Mari Moss has recently been voted one of the top twenty-somethings under the age of 40 for Stark County, Ohio. The YStark award honors young leaders who have exhibited leadership and dedication to community. Mari is featured in Chapter 24 of Millennial Leaders.

Get the full story here.

Following is a profile of one of the 20 Stark County professionals under age 40 being recognized by YSTARK! as among the best and brightest young leaders in our community:

She realizes it’s pie in the sky, but Mari Moss would love to create hundreds of jobs for young people in Stark County.

She envisions 21st century jobs that use creativity and technology. They would be jobs that connect to young people and help keep them in the area.

She won’t stop dreaming, but Moss will settle for the chance to make a positive impression in the lives of Stark County’s youth. She wants to help inspire kids, show them there are positive things in the world and that they can make positive decisions.

It’s a mission Moss has pursued since 2002 when she launched PEACE TV. She said she is trying to give something back to the community by working with young people.

She believes young people will be inclined to remain in the area and participate in the community if others listen to their ideas and put them to use.

“It will increase participation in the community,” Moss said. “When your ideas are received, you feel a part of the community.”

ABOUT MARI

Age: 29

Education: Timken High School graduate; bachelor’s degree in psychology, Hampton University, Hampton, Va.

In the community: In 2002, launched PEACE TV (Positive Events in Arts Culture and Education Television) as a way to inspire youth through artistic expression and sport-related programs and projects.

Accomplishments: Martin Luther King Jr. Community Builder Award in 2006; Ohio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission; Pathfinder Award this year; assistant talent coordinator, Inner City Theater Group’s “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” New York City.

Family: Single; fiancé, Christopher Yawn; daughter of the Revs. Walter and Darleen Moss.

Nominated by: Bob Bowers, Absolute Post Productions Inc., and Steve Katz, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Bowers says: “Mari is one of a kind. People, and especially young people, like her come along very rarely.”

Katz says: “Her efforts provide young people with positive alternatives to gang violence, drug abuse and other risky business.”

Great article in the Wall Street Journal:  The Next American Frontier and a blog post on Business Week to follow that is interesting.

I do believe that the entrepreneurial spirit is thriving with Gen Y.  Even if they are not running a business, they think like entrepreneurs, which can actually be a huge asset in both small business and corporations.

I have recently found out about the new company CollegeMogul.   Very cool company.

The venture was  co-founded by February 2008 by student entrepreneurs Alex Lindahl, Miles Lennon and Henry Khachatryan.  The site profiles and reviews businesses and other initiatives developed by students and recent college grads.  Great site for Gen Y and anyone wanting to know more about what they’re up to in the world (which is big stuff!)

Check out CollegeMogul.com today.

Some fresh faces…Gen Y’s who are making a significant mark on the biz world…Just expect more of this to come!

Congratulations!

Faces of the Future 

As I am traveling around the country speaking to companies and conferences about Gen Y, a question keeps popping up

How do I prevent my Gen Y workers from becoming bored and restless?

My response to this question is this “Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit of Gen Y”. Let me explain.

Generation Y is the most entrepreneurial generation in history. It is not uncommon for members of Gen Y to be working full time for an organization while running a small business or a non-profit organization outside of work. Most Gen Y’s will tell you that they see themselves in 2 careers: One that is working for a company or for their own business and one that allows them the time to give back to their community.

The need for flexible work hours, the ability to work from home and the opportunity to work as a community volunteer during the work week will increase as Gen Y tries to balance a full time job with their own social and entrepreneurial interests. Employers who embrace this entrepreneurial spirit, help to cultivate it and support Gen Y in having their own business and giving back to their local and greater community will be much more competitive than employers who don’t embrace this notion. These opportunities can expand a company’s internal and external network and new ideas will be born as Gen Y brings their best practices from their own life back to your organization.

We are certainly in an era that embraces the free agent. Your company can grow by leaps and bounds by teaching young talent about how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, one which focuses on not just working for your company but ON the company…on its growth and development. By getting Gen Y involved in creative ideas for growing your company, you will find that they are much more invested in your mission and in the long-term success for your company.

If you have not read A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, I highly recommend it as required reading for everyone in your company. Give it out to your Gen Y employees the first day on the job, ask them to read it, and then sit down with them to find out what ideas they have that will spark creativity for your team. You might just be surprised at what you come up with.

Millennial Leaders

As we move into the future, the face of leadership is going to change. As the Millennial Generation explodes onto the business scene, they will be bringing with them an entrepreneurial spirit unlike anything we have seen before in history. In order to lead in the future, not only are we all going to be called to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur, we are going to be challenged to shift our thinking and to start challenging our assumptions about the human dynamics which are at play for all business leaders…and those dynamics are going to be moving heaven and earth (just look at what is going on in our world today economically, politically and socially).

To help you along your journey, I am recommending two must reads (and I don’t recommend books that often). These two books are critical additions to your library, because both of these authors have worn many hats in life, have experienced a huge variety of business opportunities and will be the first to admit that they have made mistakes along the way. In spite of any demons they have met in the past, everything they have touched has turned to gold (so of course, why would you not read their books).

So…here we go…the two top reads for this month are:

Beyond Booked Solid: Your Business, Your Life, Your Way Its All Inside by Michael Port

I have come to the conclusion that anyone and their grandmother can write a marketing book. But…writing a marketing book with passion and from the human emotions we all experience as business owners requires a master craftsman. Michael Port is truly such a master, and this book is at the top of my list of biz books for 2008. Port goes deep…challenging business owners to look at the internal shifts required to go from being a great business owner to one making a significant impact on the world. As we all know, each growth phase of a business requires a new attitude and a new way of seeing your business and the world, and I can promise you this…if you read this book, your life and business are going to change for the better, and there’s no turning back…you will never see your business or your life as you see it today (and that is a great thing…as I always say, you can’t do what you’ve always done to get where you’re going today and tomorrow!). Fabulous!

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Companies by Michael Gerber

Michael Gerber’s mission is “to create a turnkey system for awakening the entrepreneur within every person who wishes to go into business for themselves, while providing them with the support for doing it”. Well, he has certainly achieved this mission with this passionate book…calling even the most frustrated entrepreneurs to start dreaming big about what they want for their businesses and their lives. As with The E-Myth Books, Gerber makes this simple and just a great read. You can read the entire book on a Saturday afternoon (while sipping hot tea or coffee in your snuggly robe, but after you read it, you are going to want a hot night out on the town dressed to the nines, because the book will set your soul on fire!) Truly inspiring!

Everyone keeps talking about how Obama has leveraged Web 2.0 Technologies better than his opponents. But there’s something else going on. And that is how do people find these videos, podcasts, and blogs. It is not just by going to YouTube.com. Instead, it is based on online word of mouth. Younger folks are forwarding Web addresses in their emails, or leveraging ‘beacons’ on sites like FaceBook. Beacons basically let your friends know what you are doing, such as ‘listening to Podcast of Obama’s speeches. According to Gen Yers, I speak with, they are subscribing less and less to paper based newspapers and reading more online. And it is there friends and coworkers who are using the Web to let them know what to read online. This also impacts the type of info consumed by Gen Yers. Instead of reading what experts think about an event, users just go to a recording the event (after they receive an email from a friend).

“The world has changed, and it’s not turning back.”
~DK of MediaSnackers

The “new media” — Internet, mobile technology, interactive television — has redefined mass communication. While older generations are trying to learn, adapt, and basically keep up with youth in this area, Gen Y’ers are taking to all these formats seamlessly. Blogging, podcasts, and vodcasts (video blogs) are supplanting traditional channels. The speed with which these messages are delivered feeds right into the Gen Y desire for instant gratification.

But with all these advances happening overnight, training in the technology has become a must. MediaSnackers, a UK based company dedicated to helping organizations work with young people to generate new strategies and operations in social media, has risen to the challenge, incorporating the “quick bits” learning and processing style of Gen Y.  The company works with young people to train them to use the new media, as well as instilling a sense of responsibility about the global impact of their efforts.

The company’s founder is as unique as the organization itself. DK — that’s his entire moniker — knows how Gen Y’ers learn, what they expect from technology, and how the new media unleashes their creativity. The colorful UK native works within the gap between the Gen Y’ers, who are embracing this technology at the speed of sound, and their confused managers, who are still stumbling with new media.

We had the privelege last year to interview DK of MediaSnackers for The Gen Y Project (Check out their impressive 2008 pro bono project here). DK has very generously opted to not have his chapter appear in our book but to be given away as a bonus chapter to help each of you in supporting Generation Y in their development in the future.

Download the bonus chapter featuring DK of MediaSnackers here.  This is a great chapter, so thank-you DK!

Listen to the interview with DK for The Gen Y Project:

 

 DK of Media Snackers [63:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you enjoyed this interview with DK, you are going to love the book Millennial Leaders.  Pick up a copy today through Amazon.com.

Listen in to one of America’s leading young entrepreneurs, Doug Fath. Doug is Founder and President of Faithful Investments, LLC, a company which focuses on acquiring income producing properties in transitional areas that are on the cutting edge of urban revitalization. Fath is also the Founder of Wealthy Passion.com, which teaches young entrepreneurs how to be successful doing what they love! You are going to LOVE this show!

Visit these three websites to gather more information:

http://www.faithfulinvestments.com

http://www.wealthypassion.com

http://investingincashflow.com

When you visit http://www.InvestingInCashFlow.com , you can download Doug Fath’s “Investing in Cashflow Manifesto”. Great document! Also…while you are out there, contact Doug about coaching. If you want to know how to turn your investments into wealth, he’s definitely the person to call!

Listen to the interview here:

 

 Doug Faith [30:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ryan Allis is one of those young entrepreneurs who at age 14 was busy building a web design company while his peers were trying to figure out how to date the hottest girl on their middle school or high school campus.

He is only 23, and he is building a mega company iContact. A great article appeared about Ryan today in the Raleigh News and Observer: CEO, 23 shares tips on start ups

We will be featuring Ryan on Y-Talk Radio on February 23 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. You don’t want to miss this call!

He also has a new book coming out…Zero to One Million: How I Built My Company to $1 Million in Sales . . . and How You Can, Too

So…make sure to mark your calendar for Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.