“We are suffering from advisor whiplash,” Fred said. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “We are aiming to raise money for our startup. We’ve been fortunate to meet with lots of really qualified angels and advisors. The problem is everybody has an opinion on how much we should raise and on what terms. Net […]
On a business trip in 1986, I was flipping through Fortune magazine, and I came across an article about Ronald Perelman. Here’s how the article began. REVLON CHAIRMAN Ronald Owen Perelman has a penchant for contrasts: a tangy personal life and the practice of Judaism, fancy restaurants and junk food, earsplitting rock music aboard his […]
Work is fulfilling; then suddenly it isn’t. Before that time, everything is clear. You know what you are doing. You are getting results. You are successful. You are about to reach the prize, get the gold ring. Then just as you are reaching for it, you realize it doesn’t matter. You’ll just have to do […]
I was sitting at the pool in our subdivision. It was a warm Friday fall evening in Atlanta with clear blue skies. I had my six-month-old boy, Nick, in my arms when I received a call from Brenda. She said, “I am starting a business on Monday at 9 am at my house. I would like […]
Chris Hanks, far right, with students from the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center. “I can’t thank Chris enough for opening my eyes to becoming an entrepreneur,” the student said. Professor Chris Hanks, Kennesaw State University, had just asked students to come to the front of the room and share their story. He knew they were […]
“This isn’t the way a board should operate!” exclaimed my fellow board member. “What’s the problem?” I asked. “A board of directors shouldn’t be discussing detailed operational topics like this. We should be reviewing proposed strategy and the associated budgets,” he said. You must have the best founding executive team and the best founding board. […]
As I reflect on the anniversary of each decade in my life, I only remember a couple of “stop and think” moments. When I hit thirty, I realized I was going to die one day. I thought it was a ridiculous thought until it was validated by Steve Jobs who had the same thought at […]
Dean Kaman is the famed inventor of the Segway. A terrific invention but a mediocre commercial success. I remember all the hype surrounding the Segway. It was on the news, the morning shows, late night shows and cable. Seemingly everywhere, it was designed to solve the problem of medium distance personal transportation. Why use a […]