Author Archive for Rebecca Cloyd

Dadari Toys

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 
· No Comments

What if the toys children played with were not only made for a purpose but with purpose as well? Dadari, also known as Georgian Toy Company, is a company that was founded in 2018, and its goal is to do just that. The company employs people of all different abilities ranging from physical to mental impairments, and seeks to give them an equal chance at employment. Farther than that the company also makes toys that are Eco-friendly. Dadari is a small, but growing company from the country of Georgia that currently employs around 20 people. They makdadarie small, wooden toys that inspire creativity and imagination in the mind of the children using it.  At the core of the company is its stance for unity among people groups specifically in the workplace. By hiring people with different backgrounds and abilities the company is expanding its creativity and diversity and raising impact all in one.

While the U.S. is making advances in employing people with disabilities by installing various acts and rights that require equal employment opportunities for all people, countries like Georgia have not picked that up yet. In Georgia disabled people are heavily looked down upon so the idea of them holding a working position would go against the norm. That is why companies like Dadari are so important. Each person was uniquely designed and created and they fully understand that.

dadari

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Categories : Creating, Toys

Spike Ball From the 80’s?

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Saturday, November 16th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

I am sure that just about everyone has heard of the game “Spikeball” and while the entrepreneur who created it is not a millennial, his product has changed the yard game world. The game actually dates back to the 80’s when Jeff Knureck, the original founder, came up with the idea. The product was hard to find as it was sold by Toys R US and was only on the market for a brief amount of time. Years later current CEO Christ Rueder rediscovered the game and thought that it needed to make a comeback. With several months of planning and designing Spikeball was back on the market. What really helped the game get going was when Spikeball made its big debut on shark tank. Chris and the idea made it all the way to the final round but did not end on a deal, and they did not need to. Thanks to Shark Tank, the company into the public eye and became a highly desired product among millennial’s. Although the first Spikeball equipment sold by Christ was in 2008, at this point this point in time it was about 2015 , almost 40 years after the original product had been release and the new and improved Spikeball was just beginning to take off. The Spikeball headquarters are located in Chicago, IL and includes a small staff of people that get the job done. The game is not only a fun yard game but is also transitioning into being a competitive sport. Spikeball tournaments are being held all over the U.S. encouraging people to get together and have good clean fun. While the average person may know of Spikeball, my guess would be that they do not know where it started. Christ Rueders story is one that is different from most entrepreneurs today because he simply took an idea, put his own twist on it and re-invented it in a new and improved way.

 

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Categories : Uncategorized

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagrams Original Owners

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Monday, November 4th, 2019 
· 5 Comments

Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger are the co-founders of one of the most widely used social media platforms today. Although many people probably don’t know who they are, they are the men behind Instagram. Prior to beginning their work on Instagram, both of these men lived highly respectable lives. Kevin Systrom was a part of the team who created Twitter and spent a few years working with Google.  To say that he has experience with technology would be an understatement. Mike on the other hand did more of the engineer work prior to beginning Instagram and his knowledge for engineering would come in very handy in the long run, as he would be in charge of all of the engineering behind the app. The two men met while they were attending school at Stanford University. Kevin says that the idea behind the app was to create a new and improved way of communicating with one another. If you have used Instagram since it was officially launched in 2010, you would know that significant changes have been made since then. In recent years the addition of the Instagram story, Close Friends story and smaller changes such as design have been implemented to make sure that the app stays ahead of the trend.

Last year the two men officially stepped down from their positions as co-owners of the company, after selling the company to Facebook in 2010. The reason behind this was because of supposed disagreements with Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook. Disagreements on the layout and design of the app was what let the co-founders to step down. Despite their departure, Instagram is still one of the greatest social media apps to exist, and Facebook can not catch up. The younger generations are being drawn to Instagram and have no desire to have  a Facebook account. Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger have an incredible success story. The fact that their idea for Instagram is still spreading and growing in popularity even though they are no longer in charge is awesome. They completely changed the idea of communication and created something that at its prime was unlike anything else that had been previously made. Sometimes being a good entrepreneur means taking risks and thinking outside of the box, and these to men are the perfect example of that.

5 Comments
Categories : App, Social Media, Technology

The Men Behind Pinterest

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Sunday, October 13th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

Pinterest is a widely used app and website that allows you to get inspired and find ideas for things to bake, make, wear and use! The idea for Pinterest first came to Ben Silbermann in his years post graduation from Yale. In 2009 the project to build Pinterest officially began, but the app itself never took off running until a year or so late. The phrase “patience is key” comes to mind when thinking about the beginnings of this app, and I think Silbermann would agree. Flash forward to the present, Pinterest is currently worth 1.5 Billion dollars, and is used in several countries all over the world namely the US and Asia. The creators of Pinterest are constantly coming out with new ways to improve the app and cater to the interests and desires of the users. With the most recent update being the ability to purchase things off of their app, Pinterest is now becoming a competitor with online shopping sites. According to an article about the app Pinterest recently passed up Facebook in terms likes gained from adds and promotions. In that same article Silbermann makes a point to recognize the hard work that he and his co-founder Evan Sharp had to put in along with the patience and trust that something would come of it eventually. Along with that he says that it is important to realize there is more to life than the project you are working on and it is good to think about those things in addition to whatever your work might be. It seems as if Silbermann has a good understanding of the necessity of a good work/life balance and how not having too much of one or the other can ruin a person and cause them to burn out. It is unclear what the future holds for Pinterest, but there is hope and motivation to continue impacting the world in a positive way through this app.

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Categories : App, Cooking, Creating, Education, Fashion, Fitness, Websites

Daniel Ek- The Man Behind The Music

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Saturday, September 28th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

 

Most millennial’s probably can not remember a time without a music app. Starting with Pandora then transitioning to other apps such as Spotify and Apple music, these apps have changed the way we view and enjoy music. Daniel Ek, a Swedish entrepreneur is the man behind the popularly used app Spotify. This entrepreneurs story is different than most. His creative thinking process began when he was 14 but did not begin to take off until he was 24. In an interview with CNBC he said “I had always wanted to belong and I had been thinking that this was going to get solved when I had money, and instead I had no idea how I wanted to live my life”. Rather than living a life full of partying and useless activities, he decided to move away from that scene and focus what is important and meaningful to him. His separation from what he thought he wanted in life is where his idea for Spotify first started. The creation of the app began in 2006 in Sweden and was launched two years later in 2008.It was not until 2012 that Spotify was first introduced to the United States. Spotify started out with a fairly simple model with the option to listen for free or purchase a subscription, but has developed significantly over the years by expanding the music selection, adding podcasts and allowing users to put together and “download” playlists. Founder Daniel Ek lives a very orderly and strict lifestyle.

Ek says that “the most creative people in the world schedule their creativity”, which is contradictory to what most people would think. Spotify is always changing and that is largely do to the dedication and commitment that Ek has for thinking about new ways to improve the app and get ahead of his competitors. Daniel is currently worth upwards of 2 billion dollars, and currently owns 9% of the companies shares. At 36 years old, Daniel Ek is making drastic changes to the music industry, especially for the listener. He found a way to make music more accessible and made his platform useful for all ages and all music interests. The technological aspect of his invention has brought back songs from decades ago and placed them right at our finger tips to enjoy. He has connected people through a mutual interest, music, and created a community of creative thinking and music enjoyment.

2 Comments
Categories : App, Music, Technology

Brian Chesky- Airbnb

Posted by Rebecca Cloyd 
· Monday, September 16th, 2019 
· 3 Comments

Brian Chesky is the 37 year old CEO of the company Airbnb. The idea for the company started back in 2007 when Brian and his roommate Joe Gebbia struggled to find the resources to pay rent on their apartment. With no ideas left they began to rent out an air mattress in their apartment for $80 a night, and somehow it worked. The small idea grew quickly and by 2008 they launched their company Airbnb. Since the opening of Airbnb the company has been used by over 300 million people in several places around the world,  and is still continuing to grow. As of May 2019 the company is worth $38 billion dollars.

Even after the company took off Brian Chesky still chose to live a fairly modest lifestyle. For several years after the grand opening he still continued to live in the same apartment and rent it out, this time with a lower price and the addition of a couch instead of an air mattress. The story of the founding of Airbnb is a great example of what it looks like to find a need and fill it. While they were not fixing a public need, they did solver their own financial need and went above and beyond what they initial anticipated it to be. They used an entrepreneurial mindset to try and fix the present need at hand.

In an article about the company  found on business on businessinsider.com, Chesky (speaking to kids) states, ” I want to show them that their dreams are not bounded by what they can see in front of them. Their limits are not so limited”. What an encouragement and challenge to this generation of potential entrepreneurs. We can learn from Chesky that no idea is to far off, and that even the simplest things might be worth investing in. Sometimes it takes being bold and putting yourself out there, you never really know what ideas will make a lasting impact on the people around you.

3 Comments
Categories : Travel, Uncategorized