determined to do her part by researching and making changes in her lifestyle. She worked to seek out holistic health care providers and more natural ways of living.

After traveling for so long to several different specialists and treatments, Smith asked herself, why isn’t there a single destination for these treatments, and one that won’t drain my bank account? Smith decided that if there wasn’t one available for her, she would make one. That idea from 2013 has now been transformed into a thriving wellness center which holds a multitude of classes and treatments for people. This includes sound therapy, botanical medicine, breathwork, meditation, and the list goes on.

In a blog post on Saffron and Sage’s website, Smith discusses her daily schedule, her creative process, what makes her the best entrepreneur she can be, etc. Then she explains her biggest tip for other entrepreneurs, look for amazing people and create an amazing support/business team.

Beyond the unique health services and education that Saffron and Sage provides for people, I am especially impressed by the website and the online services that Saffron and Sage provide. Even if you do not live in the San Diego area, you can still get access to their online classes and some services through zoom. Another option for people who don’t have the money to sign up for their online services is the company’s blog. After scrolling through, you can see a huge amount of health and wellness information that is completely free!

Smith is a true entrepreneur, and it is shown through her persistence in finding a solution to the health issues that so many have unanswered questions about. Her approach of holistic health and natural medicine is such a prevalent topic in our society right now, where people are getting sick but cannot find help.


Founder and Spiritual Director at Saffron & Sage, Cristin Smith — San Diego Holistic Health Practitioners (saffronsageliving.com)

Jacob Zander, Spreading Positivity and Inspiration Through Footsouls.

Jacob Zander, a 23 year old from Santa Barbara, became a young entrepreneur after taking a college business class. He wrote in an article last year about how he developed an idea that he had been pondering through this class. At the end of the semester, Jacob had a product and a vision that he was ready and able to pitch to an investor.

Jacob’s idea of Footsouls, insoles for Converse, started when he was an employee at Trader Joe’s. With his friends, he frequently discussed that, although they wanted to wear their Converse to work, they always opted not to as they were too uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. To gauge initial interest for his product and idea, he asked his co-workers about it and sought their opinions. After this, because of his teacher, friends, traveling, and TikTok, Jacob’s insoles went viral.

Through his company and with his product, Jacob wants to inspire people and spread positivity. The product itself, a cream insole with the lettering “Feel Your Soul” written on it, was created to remind people every time they put their shoes on, to go out and truly live their lives. In addition to the insoles for Converse, Jacob’s company has expanded to creating insoles for Vans, clothing, and roller skates! Along with this, the company has a “Smile Fund” that takes a designated amount of every Footsouls purchase and uses it to give back to others.

What makes Jacob particularly creative, is his use of social media to help his company reach so many people. Before Footsouls was even born, Jacob filmed his entire creative and business process. Transparency was a huge goal of Jacob’s.  He wanted to show others his success hoping that they would gain the confidence they needed to succeed. Then, once he was able to manufacture the insoles, he began creating and posting TikToks. He used this as a way to advertise but also to give people a behind-the-scenes view of packaging and shipping process.

Since 2017, when Jacob was just beginning his journey with Footsouls, he has come a long way. With the help of mentors, friends, and social media, Jacob is inspiring others to follow their dreams and live every day to the fullest!

 

Jacob’s Website: https://feelyoursoul.com/


Sources

The Story of How Feel Your Soul Footsouls Started– FEEL YOUR SOUL

How Jacob Zander Spreads Positivity with Footsouls — Comeback Magazine

Mikaila Ulmer – CEO of Saving Bees One Lemonade at a Time

Curiosity is the birthplace of all creation and innovation. Lack of curiosity limits us in what we can achieve. Mikaila Ulmer, a 15-year-old entrepreneur, not only had the curiosity but had the drive and courage to turn her idea into an award-winning, multi-million-dollar company.

The idea of Mikaila’s company, “Me & the Bees Lemonade”, began when she was just 4 years old and got stung by bees twice in one week. Stemming from her anger around getting stung, she was curious as to why bees even existed. She was intrigued to discover truly how much of an impact bees have on the environment. In preparation for some children’s business competitions, she wanted to combine finding a way to help bees not go extinct with her grandma’s lemonade recipe in her business idea. This is how “Me & the Bees Lemonade” was born. She decided to make her own variation to her grandma’s lemonade recipe with honey and donate a percent of profits to “local and international organizations fighting hard to save the honeybees”. Since she started the business, it has shown unbelievable growth and she now is selling her lemonade in multiple major markets and stores.

Although some may think that a lemonade business is mundane and not worth investment, Mikaila clearly proved this wrong. Mikaila’s lemonade business stands out among the rest. How? She has a drive and meaning behind it. She has a clear purpose and vision for her mission as a CEO. She wants to help the environment at the same time as spreading joy by saving the bees and sharing her grandma’s lemonade recipe with the world. Her passion for the cause and her personal tie to the business is what makes Mikaila unique and what makes her idea great. In the social entrepreneurship arena, we can learn from Mikaila. Whether involving the environment, people, technology, etc., entrepreneurs like Mikaila should inspire us to replicate her passion and courage to change the world for the better.

Mikaila also has a desire to share her story of being a social entrepreneur with others, which she does through speaking at events, leading workshops, and participating in social entrepreneurship panels. She clearly values inspiring others in a way that shows them that they can also make a difference if they are willing to take the chance and apply their passion to a cause. Personally, I am inspired by Mikaila’s story because she is the epitome of young entrepreneurs that achieve success by filling a need that makes a difference and that people care about with no fear. Her story reiterates to me the importance of running with a vision. Mikaila says herself, “My generation-we’re the future. When we grow up, we’re going to be the people who are the presidents and the leaders of the world…If we start at a young age making a difference, donating back, giving back, when we grow up, we can do that on a larger scale.” This quote encourages me that even at a young age, we have the opportunity and potential to make the world a better place. If we capture our dreams and transform them into reality, then there is nothing we cannot do.

Read More →

Catherine Cooke: myYearbook

Another relevant entrepreneur for students is Catherine Cook, creator of myYearbook, a free interactive online yearbook. At the age of fifteen Catherine and her seventeen-year-old brother Dave came up with the idea to be able to interact with more fellow students online. They quickly got their first investor from their web designer older brother and set to work. Soon after building their website, they combined with a user generated quiz site to garner many more interactions.

As they grew, Catherine’s business encountered some pivots as she tried to figure out what would work and what would not. At some points potential investors would want her to move headquarters or determine ad space. Ultimately, she stayed true to her business and vision and it paid off. MyYearbook.com was ranked one of the most popular sites for middle school and high school students in 2006. As her business grew, it attracted nicer advertisers like Disney and Neutrogena.

While she put time into growing it, as was a struggle for many school age entrepreneurs, school and grades started to suffer. Because being in the heart of her target market and being able to optimize her website with direct input and feedback made myYearbook more user friendly, it also became very overwhelming when trying to balance work and school. Later in her high school career Catherine found herself having to skip classes to work.

Yet through every obstacle and inconvenience, starting when she was just fifteen years old, Catherine Cook’s myYearbook has carved itself a niche for high schoolers and grown to 3 million members.

Cook kept up her business all throughout college, after which she sold myYearbook. She remains a partner however, working full time for the business. Catherine Cooke has become a very well-known entrepreneur, inspiring many young people to not let their age keep them from pursuing their big ideas.