Communal / SOCO Show

Patrick is a serial entrepreneur, a lot of people say that, but he truly is one. He leads from both his head and his heart and I have loved every conversation i've had with him since connecting at last year's Growth Summit here in Columbia, SC. Patrick has a ton of experience leading businesses of all kinds and shares some deep knowledge for all of us in this conversation. About Patrick LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Link Patrick Bryant is a co-founder of Code/+/Trust software development firm in Charleston, SC. After co-founding his first company, Go To Team (broadcast video services) and taking it to 20 offices around the US 25 years ago, his bio is then a steady stream of starting new companies in media, rolling papers, and software. As a serial entrepreneur, he continues to start and invest in new startups including, Teamphoria (human resource engagement software), Event.Gives (fundraising event software), CrewMama (crew production directory software) & Shine Rolling Papers. Bryant feels strongly about making Charleston and South Carolina a better place to work as an Entrepreneur. He serves as a Trustee of Trident Tech, on the SC Department of Workforce & Employment Workforce Review Committee, chairs the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, and was previously Chairman of Palmetto Goodwill and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. He’s recognized as a Liberty Fellow by Wofford College, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and as a Riley Fellow granted by Furman University. Bryant resides in Isle of Palms, SC with his partner Nancy Mace and has two grown sons Pate and Jack. Bryant loves the start-up process… that moment when you create something innovative that can scale… when you see that clear vision of how to get a unique product or service to everyone on the planet. And then build a company around it with talented creative people. After years as a serial entrepreneur, he founded the Harbor Entrepreneur Center to provide a place to help others launch companies and create collision among the other entrepreneurs in the region.

Dan has been what I’d call a “Digital Nomad” for a while now but recently settled down in Nashville, TN. We talk about what remote working looks like for him and some of the projects he’s gotten himself into recently as well as reminiscing about Front End Design Conf and all things community. Dan is a Front-end Developer DataCamp (https://www.datacamp.com/) and Uncovered (https://uncovered.com/) he is a lover of all things design and development related. He is also the original Founder of Front End Design Conference (https://frontenddesignconference.com/). Currently living and working out of Nashville, TN. https://www.dandenney.com https://twitter.com/dandenney https://www.instagram.com/dandenney/ https://github.com/dandenney

Greg & Gene discuss tools and tactics for looking back at your year and setting goals for the next one. How it can be a helpful and rewarding process. Here are some steps you can follow to make the most of this exercise: Reflect on your year: Take some time to think about the events, experiences, and accomplishments of the past year. What went well? What didn’t go as planned? What did you learn from these experiences? Identify your values and priorities: Consider what is most important to you in life. This could be things like family, career, personal growth, or health. Understanding your values and priorities will help you set goals that align with what matters most to you. Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals: To make your goals as effective as possible, try to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of setting a goal to “exercise more,” you could set a goal to “exercise for 30 minutes, three times per week.” Make a plan: Once you have identified your goals, think about what steps you need to take to achieve them. Break your goals down into smaller, more manageable tasks and create a plan of action. Track your progress: As you work towards your goals, make sure to track your progress. This can help you stay motivated and see how far you’ve come. Be flexible: While it’s important to have a plan, it’s also important to be flexible and adapt to changes that may come up. If you encounter challenges or setbacks, don’t be afraid to adjust your goals or your plan as needed. Overall, the process of looking back at your year and setting goals for the next one can be a valuable opportunity to reflect on your past experiences and chart a path forward. By setting SMA

Erinn Rowe serves as CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank, managing the organization’s operations through its three locations in the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate of South Carolina. Prior to joining Harvest Hope, Erinn worked with Bank of America for 10 years as the Senior Treasury Sales Analyst for Commercial Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In this role, Erinn and her team worked with companies that had revenue ranging from $5 million to $2 billion annually, proactively providing relevant insights and integrated financial solutions to help those companies succeed. Before banking, Erinn owned and operated a franchise of Young Chef’s Academy, a children’s cooking school which promoted healthy eating and skill-based learning for kids and adults of all ages. Erinn and her family live in the Midlands of South Carolina.

Why is running your business such a lonely adventure? It doesn’t have to be that way. Find your people, your group, your mentors to help you on your journey. What is SOCO FORUMS? Peer mentoring and coaching designed to help passionate, hard working entrepreneurs like you make a life and not just a living. Forums was designed by SOCO, a thriving platform and community focused on supporting indie workers, creators and entrepreneurs JUST LIKE YOU.  We’ve spent nearly a decade working with hundreds of entrepreneurs to help them build a life and not just a living.  It’s our passion, our “zone of genius” and what gets us out of bed in the morning. https://soco-work.com/forums

Kelvin is speaking at the 2022 Growth Summit – 701 Whaley in Columbia, SC – OCTOBER 19-21st Growth Summit is the premiere entrepreneurial event in SC with 40+ speakers and thought leaders, 24 sessions, 4 keynotes and over 400 attendees.  SOCO is an organizer, sponsor and partner in the event. Kelvin’s session is called “How I followed my passion to turn my side hustle into a successful business” on Thursday, October 20th at 10am Tickets at: growth-summit.org Kelvin Davis is the founder and creator of Notoriously Dapper, a body positive menswear blog showcasing outfits to inspire men of all sizes to find confidence in their appearance. Blogging with this purpose has led him to becoming a signed Model & Influencer to Bridge Models; an agency dedicated to bringing body diversity to the fashion and entertainment industry. Kelvin has also modeled for the likes of Target, GAP, Vineyard Vines, Nike and more. On his Instagram he shares images that empower us all to love ourselves while continuing to spread the message of being your best self. Kelvin has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Daily Mail and The New York Post for his contributions to male body positivity. He continues to break modeling standards and push the fashion industry to be more inclusive of all body types and races. Kelvin lives this message in his daily life, inspiring men and women worldwide to simply love themselves by finding and embracing the beauty within. A leading light in the body confidence movement for men, his persona offers empowerment and wisdom that contributes to building self-esteem for everyone. In his own words, “You have to choose to be great; always remember clothing has sizes but style does not.” Now, as an award nominated author, he is spreading that same positivity through Notoriously Dapper: How to be a Modern Gentleman with Manners, Style and Body Confidence.

https://www.facebook.com/angie.wolff.79 https://www.fitcolumbia.com IN HER OWN WORDS… https://www.fitcolumbia.com/angie-yong-sellers “I believe when you teach one person, they share it with their whole village. The ripple effect of ‘I got this’ happens every time I work with a client, teach a workshop, or lead a retreat.” I am a motivational speaker, fitness trainer, master yogi, and entrepreneur who teaches self-care and encourage badass-ery.  I was a sixteen year strength and conditioning coach turned yogi. Hyper competitive to thriving on an unhurried life. I am a certified Thai yoga bodyworker with over 500 hours of formal yoga training. I have traveled the world studying physical therapy modalities and healing methods to expand my ability to help people increase mobility, recover from injuries and prevent them. I am a former athlete and coach, I work with Olympians, Grammy winning musicians, ultra runners and professional athletes as well as with people of every age and fitness level who want to be more active and enjoy life. My most cherished belief is in holding space. Each session is unique, clients come in with different needs and they each need to be accommodated. I offer private sessions for individuals, couples and small groups.  Private sessions range from personal training, yoga, stretching.

Imposter syndrome refers to an individual’s fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” The term was coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes who found that high-achieving women were plagued with feelings of intellectual fraudulence and inauthenticity. Unfounded belief that you're not qualified to do your job. Fear of being “found out” and unmasked as an unqualified business person. Feel like it was just luck or timing that led you to where you are. Fear of being found out as incompetent. A belief that you're an imposter and not the business owner or business professional you should be. Feeling like a fraud. Efforts are based on fear of failure rather than driven by a passion for success. https://www.agencymavericks.com/5-steps-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome/ How it can show itself in your business/agency Imposter Syndrome can lead to all sorts of problems at your agency. For example: Under-charging during the sales process Over-servicing clients Hiring the wrong people Sticking with poor-fit clients too long Feeling too much stress from being too hard on yourself Signs of IS Desire to be the best. Perfectionistic tendency. Fear of failure. Discounting praise as invalid. Guilt and fear about success. Concern about maintaining performance. A lack of happiness when successful. https://www.business2community.com/leadership/imposter-syndrome-7-signs-you-have-it-and-5-tips-to-fix-it-02428873 7 Signs of Low Self-Esteem Self-esteem is just the reputation you have with yourself. 1. You define yourself by your past. 2. You procrastinate on your passions. 3. You’re hypercritical of others. 4. You’re unwilling to enforce healthy boundaries. 5. You overthink minor decisions. 6. You rely on other people to feel better. 7. You struggle to take compliments. https://nickwignall.medium.com/7-signs-of-low-self-esteem-89ff35df0fa

Dr. Padgett is a humble man. He's a living legend as far as i'm concerned and will never admit it but probably one of the more important figures (even if behind the scenes) that contributed to the music lore of Columbia through the 90's. Through his love of music and booking for his now legendary venue Rockafellas. He is wonderful to talk to, let's all try to learn from his words in this latest episode of the SOCO Podcast. -------- Dr. Scott Padgett is a music writer, producer & archivist dating back to his college days as a program director at WUSC radio in Columbia, SC. He followed that with radio programming & production work in the new frontier of the 'FM underground'. A stint as music editor at the southeast's pioneering alternative newsweekly Osceola Magazine led to becoming the first music writer/columnist at Free Times Magazine. His work appeared in Billboard, the Village Voice, Rolling Stone and practcally every other regional art/political outlet extant through the early nineties. After a stint in radio in Los Angeles & later at Warner Brothers Studios, he returned to the south where he and co-conspirator Steve Gibson vowed to bring live spectrum-spanning music to the masses. Thus was born the legendary Rockafellas music venue and artist management company. Working through Ian Copeland's legendary musical talent booking firm FBI, the likes of Soundgarden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, et. al. were initially exposed to club venues all over the U.S. He is a contributor and social media monitor for semi-important e-music rags as well as several fly-by-night blogs and has a music industry specific twitter account @AntiBonIver which draws on a digest of 104 music news outlets for content.

Founder of Words First Content Strategy and Words First Community Bailey guides digital teams to create more human, intentional content that connects with their audiences and help people do business with them online. She teaches next-level content strategy tactics and processes for organizations all over the globe, with the goal of improving her clients’ business and, at the same time, bettering the digital world we all spend so much time in every day.

Greg and Gene talk through some of things that you may encounter in your life as a business owner or dreamer. Working hard is often something that we are praised for and for good reason but what happens when you find yourself constantly trying to reach for that ever unreachable horizon? For many, living in the gap can be a tremendous motivator, pushing you to achieve more, create more value or impact more people’s lives.  But for a lot of us, it represents a moving target that we’ll never reach…leading to tremendous frustration, angst and dissatisfaction.

Andi is one of those people that you just want to get to know. She is a strong leader who leads from the front with a strong sense of confidence and a solid dose of humility to boot. Through starting her agency in 2005-ish to recent acquisitions and move from the beach to the mountains that we all dream of this is one conversation i’m sure you’ll get some great advice from. In her own words: “All great opportunities start with a conversation. An idea shared, a connection made, and a dream sparked into reality. Those conversations can take place almost anywhere and at any time. It’s my job to make sure your voice is strong, consistent, and memorable.”

Rob is a developer and consultant who found his way into running a web business. He got his start in software architecture and enterprise consulting and throughout his career has tackled issues of security, scalability, and performance. Today, he's responsible for Sparkbox's operations and financials, but he's really in the business of making all of us better. His commitment to innovation and iteration (and his good humor) are present in all that we do. A second generation developer and software consultant who started learning to program at 12 years old. As Co-founder and Vice President of Sparkbox, he's learned to run a web business. The most important and enjoyable part of the job is the human side of things- whether it’s helping a client solve a problem or talking through solutions with the great team at Sparkbox. Co-host of the Overly Human podcast. As Vice President of Sparkbox Rob is responsible for the operations and financials of the company. With a background in software development, Rob is always ready to challenge the development process. On any given day Rob meets with prospective clients, works with employees, and continues to evolve the business of Sparkbox.

Happily creating opportunities via Open Source. All Things Open, Open Source 101. The most grateful person you're likely to encounter today. I've known Todd for over a decade, we met way back when during his first Open Source event he was producing. He's been a creative force in the tech / open source conference scene for a long time. Let's check in with him and see how his events are shaping up and how they've handled the world during and post pandemic. Todd has been building open source conferences, events and communities for more than 10 years, and working in the technology industry for more than 15. He created and now chairs All Things Open, the largest open source/tech/web event on the East Coast of the U.S. as well as the Open Source 101 event series. In addition, he’s served as an advisor for other influential events around the country you’ve probably heard of.

Tyler is an art director/graphic designer, illustrator, and all-around creative force born in Lakecity, SC. Holding a degree in Visual Design he went the traditional route of working for a creative agency as an Art Director eventually leading to him spreading his wings as a full time single minded force of visual creativity. 

Located in downtown Greenville, SC, Fireforge Crafted Beer is a locally-owned, small-batch craft brewery, taproom, kitchen and pleasure garden focused on ever-changing beers inspired by the people, places and culinary palates they love. In addition to a range of in-house brewed beer, Fireforge offers wine, cider, non-alcoholic drinks, shareable snacks, sandwiches, house-smoked BBQ, charcuterie boards and desserts. The menu is seasonally-inspired and locally-sourced. On Friday and Saturday evenings, enjoy local, regional and original live music. Driven to create with passion and serve with enthusiasm, the Fireforge team is on a quest to deliver the greatest beer-centered experience to each guest.

Starlitt is a focused, inspired and driven entrepreneur. It was an enlightening conversation as we explored both the creative and analytical sides of her continuing story.

Talking with Sherard and learning what media literacy really is and why is it so important that we understand how media (social media) affects us and shapes our perspectives and beliefs. Sherard “Shekeese” Duvall is a film and messaging professional from Columbia, S.C. He specializes in visual storytelling, film education, media diversity strategy, and is an advocate of Hip-Hop culture. An accomplished producer of commercial and documentary projects for VH1, Oxygen, and more - he is a 2022 SC Arts Commission Fellow, 2021 Liberty Fellow, a 2016 Riley Fellow, and one of the founders of Columbia’s Hip-Hop Family Day: Love Peace & Hip-Hop. A 2001 University of South Carolina graduate, he is a product of Richland District One schools. Sherard is the Founder and Executive Producer at OTR Media Group, and the proud dad of his son, Cairo. He is currently producing the feature length Gullah Geechee Afrofuturism Documentary: Saltwata Vibes

In the first episode of our show we're talking with Greg Hilton about SOCO, its inception to current status. Passionate about building innovative, entrepreneurial and dynamic companies and communities. I like big ideas, going against the grain, and working with incredible people. Stuff I’m a part of: Period Three, SOCO Coworking Space, Rolling Rock Investments, 1 Million Cups Columbia SC. Greg Hilton is an active entrepreneur and has launched and worked with over 100 early stage ventures. He’s the Cofounder and Managing Partner for SOCO, the region’s first coworking community and is Chief Opportunity Wrangler at Period Three an industry leading web design shop. Greg is a Liberty Scholars Fellow and graduate of the nationally ranked IMBA program at the University of South Carolina. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina. Hilton’s professional experience includes management roles for EngenuitySC, a public/private partnership formed to grow Columbia’s knowledge economy; and New Carolina, South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness. He’s an alumnus of the University of South Carolina, where he the lead the launch of CETi | USC’s Startup Center; The Proving Ground, the largest student entrepreneurial competition in South Carolina; and Tminus6, The Columbia region’s first Startup Accelerator. Greg was recognized in the State Newspaper’s “20 Under 40 2011” publication. He’s played community leadership roles in the Columbia Talent Magnet Project, Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR), ECCO, TEDxColumbiaSC, and Pecha Kucha Night Columbia.