MCC Members Under 30
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I've come to realize generational differences between myself and the average MCCer. For example, I'm a business social media guru often speaking with someone who's "kid uses that stuff." While I can't summit an entire breakdown to highlight the value on a person-by-person basis, I wouldn't mind hosting an event to help our over 30 MCCers out.
My point: The under 30 MCC crowd has a lot to offer. I'm spearheading an intiative to group this crowd and start making things happen.
Please post your info (see below) if you'd like to join.
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Shauna Nicholson, Marketing Manager at Biznet
shaunanicholson@mac.com
social media, marketing, content management
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How about working to bridge the generations. The "Under 30s" have energy, tech savvy (although 4 days without an additional posting), and a fresh perspective. THe "Over 50s" have experience and and a different set of resources. It would seem that if we could work together the two generations would energize each other through the synergy.
I agree that part of the "under 30" inititive should be (in part) bringing generations. I think part of the problem with the under 30s is that they aren't as active in valuable networking, such as MCC, as they should be.
Hi Rick,
Well said... That is one of my Philosophies. Combine the energy and spark of the young blood with the experience and prudence of (i am going to say) experienced blood !!
I believe both the ends will compliment as long as we all share the same vision . That is why I have the team in DotSign with a good mix in terms of age, sex and culture which brings in so many different approaches and creativity which in-turn helps us to excel.
Shauna,
While I agree with you that its an awesome idea that you proposed, I respectfully disagree in saying that under 30's do not network effectively (well before I say that I probably should ask you , how you would define effectiveness ;o) ).
There are quite a few under 30's (but late 20's) in here in our group and there are several young professional groups around as well.
I am a very logical and analytical thinker. Instead of just saying we need some thing lets do it, I would like to think it through - Why , what and how we can effectively achieve it.
Before starting and going on to say that under 30's do not network effectively in MCC, we probably ought to ask the question...
Why should under 30 network ?
What motive do they(we) have and does all networks groups serve that ?
What is the stage of life that they are in and what benefits/values are they (we) looking for ?
Thinking about it, how many under 30 people are running full time established business ??
I and (DotSign) would be more than happy to help in anyway we can. Here is my info as my contribution
Henry Joshua, CEO & Founder at DotSign
Henry.joshua@Dot-Sign.com
Technology, Marketing strategies, Lateral thinking and care to support my clients
As an under-30 and the owner of a business, as well as someone who has a lot of friends under 30 who have businesses (unfortunately, most of them on the west and east coasts - they found leaving the region gave them the access to capital and clients to succeed), networking is crucial to running a business.
We don't have as much of a "young entrepreneurial" culture as other regions - heck, we don't have as much of an "entrepreneurial" period culture here - but that doesn't mean we shouldn't start one and also bridge the age divide as many times those over-30's and 50's are the ones funding our ventures and ideas.
A few things I think are important for under 30's - some bridging, some within the age group.
Mentors. They helped me immensely and continue to, to this day. (Cue 40 and 50 year olds...)
Work/Life Balance. Most of the under 30's I know who do own businesses run full steam ahead and sometimes have trouble balancing both.
Positive Energy. It's really important to have people cheering you on and being supportive.
Fellowship. Being in business and under 30 is a little bit of a unique experience, even where it's more common. It's important to find folks who have had shared experiences.. and not in a "talk down up on high I'm a bad***" kind of way.
It's not official. The most valuable experiences I've had with others has not been through some "official" group. Maybe there is a common bond, but having meeting times and all that stuff is a waste of time. In my experience, the quick emails and twitters yield the most results and positivity; or an impromptu meetup.
Not everybody does the same thing. Sure, I have contacts in the business I am in; however, it's much easier to share information when they're not a possible competitor or even better complimentary to the service.
My info is in my profile. Glad to support.
Good points Jeremiah... I totally agree to your points, actually they answer my Q "What benefits does the under 30's receive from networking".
All of the points are good and the one that I think at least I need is Fellowship & Mentorship. That is why it would be a great idea to mix the ages (mentorship) and thats what MCC does. In fact, MCC supports me as an under 30 in all the points that Jeremiah had mentioned (WAY TO GO MCC).
I do think our city and Michigan should / can have more young entrepreneurs groups. But all I am saying is before we start "One more thing" - Think it through ask questions, make a plan and also understand why the existing ones are not effective/working ?
I think its a great idea but we must also plan to make the idea happen in the same great way !!
Henry:
I think you're looking too much into this. The "under 30" demographic criteria ends at people over 29; that's it. I'm not proposing it's exclusively business owners or poor networkers.
Here's where this idea came from:
In most of the MCC events I've attended, I've been among the youngest (I'm 23). Because of the nature of my work (I'm employed, not running a company), I often get questions regarding my areas of knowledge; 9/10 this question comes from someone over 30. I work in marketing, 98% online. This isn't an area too many outside of my generation are familiar with.
The point is, for whatever reason, the under 30 crowd is dense in MCC. I thought it'd be beneficial (to BOTH demographics) to band together for some formal knowledge exchanges.
Perhaps under 25 is the way to go.
I think under 30 is a fair number
and it is nice idea too... we should do it. I have seen several groups start up and wither away in time and since your idea is good and a needed one , I thought we might act on it with a plan and not just do it in an ad hoc way, thats all 
I am in !!!
Good. I'll start putting the word out for our first official meeting in the next week. Stay tuned for big things!
Shauna - As not only NOT an under 30, but actually an over 50 (and proud of it!), I really appreciate your starting this thread. Going way back to your first post, I for one would really love for you to host some sort of "help our over 30 MCC'ers out" type event. I'd be there in a flash!
Whenever I hear what you do, quite frankly, it goes right over my head. And I know that, as a business owner, that's not a good thing. I've always thought of myself as open and flexible to new things as they come along, but I notice that the Internet has changed things so much that I feel some (?!) resistance to these new things. And I'd love to have you and the other under 30's teach me.
So Shauna, Henry & Jeremiah, as well as the other under 30's, hooray for you! And thanks for thinking of us "old geezers" and for supporting us into this new world. I look forward to whatever you come up with.
Natalie:
Thank you for your input! It'll certianly help us structure this group.
We definately aren't thinking of you as "geezers," rather as individuals we can learn a lot from (and concurrently help out).
Have a great day!
Shauna
I'm collaborating ideas with Charlie and Terry on when to launch this. Please stay tuned for a kick off meeting in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you need more information or would like to be involved, please email me:
shaunanicholson@mac.com
I can't resist chiming in. When I was 17, heck, when I was 23... the operative word was "do not trust anyone over 30!" so, someone under 30 trying to bridge the "gap" with those of us over 30, is sweet.
Having said that, I am sure many of us "older" folks (I for one), on account of working with mostly younger folks (under and ~ 30), having kids under 30, and on other accounts (e.g. curiosity, interest, "being Hip" (to borrow from "Austin Powers' Dr. Evil)), actually "get" Business Social Media.
I sort of agree with Henry, though I would rephrase it a bit differently: I understand Shauna's purpose is to offer MCCers of all ages, who do not understand what she does and how to benefit from it, an opportunity to learn:
Now, just for the fun of it, who all in this group, at some point in your life, believed that they must not trust anyone over 30, eh? There must be at least one or two of you out there. Tell us when you came across the phrase for the first time. For me it was ....at Woodstock. But before you guffaw, check this page out! http://www.woodstock69.com/file3.htm
Cheerfully,
elizabeth
I'm in total agreement with Shauna and Rick, and want to point out that part of Rick's work with the Multicultural Business Council (MBC) deals with understanding generational differences in the workplace. He'd be a great mentor in this process.
We have much to learn from each other, and Shauna's concept is a great place to start. I'm proud to be of the generation that took the fledgling internet concept and turned it into a global phenomenon. I'm proud to say I was at Woodstock (wish I had known you then, Elizabeth!). I'm proud to say I have a son a few years older than Shauna.
I'm proud to say that I believe we, the "boomers" and our younger siblings, birthed and raised an amazing, imaginative, and extremely talented generation willing to work with us to create a better world.
And, I'm looking forward to the learning -
Linda
("we are stardust, we are golden, we are 50-billion-year-old carbon - and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden")
I'm too young to be a "Woodstocker" and too old to be under 30...I must be a tween (ha!...lol!).
OK, so here's my idea/suggestion/thought/concept. It's my view that Michigan has lost it's entrepreneurial mindset. Interestingly, MCC contains lot's of entrepreneurial spirit/savvy/smarts/results. So my thinking is less about age and more about sharing the entrepreneurial capability/assets/skills that exist within our members. Similar to the philanthropic work we do though specifically identified non-profit groups (e.g blight busters), could we serve Michigan better by channeling our entrepreneurial energy toward some specific endeavor?
Happy to formulate this idea further if it helps.
Regards,
Dale
How about a "what works for me" catagory. If we share the little tips and secrets that help us accomplish our goals the members can choose those tactics that match their goals, personality and comfort level. We all know that ultimately success is built on all the little things that we do to move forward.