Pole Vaulting Over Mouse Turds
In my informal study of asking people if they have a business idea or want to someday become an entrepreneur, a great percentage of them have some deep-seated desire to be their own boss. In fact, some will even tell me how great it would be if they could do whatever they wanted every day as “the man”. Naturally, my question is: Why don’t you? From the extensive empirical data I’ve acquired (*sarcasm*), the number one thing that keeps people from venturing out on their own is fear. The old adage about fear standing for False...
read moreInvest in Your Life
If you are reading this, chances are you are already among those in your peer group that will be ultra-successful in your career and life. However, there is one thing that you cannot forget as you navigate through your life. That is the importance of investing in yourself and your career. When Adam and I launched Succeed Faster, we analyzed every aspect of the event including the cost, as we wanted to make sure it was affordable enough for 20-somethings, but also a fantastic return on your investment. The response has been awesome and...
read moreWhat Do Your Dreams Look Like?
Have you planned for a trip or a big vacation? Remember the excitement that was built when you were thinking of all of the possible things to do and started making your plans. For instance, when we I graduated from college, three of my friends from college took a 14-day backpacking trip to Glacier National Park. The trip was amazing, but it was also a fun trip to plan. We researched places to camp, studied how to deal with grizzly bears, planned our fly fishing spots and found the best camping gear, with our limited college funds. The...
read moreUncle Sam Got Your Money?
Remember graduating and thinking, “now I’m going to make the big bucks”? Only to get your first paycheck and realize that Uncle Sam (or Uncle Scam as I like to call him) has taken 1/3 of your hard-earned money. Of the two greatest expenses we have in life — taxes and the interest expense on debt — the first you have either a whole bunch of control over OR no control over, depending on how you choose to be paid. How you choose to be paid is a tad misleading… if you are working for a company, you will more than likely...
read more3 Biggest Mistakes of Entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur myself and a co-founder of a VC firm, I have had the opportunity to hear a lot of business ideas from people who believed their idea was the next “Apple”. However, there are a few themes that we, DSP Start-up, have heard and actually witnessed that have made good ideas….fail. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you try and launch your company. 1. Assuming That Your Passion Is Contagious Whether you’re pitching to investors, motivating employees, or selling your product, be sensitive to the kind of...
read moreShe died…
A couple weeks ago my trusty old Black Beauty gave up the good fight. She and I had a lot of great times together. We spent hours and hours listening to great music, books on tape, and just the hum of the road. She outlived all the rest, and was better to me too. She wasn’t as pretty as when we first hooked up and kind of smelled funny, but I still enjoyed her to her final hours. And in the end, I sold her for $350 for scrap parts. In October of 2001, I bought a 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure...
read moreDon’t Hate on Corporate America
A month ago when I was speaking at Penn State, a very motivated student asked me for career advice but, before I could say anything, she adamantly stated that she wanted work dealing with “real issues” and wanted nothing to do with “Corporate America.” This is an all-too-common, misguided perspective, usually perpetuated by people – unfortunately some of whom are college professors – who have never worked in the business world, worked in a great culture and have only a fuzzy and distrustful grasp of the underlying economic...
read moreYou Have Choice…
First, thanks for spending your time reading this blog. You are making the choice and I won’t disappoint you. Isn’t that the amazing fact about life? We all have choices. Not every choice has to be an epic choice that changes the course of our life, but every single day, we wake up and decide what we are going to do, who we are going to interact with, how we are going to treat people, identify what we are going to accomplish and at least attempt to take a step in that direction. Are you the type of person who lives life as it comes...
read moreDeath by Meeting
Ever sit in a meeting and wonder how much it’s costing your company to have all of those people in attendance? It’s staggering… yet most companies hold regular meetings where all of their salaried people get together to cover things that could be relayed through an email, video message, or sometimes, a text! One of my consulting clients is a medium sized organization that holds A LOT of meetings. They frequently request that I attend the meetings to share some information about the projects I’m working on, and I happily (and...
read moreNo Regrets
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”….Wayne Gretzky So often, people go through life living in the “what if” and look back at aspects of their life with regrets. I recently read a blog from Bonnie Ware about regrets that people voiced when faced with death. It touched me and I hope you it impacts you in the same way. Excerpt from Bonnie Ware REGRETS OF THE DYING For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with...
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