Mariana Pimenta

Roman Calavera, Founder of CREC, one of the best coworkings in Barcelona. My first interview with a local, Spanish entrepreneur, founder of CREC, the first coworking I joined in BCN.

My first interview with a local, Spanish entrepreneur, founder of CREC, the first coworking I joined in bcn and felt so welcomed by their amazing staff. With huge spaces and very cool, modern facilities in Poble Sec, one of my favorite areas in town, they even have a photo studio.  Ahead of the game in terms of strategy and long term clients.

With weekly Friday “vermuts”(local drink), they gather all their coworkers to network and create! And they offer all their members help with their business plans.

I was lucky to be there the Friday Roman announced to their members the launch of their new branch in Example and I had to ask him to talk to us and share some of his story and future plans!

We talk about

"Community is the best way to improve" 7:57

Meet Roman Calavera, Founder of CREC Coworking, one of best coworkings in Barcelona

My first interview with a local, Spanish entrepreneur, founder of CREC, the first coworking I joined in bcn and felt so welcomed by their amazing staff. With huge spaces and very cool, modern facilities in Poble Sec, one of my favorite areas in town, they even have a photo studio.  Ahead of the game in terms of strategy and long term clients. 

With weekly Friday “vermuts”(local drink), they gather all their coworkers to network and create! And they offer all their members help with their business plans. 

We talk about

3:08 the idea of a coworking space
17:41 Sharing skills 
18:08 Why CREC grows so fast
23:26 Why companies prefer employees in a coworking instead of in headquarters
27:57 Why digital nomads are flocking into Barcelona
29:20 the future of digital work
39:26 Traits Ramon looks for when hiring
42:00 Future projects (craft and music communities)
44:50 Ramon's way of meditation
48:31 suggestions to young adults starting their careers



Quotes:

"Community is the best way to improve" 7:57
"Crisis pushes us to other kinds of relationship with people" 3:11
"For us is very important this kind of community, where every person is one person" 5:40
"There are 3 way of doing things: what we do, how we do, why we do" 6:53
"If you think you have to change, simply, change" 51:41


Links Mentioned:

The Golden Circle concept from the book of Simon Sinek Start with Why - https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone-ebook/dp/B005JZD3B4/
CSI Canadian Project - https://socialinnovation.org/
CREC site and address - http://crec.cc/en/
The Zero Marginal Cost Society, by Jeremy Rifkin - https://www.amazon.com.br/Zero-Marginal-Cost-Society-Collaborative/dp/1137280115
CRAC and CREAM meaning in catalan
Evernote - https://evernote.com/
Trello - https://trello.com/
Basecamp - https://basecamp.com/
TED Talks - https://www.ted.com/

Herb Caudill, Founder and CTO of DevResults, a web tool for international humanitarian assistance & disaster relief programs.

When I asked the manager of my coworking in Barcelona, which member there he thought had the most exciting career, he immediately told me it was Herb Caudill

I checked his website and was impressed with how they were helping the world.

DevResults monitors, evaluates, maps, manages and collaborates w/ international development programs in the field, and has been used in 18 countries to manage over $2 billion in foreign assistance. Not only this software helps the humanitarian organizations, governments and donors get more clarity on their figures, it directly assists all of us, who also partially pay for it.

He reminds us that simple, smart solutions to big problems can generate some very exciting careers. A company aligned with the future, that lets their team of 11 people work remotely, from anywhere they want.

He grew up in Panama and Ecuador, then worked in Africa, US and then chose Barcelona, of course, to live with his family. 😃 Goes to work by bicycle, plays piano, speaks 6 to 7 languages. You know that saying “surround yourself with people you want to be like?”. That's how lucky some coworkers are to have doers like Herb around.

We talk about:

- what is a real world problem?

- how they help people who solve real world problems, do their jobs better

- how his software makes international development more accountable & more transparent

- the International Aid Transparency

- wishes to make the software more of a planning and management and less of a reporting tool, not completely US focused

- how his experience living in Panama, Ecuador and Africa helped him develop DevResults and work with International Development

- how they choose their staff (programmers and data scientists)

- how they got more name recognition and stability

- future plans

- the benefits of coworkings

Quotes:

“It pays off so much to create your own thing, to be your own boss. There is just nothing like that"

"just stop thinking about it and do it"

"famines don't happen because people don't know how to farm, famines happen because you have unstable government. Usually famines are political in nature"

"there's nothing like that feeling of working on something brand new and fresh.”

"you get so much more respect from customers than you do from bosses (…) They're respectful of your time in a way that you just don't see that much in an employee/employer relationships"

"could make a lot more money than they're making now and have complete freedom by just quitting their jobs and doing the exact same thing as a consultant, or as a freelancer just as an individual. "

Notes:

Joel Gaicoigne, from Buffer

d3 visualizations by Mike Bostock

remoteok.io

Nomadlist.com

Stack Overflow

International Aid Transparency Initiative

Pharadon Phonamnuai - thai entrepreneur, musician, inspiring reference in Chiang Mai, Founder of North Gate Jazz Club

My first interview with a Thai entrepreneur, who I met at TEDx, where he was a speaker, a musician who made the audience emotional with his “plant a tree wherever you are” campaign to help save Chiang Mai and Thailand from the burning seasons.

Later I saw him play with his band and I was sure I had to talk to him. So humble, so cheerful and creates a great vibe wherever he goes :)

One of those talks to remind us that, very little can be just enough.

After traveling the world with his sax, hitchhiking around Japan, the US, Corea, he came back to CMai and decided to start two local businesses to inspire creative activities in the community, spreading art, music and culture to anyone who visits.

He then set up a group called Meuyen-Meungyen to promote more green spaces in CMai, “Plant some Tree Right Where you are”. When we did the interview, more than 5,000 trees had already been planted in Chiangmai. And when a tree they planted dies, they have to jump in the moat (yuk!)

He hitchhikes around Thailand once a year during  burning season spreading the word on the tree campaign. He has a creative, traveling, music project called Blowing West.

"Where are you from?  Wherever you're from you should plant some tree”

(more amazing quotes below)

We talk about:

- how to feel happy when connected with things around you, without focusing entirely on money

- why he decided to travel the world with his sax for 5 years after university(Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Paris, England, India, Nepal, New Zeland)

- how he got a scholarship to Japan, Kyoto, when he was 17

- why everyone should go to jail, join the army and be a monk

- how he got funded to go to a jazz improvision workshop in Ohio/ NY

- local tribe leaders and philosophers that inspired him

quotes:

- “just breath and just listen”

- "Where are you from?  Wherever you're from you should plant some tree”

- "If you think about MONEY, it’s everywhere. We have money, but we don’t have trees. The world is sick."

- "Stop thinking about it, go see your relatives, go out and talk, share more, talk, be naked."

- "know where you’re going and let it flow"

- "the real success is waking up and doing it, enjoying where you are right now, even if it’s not totally what you want."

Marcus is a Brazilian digital entrepreneur, teaches how to have digital freedom to thousands of brazilians

After living in Japan, new mindset, could not settle, started his digital business with 1thousand dollars and a lap top, from his bedroom in Brazil, only with the certainty that he wanted freedom to choose where to live.

Lived in Japan, Phillipines, UK and now Thailand. Teaches thousands of Brazilian followers how to create multiple sources of passive income to have the lifestyle he does.

You can find his website "libertacao digital” (digital freedom), his tutorial on how to get a scholarship in japan “www.graduateinjapan.com”, his license of the american best seller "the millionaire fastlane” by MJ dimarco.

Fun, honest and informal talk, first time I interviewed a fellow Brazilian Digital Nomad, we laughed so much.

We talk about:

- what it took to start from a tiny town in southern Brazil to reach 40k followers

- the importance of ‘student exchange programs”, like AIESEC to help work and travel

- the power of mentorship throughout his journey

- the reasons why he didn’t want to live in Brazil anymore

- his tips for those who are starting a career and want to go into commerce/affiliate marketing/FBAmazon

- how he tests his products before he produces them

- how he wrote books, started a subscription business, a blog and a vlog

- his future plans

Quotes:

"Mari:why did you decide to come to Thailand? Marcus: yeah I saw the movie "The hangover” (Mari and Marcus laugh)"

"Everything is about strategy and practicing and that's one of the biggest lies that people can tell us that you know like “you are going to be natural in everything" that's bullshit."

Notes:

- quick bank

- hotmart

- book "the Secrets of the Millionaire mind by T Hart"

Corey Michael - how he built, automated and sold 2 ecommerce businesses for $365,000 $$ in 2 years without prior experience

He started w/ only 3 thousand dollars and until 2013 he only used his PC to check email and Facebook, then, he built his first ecommerce, first through FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), automated, and sold 2 companies. Now is already building his 3rd business to sell, with a backpack, as a digital nomad. All in less than 3 years!

Corey shares all the little details about ecommerce/ affiliate marketing, the right mindset, routine, if you'd ever like to set up and sell your business in the future as well.

Great conversation, learned so much.

We talk about:

- tools and partners he used to grow and sell his business

- mistakes he made, what you should observe, do and not do

- the advantages and disadvantages of this business, for him

- why he decided to take the risk of leaving his public job and start his own business

- his trips to the Philippines, Russia and Thailand

- his experience w/ Fiverr & Upwork, why he decided to concentrate his team in the US

- how he goes above and beyond to make his products the best

- his tips for those who are starting a career and want to go into commerce/affiliate marketing/FBAmazon

- his future plans

- how English skills to achieve better business results

Quotes:

"Yeah, get going, get going before you're comfortable"

"you know what?, as much as it might suck in the beginning just get going in there and getting started is really good because you're going to learn so much along the way. It's the ‘ready, fire, aim’ concept"

"you would want to make sure you're selling on different channels, you got a really killer website, and uh, not all your eggs are in one basket

"Now, remember, everyday tasks, that shouldn’t be me."

"I used to be under the impression that having a career or having a long term pattern like that would be the way to success"

Notes:

- he recommends Facebook groups: ‘Freedom fast lane’ and  ‘the amazing seller’

-  websiteclosers.com, my broker’s name is Grier

- Empire Flippers