Our Journey Traveled
It’s hard to believe that only two years ago Mindthis was just an idea brewing in my mind. At the time, I felt that mainstream media misunderstood Generation Y, which in turn led to their misrepresentation. There was no clear source for the all encompassing young professional to turn to for bespoke advice and analysis regarding Gen Y. The financial crisis was at her worst, and young professionals needed all the help they could get in professional and personal development. Seeking to be that source of desperately needed guidance, the online magazine Mindthis grew to a team of 30 that reached over 175 countries.
Will and I releasing the 2nd Mind The Gap prototype of Mindthis Magazine to University of Ottawa Students.
This team of unique young practitioners aimed to pull together their lessons from success and failure to share them with Gen Y and the world for free. The all encompassing young professional wants to look her best, be informed on world issues, and utilize technology to walk down a path of self discovery and professional development. Minding this all encompassing young professional born out of Gen Y was at the heart of our online magazine.
I am proud of our team effort to establish Mindthis as the voice of Generation Y. We accomplished this task by embracing “Media 3.0″– going far beyond the traditional press and a step past the traditional “blogosphere” in harnessing multiple young professionals that are practitioners of their trade from around the world.
Our Next Chapter
With our Vice President and Co Founder William Greenwood moving to Calgary Alberta, and myself to Abu Dhabi UAE, many people around the world are now asking the same question “What’s going to happen to Mindthis, is it over?”; I was very confused with the question. But I soon realized that normal magazines have headquarters stationed in one city. When both co founders leave that city, it can leave some room for justifiable doubt.
Yet, one of the reasons Mindthis grew this fast, with a marketing budget of 0 dollars, was our ability to be mobile. Our headquarters were never in Ottawa Canada but in the cloud. We managed Mindthis via Google Hangouts, Google Docs, Androids, Blackberries, Facebook, and many other social tools. Our team spans over 15 countries, where I have not had the chance to meet 30% of my team members face to face.
Some of the Mindthis Team at our joint policy discussion event with the CIC.
One day, I would love to meet everyone in person, but it must be noted that the way organizations are run has changed due to the rapid improvements in technology. So, it is with great pleasure that both Will and I can answer with conviction that no, Mindthis is not over.
In fact, we are getting ready to release a fresh makeover for Mindthis that will further improve our ability to provide Gen Y tailored advice and analysis to the all encompassing young professional in policy, lifestyle, fashion, and technology.
Our dedication to the pursuit of perfection just proves Mindthis will grow stronger not despite, but because of the new chapter in both mine and Will’s lives. Together our writers and global readers will continue to mind this new generation, one empowered by great technology and charged with great expectations of solving the world’s most pressing issues.