The Power of Negative Thinking
I just finished Annie Duke’s latest book, How to Decide. For those that don’t know who Annie Duke is, she rose to fame as a professional poker player in the United States having won over 4 million dollars during the course of her career. She stopped playing poker in 2012 and is now an author and successful consultant to businesses and entrepreneurs. The purpose of the book … Continue reading The Power of Negative Thinking
My Top 2 Tips for New Year Resolutions
At the start of every new year, I am inevitably asked by someone if I have a New Year’s resolution. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making New Year’s resolutions, I just don’t usually don’t make them. When it comes to setting goals at the onset of the new year (or any time for that matter) I think it’s far more productive to 1). focus … Continue reading My Top 2 Tips for New Year Resolutions
Information Gatherers vs. Information Analyzers
Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about how in today’s hyper-competitive business environment, those who win are only marginally better than their competitors. In this blog I want to describe what that marginal advantage is and how the “winners” in business maintain it. Prior to the invention of the internet, gathering information was a slower and more manual process. Now it seems we suffer from … Continue reading Information Gatherers vs. Information Analyzers
The Growing Trend of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Outside of the East and West Coast
When you live in a part of the country with a nascent entrepreneurial ecosystem it can be challenging to connect with investors, mentors, and even other entrepreneurs. In smaller markets it often feels like there is less collaboration and/or synergy between participants (investors and entrepreneurs) because individuals on both sides believe they are competing for a limited number of resources. On one hand, many investors … Continue reading The Growing Trend of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Outside of the East and West Coast
Using Game Theory to Think More Critically
My brother and I are about the same age and when we were younger, we often got in trouble together. We weren’t delinquents. I’m talking about kid-trouble like running in the house when we were told not to and we bumped into something and broke it. When our parents asked what happened we would never tell on each other. We never agreed beforehand that we … Continue reading Using Game Theory to Think More Critically
Crowdfunding
No matter who you are, if you want to invest in a publicly traded company it is relatively easy to do so. But what if you want to invest in a private company? Or, what if you’re a startup company needing to raise money but you’ve exhausted your network of friends and family members and you’re unable to raise capital from a bank or from … Continue reading Crowdfunding
Embracing Diversity in the Venture Capital Industry
I recently had a conversation with a (white male) VC fund manager (“VC” or “manager”) who had an impressive number of diverse founders in his portfolio. In the venture capital industry this is not very common, but sorely needed. When I congratulated him about the high-degree of diversity in his portfolio, he said “it wasn’t something they set out to do; it kind of just happened.” He … Continue reading Embracing Diversity in the Venture Capital Industry
The Dip
I listened to a podcast this week called What You Will Learn where the hosts were discussing Seth Godin’s book, The Dip. The Dip is a figurative location that describes a low point in your personal or professional life where you either give up or keep going. For any worthwhile endeavor, arriving at the dip is inevitable. The typical cycle begins with a strong start … Continue reading The Dip
Keep Moving Forward
I read a Medium post last week by Michelle Elizabeth wherein she was expressing how tired she is of talking about race. She is tired of having to deal with the pressure and feelings of race being at the center of everything she does and everywhere she goes. She is tired of having to explain to those who aren’t Black that the challenges Black people … Continue reading Keep Moving Forward
Become A Smarter Investor by Asking Better Questions
The process of becoming a smarter investor isn’t solely about intelligence; it’s about curiosity. I don’t think intelligence and curiosity are mutually exclusive. But I do think that while intelligence inspires one to acquire more facts, curiosity inspires one to ask more questions. When I think about this comparison and how it applies to the world of investing, asking more questions can be immediately beneficial. … Continue reading Become A Smarter Investor by Asking Better Questions
