News, Business, Holiday, Main Street, Santa Monica

Pay It Forward Holiday Party In Santa Monica To Bring Businesses Together Tuesday

Posted Dec. 7, 2012, 1:09 am

Mitch James / Mirror Contributor

The economy is hard, marketing is complicated, and times are still tough for small and medium sized companies.

Two Santa Monica firms have decided to take on the task of helping business people by arranging the largest Pay It Forward event the city has ever seen to be held at Bar 31 Ten (3110 Main Street, Santa Monica) this Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 6-9 p.m.

Many will remember the movie “Pay It Forward” starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, where the concept of helping others selflessly was born and the unseen positive consequences that come with this mindset became obvious.

Santa Monica firms, Your Office Agent and Satellite Telework Centers, have come together to galvanize a community to help fellow businesses.

Brian Mac Mahon and Nina Steiner from Your Office Agent had the vision to create the largest free Pay It Forward event in the state and possibly the country with 300 business people gathering in one place on one evening to help each other.

Barbara Sprenger from Satellite Telework Centers then made the event a reality by arranging the logistics and much of the back-end work to make it happen.

Then, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and SCORE also offered to help.

From there, one-by-one, local businesses offered their help to make this potentially the most impactful business event of the year.

Mac Mahon said more than 300 business people were expected to take part in the evening after each person commits online to bringing a physical or emotional gift.

“This is not a barter event and no value is attached to anything that is brought, only the thought behind the gift,” Mac Mahon said. “For example, LA Fitness are giving five gym memberships for five months each and several hours of one-on-one training; a student looking for a job will offer some tutoring help; and a local entrepreneur will offer some business guidance. Which has more value? It depends on what the person receiving the gift wants.”

He said the event was all about helping fellow business people.

“So far, there are 400 people registered and another 100 spots are left to be filled,” he said. “It’s going to be the biggest business Pay It Forward party that has ever taken place in Santa Monica for sure – and one that could not be done without Barbara and her whole Satellite team, who have embraced this as their own mission.”

He said entry to the event is free and not based on wealth, status, or looks.

“It’s based on the purity of what you want to help your business community with,” he said.

To secure a ticket, visit businessgrowthnetwork.eventbrite.com to register. For more information, visit www.yourofficeagent.com/events/silicon-beach.pdf.