Indieguy

Pivot is helping the Paradigm to shift, don’t be left behind! (video, download)

// March 3rd, 2010 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity

I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time. As someone who is always in tuned with trends and marketing, you become aware early that taking a look at what’s going on today, tomorrow, this week or this month can mean very little in the grand scheme. I’m always a little taken back by people who believe something is a truth because it’s happened once or twice.

The way that we look at information today is really evident if you look at how our media and press communicate to you. Everyone is obsessesed with the story of the day with no regard to that stories context in the grand scheme. And when you bring it up to someone that “what they’re touting as a big deal might in fact be just a blip or drop on the ocean” they are immediately offended.

Well I for one am happy to move on from the “Google” paradigm of finding a piece of information, to the “Pivot” paradigm of having getting a context for the information available. Having context in regards to information is not something…it’s everything. Knowing America elected a Black president for instance means very little when compared to the global picture and how diverse our planet is. It is Americas history that gives his election context and significance.

It is the very fact that the printing press was such a huge break through that makes the blog entry I write and more importantly it’s availability to millions that much more significant.

So prepare yourselves ladies and gentlemen. It is the person that can take a look at vast amounts of data and bring context that who will rule the day, not the person who simply knows where the data is. The paradigm is shifting once again, don’t be left behind.

Download Pivot

Dream hunting season!

// December 1st, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity

Boy you really do have to get smacked in the face more then once to get some messages. After doing alot of searching over the past couple of years and figuring out the things I like, the things I’m good at, the things I’m good at I don’t like, the things that I like I’m not so good at and so on, I think I’ve found a good box for myself. If you know me, you’ll immediately be thinking “why would you want to be in a box”? (i suppose you’d be thinking that even if you didn’t know.

Well, here’s your answer. I’ve had the hardest time trying to figure out my place in this world. Every time I think I have it figured out, a curve ball is thrown or I say “naaaa maybe not”. While I have had moments of real clarity, the one major thing I was missing was hunger and confidence. I’ve learned that when it comes to my happiness…I have to go after the really hard daunting things your average person wouldn’t. It’s not enough for me to just do it, I have to do it well and make sure everyone knows that I busted my ass and that’s why it’s better others. The reason that last part is important (people knowing I busted my but that is) is because I love to inspire and teach. If you can’t illustrate to others how / why you did something you make what you did out of their grasp.

I believe this is why stories are so inspiring to people but I digress. I was driving to the computer to write what was on my mind at 4am and it is simply that I’m am the man I’ve seen in my dreams today. I have finally become the Indieguy, the media mogal, the deejay who only plays in his spare time but people love as much as a full time deejay, the artist, the businessman and most importantly a man who loves his family for who they are and will never judge them for it ever again.

I am Rai-mon Nemar Barnes…Rai-mon Nemar for short and dreams I’m coming for you full steam. It’s dream making season and have been sharping my aim for years getting ready for this moment.

Your network is your net-worth! (Just ask Paloma)

// October 24th, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity, My Team

I’ll be the first one to admit it’s easy to get caught up in the hype, believing you’re all that people say you are, especially when you’re confident in your skills.

The problem comes because we have to think independently and figure out how we might like to do things vs the rest of the planet but once it’s time to act, independence is not the way of the world, INTERDEPENDENCE rules all things. With that said I would like to thank everyone who was, is, and shall be in my life.

My current group of friends has grown from people I’ve met only this week (Annalee Penny, Chris Macias, Jon Affonso) to people I’ve known for months and years that I’ve just never gotten close to until more recently (Ben A., Anand, Estella, Kirk, Britt) the list goes on and on and this doesn’t even count the endless list of people whom have supported me through my life.

People float in and out….sometimes they only around for a season never to enter your life again….while others have always been there even when you didn’t think they were. There are still others are friends for years and stay solid while others come in and out of your life a dozen or more times. Never the less they are all important to your success and should never be taken for granted.

I have alot to accomplish but I want to say that NO ONE gets there alone. If you haven’t learned to give to the people around you and do it willingly and without regret how can you plan on receive from hundreds or thousands or millions without being seen as faking it.

Thanks to everyone in my life past, present and future for giving me the strength and confidence to take big risks in the hopes for greater rewards. Keep in touch…. there WILL BE more deposits in your friendship account soon.

Great movie for anyone who has that entrepreneurial bug

// July 30th, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity, The Independent, Vlog

When I was watching this movie, at times I felt like I was watching a train wreck. Mr. Brickland is one of the most determined people I’ve seen. I found myself asking “have I done that”? Or “how many times have I really put things on the line in that way”? Surprisingly, always coming to the conclusion given my age, I’m not too far off Mr. Bricklands path. Whether that is a blessing or a curse is something I think is left to interpretation. What I do know is living life to it’s fullest IS the only option.

My rough patch….whew!

// June 21st, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity, raimonnemar

If you know me then you know that my positive energy and passion are not only things I’m known for but things I’ve never really had to try to hard to make happen. It’s something that I feel was almost given to my by my ‘rents when i was young. See my dad was one of those people who was on the positive attitude, your attitude = your altitude, you believe it you can achieve it train. But instead of telling me these things when i was a kid he would tell me things like……”you can’t use words with a negative connotation” words like can’t, won’t, didn’t, were just as bad as saying fuck or shit in my house for as long as I can remember. With that kind of attitude how can you lose? And honestly for most of my life I didn’t lose.

From the time I was a toddler till maybe a year or two ago I would say I pretty much always got my way. It’s not that I never failed anything. I’ve had tons of businesses that most people don’t know about. T-shirt companies, 2 magazines BEFORE LEGENDmag. An ad firm, a deejay company, and tons of other businesses that helped me to get my business chops. I learned over time that failing helps you to succeed.

Thing is through all these things my attitude got me through. At the time I never saw failure in not having those businesses anymore. I also would’ve never used the world failure. I might’ve said “I just needed to move on”, never having admitted that I failed at all. So when it came time to hit the bottom hard, well I was really lost.

For the last year or so I feel I was fairly lost. No real direction and worst of all having a positive outlook  wasn’t really an option. I can honestly say that all the cliche’s are true. Misery loves company, you find out who your friends are, it’s all about how you deal with the hard things in life, and you have to persevere. When i was younger and wrote songs I would also hear other artists talk about how they had pain and if you have no pain it’s hard to be a true musician and I would also think, man I definitely don’t have any real pain.

Well now I do have some pain and over the past year and a half I’ve learned that you can’t live pain (if you want to stay sane) you have to live with the pain or even better yet find a way unload it. Pain can turn into grudges and other negative feelings that you just carry around with you until….you guessed it. You get rid of them. They don’t just go away, you have actually learn to forgive or take measures to purge yourself of the pain knowing that you have to keep the lessons learned from that experience.

all that said….I want to thank the people around me for always believing in myself, even when I’m wasn’t always sure I did. No worries, it won’t be happening again any time soon.

Trust your gut and get your questions answered later!

// April 14th, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity

I’m not the guy I used to be and I’m good with it but it feels weird. I was always the guy that would share and share and share all of myself and ideas with people and it was great.

I went to San Jose State U. (SPARTANS BABY! BLUE AND GOLD). Most of my college carreer was spent doing work, being in organzations,  and being involved with housing. I loved every second of it and one of the things I learned was to always be open and forth right with your team. When I wasn’t in college anymore I took those same philosophies and applied them to most of my interactions. “Hey Rai-mon, how do I start a mag?” “I have a question, where do you go to buy records and what do you look for?” “What do you think of our music? I know you had a group that got signed before.” “Hey, how do you make events run smoother.”

I’ve always been an open book, until this past Friday. A friend who is looking to through some events hit me up to “help”. I told him I’d be happy to help and we should just meet up. Well long story short he starts asking me about sponsorship this and sponsorship that, because well he needed money! I asked him how he’d like me to be involved in his event, what did he want me to DO, and he says “well what would you want to do?”. Long story short is at that point I felt myself closing off to him. I know it’s not exactly clear why, but lets just say that I knew that he just wanted to gain the knowledge I had learned over years past without doing the work and on top of that wanted to give me nothing for it. Anyone that knows me knows I’m not a money hog saying “pay me or I won’t tell you anything” but I’ve also learned that giving out the knowledge that took you years to get makes you obsolete the moment it comes out of your mouth.

So with all that said I’ve finally become one of the guys that used to bug the shit out of me. “Dude, why don’t you just tell me how to do it? I’m not competing with you and you can have what you want in regards to what I”m doing just let me know.” Those would’ve been my words. So why didn’t I tell him anything? I’m not sure…but I’ve learned to trust my gut first and get questions answered later. I’ll let you know when I find out.

Sacrafice for what you want, the rewards are limitless!

// March 2nd, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity, Soul By The Pound

Just so everyone knows I’m still going to have a phone just not a cell phone. I’ve been trying to find a way to not pay money to cell companies for a long time and so here goes.

The urgency of importance

// February 24th, 2009 // Comments Off // Leadership / Productivity

Matrix found in Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First.