The UCF LaunchPad always seems to have something cookin! Yesterday I was on campus for a lunch meeting and happened to walk through the Student Union. I decided to stop by the UCF LaunchPad, a center championing entrepreneurship on campus, to say hello and am glad I did. I was informed that John Rivers, the…
Today five years ago I decided to start Brand Advance. At the time I had a tech start-up with two other founders and we ran into some challenges raising capital. Investors in the Orlando area, like many other places around the country, were deploying their capital in real estate and buying up everything they could…
The tech-infused world we live in makes it easy to connect with others, share and speak your mind. Blogs, video sharing websites such as YouTube, and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram give everyone who has something to say a voice and a platform for others to receive their message. These tools and networks…
Over the last couple weeks several friends have asked me about ways to make money online. I thought I would take the time to write a post on the topic. I want to mention that all of the ways to make money included in this post are very real. I know because I have personally…
The book Rich Dad, Poor Dad changed my life. Interestingly enough it was my then girlfriend (Lindsay), now wife, who bought me the book when we were still in college. Little did she know that this gift would inspire me to move from Pittsburgh to Orlando and aggressively pursue my journey of becoming an entrepreneur…
With the NCAA basketball tournament winding down I couldn’t help but think how many seniors played their final college basketball game. I know how it feels. Though several athletes will be fortunate enough to make it to the next level, most will not. My basketball journey was full of excitement and disappointment. Fun and frustration….
If you’ve spent any time around my blog you know that I am a big fan of basketball. I was enthralled with it in my younger days and even played a year in college. March Madness is a very exciting time for many basketball fans like myself across the country. It’s the time of the…
When highly capable team members know their roles, share a common goal and come together, great things can happen. Earlier this week a very successful mentor of mine shared this video with me. In the video you’ll notice proper preparation, no confusion of responsibilities and great synergy from the Ferrari racing team during a pit…
This past Friday (2/21/14) I was a judge in UCF’s business model competition. I’ve judged multiple business plan competitions in the past, but the business model competition was very different. Rather than focus on the business opportunity, the unique offering, team and likelihood for success; the business model competition focuses on the journey that the…
Like many other small business owners and entrepreneurs I struggle at times with the balance of working “on my business” versus “in it”. Creating and maintaining a unique, positive, collaborative and energizing company culture is something that I always knew was important and valued, but it seems that making a conscious effort into developing one…