So since the last time I posted, a lot of things have developed since I worked at SC Johnson. Since my rotation ended, I was offered a position to work for SC Johnson but I respectfully turned it down to start a new business, 521 Dimensions. I have co-founded 521 Dimensions with my business partner, Dan Pastori.
What does 521 Dimensions do?
At 521 Dimensions, we create websites and web applications for businesses of all sizes. Most of you know what a website is, but I often get asked, “What the heck is a web application?”. A web application is computer software that you can use through your web browser (instead of installing it on your computer), like Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. All of these applications are very popular web applications. When I tell someone that, I usually get asked, “Are you going to make the next Facebook?” The answer is no. Facebook is already created and we are focusing are applications for businesses right now. Hopefully we will make just as much money as them though! 
What is Server Side Up and Project Community Computers?
Server Side Up and Project Community Computers is 521 Dimensions‘ way of giving back. We want to give better opportunity to people who may not even know that they have an opportunity. We decided to incorporate Dan’s organization called, Project Community Computers, which was founded in 2008. Project Community Computers is a (soon to be) non-profit organization that takes in donated computers, cleans them up, and builds schools around the world. The last trip was out to Kenya, which was really cool to see what they did (I was not apart of the organization at the time when they went). The pictures are neat to look at because these people have never seen a computer before, so just imagine the excitement they experienced! Here is a picture from Kenya in 2010:
At Server Side Up, we blog about technology and business as we grow and expand our business. All of our posts are geared for technology entrepreneurs or technical administrators/developers that are looking for free online resources for learning new technologies. Every once in a while, we share a story or two about what we learned in a certain project or personal experience and how we handled it. It’s not going to be easy to start our own business, so we figured that we should document and share what we learn with others who are starting to do the same. Server Side Up also puts on free learning events that people can attend and learn about Information Technology. This is extremely exciting for me because I love sharing my passion with others. In most of the classes that I teach, I end up learning something from someone else anyways. It is great to see how motivated people are to learn and how “hungry” they can be to gain experience and knowledge about Information Technology. Here is a picture from one of the events:
Bottom line, we have a lot of work to do and we have to keep a positive hat on for moving forward. Thanks for your interest! If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them!
