• Subscribe Via Email

  Enter your email address:

• Recent Posts

  • The Power of Art and Money
  • Which B(ee) Are You?
  • The Crocodile Sheds No Tears
  • Strippers, Therapists, and Leadership
  • WTF Do I Do?!

• Archives

  • February 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • November 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007

• Categories

  • Entrepreneurism
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Miscellaneous
  • Sales
  • SEO / SEM

• Blogroll

  • How To Change The World
  • Reinventing Erica
  • Semple Ideas

• Entreprenuership Links

  • Entrepreneur’s Organization
  • Junior Achievement
  • Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • The Business Makers Radio Show

• Leadership Links

  • Vistage

• Technology

  • Pop Labs, Inc.
  • The Moleskin
• Search for:

Ok, ok… I admit it. Despite having made fun of the ‘weak’ people who see or have seen a therapist of some sort… I have been to one on and off for the last couple years. He says I am crazy. I already knew that; can I get a refund?

I will admit it’s nice to be able to just gab, blab, and blubber in someone else’s paid and professional care. Men who habitually pay for female companionship know exactly what I am talking about…a lesser known skill taught at pole-dancing school is listening to the client B&M (Bitch & Moan) about their often self-perpetuated self-abuse.

That said – let me sum up professional therapy, and the Champagne Room counseling session, and save you thousands or even tens of thousands of Benjamins: Read more

Rules to Follow When Making Decisions

In the last ten days, I’ve taken on the job roles previously assigned to four people (including me). When you have an almost insurmountable amount of work in front of you, you get very good at making decisions and delegating.

Making decisions – this is crucial for leadership. Most people are scared to make decisions, captured by the fear of risk. What if…? And their mind fills in fears, the weight of the decision looms- even grows- and they then use some personalized delay tactic.

Thing is… Leaders lead. If the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, then we see that nowhere more exemplified in the ability to make decisions.

I have some underlying rules, related to my own behavior, that I almost religiously follow when faced with decisions (weighing the risks of two partial unknowns)… to the extent that they are habitual. Read more

I haven’t posted on this blog for over a year.  Lots of reasons why; but it starts with my life was “messy.”  Someday I’ll have the guts to put it all out here, but for now, I don’t.  Let’s let it suffice to say that I have had some major life changes and been through many humbling life learning experiences.  Those that are applicable to business or personal development, I promise to someday share. In the interim, I have decided to start re-posting on this blog, and to re-focus the intent of my postings. So first, let’s assess WHY I am posting and to WHOM I am focusing my message.  These messages are not for the nameless sea of faces we call the “internet,” but for the people I refer to as friends, employees (current, past, and future), and family.  I want them to learn from my experiences and my viewpoints.  Right or wrong, I hope they can benefit from the learning opportunities I have had, resulting from the decisions I made and actions I took when difficult problems presented themselves in my business at Pop Labs.

Read more

I love people sometimes; they come up with every possible excuse and self justification for their own actions. Usually focused on how somebody else’s actions or thoughts are the REAL reason they turned into a sloppy, irresponsible, broke jerk wad. So…I decided to sum up some of the more effective methods of thinking and acting like a loser. The next ten steps are not in any particular order, you can choose any combination of the ten below in order to prove to the world how awesome at NOT being awesome you really are:

Read more

I’ve taken way too long to list out ten simple rules…but here are the last two. I’m currently at the San Jose Search Engine Strategies Conference and about to attend the Google Dance…so I gotta type fast…Mecca calls (at least for my industry). Remember, these were in order of task completion or at least as you will become aware of the issue they address as your business evolves from wild-ass idea to something you can pass on to your kids (or dog if you are a loner):

Read more

Your people…that’s who!!! What people? Employees, vendors, investors, and customers. Note: I did not put the customer first. The customer does not ALWAYS come first…because some customers are better off being sent to your competitors. Great post on that right here…I’ll write more on my vehement belief that customer service is crucial but clients do not always come first. Back to that later; on with the countdown: Read more

Continuing the list, Number 4: If it is good enough for Rudyard Kipling, it’s good enough for me -

The Five W’s (and one H) of SALES. Many a great idea has died a slow and painful death due to no cash to buy food and drink for the human beingswho are building this new enterprise, many an army has lost the war before ever entering battle from a lack of supplies. Business is no different. Cash is oxygen. Cash flow is created through the production of sales. I must admit, this is a subjectI can wax poetic about for a while. Sales can be one of theleast appreciated, albeit oftentimes highestpaid, career paths in existence. Bottom-line though is this, new businesses need to generate cash. Cash can be easily generated from sales. Sales don’t happen by accident though, and they rarely happen virally. They happen through a planned target for customer acquisition and servicing. Thus…Rudyard Kipling’s poem:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Read more

This guy rocks!

If you’ve seen Entourage you either love Ari or hate him. Even if you hate him, you probably admire his bulldog tenacity, his superbly quick wit and his insanely funny sharp tongue. Played by Jeremy Piven, the character is a cartoonish version of an all-sales-all-the-time-super-performer.

Here is why I love Ari Gold…. he is the physical representation of capitalism at it’s best. Supreme confidence. Awe inspiring. Ari is all business all the time: “Playboy mansion, strip clubs, whore houses, I go where the meetings are…its my job.” – Ari Gold Hear more Ari one-liners here (not for the feint of heart).

In real life, we cant all be like Ari …but we can duplicate his work ethic, his aggressiveness, his tenacity and his drive to win. In Ari’s case, he is already rich. Its not about the money, it is about the will to win. The desire to prove who is the BEST agent in town. Read more