Thursday, November 14, 2013

Brotherly Love



         

             Growing up I didn't have many positive role models. I didn't meet my father till the age of 13, so you can imagine how difficult it was being raised by a single mother. For as long as I can remember my brother, Justin Cooper, has always been there for me. Through the thick and thin Justin has continued to guide me in the right direction, and I can truly say I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for him.

             Both Justin and I were born in Hartford, Connecticut. Even though we were only half brothers, we shared a bond that was unbreakable. We had different fathers so it wasn't easy when it came to splitting time between our mother, but still we managed to always be with each other.

            In 1999, eighteen year old Justin Cooper graduated High School. In between following his high school sweetheart and getting into the college of his dreams at Florida State, Justin had many important decisions in front of him. He followed his heart, and his girlfriend at the time - and accepted to attend school at the University of Connecticut. Unfortunately, only after one semester Justin and his long time girlfriend of five years broke up. This left him in awe and right away he made the decision to transfer to FSU.

          The following year my brother was living in Tallahassee and landed an internship with a country radio station. From there he climbed his way up, and was eventually offered a position with the company on a full-time basis. Our grandfather always told us no matter what we must finish school, so instead my brother respectfully declined and continued to pursue his degree at FSU.

           In 2001, Justin was diagnosed with glaucoma and shortly after he became 100% blind in his left eye. The doctors told him that he may lose his vision entirely and that he should plan on taking off next year of school, because of how long it would take to recovery from surgery. He listened to the doctors and after a successful surgery and a speedy recovery Justin enrolled back into classes.

           Over the next two years Justin pulled off a miracle. He graduated with honors and landed his dream job with Cox Media in Orlando. After so many people told him to slow down, he did the opposite. He knew with such short time he had to make a difference. We spoke almost everyday during that time and he always preached to me how we should never give up. Even though he was going through some of the worst times of his life, he always stayed positive. Not only did he help his own case, but he gave me motivation and helped me understand what was really important in life - that is family and friends. I was only beginning high school at the time, so for him to rub off on me at such a young age it really inspired me to reach my full potential.

          After struggling with his loss of vision in his left eye Justin still continued to turn heads. At Cox Media in Orlando, Justin went on to earn multiple rewards including the, "Salesman of the Year" in 2004 and 2005. The following year Justin was promoted to Executive Manager, it wasn't till 2006 when he took a leap of faith and moved to Atlanta to chase the love of his life. Justin gave up everything and he tells me, still to this day it was one of the best decisions he has ever made. He always told me to follow your heart no matter what, and to see him risk it all really was an eye opener for me. Justin continued to nail this into my head growing up and often he would use metaphors to show me how materialistic things weren't the most important thing.

           In 2008, our mother passed away. Justin and I were at an all time low - we were thousands of miles away from each other and it was hard for us to cope with the pain. Following the funeral Justin took time off work to come stay with me. During that time we became even closer, we did everything together. Justin describes it as a, "blessing in disguise" because it brought us together which led to me choosing the University of Cincinnati over a school in Connecticut.

          Somehow Justin picked up right where he left off. In 2009, he moved to Chicago and interviewed with a start up digital company. In just two years my brother turned the start-up into a multi-million dollar company and in 2011 my brother parted ways with his shares when his company sold for 20 million dollars.  
       
          Justin showed me that if you continually do the right things and take care of others while following your heart, you can conquer anything. Courage, faith, and sacrifice was just a few qualities my brother possessed. After facing extreme adversity and almost becoming blind in both eyes, Justin fought his way to the top financially and into the heart of the girl that he always desired. He truly is an inspiration to me and with his love and support I have grown to become an entrepreneur myself. I couldn't ask for a better mentor and still to this day, every morning we send each other positive, motivational quotes to help kick-start our mornings!

One of my favorites I'd like to share:

"There's two rules:
1) Don't sweat the small stuff.
2) It's all small stuff"














Monday, October 28, 2013

SelfDiploma.com

When it comes to the Entertainment industry in Cincinnati there's one thing I know for sure, and that is with success comes setbacks and even in some cases failure. Four years ago a partner and I had a vision, we already owned our own promotions company and at the time, we were running the hottest bars and nightclubs in the city. However, it came to us why are we all working our ass off for someone else when we could start our own concept. And that's when everything began to change. We decided instead to start throwing our own concerts and live events featuring celebrities from all sorts of genres. 

Here I'm going to give you a brief summary of how we came to become the biggest entertainment company in Cincinnati and how to take the proper steps and some key factors you should keep in mind when starting your own business.  

Our Brand:

 

SelfDiploma.com
You may have heard of us before - Since we've launched our company in 2009 we have thrown over 200+ concerts in the Tri-state featuring some of the biggest artist in the Entertainment industry today. A-list stars such as Avicii (ranked top 25 DJ's in the world), J Cole (signed to Roc Nation - Jay-Z Record Label) and even giving young hip hop icon Mac Miller his first break before he became the number one recording artist last year at the age of 20. 

Some may call it serendipity, or being at the right place at the right time, but truth be told in order to make any significant change and make a strong impact in any industry it all comes down to hard work. Success doesn't happen over-night. And any true Entrepreneurs knows this. Proper planning, brainstorming, brand protection, your dream team - all goes into creating a concept that works to develop a brand that lasts.   
 


Key factors: 


Process (brainstorming): Coming up with a concept in my opinion was the fun part. This goes hand in hand with branding but I will go more into detail shortly about brand recognition - Finding something that hasn't been done before isn't easy. It takes much research and energy consulting with your dream team to find your niche. In, time this brings all of you closer together. You will fight back and forth and have disagreements why this particular idea would work or be a better fit than this one. Sometimes this is what can make or break a business before it is even started. Still, once that light bulb goes off and everyone finally comes together and starts to believe that's where things start to get very exciting!  

Branding: After coming up with a concept, one of the most important key factors is to keep building your brand. I could talk about branding for hours but instead I’m going to highlight a few key terms. Brand Protection – one of my mentors stressed this idea more than anything else. The people you’re associated with and those who are around you supporting your brand, are also representing your brand. Wrap your head around this idea for a second, if you were to throw a concert next week and you put on 30 guys who you think could potentially help you sell out a show, that core group now has a tremendous impact on your brand. If one kid accidently makes a mistake, or talks badly about another company, or he words things a certain way on social media that offends someone – that directly impacts your company and everything you worked for. Social Media is now making and breaking companies so when it comes to building, make sure you’re building your business around the right people. Social Proof – this is everything you see on the surface. Your website, photo’s you’ve shared, twitter timeline, etc. Everything that is posted on behalf on your company becomes the so called “personality” of your brand. If people want to get an idea of your company they’ll check your Facebook timeline, your yelp account, past events you have thrown, etc. Be sure to always protect your brand, because an in instant one person on your team could possibly ruin everything you’ve worked so hard for.
Difficulties/Reality: Those who work in the entertainment industry know that it’s not just all fun and games. Yes, the payoff is sometimes great but to work in an environment that is always moving and constantly changing, you and your brand must do the same most always do the same as well. The cool thing last month may not be the cool thing this month. In Live entertainment if you have an event outside and two days before the event you find out the biggest storm in 10 years is headed your way you have to be quick on your feet and make a decision. Overall, when it comes to the pros and cons of the entertainment industry it’s a very slippery sloop.


I could go on for days on this topic, but I just wanted to share, in my opinion, the three most important things to keep in mind when jumping into the entertainment business because sometimes it’s all glitz and glamour but in reality it’s a doggy dog world.












Thursday, September 19, 2013

Product Review: IPhone 4 Glass Cases


IPhone 4 Baby Blue Custom Glass Case http://www.iphone4parts.com 


IPhone 4 Yellow Custom Glass Case http://www.iphone4parts.com

Paul Vitale Cooper
Dr. Mary Leech
English 2089 (064)
Blog Assignment #1
September 20th, 2013


What is a IPhone 4 Glass Case? 
The IPhone 4 glass covers are originally sold and advertised as a replacement for broken IPhone screens (both front and black) are available for purchase. The replacement front and back panels are just like the original and it fits perfectly into any IPhone 4 case. The Iphone 4 OEM Cover includes the lens ring and LED diffuser pre-installed. Designed to just as Apple intended it has a flat surface which provides a perfect fit, unlike IPhone 4 beveled replacement backs that may not fit into certain IPhone cases.


The IPhone 4 glass cases have gained much popularity over the past year. Now customers have the chance to not only customize their cases, they also can now change their physical glass screen case on their phone. The product comes in all colors and designs. Even though this doesn’t physically protect the IPhone it gives consumers the opportunity to be personable and creative. No longer do you have to have the plain white or black IPhone. 


Process in order to receive the IPhone 4 Glass Case?
The IPhone 4 glass covers are available online. (Ebay, IPhone 4 parts, Craigslist, etc.) You can also purchase the glass covers at almost any store that sells IPhone accessories. Prices vary from $9.99 - $100.00 depending on the design and the installation process. 

Installing the IPhone 4 Glass Case
You can install the IPhone 4 glass case yourself and purchase the Screwdriver kit separately. Once you have the kit you simply unscrew the two bottom screws of the IPhone 4. Then on the back panel of the Iphone, give a small slide up and pull-out. That will remove the original broken Iphone 4 back plate. Continue to do the same to the front as well. If you don't feel comfortable installing the IPhone glass case you can visit any cellular accessory store. They may have a small installation fee for their service. 

Reviews
Generally the reviews for my product are positive. The reviews tend to say they are very happy with their product and the fact that they can now be more personable with their IPhone was a really cool idea. Though you still have to purchase another case to physically protect the personalized glass, it’s still a very popular product. 

A major drawback when it comes to the IPhone 4 glass case is it avoids your warranty. That is only if you send in your IPhone with the personalized glass screen physically still installed. Many customers have said that if something goes wrong they just take it back to where they got it installed and switched it back. When consumers would send it in to get it exchanged through Asurion or whatever provider they’re using they we’re never red flagged. In this case almost all companies sent a refurbished IPhone no questions asked.

My Personal Experience 
I personally love my new IPhone glass case. I originally ended up getting my glass replaced and then customized because I shattered my all white IPhone on the ground. So instead of paying the $180 deductible from my insurance I only paid $50.00 to get my own custom camouflage glass case. So I can see how others would end up taking this route. Not only are you saving money, you’re getting a whole new look! 

I highly recommend this product whether you have a cracked IPhone screen or not. It's another way to accessorize and be creative when it comes to your IPhone. I chose the camouflage design simply because I’ve never seen anyone with it and I wanted to be different. With hundreds of colors and designs on the market you can see why people are ditching their old cell phone cases and now personalizing their whole IPhone to their particular liking.