my local dream client June 12, 2008

 

I spent the morning thinking about all of the Philly businesses (my local dream clients) that I would love, love, love to write for, but sometimes it can be hard to pitch a really cool business/idea alone. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find others with similar client interests or at least similar hobbies and passions in our creative community? Imagine if you wanted to pitch a tea company, and you had a list with the names and emails of a web designer, writer, developer that loved tea? Just think of the passionate work that would flow from that team. 

 

So here is my idea: writers, developers, designers, project managers, programmers, etc interested in “my local dream client” would send me a list of his or her local dream clients, whether it’s the Philadelphia Museum of Art or the bakery down the street. I would then match up any exact clients or similar interests and send the list out to everyone. Sure, it’s not a groundbreaking idea, but just another way to connect the Philly creative community and support our local businesses.

 

So until my local dream clients start calling me up, I’m going to take some steps to get closer to them. Some call it stalking, but I call it creative perseverance.

 

If you’re interested, just send your local dream clients my way.

alexis.siemons@gmail.com

 

lend a little. change a lot. January 31, 2008

Last week I visited the Philadelphia Free Library-Central Branch to hear an amazing person speak-Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Brief info about Dr. Yunus:
“One of the ”Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time” (BusinessWeek), economist Muhammad Yunus received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with Grameen Bank, which he founded to provide microloans to poor entrepreneurs otherwise unable to qualify for traditional bank loans. Contrary to the assertions of skeptical critics, 98% of these microloans are repaid, higher than any other banking system, and similar projects now operate in much of the world, including the United States.”

I had read articles about the work of Dr. Yunus and was truly amazed and excited to actually hear what he had to say in person. After arriving almost an hour early for the lecture, I headed downstairs to the auditorium and claimed a seat three rows from the stage. Slowly the room began to fill up and everyone was buzzing.

When Dr. Yunus finally made his way onto the stage he was greeted with a hearty anticipatory applause that would be well deserved. He spoke about how he started Grameen Bank and the journey he took to get it where it is. He made simple statements that were so powerful and inspirational, that they seemed to be hitting everyone in the soul.

His initial desire to help others came about when he saw poverty around him and felt “useless as a human being”, which pushed him to lend money to help others change their lives. This concept of “lending” is so important. If we lend time and money we are essentially investing in a better future.

Yunus also proposed that we have Social MBAs to teach prospective business owners how lead businesses that are socially conscious. He also spoke of a social stock market, where we would invest in companies that we knew were doing something good for the world. It’s about having “social business dollars [that] have an endless life and can recycle.” As he neared the end of his lecture, he asked us to imagine the day that we would need a poverty museum to show the horrors and injustices that we evolved from. Think about that for a second.

I left feeling enlightened and invigorated. During my walk home I started thinking about how important it is to transform the world from the inside out. It all comes down to our souls, hearts and our genuine care for the people in our world. We need to stop worrying about the exterior–the landscapes, the plastic surgery, and the clothes–and start looking inward. Dr. Yunus has created a bank that will change the world-he has done the hard work-now all we need to do is invest in mankind.

I could write pages about my experience-but instead I’ll just recommend that you listen the mp3 of his lecture. Huge thanks to the Free Library for the mp3 and for bringing life changing speakers like Dr. Yunus to Philadelphia!

where books live January 28, 2008

I have a very sad confession to make: The last time I was in a library was back in college (almost three years ago this June). Since graduating and moving into Philadelphia Barnes & Noble and Borders have become my city libraries (gasp!).

Anyway, last week I made my way over to the Central Library for an amazing lecture (more on that in another post).

As I neared the historic stone building I was overwhelmed by it’s beauty and mass. I stepped inside and felt a sudden excitement from being surrounded by information. I had time to explore before the lecture and found myself climbing stairs to the art section, climbing back down to see photo exhibit, then back up again for literature, and back down again for music. I probably looked overly caffeinated to those around me, as I buzzed about with a smile frozen on my face. 

I couldn’t believe that for almost three years I was using chain bookstores as a substitute. Grabbing a book about Jazz from the shelf, I was delighted to see a gorgeous green leather cover aged with use, which was a nice contrast to the “25% off” sticker that covers many books at Borders, etc. I walked in several rooms delighted that I wasn’t being confronted with a table telling me what the best sellers were or a large aisle of bargain books. My mind switched from consumer to reader. It was fabulous.

I was so absorbed with exploring, that I almost missed the lecture. Unfortunately I had to leave shortly after the lecture, but left revitalized and excited to return very soon!

history in your hands January 19, 2008

Yesterday I purchased a vintage teal blue hinge wallet from Vintage Connection (a fabulous vintage store on the corner of 9th and Bainbridge). Seconds before seeing the wallet, I held a soft, yellow, leather clutch in my hand but had suddenly been drawn to the teal leather that strongly contrasted the dark deep wood table it rested on. I quickly placed the clutch back and purchased the wallet.

Later that evening I transferred all the contents from my old wallet into the new one. I sorted through business cards, old receipts, folded fortunes from my favorite Chinese restaurant, etc.

You really do carry a lot of personality in your wallet.

As I placed my license under the clear plastic (the final step of wallet transfer), I wondered who the last owner of the wallet was? And what pictures, business cards, scraps of paper it held? That’s the beauty of vintage pieces-each one has a history-a previous owner-and true character. Since I am new to the vintage world, I am very excited to continue to collect bits of history and character with each purchase.

share well with strangers… August 14, 2007

I’m the kind of person who smiles at strangers and starts up conversations with them. I like people who hold doors, smile back, and make friendly conversation. But, there’s not enough of that. There’s not enough of community love. I’m not saying that we should all hold hands and sing Kumbaya–but just be warm, decent, helpful humans to one another. So when I first heard about Dutch Umbrella I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

If you haven’t heard about Dutch Umbrella (new to Philadelphia)…then please check it out. It’s worth the look.
Here’s a brief overview:

Dutch Umbrella (duch um-brel’e)

1. A system for the free public use of umbrellas comprised of pick-up and drop-off locations within a defined urban area.

2. A community supported effort to encourage citywide sharing, enabling the convenience of any-time umbrellas.

Local stores, restaurants, and other businesses in Philadelphia can sign up to be a Dutch umbrella location. What do they get out of it other than good karma and PR? They get mobile advertising—by having their logo printed on umbrellas.

I’m all for the logos on the umbrellas because it’s putting advertising to good use. It’s supporting community togetherness and doing what advertising should do, build their brand through positive acts.

So the next time it rains, I might actually be smiling under my Dutch Umbrella, waiting to pass it along to the next person ducking for cover.