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Doctorow once made a brilliant parallel between dandelion reproduction and art.  He said that almost every seed a dandelion tosses into the wind is going to die without taking root, but that’s not what matters to the dandelion. They don’t care that every seed survives, they care that every opportunity to take root is exploited. A successful dandelion is one that colonizes every crack in the sidewalk, not one…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. And so, in this blog series, I’m going to…

Every entrepreneur is pining for startup capital.  That very crucial, very early investment, meant to support the business until it can generate cash of its own. In fact, the highly publicized successes of the venture capital world in the seventies and eighties, most notably with tech companies like Apple, ultimately birthed an entire industry of venture capital investment firms and related products and services.  However, there’s another entrepreneurial asset…

Einstein once said that whomever can no longer wonder and marvel is as good as dead.  It’s a bit dramatic, but it’s still a powerful insight for anyone working in the modern economy. Because while it’s important to know what business you’re in, it’s also important to envision what business you could be in. To keep yourself amenable to new, interesting and different opportunities that you might not have even considered…

Last year I delivered a keynote presentation to 350 seniors at Sycamore High in Cincinnati, OH. This particular clip tells the story about leveraging big moments. Enjoy! LET ME ASK YA THIS… How do you leverage big moments? LET ME SUGGEST THIS… For a copy of the list called, “46 Types of Marketing,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free! * * * *…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. And so, in this blog series, I’m going to…

The other night I had my academic anxiety dream again.  It’s the one where it’s the last day of the semester and my group is scheduled to present our big research project in front of the class and I haven’t written a word. Ugh.  I’m completely mortified and just want to run away from all my responsibilities. It’s the worst feeling in the world. You just wish the ground…

Perfection is overrated and impossible.  All that counts it that you make progress in your work. That you move the story forward if only an inch. After all, slow, steady progress can erode almost any challenge over time.  And so, celebration is so essential. It’s a ritual that amplifies your sense of progress. It’s a reminder that you’re in alignment with your vision. That’s why it’s vital to find…

A hundred years ago, almost nobody on the planet had a job. But they still worked. Because that’s what our species does. We work. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and come up with something I called “The Work Manifesto.” Enjoy! Work encompasses all we do, paid and unpaid, throughout our lives. It’s what anchors our life with regular experiences of meaningfulness. It’s an institution that’s a fixture…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. And so, in this blog series, I’m going to…