Month: October 2015
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Five Steps to Keeping Ahead of the Pack
We’ve all been mesmerized this week with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. And whether or not you feel killing him (or anyone for that matter) was the right thing, here’s a quick analysis of how the world’s greatest villain the world has ever seen rose and fell so quickly. And what we entrepreneurs can…
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5 Steps to Your Peak Mental Performance
Dr. Stephen Hawking understands what it is like to lose his physical capabilities. At the age of 21, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which usually is fatal within 5 years. Now at the age of 69, Dr. Hawking has lived with it for 48 years, making him one of the longest-living survivors of…
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Pros and Cons to Being Into Alternative Energy
This past week I’ve been working with a couple of alternative/renewable energy companies here in NYC. Both are at the top of their games, with great expertise and major players in NYC and the industry. One is growing like crazy and the other is struggling. And while both are on the leading edge of what…
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The Importance of Adapting To Your Environment
Damien Lopez Alfonso knows what it is like to live an UnReasonable life. According to a recent article in The New York Times, Damien was electrocuted at the age of 13 when he climbed a power line in Cuba, where he lives, to get an abandoned kite that was hanging from it. Damien paid the price…
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4 Steps to Getting a “Yes” to That Big Ask
I remember several years ago I was in a real jam. I was in LA at a major event where I was to present on stage that evening. And the suit I was to wear was a real mess with stains from a drink someone spilled on me at a different event the day before.…
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How to Manage Your Uncertainty
Last week I was making my rounds with several clients, each involved in the alternative energy space. A couple of the companies are doing extremely well, with one successfully raising a round of capital. One is struggling. Even so, they are all concerned with the incredible uncertainty in the alternative energy space. Not only because…
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What Can Small Business Learn from US Debt
On Monday, as the stock markets were continuing to crash at lightning speed, someone asked me my thoughts. I told them welcome to the crash of 2011! And while the 16% drop in 10 days is only the third time that has happened in 4 decades (also 1987 and 2008), this volatility may be continue…
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#1 Strategy to Achieve Financial Success in Biz
Tuesday I was on the phone with a client, deep in conversation about their company’s financial outlook just before it happened. At first I thought it was a subway going past. Then it got more intense. Before I knew it my whole house was swaying. As I quickly hung up with my client, I realized…
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Really Ready to Raise Capital for Your Small Business?
This week I started facilitating another FastTrac NYC class of about 30 entrepreneurs. I like starting this intense seven days of training with a powerful guest speaker. A good friend, David Kistner, was kind enough to visit the class. What was supposed to be about 60 minute presentation ended up with me having to kick…
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10 Steps to a Funding Strategy That Works
I had been dreading to make the call for almost a week. I knew I needed to do it, but just didn’t have the courage. For seven years I worked my ass off in my company, raised over $1MM and grew my green retail stores into probably the largest in the country at that time.…