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From baseball statistics software to the $95.5 million purchase of Pardot by ExactTarget, David Cummings shares his journey at the inaugural Fireside Chat at Hypepotamus.

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@QuitFor team at dinner on Saturday night, including @nikkitraino @joecurry @race30007 #atlsw (Taken with instagram)

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A peaceful Saturday evening in Buckhead.

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Look who had an @atlantamagazine "Tweet of the Day" today! (Taken with instagram)

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Under30CEO Atlanta: Building from the Ground Up

                          Join the Atlanta Chapter of Under30CEO at 200 Office on Wednesday March 14 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.  Our speakers will discuss "Building from the Ground Up" based on their experiences as Under30CEOs.  Under30 Following the Vision Magazine will explain how you can be one of 30 featured young visionaries in the publication.  Please RSVP on MeetUp or Plancast.  

6:30-7:00 Icebreaker/Networking  7:00-7:15 Welcome, Intro to Guests  7:15-7:20 Feature Business: A Proud Mother Candles  7:20-7:45 Guest Entrepreneur: Mike Stearns  7:45-8:00 Unveiling Under30 Following the Vision  8:00-8:30 Networking

Featured Business: A Proud Mother Candles – CEO Bernetta Waller

An Under30CEO Atlanta founding member and CEO of “A Proud Mother Candles”, Bernetta Waller is now based in Detroit and has built her business from the ground up.  We are excited to hear from her during her brief visit in Atlanta. http://aproudmothercandles.com/

Under30 Entrepreneur Speaker: Mike Stearns “Starting from the Ground Up”

Honored as AJC’s Youth Entrepreneur of the Year at 18 years old, Mike Stearns’ entrepreneurial successes range from gumball machines to document imaging to traveling the world with a media company and working on sitcoms.  He will be speaking on “Starting from the Ground Up”.  Mike is a senior at Georgia State University with a double major in marketing and computer systems. 

Featured Project: Under30 Following the Vision Magazine

It’s not just a magazine, It’s a movement.  Our mission is to give recognition to individuals 30 years or younger that are following a road of excellence in different arenas of business, career path, or entrepreneurship.  Our vision is to establish an annual publication that will produce mentors, and sponsorship to aid in the success of selected individuals 30 and under in Atlanta.

Atlanta events are coordinated by Maria Joyner.  If you are interested in speaking at an event, having your business featured, or finding out more about the Under30CEO Atlanta Chapter connect with her on Twitter @mariajoyner or LinkedIn in/mariajoyner.  

If you are interested in starting an Under30CEO chapter in your area, check out Meetup.com and contact Under30CEO founders Matt Wilson or Jared O'Toole.  

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There was a double rainbow over Buckhead for a few minutes this afternoon. Gorgeous!

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@cupiche cupcakes! Strawberry Supreme and Butterscotch shown here. A-mazing. (Taken with instagram)

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Finding Good in Everything: How to Embrace the Atlanta Commute

A recent released study reaffirms what many Atlantans have known for years:  Atlanta highways, notably 400 and I-75, are the most congested in the United States.  They are far worse than NYC, LA, and San Francisco.  Many Atlantans sit in a car for one to two hours a day, if not more.  That is ten to twenty hours every week; forty to eighty hours a month!  Since moving to Atlanta in 2004, I have battled with my bad attitude about traffic, specifically the copious amount of time it steals.  I do not run errands during the work day in fear of raising my blood pressure over a 5 minute errand taking 30 minutes because only one lane of Peachtree is open. From moving into the heart of Buckhead to only scheduling meetings at low traffic times, I've tried it all.  Sometimes there is just no getting around the congestion, particularly during the holiday season.  In an attempt to find good in everything, here are the best ways to embrace the Atlanta traffic and lengthy commute. 

Make the commute a “no phone zone” for business calls.   Before you roll your eyes, hear me out.  Do not talk on your cell phone during your commute.  Try it for a week.  I understand answering the phone but refrain from having conversations that require your attention.  You cannot focus on the conversation and pay attention to the insane Atlanta driver who is merging 5 lanes over with no turn signal.  By putting the phone down, you are proactively preparing for someone slamming on brakes for no apparent reason.  Plus, you will learn to look forward to the peace and quiet of a “no phone zone” during your long hours in the car. 

Set up a schedule for your commute to increase the productivity.  Think about what gets you moving in the morning.  Blast 15 minutes of music to wake you up then use the remainder of your commute listening to an audiobook.  For the afternoon commute why not download a new album and listen to it in its entirety on the way home?  You’ll be excited to get in the car and the drive won’t seem so bad.  Fiction audiobooks are also great for the afternoon commute.  They are a great way to forget about the day and relax your brain. 

 Turn your commute into a Masters Degree.  Remember that set of personal growth audiobooks you still haven’t listened to?  Now is the time.  Turn your car into a moving university.  Imagine what you could do with 20 hours of extra knowledge a week!  There really is no better usage of a long, miserable commute than making your life better and increasing your wealth.  If you carpool, get something related to your area in business in which everyone can benefit.

Reflection and thinking time.  Use the hour or two in the car to reflect on your goals, aspirations, and plan of action.  Make sure you have a voice recorder readily available on your phone to document any ideas.  Practice your elevator pitch.  Just think about whatever comes to mind!  Trust me, if you can get past the idiot drivers and lack of intelligence on the road and immerse yourself in thought, the commute can be therapeutic.

What ways have you dealt with traffic and the chaotic commute in Atlanta?

Maria Joyner is an entrepreneur, documentary photographer, and social media strategist.  You can follow her on twitter @mariajoyner or connect on LinkedIn .

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"Pray for my friend Bennett Bacon": A Zaarly with a Heart

On November 28, 2011, Bennett Bacon, a Tybee Island, GA native, was in a life threatening snowboarding accident in Breckenridge, CO.  When the ski patrol found him he was without pulse and airlifted to the nearest trauma center.  The doctors confirmed he had two broken femurs, a lacerated liver and kidney, massive internal bleeding, and copious blood loss.  It did not look good.  

Every time my phone rang for the next several days, my heart stopped.  Racing through emotions of fear, panic, sadness, and hope, I felt helpless like many of his other friends.  What could we do?  Just pray.  Send him as many positive and hopeful thoughts as possible.  That's where Zaarly came into the mix.  Why not ask the thousands of Zaarly users to pray for Bennett as well?  Thus, the "Pray for my friend Bennett Bacon" Zaarly request was conceived.  For every response and positive thought send to Bennett through Zaarly, I pledged to donate $5 to his family to help them get through this monumental battle.  

While the response was amazing, the most touching aspect of all was that, of the 30 people to wish Bennett and his family well, not a single person actually knew him.  To that, I speak for his family in saying we are all eternally grateful.  It has been two productive weeks now but the battle has just begun.  Please continue to pray for Bennett Bacon, his family, and his recovery.  To stay updated on his status and other ways to help, visit Bring the Bacon Home for Bennett.  Below you can see the inundation of responses from the Zaarly family.  I love you guys!  Just another reason Zaarly rocks!  

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Mind of a Recruiter

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On Day 2 of Zaarly Vacation I took part in the most EPIC Zaarly Prank to date!  How great is this??

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Zaarly Vacation NYC: Day 1

What an awesome, relaxing day!  Today wasn’t filled with any hazing or crazy Zaarly orders; rather wandering around East Village and hanging out at ZaarlyNYC headquarters.  After arriving in New York City last night and getting settled in at a friend’s apartment, I placed 2 offers on Zaarly, enjoyed delivery from Pizza 33, and caught up on some much needed sleep.  

Around 1 o’clock today I met the whole team at Zaarly headquarters: Matt, Lily, Pocket, Sarah, and Leo (Lily’s toy poodle).  From there, I joined Matt on a Zaarly tour of the East Village, fulfilled by Paul, a native of the area.  Before our tour began, we stopped at Artichoke Pizza to devour the most amazing slice of pie I’ve ever tasted.  Wandering down Avenue A, Paul told a myriad of tales ranging from personal history to bars and shops music videos were filmed. 

 Although I was busy clicking away, I do recall him mentioning Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin as well as a bar formerly named after the Son of Sam.  The weather was gorgeous with a slight breeze as we strolled back to the Camp Zaarly later in the afternoon.  I spent some take capturing images and giving Pocket, the intern, a hard time as well as plotting some fun ideas for the week. 

I answered a fun Zaarly order and am anticipating some excitement tomorrow.  Following my day with the team, I enjoyed wine with friends and a nice bowl of pasta.  My impressions of Zaarly after just one day: I love this company! 

Stay tuned for Tuesday’s shenanigans! 

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Southern Gal Grabs a Piece of the Big Apple

The first Zaarly vacation in which Maria Joyner will visit NYC with zero dollars and leave with money earned solely through Zaarly

When & Where:

Monday, August 22 – Wednesday, August 24, 2011            New York City, New York

What:

Utilizing Zaarly, Maria Joyner will be traveling from Atlanta, Georgia to New York City with zero dollars in hopes of gaining more money through Zaarly New York City network.  This new technology platform enables her to connect with people to fulfill as many “orders” as possible while in the city. The experience will be documented through journalistic photography as well as Twitter and Facebook. “The purpose of this documentary is to show Atlantans how easy and amazing Zaarly is,” says Joyner.  Atlanta is currently not as popular with Zaarly as the other leading cities. Joyner continues to say, “It is so accessible that an under 30, southern entrepreneur can invade the North and grab her piece of the Big Apple.”  This ambitious example of earning money is an effort to enlighten the city of Atlanta and more specifically college students. This new web-based temporary “employment” will allow students to make money through odd jobs in which they can control income. Follow Joyner on her vacation to expand your knowledge of the effortless use of Zaarly. No matter where you are, Zaarly is the place to get what you want when you want it.

  About Zaarly

Zaarly is a platform that allows users to easily get the goods, services, and experiences they want. With Zaarly, people can post what they want, when they want it and what price they are willing to pay and someone in the Zaarly community can fulfill it. This two-way, community-powered process provides convenience and flexibility to buyers while allowing sellers to make money fulfilling requests from the people around them. Zaarly is based in San Francisco, CA and is backed by investors, including Ashton Kutcher, Felicis Ventures, Bill Lee, Naval Ravikant, Lightbank, SV Angel, Paul Buchheit, Thrive Capital and Michael Arrington. Zaarly is currently available on the web, mobile web, iPhone and Android application. Visit www.zaarly.com for more information.

About Maria Joyner

Maria Joyner is the CEO of Opportunity & Success LLC, owner Maria Joyner Photography, founder of the Atlanta Chapter of Under30 CEO, creator of Financially Free by 30, and specializes in launching startups through social media strategy.  Maria is representing ZaarlyAtlanta in her travels to New York City.  Follow on Twitter: @MariaJoyner or www.mariajoyner.tumblr.com

Contact:

Maria Joyner 912-604-3389

Media Contact: Nicole Shields 678-360-3743  shields.networkpr@gmail.com

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A Wonderful Life Series

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What does it mean to be financially free by 30?

By: Maria Joyner, founder

To define financial freedom: If you were to never work another day in your life, do you have enough...

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What does it mean to be financially free by 30?

What does it mean to be financially free by 30?

By: Maria Joyner, founder of FinanciallyFreeby30.com

To define financial freedom: If you were to never work another day in your life, do you have enough money invested, enough residual income from assets/businesses, and funds saved to sustain your current way of life infinitely?  If you answered “yes” then you are already financially free and I would love for you to email me your story. 

I hear older generations talking all the time about paying off credit card debt, car loans and mortgages; saving plenty of money for the kids’ education; and eventually becoming financially free.  This generation’s priorities lied in job security, receiving a pension, and slowly saving up money to do the things they wanted out of life.   Let’s start at the root of the problem: the manner in which we are conditioned to view the American Dream.  Past generations have taught, and still are teaching, the sequence of going to college (racking up debt), getting married (racking up debt), going to Grad school (racking up debt), having kids (racking up debt), and then getting a good paying job at a stable company.  This is NOT the American Dream.  Think about it.  Immigrants came to this country with entrepreneurship in mind.  Without any formal education, many were able to build successful businesses through hard work and persistence.  Many did not go to college, rack thousands- if not hundreds of thousands- of dollars of debt, and then get a job in a good paying company.  They came to American to find their dream. 

Let’s redefine what the American Dream really is.  It is the ability to create a financially free life before the age of 30; and the facility to build a business, as long as it is based on truth and justice, anywhere in America to fulfill your passion as an entrepreneur.  Unlike past generations that equate retirement with fulfilling life goals, we build our businesses and lives around our passion.  While in college, students can build successful businesses if aligned with the proper mentors and provided necessary opportunities.  Of course not everyone is intended to be an entrepreneur, but we can all benefit from creating jobs for our fellow classmates.  The American Dream is the ability to work with under 30 entrepreneurs and together create income streams and businesses that allow us to reach the pinnacle of financial freedom before the age of 30. 

Financial Freedom by 30 is a daunting task and a very difficult journey but I am determined to make this a reality for myself as well as those around me.  The financial education and literacy takes time; paying the price takes time; personal growth takes time; and truly understanding the ins-and-outs of a business takes time.    Once these benchmarks have been reached, we can reap the rewards of financial freedom and spend a lifetime debt and worry free.  Many don’t believe it can be done.  It is my goal to produce more financially free 20-somethings than anyone else in the industry.  Do you believe you can be financially free by 30? 

Join me.

http://financiallyfreeby30.com