Here in the United States, this is a holiday weekend. The holiday is Labor Day, which was established to celebrate the work and efforts of all who toil to earn a living. Like most holidays, it has accrued additional meanings…
Today’s WSJ perception of the flyover states
This photo in today’s Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It accompanied an earnings report story on John Deere. Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903639404576513981361991242.html?mod=ITP_marketplace_4 I thought about the conversation or email that must have solicited this image back from the media…
Motorcycle Instincts and Startups
There was a good post today on the Fortune blog titled “Motorcycle Instincts and Startups” here: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/04/motorcycle-instincts-and-start-ups/ I think the post is a good read and draws useful parallels for a few aspects of motorcycling and startups. I’ve been riding…
Questions for the Next Gig
I was asked to provide career coaching feedback on a new employment opportunity, so I worked up these questions. These questions are equally applicable to a startup or other business opportunity, with suitable modifications around manager / company / product…
What we’ve really been up to
The views were impressive looking out of the mansion, across the expansive lawns and down to Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean spanning the western horizon. I don’t think I ever knew how many rooms were in the place.…
Facing the Future
I compiled my thoughts on the primary challenges the United States faces in the coming decade, and ways to overcome them, here: http://www.hackneys.com/docs/facingthefuture.pdf The primary focus in this collection is on domestic challenges, although some geopolitical issues are addressed. .
4th Floor Walkup
Yesterday, an entrepreneur told me of his father, who died at 81. The father lived in a 4th floor walkup until he was 79, when a fire in the building forced a move to a new building. The new building came…
Steph Hits The News Again – Twice In One Day
Steph is in the news again. This time twice in the same day. First, in a story in MSN Money: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/FindDealsOnline/big-discounts-on-little-pleasures.aspx Second, in a story on FoxNews: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/04/16/rv-travel-beginners/ The Fox story included a link to our Travel web site, www.HackneysTravel.com,…
The Nature of Change
More than 9 out of 10 patients do not change their lifestyles in response to their doctor’s recommendations. More than 70 percent of corporate change efforts fail. Humans hate change. It’s a simple fact of life. There isn’t any easy…
Fear, thy name is Ron Wayne
One of the little known facts of Apple’s history is that Apple wasn’t the creation of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Apple was actually founded by three guys: Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Ron Wayne. The equity split was Wozniak…