I was interviewed on The Video Community podcast recently, and the topic of risk came up. It comes up a lot in interviews with entrepreneurs, because starting your own business or working for yourself is risky. But is it? We’ve all been shown different paths. Growing up, going through college, or talking to a mentor…we are constantly being shown “the …
sell your first cup of coffee
I love new ideas. New ideas provide that beautiful breath of fresh air from whatever wall you’ve been banging your head into. A glimpse into a new world! I was sitting on a panel last week with Ryan McManus, the founder of SHARE. He told a story about one of his first business ventures — a coffee shop. He fell …
we don’t care what’s behind the scenes
There’s an adage in the startup world that says “everything costs 3x as much and takes 3x as long as you think it will.” It’s one of those things we hear and believe, we intellectualize it, but until you’re in it…you don’t quite understand. Or feel the pain. I am deep into a few projects I can’t wait to share …
design your life by designing your day
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people who are at an inflection point. They are usually stressed, or anxious, which I totally get. Been there. Am there. There’s a lot of pressure we put on ourselves for picking the right path. For making the best choice. But what does that really mean? Best is a relative term. Nashville …
it takes time to become technically good
Last week I wrote about how easy it is to see the exceptional. The example I gave was Evan Spiegel, the then-23-year-old founder of Snapchat, or Mark Zuckerberg…but there is a standard distribution curve for ability in anything you’re interested in. Those at the far right of the distribution curve – people with abnormal results – are very few, but …
seeking validation by chasing the pudding
There’s a running joke amongst my friends that I love attention and constantly seek validation. Like all jokes, there’s some truth to it. And I think it used to be even more true. We’re kind of raised on validation – your parents tell you that you did a good job with some sort of task, then sports define winning and …
two years into the journey
Two Aprils ago, I walked into the company boardroom for a leadership meeting. We were told that our company was transitioning all of our resources over to a new product. I was also told that my role would be changing a lot. I knew then it was time for me to leave, and I put in my notice the next …
be the client you want to see in the world
Between my junior and senior year of college, I decided it was time for me to get some experience in the service industry. Well, to be totally honest, the two (very different) internships I applied for at Bridgewater Capital and MNML Design Studio both fell through in the eleventh hour. So, I decided to learn to bartend and serve for …
Launching and a new sense of empathy
One night in August 2012, I felt completely defeated. I had been working all summer towards the launch of my first startup, MarketOSU. It was a simple idea – basically Craigslist for Ohio State students that required a student email to create an account. For months, I had been marketing an August 20th launch date for the website, and checking …
experience ladders: why YOU are right for the job
A common theme that has come up in conversations this week in the Unreal Collective community is the struggle with self deprecating thoughts and head trash. We are our own worst enemies. I think it’s a cultural thing — part of where our society is right now. When we see beautiful highight reels on social media showing all the COOL stuff …