Start Up Kite is Born

Back in late 2017, when I made the decision to start up my own consulting business, I knew just who to go to for guidance. Jenny Poon, co-founder of Co+Hoots and I sat down for about 6 hours on a Friday night and Shan Strategies was born. Now, Jenny and her colleagues are teaming up to form Start Up Kite, which is an incubator to help launch others like me who have entrepreneurial ideas and need some fuel for liftoff. The Phoenix Business Journal recently wrote a story on this new venture (see below). Congratulations to Jenny and team and thank you for believing in us! 

Co+Hoots' founder joins other female entrepreneurs to launch Phoenix startup incubator

Startup Kite set up to help entrepreneurs get new venture running in just 6 hours

By Hayley Ringle 
Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal

Jul 30, 2018, 7:23am

When Pearl Chang Esau wanted to start her own consulting business after leaving the top job at Expect More Arizona, she turned to Co+Hoots’ founder Jenny Poon for help.

Esau, EMA's former president and CEO, spent about six hours on a Friday evening in late 2017 with Poon at the Phoenix co-working space Co+Hoots to develop a strategy.

Poon, who has started a number of her own companies, guided Esau through the process. That experience helped propel Poon to shift into high gear and combine her expertise in a partnership with Brandtini founder and CEO Robin Bramman and Moushi & Co. founder Tanya Moushi, to set up a fast-track incubator known as Startup Kite.

The six-hour rapid-launch Startup Kite program is designed to help a small group of entrepreneurs get the foundation to start their company and hone their business plan in one night.

“We’ve all started are own businesses, and each time it gets easier and easier,” Poon said. “We’re thinking how can we get people up and running as low risk and quickly as possible so they can focus on their core skill set. You can easily Google these things, but you can get sucked in for hours doing research.”

Esau said Poon gave her the map and she was able to follow it. Now, Esau has six projects under contract with her consulting company that focuses on helping organizations develop diverse community partnerships to accomplish broader goals.

“I feel like I could have spent a really long time on which tools and platforms to use," said Esau, who started her Phoenix-based Shan Strategies LLC in February. "She was able to streamline all that and say what was the best one based off of her expertise. I think she made what can often be a very daunting and stressful process into a streamlined, efficient process that was actually fun.”

Before helping Esau, Poon noticed a pattern of entrepreneurs who had a business idea but no idea how to start it.

Bramman has years of experience with brand strategy and marketing, and Moushi is also the chief empathy officer for AKOS Web Marketing and was co-founder of Greater Than Coffee, the former coffee shop at the former Co+Hoots location.

Besides starting Co+Hoots in May 2010, Poon created Eeko Studio, has years of experience with graphic design and art direction with various newspapers and magazines, and was named the 2016 Phoenix Business Journal’s Businessperson of the Year.    

Startup Kite will help emerging business owners incorporate their business name, secure a domain, develop a brand and set up a professional email and billing and invoicing system. The program helps entrepreneurs set up websites, payment processing, automated document signing and email marketing services.

Eventually, Startup Kite will be offered at all Co+Hoots' locations, Poon said.

In February, Poon announced Co+Hoots was expanding to downtown Mesa as part of the planned $60 million Grid mixed-use development. It has a planned fall 2019 opening.

Startup Kite's first program starts Aug. 4 with a sold-out group of 10 entrepreneurs. The next program is scheduled for Oct. 6 and is now accepting participants.

The first two programs are discounted by 50 percent, with 2019 workshops costing entrepreneurs $1,000 to take the class.

“We’re looking for people who want to start a side hustle or who have been working in a corporate job for a really long time and have been considering consulting or starting another company," Poon said.

Bramman, meanwhile, said she has held onto the Startup Kite brand and domain for years and it was finally time to do something with it.

“I’ve been telling everyone about it,” Esau added. “It’s something that is absolutely needed. Literally run, don’t walk, and you’ll be so glad you did it.”

Valley Leadership makes a Pivot

In summer of 2018, Dave Brown, President and CEO of Valley Leadership announced a new strategic direction for the organization. As it rounds out is first forty years as a premiere leadership networking and development organization, Valley Leadership seeks to deepen its strategic impact on the future of Arizona. By partnering and connecting with other leading organizations and individuals, Valley Leadership will pivot its focus to empowering and mobilizing leaders to impact Arizona's most pressing issues. Read more about the Pivot and the new Valley Impact Maker vehicle in Dave Brown's Arizona Republic Op-Ed.  

Dave Brown, President and CEO of Valley Leadership 

A Way Forward When There is No Way

SARRC is delivering hope to our family and countless others

Three years ago, our second child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum and our journey with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center began. It’s hard to put into words the impact that SARRC has had on our family. When our son was about 18 months old, we felt like we were losing him. He lost the few words that he had and his behavior became more and more erratic. He was no longer looking up when we walked into the room, and he was more interested in running in circles than connecting with his family. Right before his second birthday, we received an autism diagnosis and while it provided some answers, it opened up many more questions… and fears. Fears of whether our joyful, twinkly eyed, gentle souled boy would ever have the opportunity to share his feelings, build meaningful relationships, or realize his dreams. 

Today, three years later after having gone through nearly every SARRC program available including Jumpstart, Community School, and individualized services totaling about 30 hours of therapy a week, our son has surpassed all of our expectations. He is articulate, compassionate, funny, and loves being around people. He loves to play board games with anyone, play with his siblings and friends and make them laugh, draw family portraits, play soccer, count down the days until he turns 5, and do his pre-school “homework” so he can be more like his big sister. In the fall, he will enter Maryvale Prep Academy as a mainstream Kindergarten student, just like his sister did. While we know that he will need to navigate his unique challenges throughout his life and he will likely need some continued level of support, we expect that he will be able to lead a largely “typical” life, with friends and dreams realized. 

In 2016, we welcomed our third child into the world, another baby boy. As a boy and a younger sibling to an older brother with autism, we know that his chances of also getting an autism diagnosis are very high - 1 in 4. Again, we turned to SARRC and enrolled this time, our 8 month-old, in their Milestones program for infants, which thanks to generous donors in our community, is provided for free. Through the Milestones program, our baby has been provided with weekly one on one sessions to bolster his social and communication skills. We have also received tailored parent training to put him on the best path possible. Research shows that intervention prior to the age of 2 has the best chance of reducing or reversing any symptoms of autism. This type of early intervention is still on the cutting edge of treatments developing nationally and is not offered in many places. My husband and I can hardly believe we are fortunate enough to have this amazing program in our backyard! Whether or not our baby boy ultimately receives a diagnosis remains to be seen, but regardless, we have the assurance of knowing that we have given him the best possible start. And for parents, that is everything. 

Autism is one of the most common disorders facing the school-aged population today, with students who of course, go on to become adults who studies show are perfectly capable, but vastly underemployed due to a deficit in social communication and life skills. As education and child advocates, my husband Mac and I believe that every single child who faces these challenges deserves to get the high quality early intervention that our two sons have received in order to succeed in school and in life. As educators, we have both seen what happens in school when children don’t receive this support – instead of developing the self-esteem and confidence they need to thrive, they become frustrated, isolated, and often lash out. Families with lower incomes or in remote areas are even less likely to access the services they need. Potential and dreams are lost, devastating children and the people who love them. 

That’s why this year, I joined SARRC’s board of directors. SARRC has been for our family, a gift from God, an answer to prayers, a way forward when there was no way. For both our sons, we see the same future as the one we see for our “typical” daughter: a future of rich learning, possibility, friendship, and love. I hope to build the community that sees this same future for ALL children, and works together to make it happen.  

We’ll have an opportunity to support SARRC and grow its impact as the upcoming annual breakfast approaches on April 26th at 7:30am at the Arizona Biltmore. This year’s breakfast theme is With You, We Can and this event never fails to inspire and educate. My husband and I hope to see you there!  

About SARRC’s Annual Community Breakfast:

SARRC’s Community Breakfast is widely recognized as one of the most powerful programs on the Arizona charity calendar.  You will join some 1,700 community leaders, learn the latest news about autism—the nation’s most prevalent developmental disorder, affecting 1 in 68 children nationally and 1 in 66 in Arizona—and about local programs that are helping individuals with autism and their families.  There is no cost to attend this fundraising event as it is underwritten by sponsors.  

About SARRC:

The Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) is an internationally recognized nonprofit that conducts innovative research, provides evidence-based practices, disseminates effective training and builds inclusive communities for individuals with autism and their families.

Good News-Letter from Pearl, Winter 2018

Happy 2018!

I hope your new year is filled with much joy, good health, and continued success.

With this new year comes some exciting new endeavors. January marks the birth of my consulting business, Shàn Strategies. Shàn is the mandarin word meaning, “to do good” in the world. Together with a deep belief in the power of collaboration, shàn is a tenet which has always grounded me personally and professionally. Shàn Strategies' goal is to help purpose-driven organizations and initiatives fulfill their missions, collaborate well, and grow their impact so that individuals reach their potential and communities thrive.

I am thrilled to have among my inaugural clients the Helios Education Foundation, in support of two key strategic investments - Achieve60AZ and the Decision Center for Educational Excellence. I am also pleased to be working with the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden on deepening their education footprint in Arizona. 

On the volunteer front, I continue to serve on the boards of Teach for America Phoenix and the ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy. I am also proud to have recently joined the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center board of directors. This is an organization that has delivered hope to my own family and so many others throughout the Valley, and put us on the map nationally as the most autism friendly city in the country! Additionally, after the termination of DACA in Fall of 2017, I had the privilege of working with a dear colleague and the Arizona Community Foundation to launch the AZDREAMs.org campaign to fund DACA renewals. A huge thank you to many of you who contributed to this campaign in which we raised $70,000 in 10 days! We continue to advocate for a permanent resolution as the deadline approaches in March.

I've learned so much already on this start-up adventure, including how to build my own website! I'd be so honored if you would check out my new site at www.ShanStrategies.com and let me know what you think. I invite you to come along on my start-up journey with me and learn more about the great things happening in our community through my Good News blog. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope there will be many opportunities for us to do good together!   

Warm regards,
Pearl

ASU and Helios Education Foundation Launch New Partnership

ASU's President Michael Crow and Vince Roig, Chairman and Paul Luna, President/CEO of Helios Education Foundation gather with community leaders to launch the ASU Decision Center for Educational Excellence. When finished, this new tool will serve as the most comprehensive education and workforce database in Arizona and allow policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and other concerned stakeholders make data-driven, real time decisions on how to improve education. The Decision Center will also serve as a national model for how a state and communities can work together to make the best decisions on behalf of students and companies. 

“We can have different ideas about how to improve education, but we can’t have different facts.”

— Vince Roig, Chairman of Helios Education Foundation

A Permanant Solution for Dreamers

In Fall of 2017, President Trump's administration announced the end of DACA status by March of 2018. There are over 27,000 individuals with DACA status, or Dreamers, in Arizona who have a $1.3 billion impact to the Arizona economy. They are friends, family members, loved ones, valued employees, and striving students. Recognizing the need to build community awareness and financial support, Pearl Chang Esau and Luis Avila together with the Arizona Community Foundation launched a campaign called AZ DREAMs (www.azdreams.org) to raise $50,000 to fund 100 DACA recipients to apply for their renewals before the October 5th deadline.

The campaign was a great success and exceeded $70,000! AZDREAMs.org provided support from over 100 DACA recipients and their families as well as numerous Arizona organizations who are working hard to serve Dreamers during this trying time. Special thanks to Amy Daukulis Armstrong, John Graham, the Burton Family Foundation & Katie Campana/Wells Fargo for getting the effort started with major gifts. Thanks as well to the various business leaders & their organizations who partnered to get the ask out there & money disbursed in short order including Chris Camacho, Glenn Hamer, Gonzalo de la Melena Jr., Neil Giuliano, Julie Engel, Jenny Poon, Odeen Domingo, Kimber Lanning, One Arizona, and Aliento. Finally, thanks to the folks who loaned their communications expertise to develop a beautiful website and campaign materials - Kyle Crafton, Lizelle Galaz, and CoHoots. This was an incredibly inspiring team effort and evidence that together, anything can be accomplished! A solution has not yet been reached by Congress, so AZ DREAMs will continue to serve as a channel to raise awareness and support for Dreamers. ONWARD to a permanent solution that will give these families peace and hope for the future.

Achieve60AZ hires its first Executive Director

Achieve60AZ is a statewide community-owned initiative, comprised of an independent Alliance of over 70 community, business, philanthropic, nonprofit, and education organizations. It is fueled by a grassroots effort to make Arizona more competitive through the power of education. Achieve60AZ’s vision is that Arizona has a diverse, well-educated, highly-skilled workforce participating in a thriving economy.  Its mission is to advance the postsecondary attainment of Arizonans by acting as a catalyst for collaboration, public awareness, public policy, and data-informed planning and measurement. Read more here to learn about Achieve60AZ's first executive director, Rachel Yanof.

SARRC leads the way in autism awareness

In December 2017, I attended my first meeting as a board member of SARRC (Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center). It's hard to even put into words how much SARRC has given hope to my family and countless others. Hope, a way forward in the darkness, a belief in miracles, limitless expectation for the future. I am thrilled to be able to champion this organization, it's talented team, and its fearless leader, Danny Openden. We also have to thank Denise Resnik for co-founding SARRC many years ago. She introduced me to SARRC when my husband and I first moved to the Valley by inviting me to my first breakfast in 2009. The SARRC breakfast is one of the largest events of its kind in the Valley and is a tear jerker every time.

Thanks to SARRC, we live in the most "autism friendly city in America." What a treasure we have in our own backyard! For World Autism Awareness Day, Danny and Pearl co-authored an Op-Ed for the Arizona Republic. To read it click here.