I was at a meeting yesterday with some of my favorite business allies in the Chicago area and I walked away enthused about the news I heard. Harriet Parker who runs the #1 Small Business Development Center in the state of IL (in # of startups) kicked off the meeting by talking about how busy [...]
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Build the people…
You’ve probably heard the saying “Build the people, and the people will build the business” (if you hadn’t hear that before, I’d like to take credit for it ). I was reflecting today on the people I’ve had a chance to work with in companies I have run. There’s a consistent thread of people-building that [...]
The entrepreneur’s perspective on economic uncertainty
Here’s a segment from my roundtable chat with Craig Wortmann (CEO of Sales Engine and business school professor) and Eric Plantenberg (CEO of Freedom Personal Development). My takeaways from this session: – There will always be an excuse NOT to start your business. If you ask, people will be glad to give you all the [...]
The REBEL Alliance is forming…
We all like to belong don’t we? None of us like to be the odd man out – standing on a soapbox ranting and raving to change the world – only to find oneself on a deserted island with a couple of sea gulls staring intently. For the last couple of years, I’ve felt that [...]
The future of entrepreneurship is bright!
While most of the world (thanks in great part to the media) worries and frets about the future of our country and world economy, I stay highly optimistic. Here’s why… I get to spend most of my working hours around entrepreneurs – the coolest and most energizing people on earth. You can’t help but be [...]
Why most SBDCs should not exist…
I know, I know. I’m about to ruffle a few more feathers but that’s ok with me. I’ve had the absolute joy of working with a handful of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) around the country and a matching nightmare of dealing with a bunch more. My math shows that two thirds of them are [...]
Calling all Chambers: Reinvent – Before it’s Too Late
Chambers of Commerce had a good twenty-five year run. After all, create a tiered membership structure with fees from around $300 to as high as $50,000 per year, multiply by a few hundred businesses, and you’re in business! For that, the Chamber was tasked with providing educational programming and networking, sending out a newsletter, publishing [...]
Fighter Pilots and Entrepreneurs – what they need to have in common
Serial tech startup rock star, small business owner, consultant, church plant pastor – doesn’t matter. We’re all entrepreneurs. While we’re certainly wired differently and may start and run different ventures, we’re all part of the same species. So we share the same challenges – like how to deal effectively with stress. That’s why we’re currently [...]
Event Reflections…
Experiencing an “Aha!” moment is really fun, especially when you know one is coming – and when that moment leads to a breakthrough. Last week I presented the concepts of Entrepreneurial DNA and BOSI to a group of fifty folks in Chicago. Participants included a great mix of entrepreneurs, community leaders, people from the small [...]
The arrogance of the entrepreneurial “elite”
Every time I hear it, I want to wring their little necks! I’m talking about the arrogant and childish statement made by many of the entrepreneurial “elites” that goes a little something like this… “Not all business owners are really entrepreneurs…blah…blah..blah”. (They go on to pontificate why – but I mentally check out on their [...]
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