A little more than a month ago I did not know what a Pecha Kucha was. For some strange reason the word Pecha Kucha has been popping up everywhere even in the recent book I am reading on Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery recommended in Guy Kawasaki’s book Enchantment.

Thanks to Angiemille and Dana Montenegro two young entrepreneurs investing in the well being of our Puerto Rico I had the opportunity yesterday to understand and be part of a Pecha Kucha event.

What is a Pecha Kucha?

When Angie mentioned Pecha Kucha a few weeks ago while attended the “A Jugar en Familia event” one of her non-for-profit events. I did some research and found out its main purpose which was to make Architects become more efficient in presenting ideas.

With 20 slides and 20 seconds for each slide giving an overall time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds each presenter needs to share their idea in a brief but complete way. Giving the opportunity for many others to share their ideas at one event.

I also learned from Angie that the Japanese word translates into Chit Chat.

My First Pecha Kucha

Dana Montenegro from SeriouslyCreative started of the night and focused his presentation on solving problems by experiencing them from the frontlines. Dana’s message was geared towards how on many occasions an attempt to solve problems is done from a cubicle and even when no solution is found they resist visiting the frontlines.

After Dana’s Pecha Kucha Mr. Bartolomé Gamundi took the floor. A published author who spoke about having Puerto Ricans become an Owners Society.

My Key takeaway from his Pecha Kucha was how we need to become less dependent of the U.S. even if it means receiving less federal fund in areas where the U.S. is failing. He made his case on how the No Child Left behind in education is imposed on us as a Colony making our education system even weaker.

I was very impressed by all the speakers but the Uberrican Pecha Kucha given by Pedro Ortiz from MindOven had many of my interested mixed into the presentation. Pedro spoke about how by presenting positive values you can trigger positive actions. He gave the example of the Ninety Nine which where superheroes created with values tied to the Koran and the Muslim religion and lifestyle.

I also enjoyed a very fun slide which expressed how locally so many people use social media to release negative thoughts instead of leveraging for social good.

Image by Pedro Tirado!

That particular slide had scene of Death Wish (one of my dad’s favorite movies), strangely enough when I got home Death Wish 2 was being played on TV.

Ramphis Castro from Taino App closed the night by sharing his message of how we need to start creating more to reach our dreams and goals. He expressed on how he enters his own distortion field where he sets his mind into executing and idea and learns along the way while he reaches the goal.

The individuals who presented had a common goal of improving the well being of Puerto Rico by finding solutions instead of just identifying problems.

I am not a fan of sitting in presentations because in most occasions the presenters are not sharing information that is of value to me. In this case I sat and listened trying to absorb and internalize the many ideas these 4 gentleman had to share.

I have to Congratulate Dana,Bartolomé, Pedro, and Ramphis for making those 4 presentations look like it was something very easy to do.

My thanks to Angiemille and Dana for the invite it was a very pleasant evening where I felt like our Island has not lost its enchantment yet.

I shared a few more pictures of the event on Flickr! 

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

Related Posts:

• Too Much Noise, Not Enough Engagement!
• Seriously Seeking Solutions towards a Better Puerto Rico #140conf
• Excellent Customer Service & Great Food @PFChangs San Juan
• Being Ethical Sometimes Means Less Profit
• 5 Reasons Why A Print Made Me Smile

I am really enjoying this weekend. The same reason I did not create a long post for Mother’s day. I wanted to make sure that I took the time to relax and get many things out of the way so Today Sunday I could spend time with Mom, Grandma, Lucy, and Lucy’s Family.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to share Rick’s Spanish Version of Daddyknows which we will be publishing soon in both languages on Papaheroes.com.

I hope you all have an awesome weekend and spend time with your love ones!

A big hug to all the MOM’s especially Mine, Lucilla, Myriam Gonzalez (my spiritual mom and Daniela’s Godmother), Grandma Lydia, and Grandma America (Rest In Peace)! 

English Version of Daddyknows

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

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• Learning by Investing Time for a Good Cause @soleplus

I love taking experimenting with new things and taking risks.  Like every other person when I take a risk of doing something new, I know there is a probability of failing. However that does not stop me from trying out new things.

The older I get the more I realize that to achieve results you have to attempt things and get them running. On some occasions given lack of resources you might not have an option but too attempt it yourself. The reality is that taken this attitude will also bring many failures that will eventually take you to bigger and successful projects.

Analysis Paralysis

I see many people like you and me that could accomplish great things if they at least started things and later tweaked it along the way. A mistake I made when I set up my first project, as a small business owner in 2008 was the excessive planning I did without finding the proper balance on the execution side. I attempted to run my small company as the companies I consulted and worked for. I analyzed deeply every possibly situation which resulted in delaying the process where I could start recovering the resources I had invested.

Identifying Opportunities

Once I see an opportunity I go after it. Now research and analysis consists of trying to see how I can get to where I need to be with the least resources so I can start a project.

My Latest Experiments

Photography

About a month ago I had the opportunity to spend time with Alan Weinkrantz. While he was taking Pictures in Old San Juan he gave shared some great advice on why I should take my own pictures and not use Creative Commons.

For the past month I have spend a considerable amount of time using Instagram and my Point and Shoot Camera (Ricoh CX2  ← Affiliate Link) capturing images which I can use in my blog posts, presentation, and other projects. Alan helped me understand that capturing images enhances the experience of sharing my story.

Creating Video

The other day I had the privilege to learn a few things from Bianca Estrada (@biancaest) who creates some really neat videos for Payasa Agapita. Bianca and her husband Fernando took their time and drove for 2+ hours to my house. We quickly setup a green screen to create a tutorial on how easy it could be done if you just wanted to have fun. It was a neat learning experience because when we saw the end product we realized we have many things we need to improve upon.

For me it was a win situation because I saw the unique creative process Bianca and her husband Fernando use to create a videos like the one below.

Don’t Let the Experts Say You can’t do it.

I can sit here and de-construct the many glitches I found on the video I did with Bianca and Fernando and worry about how we did not get the results we expected. I rather take a different approach and look at what I gained when I published the video below when others might think we should have not shared it.

Listen to Experts that Encourage You

When it comes to video I love listening and learning from my friend Steve Garfield back in 2010 he convinced me that to create video all I needed to do was have a device that could capture video. He also wrote Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business ( ← Amazon Affiliate Link), I consider it a manual towards creating online video. Overall Steve does a great job at sharing his knowledge on creating videos with others.

Thanks to the glitches the video above had we received constructive criticism from someone who had some great suggestions on how we could improve our Green Screen effects video. He also accepted to create a more advanced tutorial which will be publishing as a guest post in a day or two so feel free to subscribe to my blog and receive it directly via email.

Use the Experts when You Can

My previous message of not listening to the experts does not mean you should not use them. I am a fan of hiring experts for more professional matters and things I don’t feel capable of doing. To create my logos and creative images on my website I use Rick Lipsett. When I wanted to get a new Avatar I hired my high school friend and professional photographer Cesar Santiago. Even to Cut the Grass I hire landscapers because they do a better and quicker job at it.

Maybe one day I might be able to hire the expertise of Tommy Walker from Inside the Mind to create the storyline and edit my videos or my friend Alfredo Richner from Puerto Rico Indie to shoot the video locally. Until I can afford it I will have to give it a try on my own.

I believe success is doing the things you like to do and staying away from having to do those that you don’t like.

I rather try something and fail. By not trying it you keep yourself away from the experience or opportunity to learn and improve it.

So do me a favor try something new this week?

Do something that might be out of your comfort zone?

Once you accomplish it share with those around you and listen to their feedback?

Are you up for the challenge?

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

Related Posts:

• Happy Mother’s Day!
• Universal Language at “El Independiente” @puertoricoindie
• Asking for a Birthday Gift or Kick Starting One?
• Interview — Archipielago Puerto Rico Indie’s Alfredo Richner
• Connecting Art & 2 Very Talented Ricardos Via My iPhone

There are two key things that are embedded in my nature being thankful when someone does the smallest thing for me.  The second one is being very transparent with my thoughts and sharing my opinion with everyone in a healthy way.

Although some might think my transparency can hinder my business goals I try to believe the opposite. For this reason I try to focus on the part of being grateful for the opportunities and blessings I receive.

A few days ago I referred someone to a tool I love using for many of my small business tasks. I see it as a dashboard toward integrating:

• My sales efforts (for CIMA IT Solutions Corp. & Human Business Wo
• Invoicing – syncs with Freshbooks (← Affiliate Link)
• Backup of Contacts (Syncs with Gmail Contacts)
• Incoming Requests via our multiple online efforts.
• Keeps track of my communications with clients, partners, and helps me track conversations online.

Makes Life Easier

In a simple phrase Batchbook allows me to have a bit of sanity and makes my life easier.

Although I am a small business owner I am trying to keep track of things that happen on Papaheroes.com, Veglatino.com, my company, HBW, this blog, and the many other efforts I am a part off.

Batchbook is small enough for me to use but robust enough that I can cover all my bases.

But overall I like dealing with companies that care about me and with this token of appreciation I know they care about me as a customer.

Are you grateful when other people open doors for you?

What action do you take to let them know you are thankful?

Sometimes a simple handwritten note can go a long way!

By the way thank you for reading this post and thank you Batchblue for showing you care! 

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

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This guest post was inspired when Bianca Estrada (@biancaest) shared with me what they had created for the videos @PayasaAgapita & Che Che are creating. We set up a time on a saturday evening and we quickly set up the green screen at my office. The lighting was not the most appropriate so feel free to blame me with the effect on the video.

Here is Bianca’s guest post and explanation ^Raúl

Creating a video using green screen is very easy, and you can achieve it with a very low budget.

I manage Payasa Agapita’s projects and events. I like to innovate and create funny skits using technology.  Our inspiration to use a Green Screen emerged from creating videos for Payasa Agapita.

Why Use a Green Screen?

Making videos is fun, but each time we create a skit for a video, so many ideas come to mind which translates into different scenery. Recreating scenery each time we film is something difficult to achieve on a very low budget. At the same time, I do not want to limit the space or environment to one place because my wish is that each video offers something completely different.

iMovie

I use iMovie for video editing. This software is included in my Apple computer and I didn’t have the intentions of using another software without verifying what iMovie could do. And yes, iMovie works with Green Screen without installing anything else. Thank you, Steve Jobs!

Items you will need

- Any video camera: With capability of transferring files to your computer. Avoid using VHS, please!

- Neon green fabric: You can find it at any fabric store. You don’t need a specific green, just try to get it as close to the color as the one in the picture.

- Good-looking actors: Ok, if you are not as lucky then any person can participate

- Mac computer with iMovie ’11: If you are using a past version, the instructions may be a little different for you.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Hang up the fabric and try to avoid light reflecting in the back of the green screen. You can hold it with tape depending where you will be using it. I held our green screen fabric to the wall with tape. Don’t worry about folding marks; it won’t be noticed in the final work. Just avoid hard shades.

Regarding clothes, actors should not wear green. (editor’s note: or anything close to Green as I did in our intro video) If so, you will have problems during the editing process

Having said that… Let’s film!

Thanks to Artifex creation for the background picture.

Editing and Final Product

As I said previously, these instructions respond to iMovie ’11. At iMovie, click iMovie > Preferences and then click on “Show Advanced Tools”. That allows more functions within the software.

1. Look for the picture that will substitute the green screen. I recommend a picture with no people because when you insert the clip, it will look strange that some people move and others (the ones at the pic) are frozen. It can be a park, a lounge, a beach, or anything you might need.

2. Place the picture at the video-editing space of the software. Give it more time than the overall clip duration.

3. Drag the green screen clip and drop over the picture, at the beginning of it. It will show you some options and you will select “Green Screen”.

The green screen effect is done and you can see it. Later you can modify the beginning and end, include other things in your video or crop something. But regarding the green screen effect, it is done.

Hope you have fun creating videos at “different places”. Included is a video with Payasa Agapita and Che Che that was filmed using green screen.

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

Related Posts:

• To say or not to say by @ricklipsett

With the exception of a few genres of music such as “Bachata” and “Reggeaton” I enjoy listening to different genres of music. I grew up listening to Salsa most of the time since that was my Dad’s favorite. I had the opportunity to listen to other types of music when I visited my uncle and grandmother every summer in Puerto Rico.

My liking of diverse types of music reflects the many environments that I grew up around. In the late 80′s I lived in Bridgeport, CT and you would hear mostly rap and hip-hop blasting around me.

Growing up around a PuertoRican Subculture until I was 12, made me believe that for you to be Puerto Rican you have to dance and listen to Salsa.

Sadly I don’t have polished salsa-dancing skills but I am known to appreciate good dance choreography.

Music Diversity in The Motherland (Puerto Rico)

In the early 90′s we moved to Puerto Rico when I was going to enter seventh grade and I remember during our Christmas gift exchange I heard a male classmate asking for a Meatloaf CD. From there on I started on my journey to listen a variety of music such as  Hector Lavoe, M.C. Hammer, House of Pain, Fresh Prince, and experimenting with other types of music.

During my college years thanks to Napster (and the other sharing services that followed) I was able to have access to a broader diversity of music. I remember the reactions of people grabbing a ride in my car and being awed by finding that I was listening to Frank Sinatra and some Earth, Wind, and Fire eventhough I was in my 20’s .

Independent Everything is What I like

Music is so independent that it becomes its own language. On some days I listen to Bhangra, Hindi, Bossa Nova, Calle 13, and even some Country music (mostly Blake Shelton). In most Bhangra songs I understand very little of what the lyrics say but the vibes created by my Hindu brothers bring my spirits up and help me focus on what I am doing.

A few weeks ago I was invited by my friends of Puerto Rico Indie to “El Independiente Vol. 1” an event where they brought Las Robertas a Band from Costa Rica and local bands like Ardillas, Los Niños Estelares, Similar, Youvultures.

In the crowd I could see a diverse set of folks that came from different backgrounds enjoying the music played on stage. I made the effort to talk with the faces I recognized.

Los Niños Estelares

Many of us were there for one purpose; to appreciate and listen to the work of those who where playing on stage. I got to see a few of the artists and bands I had heard before thanks to the great job my friends at Puerto RIco Indie and Frecuencias Alternas have done in amplifying the reach of these independent bands.

The same way I write blog posts to connect with people on the same common interests, these bands create music to unite.

I had an awesome time at El Independiente by spending time with people that have the common interest of enjoying music.

Going to “El Independiente” made me realize that I have to find more ways to connect with people offline and see the many accomplishments our awesome local talents like Pepe Pesante (@joeprog), Ezequiel (@eldifusor), and Alfredo Richner (@puertoricoindie).

Independent Universal Language = Music

I will be waiting for El Independiente Vol 2 with the purpose of having more people like you to attend. Overall it was an event where if you went with an open mind and stayed for a good amount of time you could listen to a fusion of sounds.

As part of my goals for the near future I want to support these events as much as I can. I want to help Puerto Rico Indie’s Alfredo Richner and my friends at Frecuencias Alternas to connect people from diverse backgrounds and see what they are doing for our local artists.

Would you be interested in hearing about these events?

How would you approach spreading the word of events that unite?

I look forward to hearing from you.

External Posts on the Subject

• Reseña: El Independiente vol. 1
• Video of Las Robertas from the folks at Diálogo Digital.

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

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• Interview — Archipielago Puerto Rico Indie’s Alfredo Richner
• Creative & Serious Pecha Kucha
• Experimenting. A Solution to Analysis Paralysis
• Topless Self Expression, Noise, & Using the Right Platform
• Too Much Noise, Not Enough Engagement!

Walking the tradeshow floor at Austin’s SXSW I had the opportunity to run into the Lifedots team.

I thought it would be pretty unique if I could share what the folks at Lifedots do by helping you store and organize but most importantly enhancing the experience of sharing offline and online memories online.

Rafael De Haro was nice enough to spend some time with me discussing what Lifedots has to offer.

Do you share your memories online? Where do you feel more comfortable doing so?

If you would are interested in testing Lifedots out leave a comment?

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

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Pre-Birthday Gift to me

A few days ago I was joking around with @lucymfel on ways to upgrade my current camera Ricoh CX2 9.29MP (Black) (Affiliate Link since my Flip Cam Died on me a few months ago and I need one that can Record Video and take even better pictures. First I mentioned that if I were able to close a new deal or project I would assign a commission to buy this camera. I always have strange ideas on how I need to get to my goals so with lots of humor I suggested that I would create a kick starter for that gift and have at least 800 of my Google +, Facebook, and Twitter contacts give me a dollar I would be able to buy the camera Canon EOS Rebel T3i  Digital SLR Camera (affiliate link) that Alfredo from @puertoricoindie suggested.

Going along with my Humor

After posting my idea on Facebook and Google + I got some encouragement from two of the people I have known online for many years and would love to meet one day Olivier Blanchard and Margie Clayman. Since they have known me online for some time they both added fuel to the fire in their humorous ways.

Since they read into my humor and probably where surprised that I was asking for something (in a very selfish way) they played along. On Google Plus someone Ed Fonseca reminded me that Kickstarter did not allow such a project and recommended using indiegogo. Funny enough I went into Kickstarter to verify their rules and saw that it explicitly says that you can’t buy yourself your own camera.

Building a Business Case for my Camera

With a Camera I could do many things to enhance many of my efforts (Papa Heroes & Veglatino), I could also take better pictures of the events I get invited too, enhance my websites/blogs to attract more possible customers, improve the websites of my clients, or even better yet creating better awareness of the charities I support.

Many Things can be accomplished

There are many things I can accomplish with my camera but overall the fact that I was taught as a kid by my parents, Uncle Irving, Grandma Lydia, and Grandpa Irving that I should not ask for things and always be willing to give make it a part of my lifestyle. There are extreme occasions where it is ok to ask for something but in this case I will take a different approach.

Asking for a Birthday Gift

On my Birthday and specific dates throughout the year I use them to reflect at how things have changed from my past birthday. Looking back I can identify two charities I can identify myself with and would like you to give to them.

My friend Mark Hovarth (@hardlynormal) as I have mentioned in previous occasions helps homeless people by sharing their story. He does incredible things that I sometimes should replicate. I would like you to support his efforts. Stop over Invisiblepeople.tv and do the following share a video, share a link to one of his awesome posts, and donate what ever you can to his cause.

Our friends at Animal Welfare of Culebra & are always rescuing dogs and they always need help when it comes to covering the costs of running an animal shelter. Visit their page and donate a few dollars whatever you can.

As for me I think I am good enough for know with my Ricoh CX2 camera and the gifts @lucymfel & @danielalcolon gave me this morning.

Remember if you can’t donate $$ look for a way of donating your time, listening to someone, doing something that will probably get others to their objectives. Just saying hi and talking to a person in need 15 minutes will help make them feel human. Last year I also included a few more wishes I had for my Birthday.

Have a nice day and ending this post on a “Selfish Note“.

Happy Birthday To ME!

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

Related Posts:

• Experimenting. A Solution to Analysis Paralysis
• Abundance
• 3 Wishes…

As a fan of trying and adapting to new & emerging technologies I try to understand what they are used for and how.

Not only do I try to create a process around how I approach using them but I also make sure I look at the patterns and other factors make me use them effectively.  When I share my stories or searching for feedback on creating awareness about a few of the causes I am a supporter of I try to use this platforms to convince you.

Boobs as Weapons of Protest or Self Expression

Part of my morning routine after I spend valuable time with my daughter Is reading  @michaeldcc’s blog (one of my favorite blogs). I have many things in common with Michael although we don’t always agree, he understands that as long as we have common interests we can respect each others beliefs and still keep a healthy & very positive relationship.

Michael post on the University of Puerto Rico Student arrested because she decided to protest by being topless with the purpose of defending women’s rights regarding how a man can be publicly topless and woman can’t.

Michael shared Jay Fonseca’s video (I applaud Jay for giving Charlene another platform to share her story) he also points to the fact that the Charlene Gonzalez got arrested for violating a law of showing too much and that there are many laws locally that are not enforced so why choose to enforce this on.

Sadly Jay Fonseca decided to use a bad example by pointing the finger at a certain religious group via one of his tweets.

@MichaelDCC igual prohíbe ruidos innecesarios y no veo los arrestos en iglesias pentecostales. Hay otras formas de hacer el culto.

April 20, 2012 7:24 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@jayfonsecapr

Jay Fonseca

Other Ways Laws are Broken

I think Jay could have done a better job at using other examples where laws are not broken. I would like him to realize that by pointing at a group will not get the issue fixed or at least get this person the support she needs to allow her to express herself and improve women’s rights. I am not a fan of religious groups but I hate the fact when someone who has the power to communicate via traditional channels uses that same power in a way that can create more division than unity especially when it had nothing to do with Charlene getting arrested.

Some pet owners break the law

Laws here are broken on animal rights we see how many dogs are abandoned how pet-owners like my neighbor up front are borderline between abuse and taking ok care of the dog by keeping him on a leash all day.

Politicians and even neighbors make too much noise

We have politicians blasting music and messages with the purpose of brainwashing those who vote into voting for them. We have neighbors during the holidays (and throughout the year) blasting music and nobody gets arrested. I believe that Jay should apologize to that particular group from the sense that not all of them make inappropriate noise and he was not fair in just signaling them.

The Right Platform

I watched an interview and heard how Charlene was explaining the censorship from photos she has posted on Facebook that to her had an artistic value. She also recognizes that it is a private platform. I am big supporter also of breastfeeding and Facebook’s policies even prohibit those picture. Sadly Facebook or any other third party platform has to deal with laws against nudity etc which is the main reason why they won’t allow you to post pictures of that nature. This might be critical when you are trying to get your effort of the ground if this is your main approach at the protest.

A blog is the best platform in opinion to communicate and create awareness of any effort online.

Why give the success of your effort away to a platform that the masses use and will not allow you to use a new way of approaching an issue (even if that means nudity).

I believe in sharing how you feel about a certain subject with those around you. If people are not paying attention then you need to find a disruptive way of sharing your story (as long as you are willing to accept the consequences).

I think that Charlene has a great opportunity to run her effort and protest for women and human rights. I still think using social outposts like Facebook, twitter, and Google + is a great way to approach it as long as you point to your site or blog.  By using your blog as your Home Base it brings those with common interests closer and with a direct channel to you and your community.

Although Charlene uses her breasts as a weapon of changing minds maybe leveraging a blog will get her even further. If she needs help in setting up a blog or enhancing one she already has she can contact me and I would gladly help in any way I can.

Supporting those who Fight for Human Rights

We need more people like Charlene without fear of expressing themselves. But agreeing with many of the points of my friend Michael I do believe she needs immerse herself into what she is fighting for and find other channels so she accomplish her objectives.

What are your thoughts on using online tools to express yourself and fight for your beliefs and the rights of others?

What approach do you take when you think there is an injustice? What tips do you have for Charlene?

Our SXSW Trip Sponsors

The following companies are sponsoring Raúl Colón and made it possible for the Papaheroes to be present at SXSW 2012.

Gold Sponsor

San Juan Marriott

Feel free to like the new Red Coral Lounge page on Facebook or visit their website.

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• Make the Police Fight Crime not Students!!!
• Mad Cow Disease Epidemic in Puerto Rico

Photo from UncleGussys.com-

In 2004 I was lucky enough to end up working at KPMG’s New York office. I little than more than two years before while visiting my parents in Connecticut I had wished I could work in New York for even a short period of time. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for but in this case it turned to bring many positive results.

I worked in a few places but my short stay at KPMG has continued to give many years after I left. On the career side it is always a plus to say that I worked at a Big 4 CPA & Consulting firm but where I really get the value is the great relationships I created and that I have kept in touch with many years after leaving the firm.

Not a place to Nurture your Entrepreneurial Spirit

I met some great people at the firm many who I consider friends but looking back I met very few entrepreneurs that wanted to set up their own business. At the time I worked at KPMG it was a great place to be since Sarbanes Oxley had created so much income for the firm we worked hard but also got many perks. This can also lead into creating a dependency in staying with the firm so you don’t lose those perks or the possibility of reaching higher levels in the firm.

Given how complex it is to become partner of the firm you would think that many would build up the courage to immediately leave the firm and start their own shop but most of the people I met left to start new journeys at other corporations. If you are willing to stay in the firm you have to follow the corporate ladder and work yourself up like in any other big company. Overall I don’t see KPMG supporting many entrepreneurs many like me left the firm with their sights on their next corporate gig.

An entrepreneur with a Vision

While working at KPMG I met this really nice guy that worked in KPMG’s IT department helping people like me to have the much needed tools to work with.

Nicolas was a guy that was very customer oriented and patient he had direct contact with many in the firm since every piece of hardware you needed Nicolas was probably the person that would hand it over to you. I am not sure how long Nicolas was at that position but one day when I went to pick up a device I ordered he mentioned that he was leaving the firm to set up a Coffee, Bagel, and pastry Cart.

Yes Nicolas had decided to leave the corporate lifestyle and try to set up his mobile coffee shop. A small business in mid-town next to the huge office building we worked in 345 Park Ave. near the Waldorf Astoria. Working in New York I became a big fan of Bagels and I remember that I stopped using the internal cafeteria and would walk outside to get bagels, coffee, and to say hi to Nicolas.

On occasions we would do some bartering I would make him some of my homemade Coquito and Sangria and in other occasions I would have to almost fight Nicolas so he would let me pay with the local currency (dollar). For some reason the local currency lost its value when you where one of Nicolas friends (a privilege I am very grateful to have). On many occasions I would grab everyone’s order in the office to make sure that Nicolas would at least make a profit out of my visits (he still gave me complimentary coffee and bagels for myself).

Customer Service Rock Star

Nicolas is the type of person that would know exactly what bagel or pastry you wanted and how many sugars you wanted in your coffee. In a place like New York where so many sometimes forget to smile I am sure Nic’s customers got plenty of genuine smiles and good vibes in the process of them getting their morning caffeine fix.

Growing the Business

I moved back to Puerto Rico and when I go back to New York City I stop by the office and say hi to the few ex-coworkers that are still at KPMG. I also make an effort to stop and greet Nic while he is working but I have seen how from one Coffee Cart he moved over to having a few and now he runs his Uncle Gussy’s Food Truck which was featured in the video below.

Positive Offline & Online Vibes

Yesterday I found out that Nic’s Food Truck @unclegussys was on twitter and I started following him. I sent a tweet and minutes later I got Nic answering me on the account. Although he is extremely busy he found a way to say hi.

This is the first occasion where I know someone and via twitter I get the feeling that he was talking right next to me. Nic’s good and positive vibes where transmitted via his twitter account and other text messages we shared.

I get to see Nic maybe once a year but in a strange way I think the passion of what he does is something I admire and keeps me connected with him.

I am very happy to see Nic growing his business. Years later when I set up CIMA IT I joined Nic in the journey of going on my own I know the effort and energy that needs to be put into it.

I wish Nic and his family the best and I can’t wait to see a franchise of Uncle Gusy’s Food Trucks around New York City. Or even better yet some real Greek cuisine down here in the Island of Enchantment.

But most importantly if you are in Midtown New York City please stop by Uncle Gusy’s and let Nic know you are a friend of mine.

Do you know of any Rock Star Passionate Small Business Owners like Nic? Feel free to mention them and share your twitter feeds.

More on Uncle Gussy’s here:

• Review of Superlative Eats NYC

• Yelp Review

• Menu Pages

• Zagat

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