Thoughts on community building, entrepreneurship & the creative class.
So I know we’re 26 days into the New Year but just found some time to put together a few thoughts about where things are at…
2009 is off to a fast start and lots of good things going on…between publicity and pushing ahead with things like Silicon Prairie News and Packs of Promise to our daily family fun with our two great little guys Logan & Cayden…
More to come soon on what’s ahead for 2009 and appreciate your friendship and support!
From us to you!
Love this video…
Gary The Puppet’s Magical Internet Adventure from justin on Vimeo.
I ran across this post in my box this morning from Robin Sharma’s blog and thought it was worth sharing with my friends and family…so true and something to keep in mind. Enjoy.
“Snowy morning in my hometown. Wish I was on a mountain with boards strapped to my feet (I’m talking about my outright love of skiing, for my dear friends in warmer climates). Thinking about success – and what it’s really all about.
One of the dominant values of our world is that we win once we reach our goals/objectives/mountaintops. We can only feel fulfilled when we get to the end of our quest and arrive at the place we’ve longed to reach. We can call ourselves successful only once we’ve done our dreams. Then we get to celebrate. Because we’ve arrived at our beautiful destination.
But what if that value we hold so very closely to our hearts is wrong? What if the real game is the journey – not the end. What if the very meaning of success is about loving/embracing/experiencing the journey towards our cherished ambitions versus reaching the mountaintop?
What I’ve found in my own life is that it’s what the climb to my loftiest goals makes of me and evokes from within me that’s most important. As I aim high and reach for my dreams, the best within me expresses itself. Resources I didn’t know I had begin to shine. I realize I am stronger, better, wiser than I gave myself credit for. And so are you. Absolutely.
Here’s the thing: These human gifts only begin to appear as you walk towards what you most want. It’s the journey itself that introduces you to the magnificence of all you are. So why shouldn’t we honor it? And maybe getting your goals done, while exceedingly important, is just icing on the cake.”
So it’s on…Gary V’s in! This is going to be fun folks!
Check out the link over at the Silicon Prairie News site for more information…
Stay tuned, as I’ll try and detail the process and we keep moving towards the event next May…
More detailed background at Silicon Prarie News, but loved the quote by Ron Conway:
“Meeting entrepreneurs who are inventing something is very very interesting. When you meet an entrepreneur you are talking to the future of technology.”
You can view the rest of the clip here:
Well vacation 2008 to Great Wolf Lodge is over for now…we had a great time, went too fast. Here are some of the photos. More to come…
Funny video between Cayden & Logan dueling for the camera’s attention…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxlsKLwwTGE&hl=en&fs=1]
I figured I would post about it if for no other reason that my two boys can look up on the site years from now and realize I was covered once in the paper.
At any rate, it was fun and Stefanie Monge is a solid reporter who “gets it”. Not because of the story on me, but because she’s constantly covering Omaha’s real movers, doers, entreprenuers and innovators. Keep up the great work Stefanie!
Without further ado, here’s the story…
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10414410
Published Monday August 25, 2008
Movers: Silicon Prairie blog helps one man connect
BY STEFANIE MONGE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Jeff Slobotski’s ability to connect with people has led many of his friends and colleagues to describe him as a “human router.”
“I love connecting with people,” Slobotski said.
He writes Silicon Prairie News, a blog devoted to “highlighting young entrepreneurs and professionals in the greater Omaha area.” Slobotski said he promotes startups and new technology in hopes of increasing awareness of innovation in the Midlands.
He helps organize events to bring together entrepreneurs, including the recent BarCamp Omaha and a book signing by Silicon Valley business reporter and author Sarah Lacy.
Collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors and the “creative class” – which includes artists, musicians and designers – allows people with ideas to meet people with the skills to get them off the ground, he said.
Slobotski’s latest project is establishing a work space and creative incubator for entrepreneurs. “It’s about getting the right people together to facilitate future success.”
Creative startups, such as the Slowdown nightclub and Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater, “have laid the groundwork” for the creative vibe in Omaha, but it must be maintained to spur future growth, he said.
Slobotski is manager of corporate sales for Truist, a New York City-based company that sells software to track corporate social responsibility. He works remotely from Omaha most of the time.
His passion for volunteerism and corporate responsibility goes beyond his job. Slobotski said he is a strong believer in social entrepreneurship, a model in which giving is a core business principle from the start of operation.
Slobotski started Packs of Promise, an organization that provides homeless men and women in Omaha with backpacks filled with supplies for winter.
Omaha is getting a lot of national buzz, he said, with its placement on the Top 5 and Top 10 lists of various publications.
As the next generation of business leaders steps up to the plate, it is important to maintain the spirit of philanthropy here, he said.
• Contact the writer: 444-1085, stefanie.monge@owh.com
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