Creating Your Own Opportunities
In June of 2007 I read a news article in the Honolulu Advertiser about Ryan Ozawa livestreaming via his Palm Treo 700p. I became intrigued and began researching on the internet to learn more about this new technology that allowed anyone to create their own live show. One click led to the next and eventually I happened upon Twitter. According to Tweetdeck my registration date for Twitter is July 25, 2007.
Back then, there was no search feature on Twitter and the suggested users list was very small. I eventually found Ryan and went through the list of people that he followed and in turn followed everyone that either indicated they were from Hawaii or could possibly be from Hawaii. One of those people that didn’t list being from Hawaii (in fact he still lists his location as United but has now moved from 2B to 3B), but sounded like he could be from here was Guy Kawasaki. According to Tweetdeck, Guy joined Twitter on August 25, 2007.
In early October 2007 Guy had tweeted (posted to Twitter) that he was in Hawaii, and that he would be speaking at the S.T.E.M. Leadership Conference at the local community college. I had not met anyone from Twitter (Tweet ups were not yet born) and thought this was a great opportunity to meet someone that I followed.
I sent Guy a direct message to ask if I could attend, and he replied, “I think so, if not tell them you’re my bodyguard.”
I attended without having to flex any Samoan muscles and sat in the back row. By the end of Guy’s speech, I was ready to start something — I didn’t know exactly what, but he had added fuel to the fire that burned with in me and I was ready to dance in the aisles and scream choo hooo!
Before he left, I introduced myself and took a quick photo; our Lieutenant Governor was waiting behind me to also speak to Guy. As I walked towards the elevator I thought, “Wow, Guy must be important for the Lt. Governor to be here and waiting in line to speak to him.”
Fast forward to February 2008 (there’s more to the story, and those who have heard it will say that I’m leaving out the best parts, however it’s better to hear the rest of the story in person, like say a speaking gig!) and Guy, Will, and Kathryn (Two guys and a gal in a garage, otherwise known as Nononina, Inc.) launch Alltop.
I noticed Guy tweet that he needed help and I offered. I helped with the first project, and then offered again. I completed that task and offered once more. I noticed a pattern, and then began taking the initiative to complete tasks before being asked. By volunteering my help, listening and following directions, being open to learning and growing — I created my own opportunity to become a part of the Alltop team.
By following this same pattern I have created many opportunities for myself:
- A sponsored invitation to participate in a leadership training facilitated by Lance Giroux.
- Youth Basketball Coach.
- An opportunity to be a part of the Bytemarks Cafe team.
- Social Media Advisor to Friends of Neil Abercrombie for Congress.
- Speaker at PodCamp Hawaii and HMAUS Mactoberfest.
- An published interview in Pam Slim’s book: Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur
To understand all of this a bit more, prior to creating my own opportunity with Guy, I was the Property Manager for one of Hawaii’s most notorious public housing projects.
Volunteering, listening, being open-minded, and the willingness to grind it out has allowed me to create my own opportunities. But, I want to learn about how you. What’s your approach? How do you create opportunities for yourself?
Photo credit: Kenneth Yeung — TheLetterTwo.com
