When I was young I was fascinated with a kaleidoscope. To begin with, the reflections appear to be a fragmented view of the world around you broken into complete chaos. You can move the chaos either by moving the kaleidoscope around, or by spinning the end of it. Yeah, yeah—we’ve all looked through a kaleidoscope,
I spent my Wednesday morning giving the opening talk at the UCSD Ignite Conference, so I thought I’d share my notes with you today. Over the past month as I’ve been traveling, I’ve thought a lot about what I would say at this important gathering, igniting the entrepreneurial spirit with a day of hands-on learning,
Recently, I visited with a very smart Silicon Valley CEO. We were discussing a new product that he is very excited about and the product got me very excited as well. He was really challenging me for insights into the marketing and the launch of the product. He was struggling with the “how to scale”
Around the turn of the millennium, the organic foods industry was coming of age, natural products were going mainstream, and the public was becoming educated on the dangers of consuming heavily processed, industrial food products. Almost overnight, millions more people grew willing to spend a premium for foods that would help them and their loved
According to Webster, hovering is to hang fluttering or suspended in the air; to keep lingering about; wait near at hand; remain in an uncertain or irresolute state. Hovering is a tool that can be used when an opportunity is forthcoming, but not here just yet. It can mean waiting for an entire industry to
Real innovation and big revelations seem to come wherever there are gaps in what everyone else in an industry is doing. Look for the gaps to find greatness. Gaps that will allow you to aspire big, be yourself, create new industries or circles of influence and where you can find fun and fame. One of
Guilt and shame don’t work. Fun and fame do. Make everything in life fun. Yes, fun, and make everyone around you famous. Several years ago, I was asked to give a talk on purpose-driven businesses. I went for a long walk on the beach and thought about all the years I’ve committed my life to
Enthusiasm is contagious and people love hanging around positive enthusiasm. What I have noticed over the years is that enthusiastic people with positive spirits are much more likely to be in important circles doing incredible things, no matter how accomplished they are personally. Many times, I personally have been invited to contribute in areas where