The University of Florida should tip their hats to these two fellows, but for now, Joey Sasvari and Cameron MacMillan are the ones doing the praising. The University of Florida Entrepreneurship program helped them make the decision towards starting their business. All it took was one social entrepreneurship class for these guys to come together and create New Charity Era, a low-profit, limited liability corporation (L3C), that strives to reinvent the way people work together towards a social cause. How can they possibly do that? New Charity Era just released an iPhone app that’s called Raise the Village. It is the first of a series of products they plan on releasing. Raise the Village is seriously revolutionary. I can’t get over how unbelievable this idea is and how much potential it has. Joey and Cameron know this and have indescribable passion for it.

What is Raise the Village? Glad you asked. I’m going to let Joey and Cameron do most of the explaining in the video interview, but here is a brief overview. Raise the Village is based on everyone’s favorite, “Farmville”. What makes them different though, is the fact that you’re building a village and for every virtual item you purchase towards your village, an actual good will be donated to a village in Uganda. Uganda, according to the International Monetary Fund and the CIA World Factbook, is the 20th poorest country in the world.

Without further adieu, allow me to introduce you to Joey and Cameron. Here is the video breakdown. Enjoy, and don’t forget to DOWNLOAD Raise the Village and start building your own village!

0:30 – Background
1:25 – What is Raise the Village?
2:37 – Competition and TOMS Shoes
4:10 – How’d they think of the idea?
6:04 – Biggest obstacles faced?
7:34 – Incorporating as an L3C…wait what?! Not a Non Profit?
9:08 – Characteristics of being an entrepreneur

Follow Raise the Village on Facebook.

Although I fell madly in love with Andrew  “gentle giant” Jenks after watching how caring and sensitive he was on each and every episode of  World Of Jenks, I couldn’t help but wonder was it all real?

MTV is known for reality television ‘stars’, or in other words 5-minute famers, who let the fame get to their heads (ie. Jersey Shore) and I wasn’t so convinced Jenks was different. I was certain I would walk into the interview and meet a cocky jerk who would only give me a limited amount of time without his security guards interuppting. I ended up meeting was a genuinely nice guy who spent hours with me without any entourage of security and spoke freely about everything.

He one of the most humble people I have ever met and when he speaks about his filming there’s so much passion behind every he says. Jenks sees ‘famous’ as a false label for himself and sees himself as nothing more than ‘just a guy with an MTV show’.

Between watching World of Jenks and spending time with Andrew, I can see why the people he follows have a hard time leaving him. I almost wanted to ask him to hang out after just so I could spend more time with such a down to earth guy but decided not to.

This was hands down one of the best interviews I have ever done and would do it again in a heartbeat. He says season 2 will focus on filming one subject for a longer time so they are featured throughout the season and I can’t to watch it. Yes ladies, Mr. Jenks is single. Whether he’s singing about going to New York City, getting choked by a rapper, dancing with cheerleaders,doing stand up comedy,or sleeping on the street; Jenks is truly one of a kind and an inspire to the masses.

There is not much to say about Tayyib Ali that isn’t being said already amongst many music blogs including ThisSongIsSick.com and Fresh2DeathDaily.com. He’s an 18 year old from Philly and gaining hype all over the United States. His rhymes and flow sound so natural. This kid is definitely someone to look out for in the near future. He’s got some tremendous talent and it’ll be exciting to see him take off. We wanted to interview him before he got too famous. We also wanted to find out more about when he got started, why he loves music so much, what his goals are, and some other things you’re going to enjoy hearing about. In addition, Tayyib Ali spits a nice freestyle to top off the interview. All I’m going to say is he drops GYBS in there and it’s straight fire.

His much anticipated mixtape, Eighteen, dropped today. Everybody go grab it, blast it, and tell all your friends.
Grab it here.

Listen to one of the hot tracks you’ll find on the mixtape:

Tayyib Ali – The Right Time

Follow Tayyib Ali on Twitter
Check him out on Facebook

“There are over 2 billion email addresses worldwide yet only 200 million have blogs and most of these are inactive.   Through email, Posterous is bringing publishing to the masses.” – Posterous founders, Sachin Agarwal and Garry Tan. Continue Reading

I follow Sunset in the Rearview regularly and I was stoked to hear about their upcoming Chiddy Bang interview. Lydia from the blog is an unbelievable writer and I’m never let down with what she has to say. Obviously I had high expectations for this interview and I was not let down. Her interview write up style is really unique and well worth the read. So go check it out and learn more about these exploding young artists.

Read It Here

When Kidd Russell approached me with his music, I was excited. As everyone that follows GetYourBizSavvy already knows, I’m a huge hip hop fan and my interviews as of late really show that. Although, Kidd Russell has a rapping style in his music, it’s truly unique and offers a variety of sounds for most music lovers. One minute, you hear a chill song, the next minute you’re rocking to a heavy hitter, and then you end with a real lyrical rap song. With all the artists out there hoping to make it big, I believe it’s so important to diversify yourself. Kidd Russell is also different than many artists out there in the sense that he finds other ways to get his music out into the world. Instead of just praying for album and single song sales, he licenses his music out to television shows and is also involved in making songs for wrestlers.  We really wanted to talk to Kidd Russell and interview him, so everyone can get to know him a little bit better than just through his music. As always, we like to find out what people’s motive is and what drives them to do what they do. You’ll notice that like many musicians, entrepreneurs, and entertainers, Kidd Russell is just doing what he loves to do. Continue Reading

Making Moves, every entrepreneurs favorite reality web series about a group of young move makers in Boston, has come to an end. Season 1 was exciting and next season is going to be even better. I am a huge fan of this show. I have always been passionate about entrepreneurs creating a show based on their exciting lives and I think Making Moves does a great job of inspiring young entrepreneurs and move makers all over the world. If you haven’t already seen the last episode, check it out below. Big shouts to Cam Meekins on winning the competition for the Making Moves song (even though I voted for Paul Markham…shhhh). In addition to supplying you with Season 1′s last episode, since we interview the most electrifying people in the world, we came to the conclusion that we had to interview the Making Moves cast. We sat down with Alex, Vin and Julian and got to know more about them in the interview below. If you enjoy the show and the interview, tell 10 of your friends and tell them to tell 10 of their friends.

Enjoy!

Making Moves, Season 1 Finale

Interview with the Making Moves Cast

Video breakdown
0:50 – Whose idea was it for the show?
2:40 – How often are the cameras rolling?
3:20 – The Sam Adams and Jenna Marbles experience
4:43 – Who got a date with Jenna Marbles?
5:04 – Plans to meet other stars?
5:56 – What reality shows do the Making Moves cast watch?
7:02 – Late nights in the office?
7:42 – Meeting people?
7:59 – Julian, tell us a story
10:19 – Vin, tell us a story
11:46 – Season 2′s contest

Enter the Making Moves contest

Follow Making Moves on Twitter.

As always, if you think you have a great story and would like to be featured on GetYourBizSavvy, get at us!

“We’re the Ivy League of independent labels.” – Zack Johnson

“Being an entrepreneur is just in my blood. I’m always finding solutions to problems around me.” – Teague Egan

“I’ve always been a go getter.” – Zack Johnson Continue Reading

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You better believe it because this kid can definitely rap. His name’s Paul Markham and it’s being heard through the grapevine. Continue Reading

This is the last in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

It was through social media that Kathy Swenning first heard about Etsy. Kathy is a polymer clay artist that specializes in custom beads and jewelry. In this interview, learn how Kathy started her Etsy Shop – Roz Petalz Studio.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I heard about Etsy from a fellow crafter on a social networking site. I was tired of the high fees on Ebay, so I gave it a try.

How do you market your business?

Facebook, My Space, Business cards handed out at local fairs & included in my packaging (from all online sales).

How has social media helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

Facebook has proven to be helpful. I can link my Etsy items to post when they go up in my shop. They also have a helpful Etsy app. I have gotten several custom orders that way – my page is set to public so anyone can view it.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

Low fees – no charge for store setup, etc. I especially like the “Street Teams”. I belong to two – PCAGOE (polymer clay artists guild od etsy) and Ct. Etsy Team I have participated in promotions and shows as a result of this.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Etsy promotes alot on their own – our success is theirs! Also the Virtual Labs has lots of good tips and ideas that have helped me along the way with suggestions for picture taking, tagging & more. The Custom section has also allowed some additional sales.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

List a few items each day instead of all at once, so you don’t get buried in the “pile” of new listings. Also, make sure your name reflects your business. I changed mine as a matter of fact due to advice from fellow Etsians. I was using my Ebay I.D. (KathyS711); decided it was better to be more recognizable to Etsy customers. Buyers on Ebay want something for nothing. Etsy buyers appreciate handmade!!!!!!

How did you come up with your shop name?

Roz Petalz Studio is the name of my business – named for my daughter, Hannah Rose.

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

I make my product speak for itself. My items are one of a kind and affordable.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Yes! I have had strangers contact me with advice, etc just because they wanted to help a fellow “Etsian”. I have also done the same.

How do you connect with your buyers?

I respond ASAP to purchases and custom requests, etc. I include a thank you note and small “freebie” with every item. I also wrap my items with attractive packaging, etc. Most importantly, I ship FAST & leave feedback as soon as I get paid.

Visit Kathleen’s Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RozPetalzStudio
Follow the Roz Petalz Studio blog at http://rozpetalzstudio-kathys711.blogspot.com/
Visit the Roz Petalz Studio website at http://www.rozpetalzstudio.com/
Become a Facebook Fan at http://www.facebook.com/RozPetalzStudio

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.