Mavin Digital Mashup » Community

Wear-a-Thon With Bright Young Things

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:31:55 +0000

It started early spring, April 12 at Cibar wine bar in New York City. A week prior, a random email message from O’Reilly Organizers landed in my inbox. Didn’t know who it was from nor what the LBD Project was, but it said “A cocktail fund raiser in a Little Black Dress.” I thought, a cocktail on a Monday night in the Irving Park area, perfect. Monday is a great day for cocktails and making friends with strangers in New York City.

That is when I met Sheena Matheiken, creator of The Uniform Project and designer, Elizabeth Starbuck of Bright Young Things. Two remarkable and talented women who crafted the idea of sustainable fashion around one little black dress worn a million different creative ways. I wanted to be a part of it somehow. I wanted to participate.

Little Black Dress worn a million creative ways

So here we are, after a few months on the road with my macbook pro, kites, board and little black dress traveling with me from Key West, Miami and Maui, I finally hit San Francisco. My two-year old Cannon point and shoot camera died somewhere during the trip, so I had to wait a few weeks to find a replacement. With camera on hand, the San Francisco and California back-drop, my goal is to document, share and hopefully inspire with my personal rendition on the sustainable fashion and the Little Black Dress, from Bright Young Things.

Beginning July 14, Bastille Day witness my highs and lows in a little black dress during my 30-day wear-a-thon. Thank you Elizabeth for extending a piece of New York while I travel! Congratulations on the success of Bright Young Things! Thank you to new friends in San Francisco who are either helping with photography and styling!

Crowdsourcing Your Health and Fitness

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:48:21 +0000

by Jessica Valenzuela

Hi everyone! We’re very excited about our new client, a crowdsourcing start up coming soon to major urban centers. We’d love your help on a 10 question survey. This will help clarify previous assumptions and our discovery process.

start the new product survey.

Complete the short survey and we’ll include you in a thank you raffle for a massage gift certificate worth $100.00. The gift certificate will come from your favorite local spa!

Join the survey and win a FREE massage!

Blogging To Drive Business

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:36:56 +0000

by Jessica Valenzuela

As a media blogger, I receive a number of book review requests. It is quite endearing to receive emails from publicists writing if I would like a freshly printed copy. Of course am happy to receive a copy. I love to read and learn more about how others are using social media . Obviously, the risk and reward pendulum is something to consider before asking a blogger or media personality to review your work. You never know when a recipient will love it or hate it.

Blogging To Drive Business by Eric Butow & Rebecca Bollwitt is a thumbs up in my world for these reasons:

1) It gives you the ABCs of blogging in a step-by-step easy to read concise and comprehensive format. Immediately right after the introduction the authors dive into the importance of blogs and its uses from promoting products and services, reaching people, pushing content, how to get people to read your blog, crowdsourcing and more. With proper implementation and resources to support the delivery process blogs can be a truly effective communication, marketing and people gathering tool. As websites are the epicenter of your brand’s existence – blogs are the epicenter of your communication strategy.

2) Peppered with examples, case studies and visuals. The authors made sure that each chapter is supported with examples. A ton of them! From successful blogs and varying applications to a variety of platforms and plug-in tools to choose from.

3) To have a successful blog, there are rules and methods to follow. Rule #1 Listen to your audience. Rule #2 Create a platform for two-way discussion — this is not all about you. Rule #3 Listening by sharing. Visual media is a great way to spark a conversation. Rule #4 Create tools for your audience to communicate with each other and you. Measure the the energy level of your readers’ engagement, experiment and make corrections along the way.

Blogging To Drive Business is a definite read for those who are considering to use blogging as part of their business communication strategy. As a social media and digital branding expert, I use this book to help educate my clients. Specially the small to medium business owners. Recently, it helped me close recent long-term new business.

Every Car Buyer’s App

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:23:24 +0000

Contributed by Hans Angermeier

New York, New York – Hans Angermeier a new friend and Managing Member of CarCareKiosk.com attended a product preview on my behalf hosted by KBB. Here’s his review on what he thinks is every car buyer’s app.

Kelley Blue Book I knocked back a few beers with Andy Lapin, Director of Enterprise Architecture of Kelley Blue Book (“KBB”) at the Aspen Social Club in Midtown Manhattan last night as he gave me a thorough test drive of KBB’s new iPhone app, which is expected to launch next week (it will be free). For the non-gearheads, KBB.com is the vanguard for providing new and used car values based on attributes including year, make, model, mileage and features – in short, it is a tool that no car buyer should leave home without… which, before this app, would be impossible to do unless you plan on carrying a laptop with an Aircard through a dealer’s lot (nerd alert!)

The app clearly demonstrates the advantages of in-house design with a clear first screen that captures the “iPhone within an iPhone” feel (think facebook or LinkedIn) that contain six clear icons allowing users to get prices, find a dealer and look at images of cars. The images are extremely high-quality and feature a 360 rotatable view of each vehicle – pure Godiva for the eyes and I love it! Since the images are pulled from KBB’s database, each vehicle features 40+ interior and exterior images – this feature alone sets it way above other apps in the sector. The best feature though, is the ability to pull up car values on the fly – think about it, you’re on the dealer’s lot, you’re looking at that 2006 BMW 330i that you had your heart set on and, here comes the salesman, straight from the ShamWow academy:

SW: “Nice car isn’t it?”

You: “Yes”

SW: “Black is our most popular color; in fact, let me see if this car is still for sale, someone wanted to buy it last night”

You: “OK”

SW: “Good news, it is still available, but the guy from last night is coming in this afternoon and will probably buy it, so if you’re interested, you should act fast”

You: “Good point, what are you asking?”

SW: “I will probably get fired for this, but you remind me of my brother and you seem like a really nice guy – I’ll let it go for $26,995, which is a steal because these things never go for anything south of 30…”

Before the KBB app, you would need to know, off the top of your head, that a 2006 330i with 59,000 miles, Stability Control, Leather, Moon Roof, etc. is worth $23,100 max. With the app, you can instantly retrieve the true value of the vehicle with its mileage and options and politely show the snakeoil salesman that $26,995 is off-market and that your offer is $21,500. If the salesman demurs, have no fear, you can pull up directions for the next closest BMW dealer on the app – power to car buyers everywhere!

KBB is still working on a couple of optimization issues that they intend to have ironed out before formal launch in iTunes. Regardless, this app is leagues above the competitors in the sector and KBB intends launch a new feature every 2 – 3 weeks for months after its launch… so grab a cold one and take it for a test drive!

About the Author: Hans Angermeier is a Managing Member of CarCareKiosk.com and contributor to Mavin Digital Mashup. He can be reached at hans.a@carcarekiosk.com.

Lasse Gjertsen @ The SubZero Film Fest

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:25:40 +0000

by: Jessica Valenzuela

New York, New York – On April 8, I am stoked to be at the premier of the SubZero Short Film Fest, an event showcasing emerging Norwegian Directors Break the Ice in New York! It is a two-day program that will showcase screenings of short films by Lasse Gjertsen, Charlotte Blom and Joachim Trier. The iconoclastic Gjertsen, is internationally acclaimed for the huge popularity of his shorts in You Tube, will discuss his controversial approach to film making, as well as his original point of view after screening of his films.

SubZero Short Film Fest

Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue (between 37th and 38th Streets) NY

Thursday, April 8, 7pm
A COOLER PERSPECTIVE: NEW DIRECTIONS ON NORWEGIAN FILM – SCREENING OF SHORT FILMS BY LASSE GJERTSEN, CHARLOTTE BLOM AND JOACHIM TRIER. COMMENTS FROM DIRECTOR LASSE GJERTSEN FOLLOWED BY Q AND A.

After party on opening night, April 8!
Attend the private after-party to be part of Lasse’s next youtube project, sure to be seen by millions. Check out more short films and music. Open bar and snacks from 9:30pm-10:30pm, cash bar until closing.

Nikki Beach
151 East, 50 Street (between Lex and 3rd Avenue
Mention Lise Ellingsen at the door to get in without wristbands.

Friday, April 9, 7pm
A COOLER PERSPECTIVE: NEW DIRECTIONS ON NORWEGIAN FILM – SCREENING OF THE SHORT FILM ‘EVERY DAY IS A FISH DAY’ BY JENS LEIN, FOLLOWED BY HIS FEATURE FILM ‘THE BOTHERSOME MAN’.

To purchase tickets call: 212.879.9779

Lasse Gjertsen at the SubZero Film Fest in New York!

Start Her Up Fair

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:21:12 +0000

by Jessica Valenzuela

Thrilled to be part of this New York event for women in startups! I’ll be at the fair helping answer questions on digital branding, website development and social media. Also sharing lessons learned in starting up your own virtual business. )

Location: NY Kids Club on 68^th & Amsterdam

Event Time: 7-9:30

Panel: 7:30-8:30

Resource Room: 7-9:30

This awesome event is sponsored by In Good Company Workplaces (@ingoodcmpny) and Baby Bites (@babybites)!

See you there!

Workplace for women entrepreneurs

social community for moms to be

Kiteboarding Taking Off

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:26:26 +0000

by: Jessica Valenzuela also found on Technorati

Sir Richard Branson one of the international recognizable personalities of kiteboarding announced the partnership of Billabong and the BVI Kite Jam in 2011.

Kiteboarding as a recognized adventure sport has been around for a little over a decade. Once considered the most dangerous sport on the planet during its early years, today it is getting a second look from water, wind and outdoor sports enthusiasts. Why?

The equipment and gear has improved through the years.
Instruction for the sport is mushrooming in beach resorts from the coastlines of Brazil, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Maui, Florida, Oregon, North Carolina and practically any place you can find water and consistent wind. Definitely a revenue source for the local beach economy.
A sport dominated by men with noticeable growth in interest from women and teens.
Kiteboarding is an all year-round sport and has grown into multi-categories including kiteboarding/kitesurfing, snowkiting and landboarding.
After the investment in lessons and quiver (collective term for kite equipment) all you need is wind, water, snow or sand to enjoy the thrill of the sport.
Travel is a huge component. Kiters are known to visit exotic places to kite and plan all their vacation around their sport.
Once a kiter there is no turning back. It is a lifestyle sport.

The kiteboarding lifestyle attracts a certain personality type. It is not for the mass market since it requires time and dedication to get the basics. A single brand new quiver starts at $1,000 and up. While lessons can cost from $450 to another $1,000 and more depending on your learning ability. So who are the crazies getting into the sport?

Professionals who have an average income of $75K and up and high net worth individuals. The sport attracts people from industries that are usually high-stress, high-risk and high-reward including venture capital, finance, medicine, technology and entrepreneurs.

Technology and social media is a big component of a kiter’s lifestyle. Kiters with jobs that allow them to remotely stay connected with their professional organizations live a mobile kite life. Bringing their source of income wherever they go. Still considered a niche community of over 200,000 worldwide in 2006 and expected to grow 20% each year, the kiteboarding community is definitely a movement to watch.

Learn more about the new geek hobos lifestyle on Just Kite It.

Adventure Sports Gets Social

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:20:00 +0000

New York, New York, Just Kite It dot com brings a new spin to the elusive world of kiteboarding. Enthused and challenged by the very difficult sport in the summer of 2009, Just Kite It dot com Founder Jessica Valenzuela pursued it with voracious passion. Spending endless hours of online research to learn more before taking a lesson. “This is when I noticed how compartmentalized the sport was. There was too much information, yet it didn’t tell me much in terms of how to get started and where to started in the sport based on my location, physical stature and water sports capabilities.”

Just Kite It dot com, a community for kiteboarding enthusiasts

After speaking with a friend kiter, she joined a few kiting message board forums, which seemed so outdated in comparison to the social media technology of web 2.0 standards. Armed with not much information about kiteboarding she took her chances and called a school in the Great South Bay, New York in July. Good idea? Bad idea. Summer is the worst time to learn the sport in New York and the nasty green flies leave you with painful bites. Not only is the Great South Bay a two-three hour train ride on the LIRR from Brooklyn and Manhattan, learning to kite is not inexpensive. A lesson can cost anywhere from $150-$200 per hour depending on the level of instructor. At times the school will share your lesson with another student and not inform you of this. In some cases, you could get five-hour lessons for $500. Granted the sport is difficult, you will need more than three hours of water instruction. Kiters who have sailed, windsurfed, surfed and wakeboarded could pick up the sport quicker and faster. It is 90% about the kite and 10% about the board. Meaning, understanding the nuances of the wind and controlling the kite within its power, your kite flying skills and knowledge about your environment is key to enjoying the sport, your safety and the safety of others in the water and on the beach.

In August 2009, after a number of frustrating attempts at lessons in New York and Cape Hatteras, NC due to lack of wind in the months of July – August, Jessica then ventured to the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The wind capital of the Pacific North West. “I first discovered the River Gorge through a kiter friend on Facebook.” Jessica a natural traveler has not ventured beyond California for travels to the West Coast. “It looks like a little piece of heaven, why has not anyone mentioned this place to me before?” Another loop hole in the kiting world is the discovery and the level of detail that existing kiting web properties can provide. “Information sharing about kite education, kite spots and the consistent engagement of kiters worldwide is what we hope to solve for the progression of the sport.” Kiteboarding is breaking down geographic and gender barriers for over a decade now. So many untold stories are raring to be shared that will inspire connoisseurs of the sport, viewers and those curious about it. The global and local community’s affinity for wind, water and kite is a natural glue. Every kiter is in love with a fellow kiter’s skills and his or her experiences.

For version 1 of Just Kite It dot com our goal is to provide kiters worldwide and those interested in the sport with as much information about kite education, kite spots around the world through editorially curated from user-generated stories. Version 1.5 will be wrapped around extreme entrepreneurship and technology events for the startup community. It is a known fact, there is a growing number of technologists and startup founders who kite. This could be attributed to the leadership of the Silicon Valley VC, Bill Tai who has been featured on Forbes.com. Version 2.0 of Just Kite It dot com will showcase a fully social web property with mobile applications for engagement in a global scale.

The average age of kiters range from 30-35 professionals with a slow, yet noticeable adaptation of the twenty-something and baby boomer demographics. There is also a growing number of women who are kiting, up 30% from 2008. Kiteboarding is a lifestyle sport and it is growing at a steady rate of 20% annually.

Jessica Valenzuela is also the Founder and Chief Principal of a New York based boutique digital branding agency, Mavin Digital, Inc. the creators of Just Kite It. Her co-founder Marek L. Biestek is the General and Managing Partner of a New York based hedge fund, MSMB Capital, LLC. Jessica and Marek are kiteboarders who met at a parking lot on Tobay Bay, New York after a kiting session.

About Just Kite It dot com (http://justkiteit.com)
Welcome to Just Kite It dot com, a content publisher and social community focused on kite education, sports tourism and connecting likeminded professionals of the sport.

Founded by two kiteboarding addikts, with backgrounds in media, digital branding, social media, finance management and startups, Just Kite It aims to provide a place for sharing information and knowledge kite education, kite spots around the world and connecting likeminded professionals of the sport.

You can find us on Twitter @jkiteit and on our Facebook Fan page.

Mission:
Just Kite It is your source for kite education, kite spot locations around the world, inspiring stories from pro-athletes and enthusiasts, networking events and off-topic features that will offer insight and make you laugh at the same time.

A Founder’s Duty

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:01:05 +0000

a community Lovingly created for kiters, by Kiters.

by Jessica Valenzuela @mavindigital

Recently, I’ve had to face some tough decisions as a Founder for a new company that I am nurturning, Just Kite It. Beyond the day-to-day hustle of ensuring that action items are followed-through and executed on efficiently, networking and making connections that will help grow the company, keeping your team motivated and focused, there are those days when tough decisions need to be made in order to keep the upward momentum of the startup. Decisions that at times may result in hurting a friendship that you truly value.

I could have chosen to start Just Kite It on my own. After much consideration and thought, I decided to bring in a co-Founder. Back in August, my requirements were simple and generic: equally passionate about kiting. Someone who can strongly complement my skill sets and talent. After all I started a service business, Mavin Digital, Inc. So this new startup should be a piece of cake. I discovered that there is more to learn.

Lesson #1: I was naive to think that friendship and common passion for a sport and a lifestyle is enough to warrant a strong working relationship.

When the wheels start to turn is when you realize that common passion and friendship is not enough to get you through the potholes of starting a company. You can only prepare so much and risk manage as much. Have 101 conversations on the possible challenges that could occur to keep the fluidity of the creation process. At the end of the day a Founder’s duty is to have clarity and focus on the tasks. Can friendships make it through tough business decisions? It depends. There is no right or wrong answer here. In my opinion, keeping a general open mind and conversation always bears better fruit, yet the Founder’s Duty is keeping the vision in which the company was founded. Keep that flame burning bright up to the finish line.

“Trust is a Founder’s biggest challenge. Not capital,” Divya Gugnani, Founder Behind the Burner.

Lesson #2: Is capital enough to earn co-Foundership status? The clear answer is no.

Obviously, investor equity at the seed round is available to those who invests in the startup. Yet it is a Founder’s duty to pick a founding team he/she can trust to have infinite desire to help execute on your idea, transform it into a great product and understands the business you are building. Equity motivated by capital alone could dilute the vision of the startup. Distractions over revenue decisions versus focusing on what is strategically sound for the company could hurt the growth of the organization and performance of the brand.

“Create and deliver a good product first, then business will come,” The Apple story.

Lesson #3: KISS and focus on doing one thing well.

Identifying a problem and crafting a solution that a community would find valuable is not a one shot process. Nurturing an idea and transforming it into a product requires evolution. Sometimes the idea becomes diluted and the problem in which it is intended to solve is lost. We were close to heading down that path for Just Kite It. I was reminded by a fellow Founder and friend, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) and focus on doing one thing well. So back to the drawing board I went.Today, as we draw closer to our alpha release date for phase 1…I’m excited! It won’t be perfect, yet that is the beauty of the startup creation process there will always be room for improvement.

Lesson #4: Don’t build to sell. Build to create a great company.

So far the most invaluable lesson I’ve learned since my journey into creating Just Kite it. I was at a coffee shop yesterday meeting someone who I have a high regard for and is one of my Advisory Board members for Mavin Digital, Inc. He stopped me in my tracks when I said, “well in two years I’ll probably sell.” I was greeted with “Don’t think like that. You don’t build a company to flip it. You build a company to create great companies.”

Indeed, why would you want to sell something you love? “Do what you love and never give up,” Bill Tai.

Project Philippines

jessica — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:52:32 +0000

Many of you may not know, but I am originally from the Philippines. As much as I was raised to embrace the Western world and exposed to worldly engagement, I am still very much in tune with my roots and what is currently happening in my childhood community.

As a young girl growing up in the Philippines, I remember enjoying summer camps in the mountains of Baguio City, walking through Shangri-La shopping with friends and enjoying a lazy afternoon lunching in the city park. With the devastation of typhoon Ketsana, these every day activities and basic needs have displaced families and social programs for the local community.

Today, as a successful NYC entrepreneur, I was moved by the recent events and drawn to contributing my time and resources in any way by giving back to my childhoood community.
The donation will be managed through The Point, a technology platform that encourages group action to help individuals like you make a difference. Here’s how it works:

You join the Project Philippines campaign and pledge an amount. Our suggested donation is $25.00, yet any amount is certainly welcome
You can join the Project Philippines campaign anonymously. Your information will only be revealed after we’ve reached the tipping point
The tipping point is the amount of contributions we’d like to raise for Project Philippines, which is 5K.
As mentioned earlier, there is a suggested donation of $25.00 per person.
Your credit card will only be charged when we reach the tipping point.
Once we reach the tipping point, The Point will write a check for 5K to Give2Asia.

I know that we are all busy, and have challenges within our immediate circle, but as a global community I hope that you’ll take a minute to give a small contribution to a community in real need of support for every day services, that you and I typically take for granted.

All we need are 200 individuals to step forward and make a difference by donating a small amount and a few moments of their time to help the victims of typhoon Ketsana through Project Philippines. Join the cause now!

Thank you for your time.