THANK YOU FOR 3 YEARS! - Today's newsletter is sentimental and nostalgic for a number of reasons... First off, it's my birthday! More importantly, my birthday marks the 3rd year anniversary from the day I 'retired' from my innovation job to work full time on TrendHunter.com. With the support of readers and Trend Report customers like you, I was able to build a team of people dedicated to building our Trend Hunter community.
THE PATHWAY - Over the last three years, our dedicated readers, like you, have found inspiration and driven new people to our site. Traffic has grown from 1,000,000 views per month, to over 40,000,000... In fact, we are just weeks away from reaching half a BILLION total views. Together, we've built a community of 200,000 twitter followers (to multiple accounts), 40,000 Facebook fans and 60,000 subscribers to this newsletter. In short, I am VERY THANKFUL that so many of you have become as passionate about Trend Hunter, and our goal to help showcase innovative ideas from around the world.
SEEING IMPACT - Today, I am writing this update from Pakistan, more than 10,000 miles from our Toronto office. I'm here for two days of workshops and keynotes to help inspire business leaders not only about innovation, but also on how to reinvent Pakistan for 2015. I've been touched by how appreciative people have been for this sort of work. Pakistan has often been labeled as the world's 'most dangerous' country in magazines like the Economist.
Having said that, there is a vibrant culture and innovative leaders like you who are SO PASSIONATE about their country, and wanting to find ways to inspire their people and showcase the creativity that thrives behind the walls of negative media press. For example, in 2009, Trend Hunter covered "Anti-Terrorist Fashion", the first ever Pakistan Fashion week. The fashion show brought together 30 designers who wanted to counteract the negative press associated with their country by celebrating its colourful couture. It's ideas like this that the business leaders of Pakistan want to celebrate... and it is ideas like this that TrendHunter.com facilitates around the world.
SOCIALBUSINESS.ORG - This is also a great time to announce our official co-launch of SocialBusiness.org. Crowd fueled by the Trend Hunter community, SocialBusiness.org is dedicated to "ideas, businesses and people who are creating positive social change." the venture is led by my former boss, Stephen King, and edited by Tiana Reid, a former Trend Hunter intern. I'd encourage you to check out some of the ventures on SocialBusiness.org, and PLEASE follow them on TWITTER and on FACEBOOK. By celebrating innovation that create positive social change, we can change the world.
3 Years of Trend Hunter
This Week's Newsletter, Looking Back, and SocialBusiness.org
Trend Themes
1. Community-building - Building a community of passionate readers and customers can drive tremendous growth and engagement for innovative companies.
2. Celebrating Culture - Creating platforms and events that celebrate the positive aspects of culture can inspire leaders and drive innovation in industries like fashion, art, and beyond.
3. Social Entrepreneurship - Supporting and promoting social entrepreneurship can have a massive positive impact on society, and businesses that align themselves with this goal can benefit tremendously.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - Fashion companies can drive engagement and perception by creating events that celebrate positive cultural values.
2. Social Impact - Organizations working to drive social impact can benefit from support, promotion, and collaboration with like-minded businesses and communities.
3. Media - Media companies can benefit from building engaged online communities, as well as promoting positive messages and stories to drive growth and social impact.