Creating 805 Speaker Series Launches

Series will celebrate creative Central Coast entrepreneurship

PASO ROBLES — Creating 805 will launch its first speaker series celebrating creative entrepreneurship this October at THE SANDBOX, Paso Robles’ newest event venue, shared office/coworking space, and entrepreneurial community.

This year’s scheduled speakers include Mike Durighello, CEO/Founder of Whalebird Kombucha on Friday, Oct. 15; Lauren Butler, Co-Founder of Yes Cocktail Co. on Friday, Nov. 19; and Pancho Gomez, Culture Ninja at All Good Products on Friday, Dec. 17.

With 75 tickets available per event, Creating 805’s speaker series will include time for networking and encourage complimentary coworking at THE SANDBOX Paso Robles following speakers’ discussions, giving local creatives and entrepreneurs opportunities to connect, collaborate, and get work done. Due to the state of the pandemic, the guest will be required to follow public health requirements. Disposable masks will also be available at the check-in table upon arrival.

Creating 805’s speaker series will be donation based and open to the public. Through events, workshops, and retreats, Creating 805 will become an entrepreneurial hub for Central Coast community members doing just that: creating the 805. By highlighting homegrown innovators and giving them an opportunity to share their stories, resources, and knowledge with local residents, Creating 805 will continue to expand and strengthen the entrepreneurial lifeline of California’s Central Coast.

Olivia Wickstrom, Creating 805 founder and Morro Bay local, stated, “I spent my late teens and early 20’s living in Portland, Oregon; St. Andrews, Scotland; Cape Town, South Africa; and Minneapolis, Minnesota—cities known for their creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. I moved home to the Central Coast as a self-employed marketer and entrepreneur at 26 years old. While I was overwhelmed by the creativity and innovation present in San Luis Obispo County since my 2012 departure, I couldn’t find the hub, the pulse, the lifeline of it. My love for community building and my desire to uplift the stories of local entrepreneurs planted a seed in my head, and with that, Creating 805 was born.”

Wickstrom will run a Kickstarter over the month of September with a funding goal of $4,047 to help Creating 805 file an LLC and pay all first-year fees and taxes, purchase single-day event insurance for 2021 events, and purchase event supplies (COVID-19 safety measures i.e. masks and hand sanitizer, coffee urns, disposable cups, coffee accouterments).

“This speaker series is just the beginning. With the support of our community, we’ll be able to expand Creating 805’s offerings. We can’t wait to serve the Central Coast further with classes, workshops, and retreats for creative entrepreneurs,” Wickstrom comments. Creating 805 will also be recruiting four volunteers per event to help with check-in, attendee questions, and venue set up and tear down.

Creating 805 is sponsored by THE SANDBOX Paso Robles (venue), Slo Roasted Coffee (coffee), West Coast Party Co. (photography and music), and Rhiannon Dudley (graphic design).

To learn more about Creating 805 sponsors, get to know the speakers, and stay up to date on event announcements, follow @creating805 on Instagram.