If you want to start a business, there is simply no excuse to be clueless anymore. Imagine the fact that a world class expert can work for 30 years to figure something out, completely devoting his or her entire life to one particular question — and you can get all of his or her knowledge […]
Are You Unmistakable?
Are you unmistakable? Here is what I mean … When something is unmistakable, it is so distinctive that nobody else could have done it but you. It is immediately recognized as something that you did. It has your stamp on it. Ever seen a phone designed by Apple or a car designed by Mercedes? Just […]
7 Stoic Principles Every Entrepreneur Must Embrace
Philosophy’s absence from the business world is a crucial mistake. By and large ignored by popular culture and forgotten by the media, modern philosophy has been delegated strictly to the classrooms by its own doing. Rather than adapting to the times, modern philosophers have retreated into an ivory tower of abstract intellectualism and esoteric gloating. […]
If You are Not Solving Somebody’s Problem it is Time to Reconsider Why You are an Entrepreneur
Let’s get a few things straight. Talking about entrepreneurship, just to talk about entrepreneurship, and then selling a “private video series” at the end of the talking, is not actual entrepreneurship. The purpose of entrepreneurship, while it certainly has a self-serving element to it, is primarily service to others. Embedded in all ethical businesses is an […]
10 Insider Secrets From App Empires
Almost daily, someone tells me about his or her amazing app idea. It will blow up into something huge, gain millions of users and make millions of dollars. All with word-of-mouth marketing. That enthusiasm makes sense, really. Apps are massive right now and show no signs of slowing down. Developers make billions of dollars in […]
That Awkward Moment You Know You Have Hit Entrepreneurial Puberty
There is no singular secret to success — we all know that — but there are inflection points. One thing that always perplexed me about business (especially in the online world) was how it seemed like some people on the scene became much acclaimed. Take Tai Lopez, for example. Lopez is a good example of […]
How I Pitched Mark Cuban My Business Idea Without Ever Going on ‘Shark Tank’
Back in late 2011, I got the opportunity to pitch Mark Cuban. I was just a student at the time, at Howard University, and cofounder of a company — no longer existent — called My College Hustle, a bartering platform for college students. Hoping to grab a $25,000 prize, my business partner Edward Lyles and […]
3 Reasons Your Idea is Not Taking Off and What to do About it
You have an idea and you think it is awesome. You get pretty psyched about it; maybe you mention it to a friend or 2. Maybe you even mention it to your mom. It feels like this could be “The One” — even though in the back of your mind, you know the “perfect idea” […]
The 70 Percent Solution: Just Do It
In the words of Renee Zellweger’s character in Jerry McGuire, the geniuses at Nike’s marketing department “had me at hello.” What other company on the planet besides Nike has been able to create an iconic brand around 3 words? Just Do It. It is so simple, yet the concept of just doing something sheds light […]
3 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Entrepreneurship
Do you really have more freedom as an entrepreneur than as an employee? The answer: Yes and no. The primary complaint with the typical 9-to-5 schedule is that it simply leaves you too tired to do anything personally fulfilling after work. From the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to bed, you […]
Communication Lessons from a Con Artist
It is a miracle that I have ventured into entrepreneurship. My 9-year-old self would have never seen it coming. You have to understand, I was the kid who was never able to sell any of that “World’s Best Chocolate.” I was the only Cub Scout who did not get the badge for sales of the […]