Category: Entrepreneur
-
The Courage to Really Step Up
The woman was handed the mike in our small room of about 150 people. She was nervous about her question to the man on the panel just a few feet away from us. And she had every right to be, given whom she was about to speak to. And even though the woman was not…
-
So You Think You Are Right? Sorry!
The other day I went to my dry cleaner. On the way I told myself to stay calm and listen to their side first. And everything would be OK. Well that did not last very long. Soon after entering the store the owner was accusing me of blaming them for damaging my favorite pants. And…
-
Not Sure You’re an Entrepreneur?
Every once in a while we can get totally stuck on what to do next. Tuesday was one of those moments for me. I had just starting to speak about the importance of being an entrepreneur to a class of MBA students at a well-known university here in New York. Since the university is a…
-
The Importance of Thinking Really Big
By the nature of what I do for a living, I’ve seen some pretty cool and ambitious businesses and business plans. But the one I saw last Friday blew me away. I had just finished listening to a presentation for the first 100% solar powered city in the world, about to be built in southwest…
-
It’s Never Too Late to Get It Going!
Last night I was blown away by the people I met at an event at Brooklyn College. Someone close in my life invited me to join them for their graduation ceremony of the Adult Literacy Program that helped them get their General Educational Development (GED) diploma. Many of the recipients of their high school diplomas…
-
Intrapreneur vs. Entrepreneur—Which are YOU?
Larry was smiling as we finished our walk in Central Park. We promised to do it ever since I told him I used to do that with a good friend whenever we wanted to share stories and advice on running our companies. While Larry was new to being an entrepreneur, he certainly was not new…
-
Top 7 Ways to Wrap Up the Decade With Your Biz
Yesterday I confused my packed class of new entrepreneurs. We just started a seven-day intense entrepreneur start-up course and they were bouncing off the walls with their new business ideas. And it was like I just poured cold water on them when I asked them how and when they are going to exit their company.…
-
Five Steps to Building Your 2011 Financial Projections
Gene finally got it. His IT consulting business has been constantly pulling his attention from what he has known he needed to do: develop his financial picture, both historic and forecasted. Until September, he never gave developing his forecasts time, since last-minute crisis or unexpected challenges were constantly coming up. Instead, each week we spoke…
-
How to Avoid Being a Shooting Star Company
My wife and I were walking around our neighborhood in Brooklyn this weekend. She wanted to get a new pair of eyeglasses. In one store we thought that looked good, she found a pair she liked. When we started talking pricing with various features the clerk asked if she had insurance. My wife explained this…
-
Why Rapid Business Decisions is Crucial and How
As he walked into a meeting in the 64-room Georgian Mansion on 5th and 91st St. in Manhattan, he knew he was about to have one of the most important meetings of his life. Napoleon Hill, then 25, was about to interview Andrew Carnegie, then 73. The year was 1908 and Carnegie’s estimated worth was…