The world has some very good people in it. The Open Information Foundation sponsored scholarships for 20 individuals. The requirement:

That you really want to come to FreelanceCamp Santa Cruz 2009 and that you can’t afford it (not that you are too cheap).

I will be reviewing requests and choosing Friday August 7th. Please email me (shane [at] shaneandpeter.com) or DM on twitter @freelancecamp.

We asked everyone under the sun for suggestions. What could we give out at the event that they would actually use and keep? The winning answer was: “A nice canteen.”

We heard you (ditched the tried and true t-shirt approach) and decided to even throw down some extra cash to get, not just a nice one, but the very best in the industry. A bunch of negotiation and Klean Kanteen slapped our artwork on a 27oz Stainless Steel bottle. We are quite thankful to the team at Parachute Creative for their generous donation of poster / bottle art.

In short, every attendee (unless we get some party crashers) will get for FREE their very own canteen. Even more awesome? Our local outdoor shops sell these exact bottles for about $20-25! The cost of a freelancecamp ticket: $25. So it is no surprise we are feeling pretty darn proud of ourselves right now.

Below is pre-print mach of what the bottle will look like. The artwork wasn’t final at this point but you get the idea.

A HUGE thanks to our sponsors for helping to make this happen.

The event is really coming together!

We now have a venue, which is the newest building on pacific ave right in the middle of down town Santa Cruz! In fact, the building is so new it is completely empty, so we got Palace Office Supply & Office Interiors as a sponsor to set up a series of 5 meeting spaces / lounges. Top floor awesome view, big balconies, 10,000+ square feet of prime space surrounded by some killer restaurants and right up the street from the beach.

We also are now working with Klean Kanteen to get custom stainless steel water bottles for the event. This is going to be the sickest schwag ever. I must see one in the hand of every 10th person walking down the street and they retail for close to $25. You get one along with your ticket! And I am talking the 27oz bottles, not those tinny ones.

• Venue: Rittenhouse Building, Downtown Santa Cruz, CA
• Date: Saturday August 15, 2009
• Time: 8am – 6pm + after party
• Cost: $25 or free if you are a student or really, really, really need the help (please be respectful)
• Schwag: Klean Kanteen 27oz bottles (retail cost for these is more than the price of your ticket)
• Register: http://freelancecamp3.eventbrite.com/

Not in the area? Don’t worry! We have a freelance camp coming to Reno soon (date still to be decided). Still out of luck? Start your own. We have already had five freelance camps in 2009 and every freelancer who has put one on sent me personal notes telling stories of how much this has caused a serious boost to their careers and the local economy.

Fire marshal has us capped at 300 people, so that nails down the ticket count. Last year, after my email blast (which we will be sending out around June 18th or so) we sold out in 3 days. As of June 19th we are already down to 221 tickets just based upon word of mouth. So if you want to come, sign up fast.

Who should come? If you sell your services (or are considering it), you are a perfect fit: developer, designer, accountant, blogger, journalist, realtor, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, financial adviser, marketer, sales, musician, artist, inventor… Historically, the bulk of attendees are from hi-tech. We encourage all types of owners to come to provide a balanced perspective to business.

• Get experience based answers to your questions.
• Network and meet people running successful freelance businesses.
• Form partnerships and collaborate.
• Find clients.
• Help others and be a person of influence.

The “Camp” in FreelanceCamp implies that the event is informal with an emphasis on face-to-face interaction with other attendees. “Community-driven” means that the attendees of the conference actually run the conference by discussing topics appropriate to the subject of the event. The presentation schedule is determined on the morning of the conference and anyone is welcome to present.

Our sponsors include:

Baskin & Grant
City of Santa Cruz
Cruzio
Elance
Happy Santa Cruz
Hope Foundry
Nextspace Coworking and Innovation
Palace Office Supply & Office Interiors
Parachute Creative
Rittenhouse
Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp
Shane & Peter Inc
Small Business Development Center
Studio Holladay
Sugar Crm

The Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp – spearheaded by tech-enthusiast Doug Erickson, stems from the idea of harnessing the true potential, knowledge and skills of Santa Cruz tech professionals who either work or have had extensive industry experience in Silicon Valley. The SCNT MeetUp strives to create this community of technologists in order to expand strategic community thinking regarding quality of life and prosperity of the city of Santa Cruz. Through persistence and dedication, what started out as a meeting of just 39 attendees at the police department’s community room, is now a vibrant association of 720 members.

It is with great pleasure that we would like to announce the Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp as one of our most generous and proud sponsors.

Want to get involved? Join us for one hour on the first Wednesday of every month.

Palace started in Monterey in the 1890’s, expanded to Santa Cruz in the ’40s and was purchased by the Trowbridge family in 1949. Palace has grown exponentially acquiring 9 other independent office supply companies throughout the Central Coast.

Today, we are the largest independent dealer of art and office supplies, and office furniture in Santa Cruz and Monterey. We clearly understand that we are the Local Alternative to the Mega Companies and we know that we must try harder, be more creative, add value, offer equal to/or better pricing and out service our competition everyday to continue to earn the privilege of being in business. We have built this family owned company and our reputation on doing exactly as we have promised: giving world-class service locally and truly saving our customers money everyday on both office supplies and office furniture.

Need Furniture or Supplies? Visit Palace Office Supply & Office Interiors

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), located at Cabrillo College, offers numerous resources and tools for business to thrive and survive. Given the current economic climate, the SBDC is a true gem for all the services and guidance they provide in running a successful business. New and existing businesses can leverage the Center’s consulting services to review existing processes, operations and cash flow while planning for the future. For potential business the SBDC offers an array of services from Quickbook assistance, business plan preparations to marketing plan assistance. The SBDC works closely with local lenders and can provide information on targeted loan programs including micro-loans and SBA Loan guarantee programs. In addition, they specialize in Restaurant/hospitality management, Childcare providers, Retail management, and Government contracting. We would like to announce the Small Business Development Center as one of our most generous and proud sponsors.

Visit them at http://www.centralcoastSBDC.org
Or call 831/479-6136

Studio Holladay

We Are Creative, Sometime We’re Linear Thinkers, Forging a Direct Path Between Point A and B. Other Times We’re Broken Field Runners, Taking the Audience on the Scenic Uniquely Memorable Route. Either Way, We Deliver the Destination, Distilling Even the Most Complex Marketing Messages into Elegant Outcomes. Or Put Another Way: Left Brain, Right Brain. We Maintain Residence in Both Neighborhoods.

Visit Them at http://www.studioholladay.com
studio:831.421.9017 mobile:831.332.2573
503 SWIFT STREET / SANTA CRUZ CA 95060

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The City of Santa Cruz, located between lush redwood forests and the Pacific Ocean, is one the most beautiful environments to start anything, whether that is a new family or a new business. Boasting a unique blend of camaraderie, community and cooperation (and easy access to Silicon Valley talent and services) Santa Cruz thrives on a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Check out Cruzbusiness.com. The site serves as a holistic guide to starting and sustaining a business within city limits. It’s resources include financial calculators, links to business support services, funding sources, real estate and research tools. These resources are bolstered by the staff at the City’s Economic Development & Redevelopment Office which strives to make opening a new venture in town as easy as possible.

Visit them at http://www.cruzbusiness.com or call 831.420.5150

Technology For Your Next 20 Years

Cruzio Internet is the largest and longest running Internet Service Provider in Santa Cruz County. They are the high-speed DSL and Web Hosting leader for local business and home subscribers. Committed to changing and growing to meet their members’ needs, Cruzio now offers in-store computer repair and Joomla, SEO and ecommerce classes. It’s hard to believe that Cruzio first opened their doors when most current UCSC students were just born. As time flies by, their commitment to quality service and supporting local non profit organizations has never wavered.  With over 10,000 members, Cruzio provides excellent Internet services coupled with one of the most flexible and intelligent tech teams out there. 

Visit them at http://www.cruzio.com/
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Elance is the leading site for online work where businesses connect with independent professionals to get work done.

On Elance, businesses find the experts they need plus the tools to manage online work from hiring to collaboration to making payment.

Elance offers companies flexibility, cost effectiveness and instant access to a vast pool of skilled and tested talent. Professionals use Elance to find work, deliver great results and get paid for doing what they do best.

Visit them at http://www.elance.com/