The Fresh Prince of Cleantech

I might possibly be the most self absorbed, 'selfie-taking', Facebooking, Tweeting and retweeting obsessed Instagrammer you'll ever meet w/ deep LinkedIn 1st connections in the realm of Sustainability. I really don't care what you think bc I'm a Mad man who made another breakthrough happen in Cleantech's history.

I started at the bottom of the Cleantech industry back in 2006-2007. San Diego only had a hand full of dreamers, thought leaders, and risk takers and I paid my dues with my blood, sweat, and ideas on a paper napkin. My scars are deep so my insight comes at a higher price.

Fast forward to 2014... No more paper napkins. It's time for real talk. The industry is severly lacking diversity and style. No matter the sector (green building, electric cars, solar, wind, algae, green consumer products, etc), there are no icons where their style influences "early majority" adopters to... Well... Adopt. And guess what... Innovation without adoption is... Well... Failure.

Let me break this down for those who are slow. Women, Blacks, and Hispanics don't adopt electric cars well from white men in corporate shirts handing out large pamphlets. And if you're not campaigning like your running for President and doing all you can to win Women, Blacks, and Hispanics... Well then... You are just slowly falling into the Chasm instead of crossing it like Apple. Every company in Cleantech, Sustainability dreams for an Apple iPhone moment... Well here's the secret. Without style and diversity... Kiss that dream goodbye. Ask Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.

I believe 2014 needs to be the year where Solar and electric car adoption doubles, and I'm the stylist. I'm the answer. I'm the agent of disruption that will sell the American dream of Solar on every roof and an electric car in every garage as the symbol of 'full recovery' from the Great Recession. 

My style is sophisticated, bullish, and decisive. I don't wear corporate whites. I wear cool clothes. I rock a beard, a fro-hawk, and I speak Swaghili fluently. I prefer Nike Dunks over loafers and my personal hashtag is simple: #freshprinceofcleantech.

This is #HowIRockIt just having coffee. I am a maven and my handle is: @frshprnzcleantc. In 2014, my resolution is to be the most successful public figure in all of Cleantech using my personal style as a weapon to move the needle. Social media is my sword and mobile advertising is my spear, and I'm ready to lead my army into battle and sack whole cities and counties. States even. 

As an award winning Creative Director, I see the weaknesses and patterns in my industry... I see what's not being done in Cleantech that should be... And I recently rectified some of that. Cleantech needs more Women, Blacks, and Hispanics in 2014 or else. The best Digital marketing and mobile advertising is the key.

Cleantech also needs more "selfie-taking"  mavens that are willing to display how cool it is to be green. I recently took a much needed vacay and stayed in a King suite in a Kimpton Hotel... I made it look so fucking cool, that many of my friends want the exact experience I had and price didn't matter. The experience mattered. As a Mad man, living life your way and loving yourself is the doorway to true influence.

Sustainability will forever remain boring without changing.

I'm a AMY winner, and I want to win in 2014. I want to win at the EMAs, the AMAs, the Clio awards, and even take Cleantech to the Super Bowl plus... I want to take Solar and electric cars to promise land... Winner at the Cannes Lions awards... But at the moment nobody in Sustainability knows nothin bout that! Exception: This Leo named Yeves Perez, the Fresh Prince of Cleantech. 

Name someone... One person who even talks like that. Image with me an award winning solar or electric car advertising campaign that earns top nods from the public as the best Super Bowl ad and takes home a Cannes Lion award! That's how you spell a-d-o-p-t-i-o-n.   

Follow me in 2014 because I have a freedom in my speech to say what needs to be said. I have people to pay back and a desire to pay it forward, so failure in not in my vocabulary. So, pick your New Years resolutions carefully and make sure the envolve winning. I'm clear I have.

I'm about to go HAM! www.yevesperez.com

#Kaepernicking

Don't Think. Be Yourself. There Can Only Be One Yeves Perez!

@frshprnzcleantc: "Some have good ideas. Others are good at execution. I can be great at both, so call me Jefe. El Jefe." - Yeves Perez, #FreshPrinceofCleantech #AgencyLife

Photographer: Philip R. Ødegård

Copyright: Yeves Perez

All Rights Reserved.

Shut Up and Hustle

"Hustle or go home"! - Yeves Perez

http://www.yevesperez.com #Nodaysoff

Yeves Perez Says

@frshprnzcleantc: "Solar needs a killer ad, something that blows Chipotle away." #MoveTheNeedle http://www.yevesperez.com #FreshPrinceOfCleantech #advertising

Protect

@frshprnzcleantc: "Protect what is yours." -Yeves Perez | http://www.yevesperez.com

Yeves Perez Has No Fear

@frshprnzcleantc: "Fear nothing and gain everything" - Yeves Perez |http://www.yevesperez.com

#sandiego #sustainability #advertising #freshprinceofcleantech

There Is An "I" In Sustainability

"Greatness awaits for those who take personal Sustainability to the next level." Yeves Perez

https://sites.fastspring.com/einicorp/instant/personalsustainabilityblueprintrevisedpdf

I Am An Agent of Disruption, Not A Con Artist. There's A Difference.

"Innovative." "Brilliant." "Fun." My work to advance the cause of local food culture here in San Diego has been acclaimed for over a month now, until a few people decided to soil my best work by branding me as a dangerous con artist and accuse me of scamming my clients in an callous act of revenge over a small debt. They took a risk to publicly call me a fraud online/ social media and said that my advertising campaign was a scam... all over a small debts that linger because of my inability to pay. I'm sorry but that's online bullying. Bullying me was a mistake that will cost them. What surprised me the most about this attack, was the involvement of Barbarella Fokos publishing this con artist defamation as reporting without contacting me or anyone else to investigate. Her tweets are littered with such reports.

So, who am I and what did I do to deserve being called a con artist? Well, I'm not just your ordinary entrepreneur who wants to start a shoe shop, or a cool food truck. To date, I may be the most polarizing and controversial public figure in all of Sustainability. I am called the "Fresh Prince of Cleantech" for a reason. I exude confidence. I see opportunities and tactics to change the game in an industry... I'm a visionary. I work double and triple OT and I take larger than normal risks to prove my ideas are right. My bravado attracts people and I speak swaghili when I ask them to join in on the fun.

Have I made mistakes in the past? Yes. Have I failed people and failed at making a business successful? Yes. Do I regret trying at the current cost of being called a con artist? No. Do I regret losing money that was lent to me for trying to make things happen? No. Well, why not? Am I a monster? Yes, I eat what I kill. Am I a heartless beast and don't want to hear about any pain I've caused? No, I have been wronged in my life and handled it the right way. Don't I care about what a handful of people say terrible things about me online? Depends. I think there's a difference between "a compliant" and "revenge." A wise friend said this to me: (Yeves) there's a lot of people out there that don't distinguish between a business that fails and a con artist.  there are a lot of reasons that businesses fail and it shouldn't be taken personally if there's a loss.  it's sentiments like that that give fodder to elitists to say "average people can't be investors because they don't understand the risks".

Each and everyone of these interactions about me started off great, almost always high on the possibilities, and excited to be apart of something BIG! They all wanted me to deliver BIGTIME, on time, no excuses. Did I give any excuses? Yes. Was I really the fool to be so desperate, and accept help from people who could go online and leave out what I risked? Yes. They all just completely leave out what I lost... my side... but all the books say "don't be too proud to beg." So, I sat down, explained my plans, and asked for help in starting my early companies. Was I perfect? Hell no! However, I've completed lots of good work, in good faith, and have executed 10x more than what I'm being accused of or complained about. Then after failing, I deciding to disrupt the local advertising scene and start a small agency. This time at 99% all-my-own-risk!

Did my past matter? Yes. Did clients get concerned when googling me? Sure. How did I explain myself? I made mistakes and I moved on to do the best work I can do! My virtues however are really a double edged sword and just this month, an article in Psychology Today titled "When Virtue Becomes Vice" opened my eyes to what sabotages my work relationships. 

Source: http://m.psychologytoday.com/articles/201308/when-virtue-becomes-vice

My skills as a visionary were perfect to be a Creative Director and my appetite for Risk was perfect to pitch ideas. As the article indicates I did let my fears and limitations go which makes me appear reckless, impulsive, or callous and I admit I did ignore other people's fears and limitations. Were all my pitches great? No. Did I struggle? I still am struggling. Do you have good intentions? Yes! In fact, I think every vengeful post about me on line should really include the fact, they deep down know I always had good intentions to do my job.

So, what did I do now? I was late on paying some debts. Why was I late? Because stuff happened and I don't have a LOC. Why don't we resolve this in court? Because San Diego has entered into a childish competitive mindset that's similar to famous Silicon Valley beefs and apply that online like Yelp. Plus revenge is sweeter especially when you want a public figure to pay you faster. I feel like Kanye West meets Sean Parker. And like them, I will not be bullied.

I strongly disapprove of Barbarella using her professional Twitter handle (which does not say my views and opinions or tweets are my own and do not represent the San Diego Reader or NBC) to defame me and use her clout to warn my clients of danger, which is untrue. She did not call me nor did she attempt to investigate. She posted unverified information in a calculated attempt to cause monetary damages. I will protect my clients and my intellectual property from slander and defamation and file a libel lawsuit. What's even more disappointing is her "I will believe anything these people say bad about him," attitude and completely ignore all the great things he's done for his community and for Sustainability. And no references to what I risked and lost. I am also disappointed by Jim Holman (Owner) and the San Diego Reader for not even realizing what Barbarella was posting as investigative reporting until I called him. It is obvious his operation lacks ethical oversight as all her tweets are published to the San Diego Readers website (so it must be all true)! I recently shared an email exchange between Barbarella and I to Jim Holman where she admits to acting (publishing) out of "anger" which is not in accordance with the Society of Professional Journalist's Code of Ethics. According to SPJ.org Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.

— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.

— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.

— Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

— Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.

— Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.

I will not regret proving her wrong about me and my good campaign. Bullying me is not a good idea. Moving forward, I'm ok with being the Dark Horse figure for telling my story, because disrupting is what I do. In fact, I've just earned my Ph.D.

Open Letter - I, Yeves Perez, Hereby State My Intention To Disrupt

I, Yeves Perez, wish to address anyone who's interested in getting to know me, my story, and my intentions. I'm an ideas guy, a visionary, and a creative force. No one and nothing will change the confidence I have in myself. Most likely, I've already proven myself. I believe in doing good things for the greater good and people believe in me and my ideas. I'm been nominated for awards and won awards for my work. However, I have to deal with competitors, jealousy, and mistakes of my own doing that force me to be more careful. I work longer and harder than most people I know to earn my way and I see opportunities that most people can't see. I no longer work with savages. I only work with civilized, straightforward professionals who respect me and what I can do. My name, Yeves Perez, is a gift to me because of how unique it is and it expresses very quickly that I'm different. I'm a contributor. I'm a value add. I'm a doer. I'm a King in my domain. Yeves Perez is an agent of disruption. 

I can only go so long and far with nonsensable haters hating before I have to bury them and their careers. The book of Yeves Perez is building and growing and burying all nonsense. There is no time or room to argue with coothless cyber cunts who want to extort me rather than all sides admit to mistakes, make peace, and move on. I swim with bigger sharks and fly with the real hawks, and that's why I'm still here. I'm a fighter.

I, Yeves Perez, the real Yeves Perez, born and raised as Yeves Perez, would rather spend my time adding to society and making a positive difference. I, Yeves Perez, agree to make amends for startups in the past. I, Yeves Perez, agree to put everything in writing and to protect me and all my work first from unwise animals and will set anyone right via my way. I, Yeves Perez, hereby state my intentions to keep doing what I do best and if anyone gets in my way then I, Yeves Perez, agree to disrupt the weak. My work stands for itself and my next deal is all the truth anyone needs to know about who the real Yeves Perez really is. All Good. End of story. 

Sincerely, 

Yeves Perez

Why Discount Codes Are Unsustainable And Need To Die Off Now

As a recent nominee for the "Best Public Advocate For Sustainability" award here in Southern California, I take what works and what doesn't work seriously! As the Creative Director for an Advertising Agency that enjoys all things Sustainable, I especially want to advocate for what works when it comes to putting in hard work for honest pay. However, I now find myself eager to advocate against the use "Discount Codes" by Conference or Seminar organizers and want to see them die off this year. 

The business practice is very straightforward: it's cheaper to sell tickets to my Conference if I find people or organizations with a mature network to sell them for me in-exchange for a fee and call them "Media, Marketing, or Community Partners". Let's call it "leveraging". And all I have to do is give them a custom discount code (let's say 10% off). The benefit to you is some extra income and looking good for helping out. For years organizers of Seminars, Symposiums, Workshops, and Conferences have been complacent and continue to operate under the false premise that Discount Codes are profitable. They are not. 

But they seem to work so well, what can go wrong? First, it discourages this business offering the codes to work hard like everyone else and adapt to changing times. Second, the practice discourages this business to be creative and pay for other forms of marketing and advertising. Third, the practice does not require the organizer to guarantee anything. The truth is they can canel the discount at anytime and are not required to give you advance notice, no matter the risk to you or your organization's reputation. It's all about them and their goals. And guess what! You are not special unless you are given the only discount code. 

Now some organizers feel as though they are impervious to change, especially when there are so many gullible young professionals. And frankly why should they change if there really are so many gullible young professionals to convince to work for you for free. I think it's time to give them reason a change and now.

So, if you're 22 to 40 years, I think we should stop being so guillible and dropping our pants and giving away our hard earned (newly acquired) networks. If someone emails, calls, FB, or Tweets you offering a discount code, say "Do you have anything better?" I for one am a 32, young professional in San Diego, California who spent a lot of time and money paying for my transportation and waredobe to attend the 48 networking events I attended just last year (not to mention cellphone minutes, emails, coffee and lunch meetings just to maintain that network). I must say no working for free and no to handing it over to someone who did'nt work for it. And I refuse to support anyone or anything with a Discount Code to market the sale of tickets. You can be the most Sustainable Conference in town, but if that's your angle then I know you don't care about true cost.

I'd rather support the following to earn a discount:

- Hosting an Instagram contest 

- Developing an app where I have to play a game and win 

- Clicking on or just seeing a damn good advertisement 

- Having an Influencer I respect tell me I should attend

But what do I know? I'm just an agent of disruption and make talk worthy ads. 

Add Shot - BigBike Group revs up San Diego's Mobile Scene

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I love my Starbucks and especially adding a shot of espresso when I want to get something done right then. Using that metaphor, San Diego based businesses have much to accomplish in 2013 and require an "add shot" to their marketing and advertising plans. As Creative Director, I want to run all of the best campaigns in San Diego County. As a visionary, I see where the solutions are and because I have the gift of research, I can execute like nobody's business.

My Partner's Work

Let's face it. Mobile is where it's at. Not tomorrow. Right now! I purposely coined "Add Shot" to not only serve as my agency's term to pitch the Mobile trifecta, which takes aim at the Mobile website, the Mobile app, and Mobile advertising, but also a brief manifesto of what's to come and the effects on my Client's bottom line.  I'm an agent of disruption, so at the risk of appearing wonkish I promise to drop data to support my claims.

By the way, how does your site look on an iphone or android? Does in conform to appear clean, clear, and legible like this (pic left)? While every other agency spends all year pushing for responsive web design that automatically adjusts to the users adjusts to fit the users screen resolution (which is really for blogs), BigBike Groups runs against the gain on this debate. One of our top focuses in 2013 is to release the best mobile specific websites with separate content to dramatically improve load time and feature API keys to improve brand connectivity and sharing. Why does this debate matter? A 2011 Compuware article titled "What Users Want From Mobile" states if your site does not load with 3 seconds 60% of them will leave and never come back. Mobile is an art. Companies selling products, food, and services deserve better.

Windows Phone

As Creative Director, getting the right mobile website matters for me to focus on #goodvertising and for my mobile ads to matter and produce the results that show my clients the money! Seriously, creating rich media ads including video ad units, gifs, and interstitials are challenging enough and they commanded a greater click through rate of 1.1% in 2010. So wasting a better CTR and that potential customer's trust on a slow loading site makes no sense to me and serves as the first opportunity to save the client money.

It's also apparent that device makers are fully aware of the culture influence on society their toys have and so do the users. Yet, did you know 2/3 of our time on mobile phones are used for non-communicative activities with the average American spending 94 minutes per day utilizing mobile apps vs. web-based consumption? Mashable called 2012 The Year of Mobile Advertising and the Atlantic covered the national acceleration of mobile advertising accurately.

BigBike Group Mobile Ad Campaign

As for popular apps go in San Diego, there is a rush for publishers to develop and launch to appease their subscribers and not lose ground on readership, however San Diego is so diverse. From the craft beer scene having an app to the local tourism app to the County Parks app, and everything in between, there's a niche for advertisers to fill and not worry of competing with 5 other ads of the same page. It just takes a good eye and a skilled firm to lead the way. Thus developing an app should also be no light conversation either. I believe a brand selling a product or aiming to increase employees engagement or creating a loyalty program or wanting to increase demand with a game, they  should have a Mobile app.

Also, did you know San Diego was dubbed the "Wireless Capital of the World" over Silicon Valley by Forbes Magazine just last year? It's true. Forbes tech contributor Mark Fidelman's June 27th piece pointed out the concentration of wireless employees in San Diego is 484 per 100,000 residents, compared to Silicon Valley's 375 per 100,000. Plus Novatel CEO Pete Leparulo's quote lends our mobile industry some credibility when he said, "San Diego for wireless technology is an amazing place. It's what I image Detroit was like during the heyday of inventiveness." Not bad, but what about San Diego's mobile market?

Well, besides the thousands of high wage employees of telecom companies that either carry a smartphone and or tablet device (just ask any Qualcomm employee), San Diego County has 3.1 million residents, 4000 square miles—and an ultra conservative estimate of 500,000 mobile devices in adult households according to Scarborough Research's *outdated stats from 2007, or closer to 1.5 million compared to National estimates of 52% released at CES. Yes, the range is wide, however the evidence is self evident.

I also believe its "The Year of The eWallet" for San Diego and advertising to the ewallet user will pay off in huge divided ends. I think there's clout here since Scarborough ranked San Diego as one of the top tech savvy cities in the country and the swipe of the mobile to pay for food, drinks, products, and more just completes the rave review.

Now, I'm not going to discuss my firm's strategies of how I present all of this and pitch, so that some young ad executive at a competing firm looking to prove something can turn around and copy me, but I will say to those who could be potential clients reading this... let's meet for coffee soon.    

Email me at yevesperez [at] gmail [dot] com or tweet me @frshprnzcleantc.

I Was Wrong! New Poll Says 61% of Latinos Voted Yes On Prop 37

I can admit I was wrong in my previous post "Why Prop 37 Fell Short". My conclusion was that our movement had a latino problem and we would not win without winning their vote. My evidence was based on looking at counties we lost (%) where latinos make up the majority of the population or close to it. However, the real numbers say otherwise months later.

Based on a new poll commissioned by the Center for Food Safety Action Fund and conducted by the independent polling firm Lake Research, the strongest support for Prop. 37 came from Latinos (61% yes), Asians (61% yes), African Americans (56% yes) and Democratic women (60% yes).  As a group, Caucasian voters turned down the measure 58% to 42%.  Voters under 30 approved of the initiative (55% yes), as opposed to voters 65 years or older (61% no). Reflecting election results from the Secretary of State’s office, the initiative won in Los Angeles County (52% to 48%) and the San Francisco Bay Area (56% to 44%).

The survey found that every major demographic group, with the exception of Republican men, supports the concept of required labeling of genetically engineered foods.  Of special note, Prop. 37 won the Election Day vote 51% to 49%, but lost with early absentee voters 46% to 54% — an indication that early, high-volume attack advertising by Prop. 37 opponents was countered effectively by the “Yes” campaign’s late surge in GE food labeling information and outreach.

Looks like the data shows we lost with the elderly vote when it comes to labeling genetically modified food. Read more here: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/2013/01/09/post-prop-37-poll-shows-strong-public-support-for-future-ge-food-labeling/

Never Give Up On A Dream

Years ago I was blessed with a dream... a feeling... a vision for change and I risked everything (and I mean everything) for that dream. I still have the single sheet of lined paper that I wrote this dream of a club down because I knew at that moment, it would come true and I wanted to remember that feeling of 'awe inspired'. I called it the Eco Investment Club. This was my role to play in a struggling Green Movement. And yet, over time and trying to figure out and finagle to make money the dream begin to slip out of my hands. Then, one day, the Eco Investment Club was no more. I was sad, angry, resentful, and all around crushed after losing control of the domain http://ecoinvestmentclub.com to an ex partner, but I had to let it go.

Over the years, I read articles in Inc. Magazine about entrepreneurs losing control of their companies and getting kicked out and then wanted it all back under the old name, but couldn't... so they had to give up. It pained me to no end to contemplate giving up. But then the story Steve Jobs always gave me hope because I had passion coming out of my ears!

  

So, I waited. The company closed. The domain came back up for sale in auction. I prevailed. And now the Eco Investment Club is mine again. I had a hard road. The Green Movement still struggles. I struggled. My name was mud, because I gave up on my values, and my name of the web was out my control, too. I risked too much, but now http://yevesperez.com is mine and is pointed to the club, because we are now one and the same. Fredrick Douglass said, "Without struggle, there can be no progress." I believe it. I am the real Yeves Perez. I'm sorry for my mistakes and wrongs, but I'm not giving up. I am the green Sean Parker, an agent of disruption. And I will never give up again as long as I'm alive.

Cheers to 2013!

http://ecoinvestmentclub.com