Archive for April 23rd, 2009

When You Get Fired…from your own company!

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In this economic climate, Its not only the people in the cubes getting fired these days, corporate structures are all about the money. Today the founders of Myspace have been forced out of running the company they started, then sold to Rupert Murdoch. Though, we all know, once you sell your company you become another employee, its still a hard pill to swallow. Just ask David Neeleman, Dame Dash, Steve Jobs etc.

Via WSJ.

The founders of MySpace are leaving the helm of the pioneering Web site that made social-networking a mainstream phenomenon, as owner News Corp. seeks to reinvigorate the once-hot property it scooped up four years ago.

The stepping aside of Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson, whose contracts weren’t due to expire until October, represents a pivotal test for the viability of social-networking sites. While social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have exploded in popularity in recent years, they have struggled to generate the kind of revenue and earnings prospects that can sustain them as businesses over the long haul.

Don’t cry though they sold out out for plenty money.

April 23, 2009 · 4 Comments Continue Reading →

Fresh Bread Daily:No Limit

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“Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead.  A sort of
indomitable obsessive dedication and the realization that there is
no end or limit to this because life is simply an ever-growing process,
an ever-renewing process.”

-Bruce Lee via Be. Moore (Bruce Leroy)

April 23, 2009 · Comments Off Continue Reading →

Inspired Brand -Celestial Seasonings

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Celestial Seasonings is a brand that has been as ubiquitous in my life as bread and butter. My mother used to buy it from a place called Unicorn Village in Miami which was a 70′s predecessor to Whole Foods. The type of grocery store that had beads hanging from the ceiling and astrology books where the magazines would be in a regular store. As a kid, what intrigued me the most about Celestial’s colorfully designed packaging was the quotes about life that were printed somewhere on the box. It was almost like the cerebral version of the prize in the cereal box(yet not as fun!!), as it gave me something to look forward to.

It always made me think why would they care about printing inspiring words on a box of tea. However, as I look back it is clear that no matter why, they managed to make herbal tea synonymous with thought and introspection and position their brand at the center of a health food movement.

Now, herbal teas are everywhere, .where as before, in the United States, tea was just the weaker cousin to coffee. Here we are decades later and Celestial Seasonings is still here serving up inspiration [albeit sold out to Kraft in 1984]

The more I think about it, the more see how those quotes planted seeds into my subconsciousness and have become a part of my business. For example, I still find inspiration in quotes (as in Fresh Bread Daily) and tea continues to be my drink of choice. I even threaten to open a tea lounge every so often. Stay tuned on that! As I researched the beginnings of the company i realized that we even share a common theme with our businesses. In their about us section it says “Celestial Seasonings has always been about people and passion” and 21st Century Hustle is about the same thing.

April 23, 2009 · Comments Off Continue Reading →