It’s easy to complain about your workplace situation. It’s certainly a lot easier than doing something about it! However, we’re not in the business of settling or complacency.
Use these helpful links below to foster a positive work atmosphere and create success!
Why Flat Organizations Don’t Create Great Leaders
Behance’s The 99% blog is at it again with 5 tips on how to build a company that cultivates leaders and creative ideas at the office.
10 Tips to Improve Workplace Communication
From paraphrasing to positive thinking, here is your basic rundown on how to effectively connect to your co-workers.
10 Dumb Mistakes Companies Make Over and Over
Best way to move in the right direction? Learn from the mistakes of others! Check out these major don’ts when managing a team.
Photo via The 99%
Filed under communication work tips leadership 99%
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Loving your work is a central goal for everybody, it’s OUR main goal at shatterbox. However, we understand that “finding career fulfillment” comes with the stigma of butterflies, broken promises, false hopes and fairy tales. An article from MSNBC is in that same skeptical boat…
Thirst for Career Happiness is Bumming Us Out
We disagree with that stereotype because we believe that it is absolutely achievable if you have the strength to work, explore, take chances and even fail a few times.
However, it’s important to look at what does make you happy. Building a fulfilling career isn’t easy and it’s important to have the right attitude. We love Gretchin Rubins’ book The Happiness Project and she has an entire website dedicated to finding happiness in every aspect of your life. From your career to cleaning to raising kids, read over the ways to stay smiling.
Let us know your stance and other tips for finding happiness at work!
Filed under career advice happiness The Happiness Project Gretchin Rubins
Filed under Job fullfillment forbes the99percent
Filed under influencers Penelope Trunk Fast Company Forbes
As it gets colder our opportunities to stay in and read a good book are rising! NY Creative Interns made a reading list for creative recent graduates looking to excel in their careers.
Check out the full list here!
Filed under NYC Creative Interns Reading List
Filed under 2012 resolutions Fast Company productivity
Filed under Innovation Agents Fast Company
Today we’re catching up with Jimmy Tomczak, a Detriot-based entrepreneur who created
paperfeet,
barefoot eco-friendly shoes made from upcycled billboard art.Find out how this University of Michigan grad built TOMBOLO, a company that creates and sells unique products, and how he still finds time to hit the beach.
Q: What is your career/school background?
A. Entrepreneurship’s been in my bones for as long as I can remember. In middle school I started a lawn care company where I continued to cut grass for cash throughout high school. I then began selling on eBay and reached PowerSeller level to pay my way through the University of Michigan. At the same time, I applied for hundreds of scholarships and eventually won a few awards to fund my Neuroscience degree and also complete the Program in Entrepreneurship through the College of Engineering. I’ve grown so much through an incredible amount of hands-on experiential learning since then.
Q: What inspired you to create TOMBOLO?
A. Anyone can provide turf maintenance, sell stuff online, or collect degrees. I wanted to create something bigger – a vision for innovation on the global impact level.
I’ve always loved the outdoors but after moving out by the lake I realized my feet needed a little extra protection to transition to full barefooting. Based on this need, I prototyped the world’s thinnest flexible sandal built for going barefoot and getting all the reflexology benefits of natural walking and running.
The material that I had on hand happened to be billboard vinyl - giant outdoor advertisement art is printed directly on a durable and waterproof banner before being stretched over the roadside signs. When they’re taken down they end up in a landfill. Some people get their hands on them to use as tarps. I had a 14x48-foot ad keeping my roof dry until I saved up enough money to fix it. When I took the billboard off my roof, it was still good – and happened to be just the type of material I was looking for to construct my “shoe” concept.
I could barely keep up with orders after I shared my paper-thin eco-friendly sandal concept with the world via paperfeet.com. So I founded TOMBOLO goods mfg., with “paperfeet” as our first product. TOMBOLO designs, creates, and sells uncommon goods for the collective good.
Q: What’s your daily routine?
A. As an entrepreneur, one of the most exciting parts of running a business – and one of the most challenging – is not having a daily routine. On a random Tuesday, I might I wake up at sunrise for a morning meeting; work on our web projects and sales; make sure order processing is happening smoothly; and later spend the afternoon at the beach sharing our gear with fans in the setting it was designed for. Wednesday might be my day off. Thursday could be another 14-hour day – but who’s counting? Maybe I already celebrated Friday when I had fun with friends on Monday, so I’ll work the weekend too.
As long as I make measurable daily progress at my best effort and build in time for family, friends, and life-balance, I know that I am building my vision and world-impact.
Q: What were some exciting milestones or even frustrating realities starting this company?
A. I first publically pitched a conceptual version of paperfeet in November 2009 after working on the initial patent for the design and function. The first pair of paperfeet sold June 1, 2010. Part of the adventure so far is sharing our story with media and being featured in everything from BoingBoing, TreeHugger, The Wall Street Journal, to Entrepreneur Magazine, CNN, The Huffington Post and more. The big challenge right now is jumping from proof of concept to scaled, retail ready product volume and impact.
Q: What products are you launching? Plans/Goals moving forward? A. The success of paperfeet has proven deep interest in “uncommon goods for the collective good” – gear that TOMBOLO upcycles from material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Please stay tuned here for more info on our 2012 launch of TOMBOLO’s next goods.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to do something similar?
A. Think different! Get started now. Talk to people. Test the concept. Make a sale. Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Ask how you can help. Listen. Collaborate. Think big.
Cheers,
Jimmy
Filed under entrepreneurship tombolo paperfeet Jimmy Tomczak
Meet Mikel Brabham. She’s a Virginia-based wellness coach who is using social media to scale her organization,
Leaders By Example. Read her story and how she’s growing this non-profit from the ground up.
Q: What is your career/school background?
A. I have a B.S. in Business Management from Elizabeth City State University, a B.S. in Health and Wellness from Kaplan University as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. I’ve also worked as a marketing consultant for local Liberty Tax Service franchises as well as a business coach and advisor for various small businesses. In addition to my consulting duties, I serve as Health and Wellness Director for Sisters Anonymous, a mentoring program for disadvantaged families and Executive Director for The Satisfactology Institute, a training institute designed to help healthcare facilities improve their patient satisfaction scores.
Q: What inspired you to create Leaders By Example?
A. In 2009, I looked at my knee caps in a mirror one day and thought they resembled those of an elephant. I vowed to change my lifestyle and lose weight. I used my Facebook friends and family as my accountability partners and realized that I was inspiring people as I broadcasted my journey through my Facebook status updates. With the help and support of one of my Facebook friends, I decided to start an organization with an aim to encourage and motivate people from all walks of life to lose weight and get healthy. I started a website and used daily text messages as a way of reaching my members.
Q: What’s your daily routine with work?
I start my day by trying to come up with something profound and thought provoking to send as a text message to LBE members. Next, I spend my time trying to find grants and contests to enter so that I can get the funding the organization needs to get to the next level and reach more people. At the present time, I am working with another nonprofit organization to host a retreat in the Spring of 2012. This retreat will give members an opportunity to meet me as well as other members and registrants. We plan to have workshops that address the mind, body and soul. In addition, there will be activities such as a zip-line, Zumba classes and bon fires. I generally try to follow up with each and every member at least once a month to see if I can provide additional assistance like personalized meal plans or lend and listening ear. I conduct periodic phone consultations with members that text and request additional assistance.
Q: What are some exciting milestones or even frustrating realities with creating a non-profit?
An exciting milestone associated with creating a non-profit is receiving that first check from a company or private donor that invests in your organization because they believe in your vision. The frustrating reality is realizing that money doesn’t grow on trees and searching for private and public funding can get exhausting. My members motivate me to do what I do, so the frustrating times will have to be embraced as much as the exciting milestones.
Q: What are your plans/goals moving forward?
Moving forward I want to continue to travel doing various health and wellness workshops and camps. I want to have “Extreme” events where we encourage cities and towns to get healthy by doing aerobic activities in town centers and popular places nationwide. As LBE grows I would like to surprise members nationwide with makeovers as a pat on the back on a job well done. Educating, motivating and encouraging is where LBE started and the path the organization will continue to follow.
Q. Do you have any advice for someone looking to do something similar? Lessons learned?
For someone looking to do something similar, my advice is to be like Nike and “Just Do It”. If your passion drives you and you have a well thought out plan, complete with a great support system, you should definitely aim high and start shooting. I have learned the hard way that sometimes you need to change the fabric in the support you use. Cotton may be good at first, but as your vision becomes clear, adding some spandex may be a better choice. A cotton/spandex combination will provide the support you need to move and grow. In other words, it’s okay and sometimes necessary to adjust your support system. You need people that see your vision and are willing to fly with you to accomplish your goals.
-Mikel Brabham
Filed under health and wellness non-profit entrepreneurship
How I Landed an Internship with Baking for Good via Twitter
When Amanda and Megan came to speak at Ithaca College last year, I was blown away by the videos they shared about innovative young people using their passion to fuel their careers. One video that really stuck out to me was from Emily Dubner, the founder of Baking for Good, an online gift bakery that donates 15% of the proceeds from every purchase of gourmet cookies and brownies to the charity of the customer’s choice.
I began following Baking for Good on Twitter last year and I loved seeing tweets about Emily’s latest confectionary creations. In September one tweet in particular caught my attention:
“@BakingforGood: We’re hiring! Charitable bakery seeks passionate marketing/sales director. Tweet us for more details or send us your most awesome friends!”
I thought to myself, if only this tweet was two years from now, this position would be perfect for me! I realized that a full-time job was out of the question right now, but perhaps if Baking for Good was looking for marketing help, maybe they could use an intern? So I tweeted:
“@BakingforGood What about a marketing intern?”
To my surprise, I received a tweet that said:
“@ColleenWormsley not out of the question! pls email resume + paragraph abt your ideal oppty to emily [at] bakingforgood.com. Thx!”
I quickly drafted a description of what I would do as an intern and sent my résumé to Emily. What started out as a simple tweet has turned into an online internship for the semester!
As a marketing intern for Baking for Good I look for unique opportunities and partnerships that can help strengthen Baking for Good’s brand. I work with Emily and the Marketing Director to find non-profit organizations to pitch, design promotional materials, create social media strategies, and assist with special holiday promotions.
Working as an intern for Baking for Good has really reinforced shatterbox’s mission about finding work that you’re passionate about. I love every minute of my internship because I’m doing meaningful work for a small company that I believe has the power to make a difference in the world.
-Colleen Wormsley
Filed under baking for good internship marketing Twitter
