As a New Yorker, I go to the same five places every week. I have my deli where I get my coffee every morning, my brunch place I go every weekend, my spot for drinks I go to meet friends, my favorite dinner spot, and my favorite place to go for breakfast and meetings.
It is more than just a routine; it has become almost impossible to not go to these same places week in and week out. I have also found that I go into routines with other areas of my life -- patterns that cannot be broken, men that are usually broken and need fixing, situations where I keep making the same mistakes. I started realizing and analyzing these patterns when I started "checking in" places on a social media platform called Path. I realized I was going to the same place almost every single night, and I was talking about the same problems but with just different pieces to the puzzle.
I also started to recognize that I was not the only one who couldn't break patterns after a conversation I had with my roommate who is currently leaving NYC to move back to the South. In fact, it seems as if most of my friends are leaving NYC (I guess it's the time for the quarter-life "aha moment"), and my roommate told me she had a bucket list of places to visit and things to do in NYC during her last month of living here.
Just a few items on the list were visiting the Highline, going to the real Little Italy, and going to a Yankees game -- all of the activities you would choose to do while visiting NYC for the first time. Here is the catch, though: she has lived here for close to five years. I started thinking of all of the museums I had been to, the Broadway shows I had attended, and the experiences that made me fall in love with New York, and I realized most of these experiences came from when I was a child visiting the city. I had not done anything that took me outside my comfort zone in New York while living here. I have been traveling every weekend to get out of my comfort zone, not even recognizing that I don't need to travel to be able to do this. I need to be brave enough to face my life and decisions every day and push myself outside of my comfort zone in my day to day life.
If anyone <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-slavin/media-and-mediums-embraci_b_1465309.html" target="_hplink">read my piece</a> on my experience at a healer/medium, I had a big epiphany after sorting through what the healer told me in regard to the way I was treating life and myself. I am in the way of myself. I have the power to make decisions that will affect not only my life but also others' lives. My dear friend gave me some <keyword id="70503" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="advice">advice</keyword> recently; she said, "stop walking backwards into your future." I started to let this sink in and started thinking about my past three years in NYC. It has been a blur of parties, dinners, brunches, wine, amazing food, experiences and events. There were nights I remember rushing from event to event just so I could make time to see all the people I promised I would support. Now, at the age of 26, introspectively looking at where my life is now and where I want to go, I started to think: Am I living my life fully? Embracing all I can about NYC? Am I appreciating the people and the things that matter or am I letting the fast-paced life of a New Yorker and the day-to-day routines of my life distract me from what I really want?
I have a problem with saying yes to too much, giving myself up for everyone I care about and love. Another friend said to me recently, "The quality of your yesses depend on the quality of your nos." I started to realize that there has to be a point in your life or even your day where you stand up for what you want, whether that means removing yourself from situations you don't think are necessary or good for you, or saying no to too many events a night, you are making decisions and judgments that will better your life, even if others might not understand or agree with that.
I think it has become more and more difficult to "live for yourself" because we are so busy sharing what we are doing with everyone else and so busy wondering what everyone is constantly doing. This week, every news outlet and minifeed post commented on Facebook going public. There were articles scrutinizing this decision, people commenting that there are a lot better things to invest in, major companies removing their campaigns, and a whole lot of back and forth about whether this was the right decision. It made me really start to evaluate how much Facebook has changed the way people look at and share what they do and the decisions they make. People share with the world where they are at any given moment with check-ins, tags of people they were with and pictures. This obsession with posting about what you are doing, and thinking about what your ex -- or that guy you never want to see on your minifeed, or that girl you met at that one party (and still not sure if you really did meet her or if she just said that when Facebooking you) -- is doing has gotten in the way of just living. We are bombarded with so much information and feel the need to share so much information that it has almost replaced the opportunity to embrace ourselves, our lives and appreciate the world around us in the real world.
I think Facebook has changed the way we view our day-to-day experiences and what we invest our time in. We allow ourselves to be swept away by all of the sharing of what we are doing; we sometimes forget the value the experience. I started to think of this reality where so much of our time is invested in other people -- people I sometimes love or sometimes don't know, and sometimes don't want to know but have to -- and how little time I invest in myself. It also made me realize of the power of investing. What other investments can we make in our day-to-day lives that will not only positively impact us but also the world around us?
The first step is to invest in your own potential, start to live your life fully and invest in what makes you happy -- whether that is taking an hour a day to walk the streets of NYC or it is biking across the Brooklyn Bridge, it is your decision. Walk forward to your future. The second is to invest in your own future as well as others' potential to create a better future for all. My dear friend Becky Straw had an amazing event this week for her organization Adventure Project, "a nonprofit organization established to increase investments in positive social enterprises around the world to end poverty." Becky is the type of person that has dedicated her life into investing in others' potential, seeing that her time is best spent supporting others and helping them accomplish their <keyword id="21649" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="dreams">dreams</keyword>, which in turn will change their communities and the world. I think its sometimes easy to invest in the tedious day-to-day lives of others around you, to never break out of your comfort zone, and to stay going to the same restaurants, putting yourself in the same situations that hurt you, making decisions that are for are right for others even if they might not be right for yourself. I am realizing now that there is a time to invest in potential -- your own potential and the potential of others who in turn will better the world -- and there are times to let go. Let go of the people in your life who are bringing you down and the fat in your life that is distracting you, and invest in yourself, your potential and embrace the world around you walking forwards into your future. Only when you do that can you start to see the potential in others, and always make time to walk the Highline, go to a Yankees game, and check out the real Little Italy.
Now Read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-it-takes-to-become-an-entrepreneur-2013-2">Ten Tough Lessons I Learned About Becoming And Entrepreneur </a>

You Could Be The Reason That You Haven't Found Happiness Yet

<div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/511e5f47eab8eafd53000018-400-300/amandaslavinspeaking.jpg" border="0" alt="Amanda Slavin speaking" />Courtesy of <keyword id="1738298" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amanda-Slavin">Amanda Slavin</keyword></div></div></div>There are a lot of awesome things about going to work for yourself. You make your own schedule, you get to work from anywhere, you can decide who you work with and what projects you take on, you get to create a culture that is in line with your core beliefs and most importantly you get to put something in the world that is a product of you. There are a lot of things that aren't spoken about before people take the jump to be an entrepreneur. Like how most of us wrap ourselves so deeply in our work and let it define us; how we throw ourselves so head first into the fire, we don't have time to think about getting burned; how our relationships, emotions and exhaustion come second to our employees, our clients and our investors; and how the money coming in is a product of everything we put out and everything we put out is a product of us. I have a lot of conversations with entrepreneurs, want-rapreuners and those who are in full-time positions with large companies looking to leave and start their own initiative, and everyone is pretty much asking each other the same questions. Before taking the jump, I tell people a few things that I have learned and am consistently learning every day. While I try to do these things, there are still days where I forget to eat until 3 p.m. and have to call a "lifeline" for <keyword id="70503" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="advice">advice</keyword> and support. But these are the most valuable lessons I've learned so far: 
1. Take some time to just think about what you want for your life. I don't mean your 800 new awesome business ideas, I mean your life. What does your ideal life look like? What are your priorities? What is important to you? How much money do you need to make in order to make that happen? While it's great to have mentors and guidance, it's useless if you don't have a foundation to be anchored to. If you don't know what you want for yourself, then I don't think you should be putting anything out there in the world until you do. The world of entrepreneurship is becoming an integral part of our economy, it is not a science experiment. Don't just create because you like the idea of something. Find a need in the world, match your gift to it and then create. 2. Find a wellness-related, consistent hobby in your life that is not work related. Meditate, surf, soul cycle, walk outside, do yoga, whatever you want, but make sure you are doing something that is connecting you to you and to your body. I love to work, and had to find a time in my day to do something for me. It is not healthy to always be on. As an entrepreneur, you are always grinding, always on. You are doing interviews, pitches, advising, consulting, having to be a good boss, close rounds, create business plans, and oh yeah, also have a life "outside of work." When you are your work, and your work is your life, if you don't have a sacred moment for just you, you will lose yourself. 3. Create a trusted network of people to go to when you need advice. Once you decide what you want to create in the world and have taken the time for yourself, choose a handful of people whom you can call in case you feel like your world is crumbling and no one can possibly understand what you're going through. These individuals should not all be on the same level as you successfully. They do not have to be people on your advisory board. They are lifelines. Choose people who are either on the same page as you success-wise, one step ahead or 20 years ahead, do not turn to people for advice that have not started a successful company. Anyone can be an entrepreneur, but not everyone is a successful entrepreneur. Surround yourself with people who know what you're going through because they have overcome it themselves. 4. Stop talking about work. When I'm out at an event, a date, a situation that is not work-related, people ask me what I do and I tell them in 5 sentences or fewer, then I change the subject. I am so passionate about what I do, I could talk about it for 5 hours, but instead I take down the person's information and set up a time to meet with them to talk about work. As an entrepreneur, you make your own schedule which means if you wanted to you could always be on. Separate the you as a person with the you as a boss. It is totally OK to be a human being. 5. Don't look down, but hire people whose job it is to be on the ground always. Entrepreneurs don't have time to think of failing. They keep working day in and day out and just keep grinding to make sure they can pay their employees and continue to grow as a company, so sometimes they live on another planet and start speaking in a language in regards to world take over and then will forget to go to the dentist. Hire people you trust to remind you of the menial tasks and minute details that are necessary for any business or personal life to be sustainable. 6. Breathe. Don't ever lose sight of why you are doing what you're doing. And if you don't love it, figure out what you do love and change paths. You may not realize that you can hire someone to run a company you created that you may not love, and work for a company you do. Don't sit on someone else's dream by staying in a job you hate. Even if you created that job in the first place, if you aren't happy its OK to figure out ways to change your role and figure out what will make you happy. 7. Surround yourself with people you love and respect. Do not let people who can hurt you too close. You have to be at your best, your clearest mind to be able to do your job as an entrepreneur, which is to be you and create something beautiful in the world. If you're busy stalking on Facebook and fighting with friends who don't get it, separate. You are your biggest commodity. 8. Recognize that sometimes your reality doesn't align with others' realities. We all talk to each other, but in a business where people whose self worth is wrapped in their work, it is hard for us to really hear each other. We have our own understanding of our reality, of our story and easily get defensive, and emotional because we are our work. When someone insults you or says something you think is wrong, listen to them. Take time to ask them questions of why they feel that way and realize they may be right, and if they're wrong they may need someone to help them sort through their problem. 9. Communicate as much as possible ... to your clients, to your employees. I don't mean on interviews and press mentions, save those for when you do something that has earned this right. I mean to the people you are doing business with and the people you love. Be clear of what you're asking, pick up the phone and call people, make time for those whom you need to make time for, those who have made sacrifices to work for you and with you. Be clear and prioritize who these people are: your coworkers, your family, your board of directors. Be clear and concise with your plan of action, deliverables, production and always make time to see your grandma. 10. Last but not least, love yourself, know yourself, put in the time for yourself. You will be defending yourself to many, selling yourself to even more, and you better be sure of why you are doing what you're doing and who you are because not everyone is going to agree with you all of the time. Most of the time, you will have to pitch yourself in less than a minute, before someone gets a text. You will tell people things that frustrated you with work only to hear it come back to you as gossip. If you don't love yourself and invest in yourself, don't think anyone else will want to either.

10 Tough Lessons I Learned About Becoming An Entrepreneur 

<img class="float_right" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/50fef254eab8ea651c000005-612/amanda-slavin-1.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="Amanda Slavin" width="400" height="300" />There isn’t anyone who is going to tell you it's time to grow up. Well, there is, but you probably won’t listen to them. I don’t mean growing up in the way of paying your bills, or moving out of your parents' house, or buying your own car. I mean growing up in the sense of knowing who you are, understanding your values and being true to your core.
There is a moment in life when you know it's time to make a change. I call it your “happiness GPS” pointing you in the right direction. Something inside you is telling you, “This is not the right way,” and sometimes, if you continue to go in the wrong direction, the universe will send you a big wake up call. This is what happened to me.
I went to college to be a teacher and entered a five-year bachelor's/master's program when I was 20 years old. Anyone who thinks they know who they are when they are 20 years old is horribly mistaken. When I was 20, I was convinced I was going to be married by 23, have children at 26, and be happily settled with my husband in the suburbs. But my “happiness GPS” had other plans for me.
Through a random (or maybe not so random) chain of events, I ended up working for a startup in New York City four days after graduating with a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. The startup had nothing to do with education, and I ended up as the director of marketing and events for a restaurant group in 2009. As a recovering workaholic and socialholic, I threw myself into work and into my social life, working 10-hour days, and then going to events night after night, always being on, forgetting I wasn’t an iPhone you could just reset.
I started to see a trend from a lot of my New York friends. Treat your body horribly, work yourself to the bone, do a juice cleanse, and then you are ready for another week of putting yourself last. I never thought there was anything wrong with this, because it had “worked” for me for three years. I was lucky enough to have fallen into a job that suited my social skills, I loved my coworkers like family, and the company I worked for was rapidly growing, but I felt like something was off. I went from college directly to New York, throwing myself into work, throwing myself into bad relationships, throwing myself into events filled with people I kissed on both cheeks but knew nothing about besides their last photo album on Facebook. I had no idea who I was, and what I wanted but I knew something didn’t feel right.
Two years ago I met a group of individuals who were part of a nonprofit, and that changed my life. I started helping them with fundraising, supporting them with resources and relationships in the events and marketing world, and realized the value of being able to “use the hand that fed me to feed others.” I ended up knee-deep in the philanthropy space, helping too many organizations to name, loving every minute of supporting these wonderful people who were doing such amazing things in the world. By filling the void inside me by helping others, I didn’t have to help myself.
After two years of putting everyone and anyone in front of myself, it slowly hit me. The universal “crash” was not something that was mind-blowing or obvious; it was as simple as receiving a negative comment from someone at an event. I started to do some soul searching, asking myself questions such as, “Had I really not changed at all in the past six years? Was I still putting myself in situations that were just wrong for me? Did I know myself at all?”
I felt lost and frustrated, and a friend suggested I see a healer. Always up for an adventure, I agreed. She told me things about my past and my future; some of which were wrong, but most were right. It was as if she was reflecting back to me all that I knew was inside me but pushed down, forgetting it had existed. I left feeling exhilarated, and realizing I was not making the right decisions to give me the life I wanted to live.
I started a trend after this experience where I would go to breakfast with all different people, and just talk to them with no preconceived business notions. I met with friend after friend asking them their stories and sometimes for advice, and for two weeks, <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> came up in conversation six times. I had never really thought of going to India, but I knew I needed a change of pace.
I decided to go to India for 10 days, and for the first time in my life, I did not bring any form of technology. I had no form of communication, and for the first time in a long time, I thought about myself. I had realizations such as, “Wow, I like to read, I like the beach, I like to be alone,” and more than anything, I care about my health, my wellness, and want to give myself the time and effort I have been giving everyone else and learn who I am.
After a lot of meditating, yoga, reading, relaxing, and thinking, I jumped in a cab for the two-hour drive to the airport to go from Kochi to Delhi. I started to talk to my cab driver asking him questions about his life. I asked him if he did yoga, and he said yes of course, he goes to yoga every day. I asked him for some tips and tricks, in which he then pulled over to the side of the highway, pushed down the seat, and said, “Let me teach you how to breathe for yoga.”
I was fairly terrified but followed his lead, and he then proceeded to ask me if I exercised, and I told him I walk. He scoffed and replied, “Ugh, you Europeans and New Yorkers with your tak tak bodies and your walking.” I was horrified, and asked him if “tak tak” meant fat, in which he nodded and flatly said, “Yes.” He told me my face looked swollen and asked me if I drank and ate chicken, which I did. He then challenged me and told me to go back to the U.S., do yoga every single day, stop eating meat, and stop drinking alcohol and go back to India in 6 months to show him the results. At first I refused, but he made me write it down on a piece of paper in front of him, and something in me just said "Do it," so I did. He gave me his email and told me to email him if I was going to fold, and he would help me through it.
I went back to New York with the intention to commit to this stranger — and really to myself — for the first time. I tried more than anything to live the same life I had before, working 10 hours a day, going from event to event, but something felt off. Three months into this experience, I found a piece of paper I had scribbled on the day before I met the cab driver in India. I had woken up at 3 a.m. to write down something (India makes you do weird things), and crumpled it up on my shelf. It stated, “I will eat healthy, I will exercise, I will not drink.” It made me realize I had made this commitment to myself even before the cab driver, but needed a little bit of “magic” to remind me.
I started making smaller changes, speaking with my boss and having him be a part of the conversation. How can I still do what I love and live the life that I want? How can I make a change in the world and go back to my roots as an educator but still stay true to my love for business? I called friends for advice, but then realized I was the only one who could give me the answers that I needed.
I ended up starting my own company with an amazing partner and mentor, becoming a partner in the restaurant group I had worked with three years prior, and created the life I wanted to lead. I went back to India two weeks ago, and the cabbie excitedly exclaimed, “You look perfect, keep doing this, make sure you keep doing this!”
In India, we climbed a 9,000-foot mountain, rode elephants, relaxed on houseboats, and I realized while it was an incredible experience, I also love the life I am creating for myself at home (which means a new home in LA, which I found was more fitting for my <keyword id="15482" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="lifestyle">lifestyle</keyword>). I am no longer running away from my life, but am stepping into it. I am no longer needing cab drivers and healers and strangers to tell me who I am and what I want. I am very clear with myself about who I am and who I want to be.
When you are younger, you think growing up is hard and scary. You think you want to stay young forever — innocent and safe — but then one day, you realize that growing up is amazing, exciting and opens up endless possibilities. If I have learned anything from this experience, I have learned you have to take care of yourself, you have to take the time and energy and effort to get to know yourself because there is a lot of noise, a lot of nonsense, and a lot of pressure that you will receive from all around you. No matter how “busy you are," “how stressed you are,” or “how little time you have,” it's worth taking time for yourself, and when you do, truly anything is possible.

A Cab Driver's Challenge To Get Healthy Changed My Life

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In addition to Hsieh's prominence in the <keyword id="6355515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business">business</keyword> world, he also was a community builder and visionary outside of work.</li><li>Weaving together anecdotes and photos from people in Hsieh's inner circle, writer Aimee Groth paints a picture of an "inquisitive, impactful, loving, kind" leader who was masterful at making connections wherever he went.</li><li>The former <keyword id="224406" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Zappos">Zappos</keyword> CEO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-ex-ceo-zappos-died-aged-46-2020-11">died on November 27 at the age of 46</a>.</li></ul><ul class="summary-list"></ul>The outpouring of love for former Zappos CEO <keyword id="903783" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tony-Hsieh">Tony Hsieh</keyword> since his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/obituaries/tony-hsieh-dead.html">tragic passing on November 27</a> is astounding. We lost an incredibly bright light and one of the boldest visionaries of our time far too early."The tapestry we each weave in life, extending all around us, is always farther reaching than we know - but Tony's was enormous, impacting so many," <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsalvo/">Jen Consalvo</a>, an entrepreneur who helped build out the <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> scene in support of Hsieh's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/21/magazine/what-happens-in-brooklyn-moves-to-vegas.html">$350 million Las Vegas Downtown Project</a>, shared with me over the weekend. She and her husband, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankgruber/">Frank Gruber</a>, had been neighbors and business partners with Hsieh for nearly a decade.<div type="image" title="Aimee Groth author" height="1358" width="1811" msid="79574314" hostid="261"></div>I met Consalvo and Gruber on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-downtown-project-2012-12">2012 trip to Vegas</a>, the same day they happened to be moving into the Ogden, the apartment complex across from Zappos where Hsieh and many of his friends and employees lived and worked."It's fascinating," Consalvo continued, "as much as Tony was known and admired, he was often too quiet for people's comfort - yet his words were smart, inquisitive, impactful, loving, kind, and generous. His ability to withhold expression made people uncomfortable, yet he was actually the most thoughtful host and caretaker you've ever met." Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-lessons-summarized-delivering-happiness-2020-12">Tony Hsieh, the late former CEO of Zappos, wrote the definitive playbook on good corporate culture. Here are 4 lessons from his bestseller 'Delivering Happiness.'</a><h2>Hsieh had a grandiose mission: He wanted to build the "most community-focused large city in the world"</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Hsieh with friend Frank Gruber, a fellow entrepreneur and CEO of Established, at the Tech Cocktail Celebrate event in 2014." height="678" width="904" msid="79574316" hostid="261"></div>He wanted to do it <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2013/06/24/part-1-why-zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-is-investing-350m-into-downtown-vegas/">in the accelerated time frame of five years</a>. He poured his windfall from the <a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/20100601/why-i-sold-zappos.html">2009 Zappos/Amazon sale</a> into buying up real estate in a blighted part of town where the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zappos-new-downtown-las-vegas-office-2012-9">Zappos HQ was relocating</a> and invested in local tech startups, small businesses, arts, and culture.To measure success, he put forth a new metric: ROC ("<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2013/11/15/why-zappos-ceo-hsieh-wants-to-enable-more-collisions-in-vegas/?sh=5b63215a1100">return on community</a>"). He sought to create a <a href="https://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/storytellers/tony-hsieh/">new kind of economy</a>, a society where human goodness was the primary currency. It was an attempt to engineer socially-conscious capitalism, before the idea of<a href="https://qz.com/1909715/the-difference-between-stakeholder-and-shareholder-capitalism/"> stakeholder capitalism</a> entered the mainstream. During one of my interviews with former Zappos COO, CFO and chairman Alfred Lin at Sequoia Capital, he told me that Hsieh's ideas were often years ahead of their time. This grand social experiment in downtown Vegas was no exception.Hsieh's propensity to reimagine the ways in which society might work was compelling and drew thousands of <keyword id="53533" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="entrepreneurs">entrepreneurs</keyword> into his orbit. His huge heart made him even more magnetic. Over the weekend Gruber described Hsieh to me as "one of the most selfless, generous, and kind spirits I have ever met. Most people with his level of success and financial freedom would never do what he has done."To lay the groundwork for this new economy, Hsieh <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/08/why-multi-millionaire-zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-lives-in-a-trailer-park.html">prioritized experiences</a>. Instead of meeting through roles, titles, and other forms of hierarchy, Hsieh wanted people to meet through shared experiences and establish common ground that way. Done well, events allow people to discover more of who they are in the process.Hsieh knew how to do events well - going all the way back to his days at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-Purpose/dp/0446576220">1000 Van Ness in San Francisco</a>, the apartment complex where he lived and worked during the dotcom boom. It's where he <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/food/insidescoop/article/Venture-Frogs-Leaps-on-the-Scene-2764663.php">launched the startup incubator Venture Frogs</a> with Lin after they sold advertising network LinkExchange to Microsoft for $265 million. A masterful systems architect himself, Hsieh knew brilliant event curators when he saw them. Consalvo and Gruber were clearly pros. With Hsieh's investment in their company <a href="https://tech.co/">Tech.Co</a> (formerly <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Mixology-Cocktails-Building-Celebrating/dp/1118844386">Tech Cocktail</a>), they applied their years of experience <a href="https://washingtonexec.com/2011/05/interview-with-digital-nomads-frank-gruber-and-jen-consalvo/#.X8bJiapKhE4">building startup ecosystems around the US</a> to developing a tech scene in downtown Vegas. They regularly flew in dozens of entrepreneurs and VCs to mingle with locals for a week of talks, dinners, social events and tours. Attendees stayed for free at Hsieh's 100-some "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-tony-hsiehs-investments-in-las-vegas-2012-9">crash pads</a>" at the Ogden and other Downtown Project-owned apartment complexes downtown. Tech Cocktail's events rivaled high-priced tech conferences, without the pretense.Instead there was a focus on "serendipity" and "<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3003118/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-focusing-collisions">collisions</a>," terms Hsieh embraced as a way to encourage chance meetings. His marketing vernacular was designed to create more light-heartedness around the idea of connecting with and pitching strangers, to make it less awkward and more fun. <h2>No matter where he went, he easily formed a network of friends and professionals</h2><div type="image" title="Frank Gruber Birthday May 2013 with Jack Vrett, Mollie Andrade, Justin Thorp, Jen Consalvo and Tony Hsieh" height="640" width="853" msid="79574318" hostid="261"></div>Hsieh was a beloved member of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/fashion/powder-mountain-the-ski-resort-that-crowdsourcing-built.html">Summit Series</a>, an international network of social entrepreneurs based in Eden, Utah. He drew inspiration from the organization's fresh approach to community design and its focus on social impact. So when Hsieh met Summit events worker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/amanda-slavin">Amanda Slavin</a>, he asked her if she'd consider doing something similar in downtown Vegas.Hsieh had a gift for eyeing talent and hidden genius early and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahmckinney/2014/03/19/amanda-slavin-the-creative-catalyst-behind-catalystcreativ/?sh=1d2a9b1d72ae">recognized in Slavin</a> someone who could do the same - a skillset that made her an excellent event curator <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCkYTz_lg3M">and host</a>, just like Hsieh was himself. He helped her incorporate her events company, <a href="https://www.catalystcreativ.com/">CatalystCreativ</a>, and she helped him launch his Downtown Project.Given the opportunity of a lifetime Slavin delivered tenfold, regularly flying in a compelling array of social entrepreneurs and influencers who were curious about Hsieh and what he was building. Hsieh was also curious about them, and asked guests to "speak on whatever you're passionate about."<div type="image" title="Jenn Lim Jen Consalvo Frank Gruber and Tony Hsieh at Tech Cocktail SXSW event in March 2011" height="1241" width="1656" msid="79574320" hostid="261"></div>The first CatalystCreativ event included Adventure Project CEO <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/party-pictures/g5609/dvf-awards-kiini-dinner/">Becky Straw</a>, Andela cofounder <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49207040">Christina Sass</a>, and social enterprise consultant <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/richarddemato/">Richard Demato</a>, who spoke on "Surfing, Neuroscience, and Accelerating Social Change."The weekend culminated in a "vulnerability night," where attendees shared their biggest fears and insecurities with the group. The entire weekend had an emotional arc to it, which crescendoed at the end, providing participants with a strong sense of community and belonging - and a willingness to contribute to the Downtown Project. Hsieh was masterful at cultivating community wherever he went. He always had an entourage and delighted in surprising friends when he toured celebrities like <a href="https://lasvegasweekly.com/nightlife/2014/apr/28/welcome-neighbor-steve-aoki-moving-vegas/">Steve Aoki</a> and <a href="https://www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/tony-hsieh-remembered">Richard Branson</a> around downtown. His entourage often included Zappos and Downtown Project employees, as well as other local residents and friends from other parts of his life.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-zappos-holacracy-management-experiment-2015-5">Tony Hsieh once ran a radical organizational experiment that prompted 14% of employees to quit. Here's an inside look at how the late Zappos CEO made his self-management vision a reality.</a><h2>At community events it wasn't uncommon to encounter Hsieh's friends from high school or those who knew him from his LinkExchange and Venture Frogs days.</h2><div type="image" title="Oksana Petrichenko Tony Hsieh Jen Consalvo Frank Gruber at Life Is Beautiful 2018.JPG" height="1536" width="2048" msid="79574322" hostid="261"></div>He had broadcast his bold "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/24/las-vegas-tony-hsieh-regeneration">community-focused</a>" mission to the world, which inevitably attracted old friends who were in personal crises - whether it be a divorce, or some other difficult life circumstance - and he welcomed them with open arms. He secured one a place to stay in his Airstream Park and put her on payroll as an assistant. Hsieh was highly attuned and generous to those who were hurting or at a crossroads in their lives. When possible, he sought to be the bridge to getting them back on their feet. "Tony finds a place for everybody," his longtime driver, Steve ("Steve-O") Moroney, shared with me in 2013 during a car ride with Hsieh, who had stepped into a doctor's appointment. Moroney had a unique vantage point with an ear to countless conversations Hsieh had while conducting business while traveling in his car or <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2010/10/03/delivering-happiness-the-rap-video/">on the Delivering Happiness bus</a>. By that time, Hsieh had found a place for me, too. After attending that first CatalystCreativ event, which had a life-changing effect, I committed to finding a way to contribute to the Downtown Project. Hsieh asked me if I might do something similar - perhaps inviting creators into town for a monthly event, because he knew I was part of a creative community in Brooklyn - but I told him I didn't think I had a big enough network to pull it off successfully. Searching for an idea, a couple months later I pitched him on writing a book about the project. He immediately said yes, suggesting that it would be an "opportunity for personal growth." Early Zappos investor Erik Moore made a similar observation about his friend's generous spirit. "Tony loves a lot of people," he told me at a 2012 social outing organized by Hsieh in Manhattan, surveying the many people from different walks of life who had come out to spend time with Hsieh. Slavin was there, as was former boxer JillKerry Ward (now Toolen), whose clothing line Hsieh featured at Zappos, and Miki and Radha Agrawal, <a href="https://www.mikiagrawal.com/do-cool-shit">serial entrepreneurs</a> known as much for their <a href="https://www.mikiagrawal.com/">social ventures</a> as they are for hosting "<a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161012-the-woman-behind-the-morning-dance-party-craze">Daybreaker</a>" dance parties around the world.Hsieh saw the way the Agrawals <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Belong-People-Create-Community-Connected/dp/1523502053">build community</a> wherever they go, too, and invested in a downtown Vegas location for <a href="https://www.mikiagrawal.com/">Miki Agrawal</a>'s farm-to-table restaurant <a href="https://www.eatdrinkwild.com/">WILD</a>. He loved people by inviting them into the tapestry and funding or supporting their dreams in one way or another.Hsieh was the consummate master-of-ceremonies who relished bringing people together. Despite his massive fortune, up until 2020 he chose to embrace micro-living with friends in his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/llamapolis-las-vegas-trailer-park-2016-8">Airstream Park</a> at the edge of downtown Vegas, which is still plagued by homelessness even though the broader area has <a href="https://lasvegassun.com/news/2013/nov/25/joe-downtown-container-park-opens-another-draw-eas/">meaningfully improved</a> thanks to his $350 million investment.The term friends use most often to describe Hsieh's social circles is "motley crew." Everyone was always welcome - wandering or grounded souls - it didn't matter where you were on your journey, or what title or lack of title you came with. Having experienced great success at a young age, Hsieh saw the world differently and chose to prioritize people and experiences above all else. It was just one more way he was ahead of his time.Friends and family are collecting memories of Hsieh at <a href="https://honoringtonyhsieh.com/">HonoringTonyHsieh.com</a>, an interactive website that was built and designed by Wix founder Avishai Abrahami and his team: Roee Kuperberg, Niv Farchi, Michael Mishan, Anna Kuntsman Rozenberg and Yamit Haddad. Michael Garvey, Tyler Williams, and Amy Jo Martin have also contributed to the project. The website - which <a href="https://laurentravels.medium.com/a-tribute-website-for-late-ceo-tony-hsieh-has-been-created-for-friends-family-and-all-he-bca3c53dd6e">showcases memories of Hsieh in the form of stories, photos, and videos</a> - is the brainchild of Lauren Randall, founder of ecommerce company <a href="https://www.melonhopper.com/">Melonhopper</a> and a close friend of Hsieh's who participated in his Downtown Project. You can also email photos and videos to mymemory@tonyhsieh.com. <a href="https://www.aimeegroth.com/">Aimee Groth</a> is the author of "The Kingdom Of Happiness: Inside Tony Hsieh's Zapponian Utopia," which was published in 2017 by an imprint of Simon &amp; Schuster.

Tony Hsieh was more than a successful CEO - he was also a giver, community builder, and visionary ahead of his time

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/529f6ac36bb3f7480758f3fe-1024-768/most-stylish-miami002.jpg" border="0" alt="Most Stylish Miami.002" /><keyword id="1963279" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="StyleCaster">StyleCaster</keyword>Fashion blogger Amanda Del Duca is one of <keyword id="15641" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Miami">Miami</keyword>'s most stylish <keyword id="6360040" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="people">people</keyword>.</div></div></div>Every December, <a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/ad/art/art-basel-miami-beach">Art Basel Miami</a> transforms the normally sexy city into an even greater aesthetic haven. 
While the international art fair in Miami draws dozens of blue chip and up-and-coming artists to display their work for gallerists and collectors, the event is also a great backdrop for the rich and beautiful to have a beach getaway.
Just in time for the city's must-attend cultural affair, <a href="http://stylecaster.com/">StyleCaster</a> has <a href="http://stylecaster.com/miami-most-stylish-2013/">compiled a list</a> of Miami's most stylish residents. On this year's list, you'll find everyone from fashion bloggers and models to publicists and philanthropists.
Here are the most stylish people in Miami this year (in no particular order):
<ol>
<li>
Rachel Russell is a stylist with an upcoming clothing line of travel inspired accessories, called KEMANA, that she produces in Bali.
</li>
<li>
Danielle Hamo is an Israeli-born nutritionist for gourmet meal company The Fresh Diet. She's about to launch her own healthy eating and fresh lifestyle company.
</li>
<li>
Amanda Del Duca is a fashion blogger for her personal style blog <a href="http://capturefashion.com/">Capture Fashion</a>. She also styles for the likes of Terry Richardson and Galore Magazine, and works as the creative director for a swim and resort wear store.
</li>
<li>
Brett David is a top dealer of exotic cars. He runs a dealership that represents Lamborghini, Audi, Pagani and Lotus, and once sold a $1.8 million car off his Instagram page.
</li>
<li>
Daniela Ramirez is a fashion blogger with <a href="http://nanysklozet.tumblr.com/">Nancy's Klozet</a>. She's also studying for her master's degree and aspires to work in television. 
</li>
<li>
Marcella Novela is a philanthropist who founded Art Conductor, an organization that stimulates the flow of energy and creativity between artists and the Miami community.
</li>
<li>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/529f6b86ecad04ad2758f3fc-1024-768/most%20stylish%20miami.001.jpg" border="0" alt="Most Stylish Miami.001" width="480" />StyleCasterStyleCaster calls Ariel Burman a "style authority."</div></div>Ariel Burman is a lawyer turned boutique owner. He deals in preppy-surf lifestyle at his store called Cottage Miami.
</li>
<li>
Jessica Goldman is the CEO of Goldman Properties. She has a foothold on the hottest emerging street art scene in the world: The Wynwood Walls, which currently houses the largest curation of street art in the world.
</li>
<li>
TYPOE is a street artist. He's also a partner in Primary Projects, which is focused on public arts like the Primary Flight wall, a revolving mural at Wynwood. His one man show, Game Over, will debut soon.
</li>
<li>
Elysze Held is a personal stylist, fashion editor, and contributor to almost every Miami based style magazine and television show.
</li>
<li>
Lauren Gnazzo is a publicist for Miami's finest.
</li>
<li>
Anthony Spinello is a gentleman-gallerist. His gallery, Spinello Projects, is only in its second year, but has already been asked to show at Art Basel Miami. 
</li>
<li>
Jessica Motes is a Miami-born model. She has worked two years in Milan plus an Oscar de la Renta campaign. She also runs a new e-commerce store and lifestyle website, Hippie Bling.
</li>
<li>
Biz Martinez has worked in Miami's nightlife industry for 13 years. He currently works as the Music Director and Talent Buyer for LIV/Story and Miami Marketing Group.
</li>
<li>
Charlotte Joncquiert comes from Paris and works as the marketing manager for Hermes Parfums.
</li>
<li>
Franck Izquierdo is a hair stylist who owns Prive Salons in the SLS Hotel in Miami, which is expanding its flagship location and opening in two more cities.
</li>
<li>
Agustina Woodgate came to Miami from Buenos Aires to work as an artist. She's doing everything from a solo show to designing commemorative art benches for the entire city of Miami Beach.
</li>
<li>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/529f6bc969bedd7229e32dd6-1024-768/most%20stylish%20miami.003.jpg" border="0" alt="Most Stylish Miami.003" width="480" />StyleCasterAnthony Spinello's gallery will show work as part of Art Basel Miami.</div></div>John Lin founded Lin Projects to arrange luxury events branded with the Miami experience in South Beach. He's also heavily involved in the art scene and contributes to several art and fashion magazines.
</li>
<li>
Dani Parets is a stylist with work on display at Art Basel in the "Patterns of Eternity" exhibition, which showcases a series sculptures, paintings, and photography. 
</li>
<li>
Robert Onuska owns Stella's Sweet Shoppe, where he creates delectable desserts in Miami. He also plans special events and caters.
</li>
<li>
Alan Zelcer has lived in Miami for over 30 years. He works as the CEO of Isaco International Corporation, launching brands like Papi, Rico, and Equipo underwear in hundreds of stores nationwide.
</li>
<li>
Adrienne Bon Haes and Marvin Friedman make a stylish couple. Bon Haes is an artist and a designer who makes clothes out of found objects like lace curtains and table cloths. Friedman is a trial lawyer and private 20th century art and film dealer.
</li>
<li>
Shauna Slavin and Nikki Galper design jewelry together. Last year, they launched their jewelry collection MasonHarlie, which combines Shauna's classic, edgy style with Nikki's boho-chic look.
</li>
</ol>
<a href="http://stylecaster.com/">Read more about these style mavens at StyleCaster &gt;</a>This story was originally published by <a href="http://www.stylecaster.com/" target="_blank">Stylecaster</a>.

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