It all started @CSI

Submitted by Barnabe Geis on September 19, 2012 - 3:20pm

A CSI member and participant in CSI's Project Wildfire contest and Small Bussiness Success classes shares her dreams and impact. Help boost her campaign at ideaBOOST. Rock on Theresa!

Hi everyone,

I hope you had an incredible weekend. It was my birthday on Friday and I decided to honor my greatest dream by entering a contest which I'll tell you more about later.

I just wanted to share my personal story for the first time and what has come into my life since I joined the CSI family.

More, to share the impact and what is possible out of our community!

My startup, Socialight, is a local startup story that wouldn't of been possible without you! It all began with an entry into the "Project Wildfire Contest" with a vision to empower, inspire and support the startup community. Click HERE to see the original dream:) I didn't' win the contest, but I was granted to opportunity to get incubated.

I was sad when I didn't win, as it's one thing to face your fears, another to be in action despite your fear and another to share your fear with the entire world on the Internet!

When I lost, I told my friends that I wanted a brick. I thought about the 3 little pigs and how the first pig built his house with hay, the 2nd pig built his house with sticks and the Big Bad Wolf came and blew their houses down. In my opinion, when you're an entrepreneur or someone with a big dream, the "Big Bad Wolf" can symbolize negative self talk, finances, circumstance etc. And if your dream is not built with core fundamentals like passion, purpose and action, then the Big Bad Wolf will blow you're house down!

So the brick was symbolic to me that I was going to build Socialight --- BRICK BY BRICK.

I didn't have all the answers, in fact didn't even have a business plan or know fundamentals like how to structure legals and finances etc. Later, my girlfriends surprised me with a brick which to this day, I still have as a symbol of my commitment.

I attended Mike Brcic's classes (which if you haven't attended - you should def. check them out!) and it was the first formal "Business" training I've received as my background is television/ media. Together with 5 other local startup social enterprises, we worked week by week at CSI and Mike, with the business model canvas and learned how to design and execute our startup.

5 months later, SociaLIGHT launched at the Metro Convention Centre with over 1,000 entrepreneurs, young professionals and leaders.We had contributors and speakers like Sir Richard Branson, Robin Sharma, Seth Godin, Bruce Poon Tip, Tony Hshieh, Tonya Surman and more. Click HERE to see the highlight video of the conference. I learned so much & it was truly one of the best days of my life.

Almost a year later we won Innoversity, the Lean Startup Machine Toronto and we are currently in the Driven Accelerator for our product, SociaCAL.

As mentioned, on my birthday, I entered Socialight in a contest called IdeaBOOST presented by the Canadian Film Centre with partners like Google and Corus Entertainment.

This could take our startup to the NEXT LEVEL and I'm reaching out to my constellations to help us by BOOSTing SociaLIGHT.

I truly believe miracles are available in community.

This is your chance to be part our ongoing success, innovation and takes less than a minute to do.

To BOOST:

1. Go to www. ideaboost.ca

2. Go to "Idea Gallery" and find Socialight

3. BOOST Socialight by clicking "Boost this project"

You can also share and promote our project on your social media networks if you like our project.

As you will see on my application, Socialight has 3 major components and in 2013, the goal is to create an online resource centre and a transmedia property where we profile entrepreneur globally who are the new Socialights!

I also released a picture, which was one of my greatest dreams that came true!

My goal is to work with Oprah to take Socialight to a global scale and to have people ask and value "What's your impact?" not "What car do you drive?" LOL!

I share that picture for the first time on www.ideaboost.ca with a message that "Anything is Possible!"

So, fellow husstlers, dreamers, innovators and social entrepreneurs - DREAM BIG!

Thank you everyone for your continued support in our innovation, success and purpose to serve the startup community to SHINE BRIGHTER and embody the triple bottom line of "People. Planet. Profit."

Tanya and Eli, thank you for creating the space and example for us and Mike, for your incredible mentorship and sparking our wildfire!!

A proud fellow CSI'er!!

We will make it to year 1 which is in November!!!

You're BOOST can make a difference for us as a lot of the groups have been there for over a month and we have only 2 days, our goal is 3,000 and we are just under 2500:)

I hope you'll be part of our story!

Thanks for reading mine.

In creation, action and service,

Theresa Laurico