Author Archive for Elias Reay

The History of Timberland

Timberland is an iconic boot that has transcended race and social status. Its origins come from a New England company who wanted to make boots for white american workers. However this stigma was quickly broken in Brooklyn where the market for the boots diversified to all different sorts of people including rappers and hoodlums. Timberland at first was not in favor of this, because they did not want their boot to be in association with rap and the ghetto. Today, Timberland is a popular boot for workers, rappers and everyone in between.

Timberland boots were invented by Nathan Swartz in Massachusetts. He bought a company called Abington Shoe Company, which specialized in work-ware for “New England’s working man.” Nathan had been a shoemaker since he was young and found a way to connect rubber sole  to the leather upper part of a show, in a waterproof fashion. In 1976, Nathan’s shoe company released the first Timberland Waterproof Boot. The Timberland Tree logo on the boot became on icon for boots and became so popular that Abington Shoe Company changed their name To Timberland. When the 80’s hot, the boot shifted from strictly a work boot, to a fashionable show that everyone was wearing. Timberland was shocked when their sales tripled in the 90’s. The reason for this boom in sales was rap. Hit artists such as Biggie and Nas not only began wearing them, but also mentioned then in their music. Everyone from drug-dealers to construction workers made Timberland their first choice in shoes. Today Timberland is part of a multi-billion dollar corporation, all with rap to thanks for its popularity.

Chris Precht- Architect

Chris Precht is an architect who designs wooden tree houses, for eco-friendly living. The name of his project is called Bert, and he is in partnership with  a company called Baumbau, which specializes in tiny houses. Bert is meant to be shaped by playfulness with the hopes that the architecture looks as if it were viewed as a child would. The houses are meant to be somewhat quirky and yet still a part of wildlife. Bert wants nothing to do with houses that all look the same. Diverse and culturally defined are two way that Bert was described as.

Another aim for this project is so that tourists do not have to stay in boring hotels on their vacations, but rather a unique building that offers an incredible experience for the adventure seekers and love natuStudio Precht Designs Truncated Tiny-Home Treehouses for Baumbau,Bert. Image Courtesy of Studio Prechtre. The interior of the houses are meant to be darker, similar to a cave, creating a cozy and natural appearance. Everything from the windows to the shingles to the floor boards are specially designed for a purpose and to create a certain feeling while in or looking at the structure. The building can also be designed in different ways depending on where it would be located in the world. The houses can also be arranged in configuration and larger models and could become big enough for a multifamily home or even a hotel. it is incredible to see such a different design in architecture that is simple and eco-friendly. The way that the houses are made as individual rooms and can be pieced together in any creative fashion possible is a revolutionary idea in the architectural world. I hope to one day see one of these in real life.

HoloMe- The new social media

In 2019, there is a new technology that could revolutionize the way communications are done over the internet. Founded by Janosch Amstutz, this new technology is, “a high-definition augmented reality platform that brings a perceived three-dimensional experience of human beings into your living room. This new platform is in its beta stages in the entertainment, fashion and education realms where one can virtually be present in a fashion show, a classroom or a sports game. HoloMe is not a video or a recording, but a live face to face interface, where one can see the person they are talking to and their surrounding. It is captured by any camera and is processed immediately so that it can be seen on the other end at the same time. As put by Amstutz, “Augmented reality humans are really more immersive and emotive than any other technology that’s been out there with regards to delivering a message, having a human in your own space, communicating with you directly is much more powerful as a medium.” HoloMe will be fully operational by the end of 2019, and will be raising money and involved in different partnerships in order for it to take off. One further benefit this could have is to be a resource for doctors to help patients in regions where it is unsafe to physically go and in places where there are a shortage of doctors. This new innovation could improve many different areas of communication where calling and skyping lack.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/nine-innovators-watch-2019-180971194/?page=4

Chris Bridges- AKA Ludacris

American Rapper Chris Bridges, rapper name Ludiacris, although most know for his music, is also an entrepreneur involved in many different businesses. Over ten years ago he started his first restaurant business in Atlanta. To further his business ventures, he also started buying real estate in Atlanta. Many people who only know Ludicrous as a rapper were shocked when they found out that he was going into real estate and the restaurant business. But Ludacris in fact does have a college degree from Georgia state university, which has significantly helped him in his entrepreneurial endeavors.

He is now going back to Georgia state to mentor students and work with professors in the Creative Media Industries Institute. His focus will be teaching students about the entrepreneurial business regarding music and film industries. The program is intended to prepare students for careers that go beyond what normal college degrees prepare someone for.  Atlanta is a perfect place for this because of its large music, film and video game industries located there. Ludacris has always been an inspiring artist to me and it is awesome to know that he has an entrepreneurial side and that he he wants to help future entrepreneurs be successful like he is.

Million Dollar Business, 0 Advertising

Josh Elledge is someone who has done something in the business world that many people think to be impossible or only dream of. He has created a multi-million dollar business using less than $500 in advertising. He does this by using a completely different approach, authority. He claims that when you have authority, advertising is not necessary. This would definitely seem true because Josh has got himself in the media more than 2000 times. Josh has taken what was thought of to just be an internet concept, and turned it into “a multi-million dollar miracle.”

Josh started off very poor. The reason for this is because he attempted to start 6 different businesses, and failed every time. With very little options, he started a business that helped with financial saving. He knew a lot about this due to having to cut expenses when his businesses started failing. One thing he learned in this process was that exposure was key to expanding ones business. So Josh began to cold call everyone he could think of, who might create some exposure to his business. Finally, a small christian radio station allowed him some air time. This was all he needed to get his business under way. After this, he wrote for a newspaper on couponing which became a huge success. This gave him the exposure he needed and he quickly turned it into authority and became a very successful influencer.  From there he has expanded even farther and is always looking for new ventures and ways to expand his authority.

Venmo

The story of how Venmo was founded begins with Andrew Kortina and his friend noticing a problem with paying people back and how difficult it was. They decided to create something that was as simple to use as texting or Facebook and worked similarly to PayPal. The two started this journey at the University of Pennsylvania as a computer science majors. Kortina felt that he needed to do more in college than just take programming classes. He did this and ended up building websites for many clubs and bands. He ended up graduating with majors in philosophy and creative writing and minors in Computer Science and Logic. After college the two of them spent their summer building websites for restaurants, salons, and anyone who wanted one. Soon after this, they began working for startup companies called Swooge and Philafunk. This is where they learned much about how to start up a company and what makes a startup be successful. After this the two of them split paths and worked at different companies for a few years. The two then started thinking of new business ideas that got them closer and closer to what Venmo is today. The actual name Venmo came from, “exploring the Latin root vendere “sell” and mo for mobile, but purely as a means to get to a name that (1) was short, 5-6 letters, (2) could be a verb, (3) didn’t have a unintuitive spelling, and (4) was cheap” The idea of Venmo then came from Iqram forgetting his wallet in Philly when he went to New York. he ended up having to pay Kortina back by writing a check which proved to be very inconvenient. After the idea came to them, it was only a few prototypes and some fundraising later that they came up with what Venmo is today. In 2012, Venmo was bought for $26.2 million by Braintree and in 2013 PayPal purchased Braintree for $800 million.

Venmo is a great example of how a great idea can come from the process of making another. These two entrepreneurs had no plans of making an app like this until the need for it arose in their ventures of making a website. This app has truly changed the way money transactions are done and help make life a little bit easier.