Why did you start a business in Downtown Las Vegas?

Why did you start a business in Downtown Las Vegas?

I started my business in downtown, Las Vegas because it was EXACTLY what I was looking for at the time.

See, I was fresh off a city-job in New York City. I was back in Las Vegas, my hometown, taking the skills I learned there back here. That is a story for another day. Basically, this free spirit couldn’t wear grey inside a grey box of an office. I felt heartbreak at the realization that my career choice was not the right one. Of course, I’m young and I think I can just “figure it out.”

There were plenty of stages to that journey while back in Las Vegas. One, though, in particular brought me to Downtown Las Vegas. Enter- Todd.

Todd is the life/business partner of mine. We were dating long-distance as he finished his MBA at the University of Denver. He was moving back, having earned the degree and the Founder Institute, an incubator for start-ups. Todd is now perfectly positioned to enter start-up land, all the tools in hand.

He dove into building a family friendly app store “Bloomworlds.” He wanted to work on it back in Vegas where both myself and his family were living.

He introduced me to the concept of Coworking (Thanks Denver tech!). He wanted to find a spot in Vegas.

He moved back after graduation and the search began.

2010

Google searching led us to Emergency Arts, the only result for Coworking in Las Vegas at all.

“OMG, how cool.” I’m sure I said. But, it was marketed for artists, small boutiques, galleries, etc. I didn’t even think this was exactly what Todd was looking for.

Submit form on website asking if we could still look at a spot even though we were neither artists or boutique owners:

Later that evening, we attended a Downtown Immersion Tour with a local organization, JUMP.

It was the first time I met both Alexandra Epstein and Brian Paco Alvarez who had been there for years.

Jennifer Cornthwaite told us about the project.

The tour led us through Emergency Arts and The Beat Coffeehouse. The place is my “local coffee shop” in the most authentic, sweet way possible. Built from pure fucking love. You can feel it when you eat one of their French bread pizzas. I was born and raised in this city and hadn’t felt that sense of “neighborhood” since riding bikes on the east-side of town with the kids on the block. Finding it again felt like home. I guess that’s what authenticity felt like to me in a place filled with replicas upon replicas. As a local, all that will get you feeling lonely enough to lock yourself behind pink stucco and stay there forever. But, there was The Beat. The motherfucking heartBEAT.

“Hey, I'm the one who emailed you TODAY about a space!” I said to Jennifer Cornthwaite.

Welcome to Bloomworlds, the hospital’s former Maintenance Closet.

Me? Oh, I hadn’t yet figured it out. I was in between a failing online magazine and promotional modeling for conventions.

At first, I didn’t even come downtown. It wasn’t my office, I worked from home.

Todd helped me self-direct starting a business. He shared his insights and lessons from Founder Institute.

When the online magazine didn’t survive, I wondered what I could do. I realized that all the communication training I’ve had has been invaluable in building a brand. I realized that I could teach businesses how to build their brand online. At that time, “Social Media Guru’s” were all the rage and I just hated the connotation of some dude thinking he knew how to grow a brand with robot Twitter followers. I did not want to be “That guy” because it felt so cheesy, so inauthentic. So, I created a business and named her Crowd Siren.

Why the name? That story is on Instagram HERE.

Soon, I did start to come Downtown. I started to work from Emergency Arts doing consultations. Just as Emergency Arts was that “Coworking” space in Vegas, I became that “social media girl.” (damnit!)

My business started to reveal something. Businesses sorta understood social media. They knew it would be important to be “on it,” as they would say. But they had no idea how to use it to build authentic, branded content. That was not only intuitive to me, but I had just done it to build a brand, acquire press, earn media, make income from Google. But my online magazine had no runway, definitely not the kind we needed to survive.

Established businesses who wanted to get into social media needed someone who could build their brands online quickly without any stumbling. I knew I could fix that problem.

Two brands, in particular, showed me I could really have the type of solution that would boost brands.

1. Carolyn Goodman for Mayor: This opportunity was actually 1 of 2 I had at the time for political campaigns. They both came to me through connections I made Downtown. I decided on the campaign that I felt I could do the best work with. And thankfully they chose me too. The bright idea I pitched: A 10 episode Youtube show “Getting to know the Goodmans.” Which would show the online community who they are as a couple, who she is authentically and how she should be mayor. We actually made 3 episodes. In one of those episodes, you will see Emergency Arts and The Beat Coffeehouse at the beginning, including a cameo from Tony Hsieh. Check out that video HERE. Another video showed a full-campaign event with the community testimonials that blew me away. That footage is here:

and here:

She won that election.

1. SMNRA: Another brand we brought into the digital age included building an online identity for programs at Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA)...yeah, I didn’t know what it was either. That’s why I told them to use the name everyone in this city has come to know and love: Mt. Charleston. Again, it seemed almost intuitive to me. HERE is their Facebook page today.

My pops worked on Fremont in the 90’s in a small jewelry store that still exists in town today: Tower of Jewels. In fact, downtown re-introduced our families as I met fellow female entrepreneur here, Polly Weinstein, The Jewelers Daughter. Her dad used to be my dad’s boss. When they say this city is small, this is what they mean. Downtown, it still is.

When I brought my dad to my office, though, he baulked. He didn’t understand why the floor still looked like a hospital, or why there were news clippings surrounding the bar. He didn’t feel the heartbeat like I did. He also wouldn’t buy a $1 coffee when he can get it for $.25 at McDonalds. Different strokes for different folks.

I don’t mind having news clippings surround the bar, I don’t mind old hospital floors that line the hallways of Emergency Arts. I will take it over cherrywood and cubicles every.single.day.

That’s why I’m Downtown.