I was riding a bus home after a long day feeling generally comfortable about life, yet something was bothering me. I felt like I was in my comfort zone, yet there was this underlying discomfort that kept itching at me, as if it were trying to tell me that my “comfort” was false and I really wasn’t living to my full potential. I wasn’t reaching an exceptional level in my … [Read more...]
How to Be Strategically Rebellious
I was inspired by how a high schooler’s rebellious, entrepreneurial attitude landed him success despite the circumstances. A NY Times article featured a story on Cameron Stephens, who managed to get a summer job at the Farmer’s Market in Atlanta, while almost all of his classmates remained unemployed. Cameron did not submit his resume (which may not have been as impressive as … [Read more...]
Why You Should Be Going to Conferences
If you’re an entrepreneur (or an aspiring one) it should be a requirement that you go to at least one conference a year. So far in 2011 I’ve been to two, South By Southwest in Austin, Texas and the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon. Each has not only changed the way I think about my business, but rather the way I think about my life. The Misconception About … [Read more...]
7 Successful Examples of How to Make Boring Things Rock
A common question among new entrepreneurs is “how do I come up with a profitable idea, especially considering all the good ones are probably taken?” This question has stumped many people before they even had a chance. Sure, it would have been hard to discover the idea for Google, the touchscreen, or the cement that eats up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to save the world … [Read more...]
Break Free from the Vicarious Lifestyle That May Be Holding You Back From Success
I remember the first time I saw one of my favorite movies, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith. The film recounts the story of Chris Gardner, a salesman in San Francisco who falls into poverty and is left to provide for his son as his wife leaves him. He sets out to perform the impossible of becoming a stock broker in a prestigious downtown firm and overcomes … [Read more...]