Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. —Anthony J. D’Angelo, entrepreneur, education trailblazer. When I arrived at Morehouse College, I was focused on doing well in my classes so that I could get a high-paying job as a computer programmer. After catching the entrepreneurial bug during my sophomore […]
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Don’t Underestimate Your Competition
I hate competition. —Marat Safin, tennis champion, Russian politician When entrepreneurs approach me to invest in their companies, I naturally want to know who their competitors are. It’s a basic question that any investor would ask. Some entrepreneurs answer the question thoroughly and confidently. They are not afraid to acknowledge what the competitive landscape looks […]
View Post Blockbuster, Harvard University, Marat Safin, N. Gregory Mankiw, NetflixAn Idea’s Execution, Not Its Uniqueness, Yields Success
Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats. —Sue Grafton, author I hate to rain on your parade, but your idea is not special. There are likely other entrepreneurs or companies with “your” idea, equally inspired to dominate the business world and to make millions. And when your […]
View Post Atlanta, Grand Canyon, Groupon, Harvard University, LinkedIn, Mark Zuckerberg, MSNBC.com, Noam Wasserman, Reid Hoffman, Silicon Valley, Sue GraftonAll Risk Isn’t Risky
Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing. —Warren Buffett, businessman, investor, philanthropist. Among the several definitions of an “entrepreneur,” some are pretty good while others are downright terrible. Regardless, a common word among them seems to be “risk,” which is what truly defines an entrepreneur. The following simple definition by Merriam-Webster is one […]
View Post 401(k), Bill Gates, Calculated Risk, College, Failure, Harvard University, Kauffman Foundation, Michael Masterson, Microsoft, Risk, Saratoga Venture Finance, The Great Recession, The Reluctant Entrepreneur, Warren BuffetHow Your Family History Can Propel You to Entrepreneurial Success
Inspiration comes from all different places. —Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation. Oprah Winfrey is known for making guests on her show cry. However, this time, she was the one who would shed tears, overcome by the significance and serendipity of the moment. In 2007 I stumbled upon a television special titled Oprah’s Roots: An African […]
View Post Academy Award, Atlanta, Baltimore, Berklee College of Music, Boston, Charlotte Phelan, Courage, Family, Georgia, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Herbie Hancock, Los Angeles, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oprah Winfrey, The Help, United States, Wynton Marsalis