#wyncode

Hello,

From the first day I arrived at Wyncode I have been working with the alumni of the program.  Considering this program is just a year old, creating alumni events was a relatively new idea, but an increasingly more important one.  I was excited to begin working with Walter to create the first ever alumni BBQ, which took place this past Saturday.  While I know BBQ’s aren’t necessarily the most extravagant events to organize, I had never planned one, making it a challenge. 

I learned a ton throughout all of the planning and organizing and can sum up the top three things I learned in three easy steps.  

1.  I learned how to organize and send out flyers.  It may sound easy, but I learned a lot from this step.  First we had to confirm all of the logistics like the date and our location (the beautiful Oleta River State Park).  Then we had to create a theme or hook to draw in alumni.  Considering we are a part of the technology movement, we went with a fun and light-hearted #OoohGrillEm.  Then I reached out to Wyncode’s marketing team to create an amusing and attracting flyer that was sent out to alumni and current students.  

Negatives: RSVPs! Next time when I email the alumni and students about an event, or maybe on the newsletter itself, request an RSVP on whether they’re attending and if so about how many.  It was a little nerve-wrecking going into the BBQ unsure of the rough estimate of people coming, and I know these nerves would have been more at ease if I had done an RSVP.  

Positives: What a beautiful flyer!

What a beautiful flyer!

2.  I learned how important time-management is.  The day of the BBQ, we went to purchase all of the food.  I was very lucky to have three amazing friends come with me, and my partner-in-crime Walter.  With a very well planned-out list of food and BBQ items needed, we were able to split up into three groups and get everything in under 45 minutes.  This may be a more light-hearted example, but being able to maximize your time is necessary for all startups.

Negatives: None!

Positives: Costco.  Costco was cost-efficient, and really allowed us to get everything we needed from hamburgers and hotdogs, to vegetarian options and grilling items.  It saved us time and money!

3. Finally I learned to just have fun and enjoy the event! This event was four weeks in the making, and involved persistent communication with alumni and current students.  Due to it being the very first big alumni event, it was vital that this set a precedent for all future alumni events, and make them feel like can’t-miss events.  I could barely sleep the night before in fear that no one would attend, or there wouldn’t be enough food.  Thankfully, it went GREAT! Countless alumni came with their families and friends and were  able to reconnect with their fellow Wyncoders.  Alumni and current students interacted while playing ultimate frisbee and enjoying some great food.  I had an absolute blast! 

Negatives: Balloons.  The idea itself was fantastic.  Large balloons, about the size of me, that spell out Wyncode.  They had been purchased, blown up, and were ready to go; however, upon arrival to the park one letter detached from the string and flew up into space.  And to make matters worse, it was the “C” making the new name of the company WYNCOE.  A little rain caused the W to wither into nothing, making it YNCOE.  We all laughed and moved on, but definitely lesson learned.  No huge expensive balloons at an outdoor event!

Walter carrying all 7 enormous balloons.

There goes the C!

WYNCOE

Positives: Enough food, countless alumni, and a great time! Definitely a successful alumni BBQ and just the start to all future alumni events.  

What excites you most about the work you are doing this week? What challenges did you encounter this week?

Advertising is key to the success of any startup. Wyncode was already active on Instragram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and GitHub (a coding website) but it lacked a Snapchat account. I asked permission to create one for the company. What resulted has made the last few days incredibly interesting.  

For those who don’t know, Snapchat is a hugely popular app among 15-30 year olds. It allows you to share pictures and videos with others for a duration of a few seconds before they disappear forever. Before beginning the Wyncode snapchat I did some research on how the app might be best used for business. A Forbes article from August 2014  proved especially useful for looking at snapchat-for-marketing. 

Advertisers overall have been slow to catch on to the Snapchat phenomenon and Snapchat slow to cash in on its huge potential.  What this creates is an opportunity for companies like Wyncode to really write the book on how the app can be used to generate buzz and revenue. 

As I have snapped the last few days there are a few things I have found that really seem to work in terms of generating interest and projecting the mission and brand of Wyncode.

 Keep it fun. Snapchat is fun to use socially because it is so informal. Unlike with Instagram, your photos don’t have to be perfectly crafted shots of you and your friends. They can just be a selfie of you making a silly face. While snapping for a business does mean it needs to be a little more serious, you still need to retain a fun vibe.

Have plenty of silly pictures! Show people laughing and goofing off, hanging out,  and generally looking like they like being there. (We had a puppy in the building today which made for a great shot.)

Show off the space. At Wyncode we are housed in an awesome, modern, super startup-oriented building which has free coffee and energy drinks, free trendy bikes to use, and lots of cool art. I try to highlight this in pictures to show people how connected Wyncode is with great things going on in Miami.

Advertise events. People are more likely to attend things if they are personally invited. What we have done is have some of our team leaders speak for just 5-7 seconds on-camera, personally inviting all our snapchat followers to an event. 

To wrap this up, what excites me about what I worked on this week was the potential for innovation. I was able to present an idea, have it accepted, and then have it working within a few minutes. I think this shows a lot not just about the versatility and working style of the Wyncode team, but also the general approach startups have toward getting things done.

TeckCocktail Miami: 

"Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist stopped by Wynwood this Thursday to visit The LAB Miami, where he announced that Miami-Dade’s Democratic Party, Annette Taddeo-Goldstein, will be his running mate in the next state election. Crist and Taddeo-Goldstein had the opportunity to tour the co-working space, where he met tech startups founders and hear about programs like Wyncode and Wynwood Maker Camp."

Read the full article, here. 

WLRN:

"When Charlie Crist stopped at a converted warehouse for Miami entrepreneurs, 12-year-old Andrew Castro handed him a miniature state of Florida produced by a 3-D printer.

“A little Florida! Thank you," Crist said.

Crist was at LAB Miami Thursday morning because he thinks another South Floridian can help hand him the whole state this fall -- Annette Taddeo-Goldstein."

Listen to the full piece, here. 

CBS Miami: 

Thanks to Jessica Peralta, tfa intern for reminding me to attend this amazing event last week!!! Congrats to all the participants as I loved the projects!!! The purpose of this event was for students that completed the WynCode Coding Bootcamp to showcase one of their projects!!! One student from the cohort was selected for a job opportunity with a major tech company in South Florida!!! My favorite project  was Meme Menu where this app would give you an image of the food on the menu of a restaurant!! Shout out to Diego, also a TFA/Wyncode Intern for a great job with the event. Check out www.wyncode.co for additional information about this startup!!