The Hottest TV Show for Young Entrepreneurs
10/21/2009 By View Comments
Last week I was featured on The Rise To The Top, the hottest TV show for young entrepreneurs. What an honor. I was actually a huge fan before I came on the show and my friend David Garland (who I met in St. Louis for the first time on the Go-Giver Tour) does a tremendous job with it. Check it out and leave a comment below letting me know if I kicked some ass! Click here for the whole episode with Chris Brogan and Neil Patel, or click the picture below for my individual segment.
Sick of Making Mistakes 3 Times Over?
09/21/2009 By View Comments
Entrepreneurship is a hard game to play by yourself. Actually, there is no game by yourself. Crack out your Monopoly board game, pick your favorite shiny piece and roll the dice. See how much fun you will have playing by yourself.
Business is a game just like Monopoly. You have to learn how to play from somewhere. You usually learn from sitting on the sidelines a few rounds or having someone actually teach you play by play how the game works.
There are certain rules to the game. If you just tried to jump in and play, you are bound to make mistakes. These mistakes can be costly. Maybe passing up on property because you think you can’t afford it.
When you have been in business for a while, there comes to a point in business where many of these mistakes are not fun anymore. Especially when they could have been avoided with some simple advice.
10 Reasons Young Entrepreneurs Fail
09/08/2009 By View Comments
We hear all too much about what you have to do to become successful. I have discovered one proven way to become successful…Fail often.
How do I know this? Well, we won’t get into that right now. I have come to terms with distinct character traits that hold back young entrepreneurs and when repeated, will definitely keep you from succeeding in your business and life in general. I’d like to say thanks to Russell Yermal for his contributions on this article.
Lack of Punctuality
Being on time, every time, is a necessity in business. If you cannot keep your word, you cannot be trusted. Successful people will instantly make a judgment on your character through your punctuality. Once you have a respect for your own time, you create posture and people will start to respect yours. Purchase a day planner to organize you schedule and make a to-do list every night before bed.
Bob Burg Pulls Me On Stage To Talk Social Media!
09/02/2009 By View Comments
I never miss a chance to he
ar the co-author of my favorite book The Go-Giver and the author of Endless Referrals, Bob Burg, speak. He was recently speaking at an event in Chicago hosted by the Dynamic Professional Women’s Network (Christie Ruffino has done a knock-out job with this group). He put on a tremendous talk on about networking and getting tons of referrals.
He came at me and Brian Tomkins with a sneak attack pulling us on stage in front of about 150 people to talk about social media and what kind of impact it could have for businesses. I fought it with little resistance 
25 Life Lessons In My First 25 Years
08/30/2009 By View Comments
It’s 10:18pm and I am 30,000 feet up in the air with Dave Matthews Band in my headphones. My 25th birthday is 26 hours away (it is today-I wrote this on Friday) and I am heading down to hang out with my friend who is putting on an event called “Creating Your Millionaire Identity”.
I would have never thought in a million years I would be sitting where I am right now, let alone be still kickin’. I really was an careless punk through my teens and early 20’s, really having no direction in life. But, I am still here and I am happier than ever.
The most amazing breakthrough I have had in my first 25 years, has been the awareness realized of my position in life. There have been several significant changes I have made carving out my new path. I am writing this post more for myself to anchor what is important to me.
The Most Costly Mistake In Business: 5 Lessons In Punctuality
08/20/2009 By View Comments
You are driving to meet with a potential client for a noon appointment at Starbucks. You get there and grab a moca frappa latte and claim one of the small tables while you wait upon their arrival. 11:50… 11:57… 12:01… 12:05… and still a no-show. You decide to stick it out for a few minutes giving them the benefit of the doubt until it is 15-minutes after. Finally, your guest comes rushing through the door saying, “I am sooooooooo sorry to keep you waiting.”
Like you had anything better to do, right? They come up with some lame excuse on why they were late. You may hear, “My dog peed on my leg and I and to clean my pants.” Or something like, “My G.P.S. gave me the wrong directions.”
5 Young Entrepreneurs Who Can Teach You Overnight Credibility
08/08/2009 By View Comments
Not long ago, was I that young whippersnapper who thought he knew everything about business. Always, I felt as if I would have to know everything or else people would not take me seriously or consider me weak. Some may want to call it cocky. Whatever you call it, that was me. And it didn’t get me far. Actually, it got far enough to make me a lot of money and then caused me to go broke.
To all you know it all’s out there, stop reading and click here. For those who feel that they everything to learn, I want to shatter the objection of having no credibility for every young entrepreneur, right now. Time and time again, people ask me how to become an expert in something, without any business knowledge or experience, and gain the trust from their new audience. How does one get past this road block? The last thing we want to do is sound like an idiot talking about a topic that we don’t have a deep understanding about.
Money, Sex & Partying: Considering Entrepreneurship? Fat Chance Without Sacrifices
07/31/2009 By View Comments
Here is an idea for a game show. It’s called “Who Wants to Be a Entrepreneur?“. We get to take a snapshot of the contestant’s lives and who ever makes the most sacrifices, wins! Woo-whoo! And what do you win? A life of more sacrifice, commitment, discipline and hard work with the slight possibility of making it big.
Don’t we all want to live the good life? Obviously, behind great success, lies greater sacrifices. I can say confidently, that many young entrepreneurs are not prepared for the journey that lies ahead. Either was I. While starting my first business, I thought all the money would just flow my way and I would be out playing while all my friends were working. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
61 Things I Have Learned So Far This Year
07/30/2009 By View Comments
While feeling like I am moving at the speed of light, I wanted to slow down for a second and take some time today to reflect. There are days these past few weeks where I have been working so hard at points that I feel delusional. Maybe that is from the 18-19 hour work days (I will tell you why at the end of this post). I have grown tremendously as a person and in business, yet sometimes feel like the guy to the right with all the mistakes I have made. I have come to understand that my failures are part of the process so I wanted to share with you what I found.
So far, this year I have learned…
- Eating a bunch of bananas in one day is too many bananas.
- Spend a few extra minutes developing a well thought out plan.
