Examiner.com: My Interview with Erica Heinz, Founder of Yogoer.com

For busy New York yogis, Yogoer.com is a dream service. In a couple of clicks, the site provides every nearby yoga, pilates, fitness, and dance studio based on an address. It’s Mapquest for your source of well-being. The site also provides job postings for yoga instructors, profiles of studios and instructors, and a blog. To make it even easier to utilize the service, Yogoer.com is available as an iPhone app. You can also follow Yogoer on Twitter.

Last week I had the pleasure to interview Erica Heinz, a graphic designer, Huffington Post columnist, yoga instructor, and founder of Yogoer.com. I’m also excited to announce that I’m recording my yoga teacher training diary on Yogoer.com’s blog. My thanks to Erica for the opportunity to connect with the community she’s building on Yogoer.com.
Christa - What was your inspiration to start Yogoer?

For the full interview, click here.

Examiner.com: Interview with Sasha Abramsky, author of Inside Obama's Brain

Over the Christmas holiday I read the book Inside Obama’s Brain by Sasha Abramsky, journalist and Senior Fellow at Demos. The book is a beautifully crafted work that examines the charismatic draw of President Obama by exploring the experiences and insights from dozens of people who have worked alongside the President throughout his career. Abramsky masterfully articulates what qualities draw us to Obama, and how Obama honed those qualities in preparation for his ascent to the Presidency. The book intertwines President Obama’s personal history with his professional accomplishments in a way that makes the book impossible to put down until readers have absorbed every last word of Abramsky’s prose. I never wanted this book to end.

I had the great fortune to speak with Sasha Abramsky last week. To read the interview, click here.

Examiner.com: 5 Tips to Help You Create and Achieve New Year's Resolutions

So here it is: time to crank out a list of lofty resolutions that you know will never last past January 31st, right? Don't do this to yourself. Please. You'll feel like a failure, and that's just not fair to do that to yourself. Examiner.com knows this, and they've asked all of their writers to share tips on how to make readers wildly successful with their New Year's Resolutions in 2010.

I just posted 5 tips, followed by a personal story of my 2009 resolution, that I hope will be helpful to you as you begin to turn your attention toward a bright new year teeming with possibility. For the article, please click here.

The image above is not my own. It can be found here.

Examiner.com: Interview with Danielle Di Vecchio, Founder of bakery Biscotti di Vecchio

I learned about Danielle Di Vecchio and her business, Biscotti di Vecchio through Crain’s story about online bakeries. Danielle had been making sinfully delicious biscotti for years and giving them away as gifts. Her grandmother taught her to make these traditional Italian cookies, a staple of every Italian kitchen. (Coming from an Italian family myself, my grandmother always had chocolate and vanilla biscotti for us to nibble on. I distinctly remember their scent and place in her kitchen.) Family and friends encouraged Danielle to form a business based on her baking hobby. Danielle's biscotti, made from the finest, all-natural ingredients, make perfect holiday gifts.

For the interview, click here.

Examiner.com: An Interview with Kristen Ernst, Founder of Life Path Living

I met Kristen on Owning Pink, a community of amazing women who encourage one another's dreams and help one another through tough times. It is one of the most supportive groups I have ever been a part of. Kristen stood out to me as someone special because she reached out to me after reading some of my blog posts that detailed some rough times I was going through. I had never heard from her before and yet she offered so much kindness and support and continued to check up on me weeks later. I clicked through to her profile and discovered her business, Life Path Living, and its merchandise line, Life Path Tees.

For the full interview, please click here.

Examiner.com: An Update with Amanda Steinberg of DailyWorth

Since I first featured Amanda Steinberg, Founder of DailyWorth, the site has grown considerably. DailyWorth is a website that helps women manage their finances, though the information is incredibly valuable for men as well. I recently caught up with her to ask about the site, her business, and how she's managing change.

Check it out.

Examiner.com: Interview with Lev Ekster, CEO of CupcakeStop

I've extolled my love for cupcakes before in this column. A few months ago I interviewed the owners of Crumbs, my favorite cupcake bakery in New York. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Lev Ekster, CEO of CupcakeStop, a mobile cupcake bakery in New York City. I first learned about Lev's story through Crain's and I reached out to him to get more details about his career path and his start as an entrepreneur. His story is one that proves that a business can indeed be started in a tough economic time in the midst of a tight job market. He is the perfect example of an unintentional entrepreneur!

For the full interview with Lev, click here.

My latest post on Examiner.com: Interview with Founders of Code Blue

Two weeks ago, I had the great fortune of spending some time with the founders of Code Blue, a recovery drink that is made for people who need to feel refreshed without caffeine, added sugar, or preservatives. In one amazing little can you’ll find an elixir that hydrates, replenishes, detoxifies and reduces inflammation. Oh, and it tastes good, too! Sweetened with agave nectar, Code Blue has a proprietary formula that contains prickly pear, Sustamine (an amino acid that promotes muscle hydration and electrolyte replacement), B12, B6, vitamin C, and potassium.

Not convinced that any drink can do all that and taste delicious? I wasn’t either so I sat down with the founders, Michael Sachs and Jeffrey Frumin, to have a little tasting of my own. Now I’m hooked!

For the full article, click here.

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Interview with Jason Bauer, CEO and President of CRUMBS Bake Shop

I have a hard time thinking of any food I love more than cupcakes. When I’m happy, when I’m sad, morning, noon, and night. In New York City, the competition for the best cupcake bakery is fierce. For me, there is one clear winner: CRUMBS. I’m not sure why anyone goes anywhere else for these delicious treats. I highly recommend the Devil Dog and the Blueberry Crumb.

Jason and Mia Bauer started CRUMBS. I recently had the opportunity to interview Jason. He serves as the company’s CEO and President.

To read the full interview, please visit:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Interview-with-Jason-Bauer-CEO-and-President-of-CRUMBS

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Interview with Lissa Rankin, Founder of Owning Pink

Meet Lissa Rankin, an artist, writer, gynecologist, mother, and all around bundle of positive energy. I met Lissa on Twitter, and once I read her brief bio I knew that I had to feature her in this column.

Lissa has made it her mission in life to help others get their mojo back, and particularly to empower women to do whatever and be whoever they want to be. To foster this mission, she created the company Owning Pink, a place where women can connect and support one another in their pursuits. Owning Pink offers classes, workshops, and mentoring to further these connections.

A courageous, empathic, inspirational role model, Lissa is exactly the kind of person this world needs more of.

For the full interview with Lissa, click here.

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Interview with Lee Lin, co-founder of RentHop

It's moving time again! I've been thinking a lot about the moving process and the hunt for apartment lately. I'll move into my new digs next month and the movers arrive this Thursday. I can be a stressful undertaking, especially Around August 1st when the rush of students and new college graduates is hard to miss!

Looking for a little sanity in your apartment search? Enter RentHop - an innovative new service that allows would-be renters to browse free, no -fee listings in the New York City area. I had the opportunity to speak with Lee Lin, co-founder of RentHop.

For the full story, click here.

NY Business Strategies Examiner - SPANX

One of the things I truly love about this column is that it allows me to promote entrepreneurs and products that I love. This past weekend I went to a friend's wedding. I needed to buy a formal dress and the undergarments to go with it. I almost reached for the dreaded control-top hose, and picked up a package of SPANX instead.

For the full story of how Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX, got started, click here.

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Interview with Amanda Steinberg, Founder of DailyWorth

“No one is going to fix financial inequity for women. We have to recognize our own self-worth, ask for higher salaries, invest more aggressively, and build our own wealth.” ~ Amanda Steinberg, DailyWorth Founder

For my interview with Amanda, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d15-Interview-with-Amanda-Steinberg-Founder-of-DailyWorth

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Is corporate America on its way out of style?

Every generation is defined by a world event. My grandparents were shaped by the Great Depression. My parents by World War II. My Uncle Tom by Viet Nam. Me by the crazy 80's. (I recognize that my world event is not on par with World War II, but that's the brakes!) So now I look at my niece, Lorelei, who is 18 months old. Her life will be shaped by the aftermath of the digital age and the Great Recession.

For the full article, please visit:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Are-big-corporations-staged-to-fall-from-grace

NY Business Strategies Examiner - Social Earth Video Launches

Social Earth, an organization dedicated to promoting social entrepreneurship, has release Social Earth Video on their website. Social Earth Video is a broad collection of videos that include footage with top social entrepreneurs.

For the full article, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d9-Social-Earth-Video-launches-today

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Spending time at work

Tonight I was having dinner with my friend, Monika, and we were discussing how much time we spend at work and what that time really means to us and the people we work for. For us, it's not about punching a clock and getting a bi-weekly paycheck. We're giving of ourselves, choosing to spend a portion of our lives with our companies. Given that our time is the most valuable asset that any of us have, it's a precious thing to spend so much of our time at work.

For the full article, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d8-The-life-in-our-time

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Interview with Don Mathis, CEO of Epic Advertising

I recently had the opportunity to interview Don Mathis, CEO of Epic Advertising. Don's varied and accomplished career is a great example for all of us who have many professional interests that we'd like to pursue. He's someone who has never been put into any one box. Don's career took many twists and turns from the military to media to management consulting and now into advertising.

For the full interview, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Interview-with-Don-Mathis-CEO-of-Epic-Advertising

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Interview with Brian Moran, President of Moran Media Group

I met Brian Moran, President of Moran Media Group, as a result of this column. He sent me an email after reading my post about the similarities of running a business and running a marathon. Brian's entrepreneurial beginnings are a great lesson for all of us on the myth of job security and turning a challenge into a life-changing opportunity. He was kind enough to share his experience and advice during my recent interview with him.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d6-Interview-with-Brian-Moran-President-of-Moran-Media-Group

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Interview with Sam Odio, Founder of Divvyshot

I first found my way to Divvyshot though the Y Combinator site. Y Combinator is an investor in Divvyshot and after just a bit of exploration, it is very easy to see why Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, took an interest in the company. The photo sharing marketplace is certainly crowded. Luckily for Divvyshot, it's a market crowded by many companies who have nearly identical service.

Sam Odio, founder of Divvyshot, identified three holes in the photo sharing market:

1.) Direct integration with the photographer's computer photo library
2.) Ability for multiple people to contribute to one photo album
3.) Maintenance of a photo's original resolution to preserve photo quality while sharing

Like many entrepreneurs, Sam took pain points, things that frustrated him, and crafted a solution. That solution is Divvyshot. I recently had the chance to interview Sam about his company, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his feelings about the current economy.

To view the full interview, please visit http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m7d5-Intreview-with-Sam-Odio-Founder-of-Divvyshot

NY Business Strategies Examiner: Interview with Mike Cannady of Scratch Music Group

About a year ago, I met Mike Cannady, Chief Strategy Officer and CFO of Scratch Music Group, at an alumni volunteer event. Scratch Music Group is a company based in NYC with the mission to train and promote both aspiring and name brand DJs. Since its inception, Scratch Music Group has developed DJ'ing academies in New York, Miami, LA, abroad three cruise ships, and in four Caribbean locations. The company has also developed a suite of products and services related to its core business, developing a full service music consulting group.

For the full interview, please click here.

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