Lou it Now

Silicon Valley Fashion Week?! Uh huh.

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Last month I wrapped production on the the most unique event I’ve ever been a part of: Silicon Valley Fashion Week?! And yes, the exclamation mark and question mark are intentional. While other Fashion Week events typically showcase high fashion and glamour, this event featured designers that cross over into technology, the maker world, Burning Man and other creative fields.

The event was hosted by Betabrand, the SF based clothing retailer that is known for its unique and newsworthy pieces, like the disco jacket and yoga pants you can wear to work.  Zappos.com was the co-sponsor. I produced the event with two other producers, Mustafa and Sara, as a team under Mustafa Productions.  This event was unique in that we produced everything from content to exhibitors to logistics. It was so fun to be part of putting together the content and spectacle of the show and not just managing the logistics. Betabrand and Zappos.com were a true pleasure to work with.

Some highlights of the the three days for me included:

Warrior Within Designs

A performance by hip-hop dance group The Tribe

Tinsel: jewelry that doubles as headphones

Heidi Lee and this amazing head piece

Boho Coats

Dress Abstract

An epic balloon drop finale!

Black Light Visuals: a paint that that creates a marbling effect on your body.

Life-sized human crane sponsored by Zappos.com

We received some great press coverage:

New York Times: Silicon Valley Fashion Week is No Joke

CNN Money: This is how Silicon Valley throws a Fashion Week

Engadget: High tech meets haute couture at Silicon Valley Fashion Week

Women’s Wear Daily: Why Silicon Valley Fashion Week?! Is Not a Joke

Yahoo News: Why Silicon Valley Fashion Week?! is Not a Joke

SFGate: Latest in high tech fashion from Silicon Valley Fashion Week?!

It was such a fun opportunity to be a part of this event and to take on a different role than I typically do. It was really meaningful to produce an event that showcased creativity with the designers, performers and exhibitors. Next year, we are shooting for an article in Vogue! We can dream, right? 🙂

I’m in a Dance Company (and other creative things I’ve been up to this summer)

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I have dabbled in a few creative things over the years but I’ve really felt pulled to do MORE recently– whether that’s sharing a message about creativity or creating experiences, instead of just participating in them. Doing creative things on my own is great but I feel like I am being of the most service when I can share or create an experience with other people.

While I figure it out, I’m throwing myself into every creative endeavor I can manage. Here’s what I’ve been up to!

Ukulele Lessons and (gulp) Performing

I have been taking ukulele classes this summer with the lovely Cynthia Lin. She teaches group classes that run in 6 week increments and it has been the perfect structure for me. I’ve taken two six week series and hope to continue on. The environment is super supportive and Cynthia makes learning as minimally frustrating as possible!

In the spirit of pushing my comfort zone I signed up to be considered as a presenter for a “Show and Tell” type event hosted by my fitness community November Project – San Francisco. I performed “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga using my bare minimum ukulele skills. Talk about nerve-wracking but SO.MUCH.FUN. The November Project community is the most supportive group of people you will find so I am super grateful that I could make my ukulele “debut” with them.

Here is a recording of the performance and all the brave presenters from the evening (start from the beginning).

Jam Session

I got the idea a couple months ago to organize a jam session type event that would be collaborative and have a performance aspect at the end. I’ve jammed with friends before and after a couple hours I found myself wishing I could share this experience with other people and to have it “culminate” in something like a performance. I decided to experiment with this with an event in late June with a friend to see what would happen!

I posted a synopsis of what happened on Facebook, along with the performances in the first comment below. I get overwhelmed with gratitude when I think about that evening. The hope is to do another one before the year closes!

No Mirror Movement

I auditioned and made it onto a new dance company called No Mirror Movement and I am SO.EXCITED. for what is to come. The company’s mission is to create dance art that shares a message of positive body image and self-love, as well as events and programs that give people confidence to dance and be in their bodies. The director/founder of the company is a badass, uplifting woman and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of something so special. We focus on the dance styles of hip-hop, contemporary and waacking.

Our scheduled events so far include:

If you’re in the Bay Area, I would LOVE to see you at one or more of these events. There are a lot of exciting things in the works and I’m super excited for the journey that is to come with it.

Producing Creative Events

I have been exploring what it looks like more to produce events that have a creativity and play focus. I production assisted a couple Late Nite Art events this summer after I reached out to the co-founder. I also had the opportunity to produce the crowdfunding wrap party for Full Out Studios, a new dance studio in Oakland that is owned and operated by a couple dance teachers I take from.

I also recently took on a co-producer role for Silicon Valley Fashion Week? 2016. Yes, the question mark is intentional 🙂 The event will showcase three nights of tech, fashion, performances and speakers all in one creative, quirky, entertaining show.

I am also hard at work for the Code for America Summit where my role is to be in charge of all the sponsors and their marketing and onsite deliverables. It’s just shy of a couple months away so it’s getting busy. They are an amazing organization so I’m super excited to be supporting them again with their Summit.

I have lots of balls in the air and still lots of other ideas for projects. I don’t know the bigger picture behind all these creative endeavors and ideas yet so I’m trying to stay open to the process while I figure it out and most importantly, HAVE FUN while I do it. I’m not sure how everything will come under one big umbrella that will include events (for clients and that I host), community, creativity, play, dance and music. For anyone that is reading this, thanks for allowing me to share my journey. I would love to hear from you about what you’ve learned about figuring out your own big picture and how you strategically choose what to focus on. Until then, here’s to more play and creativity in all of our lives!

If you want to stay in the loop about any other creative projects or events that come up, sign up here!



Sales Machine Recap

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I returned from a trip to New York a couple weeks ago where I was a producer for the Sales Machine Summit. I managed the speakers and stage for the Breakout Stage. It was my third time working with this particular client but it was a first-time conference and it went very well. Our team ran like a well-oiled machine and we all rocked our areas. Not to mention that we made all those Sales Machine t-shirts look gooooooooood.

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One of the keynote speakers on the Main Stage was none other than Seth Godin. One of the very first events I produced when I moved to San Francisco was an event with a panel that Seth moderated in NYC nearly seven years ago. I had no idea who he was when I signed on for the project. I didn’t interact with him much at the event but I read his book Linchpin on my flight home and it changed my life.

Linchpin was all about how we have all the ability to be linchpins– people who are indispensable and make everything better for having been a part of it. Linchpins do their work like an artist creates art. They change people and make a difference. I was so moved by the book and have been finding my way to make my mark on this world ever since. I highly recommend that you read his blog once in a while.

I had the opportunity to be with Seth during his tech runthrough with my fellow Speaker Manager who was in charge of the main stage. I had the chance to tell him that he has really impacted my life and that I hope to host my own events soon.  He has made such an impact on my life that I was afraid I would get overemotional when I was speaking with him but I remained collected– YAY.

I managed the speakers on the smaller stage which consisted of lots of panels and product demonstrations from sponsor companies. Speaker and stage management is a high-energy job that I really enjoy. I get to make sure the people that are bringing the content and knowledge to the attendees is prepared to put on a super impactful talk. I juggle all the moving parts between the speaker, timing of the show and communicating with the audio-visual team. The fast-paced nature of it is such a blast for me.

My focus has shifted to working on the upcoming Code for America Summit where I will be in charge of their sponsors. I am managing their deliverables leading up to the Summit, such as inclusion on marketing materials, as well as the logistics around their booths during the “Tech Fair.” Code for America is an awesome organization that does work to create more transparency and efficiency in government with technology. They are one of my favorite clients and I’m so excited to be working with then for the fifth year in a row!

Pulse 2016. Or That Time I Was On the Other Side of a Conference

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I am usually on the production side of a conference– managing the timeline, confirming details, communicating with speakers, running the show onstage, etc. It is a blast and I love what I do.

I had the opportunity to be on the other side of a conference today as an onstage performer. One of my dance teachers runs a company that puts on flash mobs and dance pieces for marriage proposals, live events/conferences and special occasions. Since we are a part of his community we are lucky enough to get the opportunity to perform in these pieces.

Now, this one would be unique. It was for a conference for the customer success community and the pieces would be Disney and 90’s inspired. Um, yes please.

The lyrics of the songs were changed to tell the story of how a customer success manager does their job. For example, one of the songs was “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Instead of the lyrics being “I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid.” they were changed to “I can show you a demo, Monday Tuesday of next week.” “Circle of Life” was all about a customer’s lifecycle, etc. It was brilliant and So. Much. Fun. And just about as cheesy as you can imagine.

The audience was in the 2,000+ range so there were definitely nerves. In the end the performance went great and our client was absolutely thrilled.

The brilliance of this performance was that it was created for the purpose of getting the message and content of the conference across in a more impactful way. The song and dance aspect made the content more memorable and broke up the familiar Keynote and Panel formats that you typically have at conferences. I hope that this signals an oncoming trend for how companies revamp the way content is presented at conferences. I sure hope so! Creativity doesn’t have to live by itself– it can be intertwined with business and yes, even at a conference about customer success!

Whenever I dance, sing, perform, or express myself in a creative way it brings me back to a place of being young, free and unburdened. And if I can be lucky enough to do it for a purpose, I am beyond elated. I’ve always felt that I had this performer in me but growing up I was too afraid to really put myself out there. I didn’t feel good enough and was afraid of what others would think.

These past few years in my “adulthood” I decided that I owed it to myself to put myself out there a bit more; to seek ways to be creative and to fumble around a bit with expressing myself. I decided to not focus on being perfect and to look at each opportunity as the chance to grow. There would be no intention to do it full-time but perhaps I am able to have some sort of creative expression in my life on an ongoing basis.

I am continuing to play around with what this looks like in my life so will stay open to what opportunities are out there and what calls to me.

Some images and videos from the performance

Update: Here is the video of the performance!

How to Create an SOP Guide in 5 Easy Steps

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A Standard Operations Procedures (SOP) Guide: It sounds much more intimidating than it is when it really is just a fancy term for documenting how things get done in your business. And yes, while it sounds totally boring, it is super imperative for your business as you scale and start to outsource.

You will need an SOP Guide to make sure tasks are delegated and executed correctly. Unless you are super specific about how you want something executed, there is a good chance that it won’t happen the correct way.

I’ve broken the process for creating your SOP Guide in five easy steps. That’s right- just five steps!

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Virtual Freedom: Takeaways from Chris Ducker’s new book

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The concept of online businesses and running virtual teams is still hard for some people to wrap their head around. It makes me so happy that thought leaders are trying to change this by building awareness about this world.

That’s why I was so excited when Chris Ducker released his new book Virtual Freedom. I had the pleasure of attending the book launch party in Portland during World Domination Summit where I picked up my copy. Chris is a well-known virtual CEO and has been an advocate of outsourcing and virtual teams for a long time. The book dives into his own story of working tiring hours as a CEO with no freedom (afflicted with “Superhero Syndrome), and the strategies he’s learned about outsourcing and working with virtual teams.

I highly recommend the book for anyone that runs an online business (whether you are ready to outsource or not). Chris breaks down the different Virtual Assistants or VA’s (the overarching term for any virtual team member you bring on your team) that a business owner will work with and the strategies for how one works with each. He debunks myths and addresses common concerns amongst business owners for outsourcing.

You will need to read the whole book to get all of his juicy tips. In the meantime, I’ve summarized my key takeaways from the book.

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How to Create an Engaged, Loyal Virtual Team

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A virtual team can be a life saver for an online business owner. Your team members may be spread across the country or even the globe. When your staff work virtually, you don’t have activities that typical companies have like team-building workshops, happy hours and holiday parties. So if you don’t see each other in person on a regular basis, is there a way to make virtual staff feel like they are a part of a team? Absolutely!

I’ve worked in many virtual teams and the teams where we were engaged on an ongoing basis made it much more enjoyable and a place that I was excited to work for everyday. I was made to feel like I was on a mission with colleagues. I wasn’t just in a corner by myself plugging away day-after-day.

If your staff is engaged, chances are that they will be loyal and stay on your team long-term and stay loyal to you and your business.

Here are some quick easy tips that I’ve learned from working in some amazing virtual teams. All thanks to everything I’ve learned from them!

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Why Systems Are Essential For Your Business

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If your business is sucking the life out of you, your business is not broken. I promise.

Your business needs systems!

First things first: What are systems, you ask? I define systems as the process for how things get done. Whether you know it or not, you have a system for everything in your life. When you intentionally create systems, THAT is when your business will not suck the life out of you.

You might be wondering, “Why the heck would I create systems when I am busy running a business?” Putting together systems may not seem urgent, but goodness it is important! Here’s why.

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Structuring Your Team Support

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Whether you are starting up or have an established online business, the right team structure can make all the difference. You started an online business to live your best life and the right team support can make that a reality.

But how should you structure the support in your business as it grows beyond what you can do on your own? What if you are just starting out and you’re not sure what support you should have?

Depending on the phase your business is in, you may structure your support in one of  three ways.

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A New Chapter

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Welcome to the new Lou It Now! 2014 has been very busy and transitional as I decided to part ways with the client I was grateful to support for a year and a half: Watermark.  They are doing great work to advocate for women in executive level positions and boards. Go check out one of their events if you are in the Bay Area!

You will notice there are new About and Work With Me pages where I share about my online business management services. Last Fall I took (and passed!) Tina Forsyth’s online business management training and certification program so I could be equipped to support clients at a higher level. Online business management is a service that frees up online business entrepreneurs to think strategically and creatively by managing the systems, team and projects.

I like to define it as supporting established online entrepreneurs to get stuff done so they are freed up to focus on only what they can do.

It’s an exciting time as I launch into this new phase of my life. I expect nothing less than a roller-coaster of highs and lows but I am looking forward to the journey.

It is my goal to serve online business owners so they do the work they were meant to do. If you have an online business and you are struggling with your systems, let me know in the comments or contact me and I will do my best to respond personally or in a blog post.

I look forward to connecting with you!