Dallas News Bureau

There are thousands of boys in Texas who need guidance, encouragement, and discipline. One company called Squad STX has made it their mission to help turn boys into young men.

Squad STX is run by a team of Army buddies that are passionate about passing on basic yet today mostly overlooked outside of the military leadership lessons gained from a combined 30 years of leading and training young men on five continents.

The instructors are:

Dustin Stewart of Tyler, TX
Mitch Brown of Houston, TX
Scott Womack of Dallas, TX
John Clark of Fort Worth, TX

“Our perspective is that as the modern world requires more screen time and less physical action with people increasingly growing up in a cocoon of technology, programs like this are essential for young men to stay grounded in actual leadership,” says Stewart.

Given the recent conversations about masculinity that have arisen in the wake of tragic school shootings, more and more parents are concerned about how to raise strong, stable young men. In an environment in which social disconnection and the proliferation of problematic media technologies have eroded adolescent psychological health, many parents fight a daily battle to counteract the increasingly poisonous influence of a society untethered from the norms that served young men so well in previous generations. And yet even as parents work so anxiously to help their kids, they often find themselves adrift in a kind of no-man’s-land of contradictory advice. Today’s parents are inundated with multiple questions about what constitutes proper parenting: Are traditional notions of masculinity healthy or ‘toxic’? Where is the line between proper discipline and overbearing authoritarianism? How does one cultivate a child’s character in a way that allows maximum freedom but also necessary guidance?

While most people consider these terms more or less synonymous, there is actually a profound distinction between them that is instructive for parents and all who would seek to instill leadership skills in young men.
The Latin word for control literally translates as “roll against.” Contrast this idea with the Latin antecedent of command—commandere—which suggests a notion of a delegation of authority, a handing over of responsibility that allows the individual to exercise and develop his character in a structured context. With this in mind, US Army field manuals on small unit tactics state that an “emphasis on command, rather than control, provides for initiative, the acceptance of risk, and the rapid seizure of opportunities…which can be viewed as freedom of action for the leader to execute his mission in the way they see fit, rather than being told how to do it…reinforced by the knowledge of the higher commander’s intent and focused on a main effort.”

This model of command is known as “mission-command” in military jargon and is the gold standard in combat and corporate leadership and provides the necessary dual paradigm of discipline and freedom that helps to build authentic masculinity and a real sense of leadership.

As a former Army infantry company commander, Stewart regularly faced the challenge of how to build strong young men. After leaving the Army, he decided to continue this important and rewarding work. He created Squad STX Camping, a boys leadership & camping program whose goal is to effectively instill real leadership qualities in young men in ways that go beyond the kind of empty performative role-playing that most summer camp experiences provide.

Their program’s emphasis on situational training exercises (STX) and rotating leadership positions among squads gives boys the experience of making leadership decisions and accomplishing team objectives. This type of experience will serve them well as they enter further leadership roles in school, business, or public service. They will understand from experience at Squad STX that while they cannot control everything, they can lead teams to success by knowing how to command like the pros do.
Dates for camp are June 20-24, June 27-July 1, July 18-22, and July 25-29.

To register visit www.squadstx.com

Guerrilla Global Summit Helping Entrepreneurs Grow in a Tough Economy

The Guerrilla Global Summit 2018 will be held on May 3-5 in Orlando, FL. This must attend event is put on by Jeannie Levinson Co-founder of Guerrilla Marketing and co-author with Jay Conrad Levinson of the internationally best-selling books and programs that introduced millions to these concepts globally.

She will share from her experience with unique and specific examples of how you can use these methods immediately to make you and your business the top in your field.

Jason Myers  Chairman of Guerrilla Marketing and owner/investor in several companies. Jason is a life-long Guerrilla Marketer, Best-Selling Author, Mentor and Expert Entrepreneurial Lifestyle-Design Mentor. He has introduced the Guerrilla concepts into many companies where he had “skin in the game” and helped them grow from startups to multi-million dollar revenue generators and towards exits. He has used Guerrilla Marketing methods and mindset in startups and 7, 8, 9 figure businesses and even Fortune 50 organizations.

Attendees will learn how to think like a guerrilla marketer, publicity tips, email marketing, business acceleration, and more.

The concept of Guerrilla business began as the book Guerrilla Marketing. This first book was published in 1984 and it was created to help small business succeed against large and established competitors with large advertising budgets.  Guerrilla Marketing started a movement that lead to over 50 books, published into 62 languages and selling over 21 million copies around the globe.

"From outside the business looks successful. But the owner's reality isn't as rosy. He struggles with cash flow issues, puts in 60, sometimes 70 hours a week or more. The stress is having a negative effect on his health… and relationships. Financially, everything he has is tied up in the business. There is no quality time, no life other than keeping the business going, no future except more of the same.
Our Global Summit gives entrepreneurs the edge," beams Myers

For more information visit www.gmarketing.com

WOMEN & MINORITIES TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE IN JACKSONVILLE

I am thrilled to let you know about an upcoming technology conference. Ngenuity Worx, a technology and management consulting services company today announced their annual Women and Minorities in Technology Conference on April 3–4, 2018 in Jacksonville, FL.

The conference was created to fill a need and help minorities in IT secure funding. According to their site only 14% of CS Degree Candidates are women and Black women get gnly 0.02% of venture capital funding.

The purpose of the Women and Minorities in Technology Conference is to:

- Aid women and minorities to enter and advance in information technology roles via education
- Enhance corporate and tech community awareness of how to attract and retain a diverse IT workforce.
- Energize the educational pipeline of diverse workers.
- Connect attendees with companies and staffing agencies.

For more info visit www.wamitconference.com

Have Picky Eaters? Expand Their Palette & Make Eating Fun!

At some point every parent has engaged in the almost futile struggle of trying to get their child to try a new food. It’s a battle of wills that rarely leads to the desired outcome--even if you do manage to make them eat the food, the “battle” surrounding it has a very high chance of tainting the food’s image in the mind of the child. Since they were forced to eat it, their natural response is to rebel against it.

The trick is to let them explore new foods on their own, having the child naturally try new things of their own accords. But now we’re faced with a new problem: how does a parent plant this idea in their kid’s head? Well, children’s entertainment icon HIP HOP HARRY (www.youtube.com/hiphopharrytv) has the solution!

HIP HOP HARRY stars an eponymous bear that runs an afterschool program at Hip Hop Central, where kids gather to have fun and learn through song and dance. Throughout the show the children at Hip Hop Central are depicted trying many new foods. For example, the episode “Peas In A Pod” opens with the kids enjoying a veggie snack when Farmer Fran stops by with a variety of peas she has grown on her farm. The kids are a bit apprehensive at first, having never seen peas like them before, but once they try the peas they love them! (You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/mY2yVRC3SfM)

This definitely is not an isolated incident either, throughout the series the children are open minded and always willing to try new things. Teaching through example is one of the most powerful ways to influence a child, and HIP HOP HARRY is the perfect piece of entertainment to encourage your kid’s exploration of food.

Q & A with Claude Brooks, Creator of Hip Hop Harry

1. Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company?

I received an email from a mother of a child who loves watching Hip Hop Harry on YouTube. She said she could never get her 6 yr old son to understand the importance of washing his hands, but after he saw the episode about why you should wash your hands, he now sings the song “Wash Up Wash Down” and wants to wash his hands all of the time. At first she couldn’t get her son to wash his hands, and now she can’t get him to stop! She asked if we can do an episode about OCD. 

2. What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What makes C To The B Productions stand out from other production companies? Well our point of view with most of our projects incorporates Hip Hop culture. Being born and raised in Harlem NYC, Hip Hop culture and music was and still is an integral soundtrack to my life. Early in my career, one of the first shows I Executive Produced and co-created is called “Lyricist Lounge” for MTV. It was a groundbreaking sketch comedy show. Some of the sketches were done completely in rap. This was the first time rap was used a narrative/dialogue to tell story. We had guest stars like Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and Common. Though I have not spoke to Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, I’m sure he was influenced by “Lyricist Lounge.” It is awesome to see the evolution of something I was part of starting. The future of using rap as story telling device is in good hands.

3. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

The person I am most grateful towards for helping me achieve the success I have in this business is my mother. My mother, Marie Brooks, was a single mother to four children and watching her juggle everything to give us all a quality life inspired me to do my best in whatever I pursued. At the age of eight, I told my mother that I wanted to act. We happened to run across meeting a manager who was interested in representing me. I made a deal with my mother to let me go on three auditions. If I didn’t book anything, that would be the end of my acting career. Well fortunately for me, I booked all three auditions: The Wiz, a Burger King and Underoos commercial! My mom did not have the time to take me on my auditions, so she taught me how to take the New York City trains. At the early age of eight, I was taking the train by myself to auditions. That might be considered child neglect now, but it was child empowerment back then.

 Thanks Mom! Love you for life!!!

 

4. What are things you wish someone told you before you started your business and why.

I wish someone told me before I started in this business how to deal with disrespectful people. I saw early on in my career people in “power” positions like Directors and Producers treat people on the set with no respect. It took awhile for me to understand that people who generally act like that come from place of insecurities. My instinct was to avoid people who acted out like that. Then I learned that you can make clear what your boundaries are without fighting fire with fire. Most people respect people who make their boundaries clear. Later in my career, a couple of the obnoxious Directors and Producers apologized for their behavior in the past. It is good to see that some people can change. 

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Let's Talk Fashion with Mehdi Raad of Maceoo.com

When you look beyond the defined description of an industry, it allows you to see what others cannot. When you stand apart from your competition, you gain a different perspective. Within this difference is where you find the innovators, the disruptors, the game-changers.

This is where true entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Travis Kalanik carve out unique positions that can change entire industries. Apple products, Uber Rides, and Tesla Cars are engineered for simplicity. A lot of work has gone in to how effortless these products seem to the consumer.

  

People assume that simple is easy. It’s anything but.

Today, I was able to witness this lesson first-hand when I visited the Californian offices of Maceoo, a fashion brand that uses high-tech engineering to create highly fashionable clothing. Engineering isn’t a word that I would have associated with fashion, but after spending the day with Maceoo’s founder, Mehdi Raad, it didn’t just seem reasonable, it began to feel like a glimpse into the future of fashion.

Mehdi Raad comes to fashion via an unconventional route – his previous career being in tech as an Apple affiliate. Maceoo believed that some of the engineering practices and principles used on Apple products would translate into fashion.

The goal was to create an engineered fit using futuristic fabrics. The garments should have a sense of style, but they should also be as easy to wear as our most comfortable house clothes. To achieve off-the-rack designs that would look great on almost anyone, Maceoo needed data. Lots of data.

Maceoo collected data from 30 million people and created an algorithmn (essentially their “secret recipe”) that could be used to make clothing that looks great from every angle. A cutting system was developed so that the individual pieces of a garment could be cut to exact specifications every time. Maceoo isn’t all about technology though, as the final construction is performed by a skilled artisan. A mix of modern and man.

The Italian fabrics used in Maceoo garments are beyond wearable. No sweat, no wrinkles, natural stretch – these items don’t just look good they make the wearing feel good. Maceoo claims that customer feedback shows a clear uptick in confidence, work success, time saved getting dressed, romantic success, and even posture and health.

I remained skeptical, particularly on the last point. How could a garment make you feel healthier? When I tried on my first Maceoo suit, Maceoo asked how I felt. It feels absurd to draw on the old saying that the clothing makes the man, but from top to bottom I really did feel my best self. As I sit here writing this article, my body is hunched over a keyboard, but in that suit earlier today, I almost felt taller.

Whether the garments can do everything that Maceoo claims, I can’t say, but I can attest to the quality and fit of what I tried on. It’s no surprise that John Travolta, Lady Gaga, and famous athletes are asking Maceoo to dress them for special events. When I bring it up, Maceoo laughs at this attention. He’s happy to help anyone look good. But his focus remains on making ordinary people look as extraordinary as a celebrity.

To his mind, wearers of Maceoo can do, earn, and achieve more in life. Sometimes it takes a unique point of view to discover a universal truth. Sometimes it takes a high-tech approach to leave a very human impression.

One thing is for certain, succeed or fail, Maceoo will continue pushing the boundaries and dragging fashion into the future.

Social Tools Summit

Online social networks have rapidly increased in popularity, especially over the past couple of years. Social networking websites are popular because they easily allow you to find, connect with, and develop friendships with other internet users, often ones that share the same interests as you.

To find those individuals, you must join a social networking website and create a profile. It is often advertised that your social networking profile is the key to making and finding friends online.

As previously mentioned, your social networking profile is important when it comes to meeting other internet users. This is because, in most cases, internet users are looking to chat with someone who has the same goals, views, beliefs, and interests as they do. Without a personal profile, it would be difficult or impossible to tell what your interests are. That is why social networking profiles are not only important, but they are needed.

When it comes to social networking profiles, a lot of focus has been placed on what you should include in your profile or display on your profile page. It has been said that pictures produce the best responses, as well as detailed personal information. Although a picture and detailed personal information may help to increase your page views, you may be getting views that you do not necessarily want. Despite what you may believe, most social networking websites do not have restrictions on who can view your personal profile. 

In fact, internet users, even those that do not belong to your online community, can easily see profile. Since anyone, literally anyone, can see your social networking profile, on most social networking websites, you are advised to be cautious. Essentially, this means that instead of focusing on what you should put in your online profile, you should be focusing on what not to put. This is one the best ways to protect your safety, both on and offline.

As previously mentioned, pictures are often recommended with social networking websites. If you are interested in positing a personal picture of yourself in your online profile you can do so, but you are advised to carefully choose that picture. While you will want to look your best, you are advised against posting a picture that is too revealing or seductive in nature. Most internet users can look at these types of pictures without feeling a thing, but for others these types of pictures spell danger.

If you make the decision to post a picture of yourself in your social networking website profile, you need to be careful about the rest of the information that you post. Although you may not necessarily think about it, a picture is just a picture, but combined with your name and address, it could be a deadly combination. You are advised to only post your first name in your profile. This will make it more difficult for anyone to try and contact you off of the internet.

It is also advised that you get professional training by attending social media conferences such as the Social Tools Summit (http://www.socialtoolssummit.com) on Oct. 18th in Boston is like no other conference you have attended. In addition to our product experts and speakers, we include a Trender Panel, or focus group of power users, who weigh in on their key needs. Further, we make the conference fun by gamefying the proceedings, with one lucky winner being awarded the "Social Genius" crystal trophy.

This conference provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn from social media.