A friend of mine had a wonderful event last night to celebrate 20 years in business.  That is a huge accomplishment for a small business. With all the great start-up companies that come on the scene, less than half of them survive past 2 years. As a small business owner, I was impressed by the [READ MORE]

It’s not WHAT you know, and it’s not just WHO you know. The most important thing is WHO KNOWS YOU! People build relationships – whether personal or professional – with individuals they know, like and trust. So, it’s not enough for you to know a lot of people.  You must give them the opportunity to [READ MORE]

You can only pour yourself into 3 different “buckets”. Whether it’s your money, your time, or your energy, here are the only 3 types of receptacles: Gift – you give yourself away with no expectation of return. Investment – you sacrifice yourself NOW with the expectation that what you give will produce fruit LATER. Gamble [READ MORE]

As a speaker, I hear lots of other speakers talk about how they overcame tremendous challenges.  Whether the adversity was abuse (drugs, alcohol, domestic violence), poverty, or a physical challenge, I’ve noticed a consistent similarity in their stories: They have specific goals that drives their behavior. Most people know what they DON’T want.  They do [READ MORE]

Yesterday, I spent most of the day in Manhattan.  I have spent a lot of time in the city, but for some reason, the sheer volume of people present yesterday was amazing to me.  On the streets.  In the stores.  On the subways.  There were people everywhere! At one point during the course of the [READ MORE]

Debt keeps you chained to your past.  A purchase made with credit in the past will force you to spend months – even years – paying for it. Regrets function the same way.  You spend your life wishing you behaved differently at some point in your past. Here’s the problem… You carry negative feelings NOW [READ MORE]

I’ve been thinking a lot about team-building.  (maybe because I’m in the process of building one myself.) The best teams are comprised of individuals with diverse skills and perspectives.  The strength of the team lies in their differences – not their similarities. Think of it this way…beautiful harmonies in singing are the result of DIFFERENT [READ MORE]

Teams exist to accomplish more than anyone person could do alone. It’s really that simple! If you could do it all on your own, there would be no need for others to help.  If you had all the expertise, skills, and TIME you needed, then there’s no need to involve anyone else. But when is [READ MORE]

In thinking about my experience as a student-athlete, never did I need a pep rally to get me excited about playing the game I loved.  Pep rallies were designed to get the student body and the fans hyped up - not the players. It’s sad that so many people need pep talks just to get [READ MORE]

The most important factor in determining the success or failure of an individual or organization is how they respond to adversity. It’s not talent.  Not great ideas.  Not even wealth. Why not? Because adversity is inevitable.  Despite the best plans, every human being or team, at some point in time, is going to face very [READ MORE]