Today, December 29th, is the start of my Golden Year.
Not only is today a Golden birthday and the start of my only Golden year, but it’s also smack-dab in the middle of my Saturn Returns.
Sheesh, I hope I play my cards right. 
In the spirit of the holidays and my good friend Douglas, an old-time baker, I’ve snapped off a shot of my girlfriend’s sister Olivia’s gourmet-style, Christmas breakfast.
The menu included baked eggs with herbs, French toast seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon, and lightly seasoned Morningstar vegan bacon, with a side of clementine fruit, and a hot cocoa blended with coffee for a delicious mocha mix.
Here’s a pic:
Whoa, it’s Thursday night or technically, Friday morning and I’m just realizing how incredibly swift seemingly slow this week has progressed.
Having finished the last of my school finals early Monday afternoon, my week’s been full-on busy catching up with everything that was pushed to the side in the last few weeks up to finals. Last week was especially tough as I had a group of investors in from out of town to inspect our operations at my first startup, in addition to my studying and final project work. The week before that was elections for the Mid-city council (which I’m still waiting to get some clear communication on, though I had heard I won my seat).
Now this week, I’ve been really focused on trying to tie up a ton of loose ends. Not only have I been attending such details as site updates for Green Gurus, posting new blogs in memory of an old friend, doing what little Christmas shopping I allowed myself to indulge in (I really don’t buy into this whole thing anymore but do it out of necessity for those select few that really require such a show of affection), but have also been ramping up opportunities for new avenues of exposure for G.G. and exploring some new business opportunities in related areas.
As I’m considering a career transition, I’m feeling a bit ancy about an as of yet undetermined, primary income source. Hopefully some fruits of my recent labors start sprouting up…soon.
I’d hate to work for just anyone again after being my own boss for so long.
I stopped by yesterday for a few hours at the now annual Eco Gift Expo in Santa Monica, CA.
And to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it: the intimacy that such a small venue lends itself to, the easy and local commute (carpooled with my significant other), the laid-back atmosophere and other factors contributed to an enjoyable afternoon. I felt the Eco Gift Expo was more in line with its advertised values too, whereas the Green Festival seems to have become or simply is, trying to sell itself as something more than it really is, in my opinion (see my previous mention about this regarding the SF Green Fest).
I think the future of sustainable products is better suited for this more modest-sized event for both the consumers benefit and the environments, since smaller venues means fewer people and cars, less emissions, etc.
If local grown foods and locally made products are some of the key components in changing our current energy habits and subsequent emissions, then shouldn’t events not adopt a similar principle too? I think so and can envision a time of interconnected, regional events throughout the country (if not world).
Anyway, to sum up my thoughts on this particular event…there was a modest but busy and interested crowd both shopping (it was afterall a gift-themed event 
) and researching green tips, trends and such. There was a fairly decent mix of interests represented including books, music, photography, art – though the most amazing piece (shown below) on display wasn’t for sale:
- lots of clothing, fabric (including some really nice bamboo towels), jewelry, food, tea’s and other drinks, some great innovative ideas making use of recycled bike and tire tubes (as well as billboard materials) by Green Guru Gear, and much more; trash, recycling and compostable items all appeared to be well managed.
I’m sure this event will continue to grow in size but I hope for the sake of my argument above, that they find some way to moderate their growth. Perhaps a spin-off from this event focusing on another aspect of the green wave or maybe even repeating this one several more times a year?
Peter Cullen not only narrated the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers the cartoon and more recently with Michael Bay‘s feature film, but also as the legendary and widely beloved Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh.
As I think back over the last 15 years of opportunities I’ve experienced in watching and learning from great masters, I realize how fortunate I’ve been to learn from, work and train with, and come to know the people I’ve met along the way.
In some cases, I’ve tangled one-on-one in the dojo with internationally acclaimed Vittorio Carelli (Carelli Design and Carelli International) or in the fields of hard grass with the most commanding of martial arts instructors, with Sensei Gregory Hofler (5th Dan, Chairman Tozai Aikido Assoc. & founder, Itamar tactical martial art); while in others I’ve practiced the art of design, customer relations and branding in my small, hometown with locally known entrepreneurs (though equally intelligent and knowledgeable) such as John Flemming (JAM Screen Printing) or Tim Reeser (Ghosttour.com); and most recently with Adam Wiggins (founder of TrustCommerce, Distinctivefabric.com, Bitscribe, and now his latest venture…Heroku).
Still others have included some equally great thinkers and motivators such as Ryan Wartena (co-founder of Nano Sol Systems), Elizabeth Marley (Architectural Consultant w/Farmlab), Blue Cobalt (founder of Dianovo.com), Jim Strickler (founder of RedRox, Cragmaker and the Bouldertron), Garo Kuyumcuovic (founder Rooftop Promotion), and Tristan Edwards (who continues to teach me the meaning of commitment, something I’ve been known to struggle with in most area’s).
Also, a number of my fellow hometown friends, school mates and siblings have met with varying degrees of success and encompass a number of really great qualities as musicians, artists, designers and entrepreneurs: Dede, Jesse and Josh Flemming (founders of The Do LaB), Brent and Chad Hurley (YouTube), Daniel Rattigan (co-founder French Broad Luscious Chocolates), Pierre Pressure (ringleader of The End of The World Tour Circus), JP Ettel and Charlie Fillman (expert laborers and craftsmen), Douglas Reeser (partner in Green Gurus) Ben Wright, Amanda Jayne, Gregory Johnson, Josh Maddox (co-owner of Distinctivefabric.com), and many others along the way.
Each and every one of these ladies and gents are shining examples of what ambition, determination and hard-work can accomplish and I am profoundly proud of all their accomplishments to date and, am equally honored to have known each and every one of them, even if was just to go at it for a few hours on the mat once a week or growing up in attendance together, at the same school.
I just hope that I have or can at some point, return the favor to them all, in this life or another. And, as another friend Ethernight, points out:
“The people you choose to surround yourself with define you.”
I couldn’t agree more.
As December comes to a close, my first internet venture wraps up its fourth year in business and prepares to enter its fifth.
Wow. Let me just say that again, so it starts to actually sink in…our fifth year.
It’s been a great couple of years getting our operations together and have only begun easing off from startup mode over the course of this year. Some of its customers might have noticed in this time, that our fabric selection has been trimmed back a bit and that the rate of new fabric additions to the site have slowed down too.
Well, rest assured that this isn’t permanent but just a time of reflection that we’ve taken to better assess the health and direction of our company, where it stands, who its core customers are, and much more. It’s been an interesting year as we’ve come to realize just how integrated our company and its website into the world of internet fabric sales, DIY-ers, Mom-and-Pop shops, designers, and many others. We’ve got a great core customer base which certainly shows in our day-to-day sales.
One of the great things about running an internet-based store, rather than retail, is the flexibility it offers the company in its operations. Early on in our operation, we experimented with a number of different methods for nearly every aspect of our operation. But at least one area that’s remained consistent is our commitment to serving our customers, as best we can. We totally pride ourselves on this and think it’s one of the qualities that keeps so many of them coming back, so regularly and consistently.
Regardless of anyone’s reasons to continue shopping there with us, it’s been a real pleasure to continue serving them all and I know I look forward to the years to come as we continue to explore new avenues for growth and fulfillment of their fabric needs.