Entrepreneur, Explorer, Angel.
Sometimes all at Once.
Search by tag: vaux-les-ventures
20TH June 2019
Entrepreneur - Leftovers - MoneyHunt - Social - Uncategorized
Is Shark Tank “Real” Enough
It’s been 20 years since I was in the studio for MoneyHunt; not a week passes without the same question… “is that like Shark Tank (previously, Dragon’s Den). I explain the similarities, and the differences, and conclude… all that is worth, like, one Chai Latte at Starbucks, give or take. On MoneyHunt, we were nuts enough to write the check on the air. No broken deals, no weaseling out of agreements on arcane terms. We considered it a cost of business, and didn’t expect much from the outcomes (our expectations were met!). But we did a whale of a job marketing our little VC fund, a seminal outperformer in the dot.com rush. So what people ask me about SharkTank is this: Do they really do what they say they do? […]
04TH June 2019
Angel Investor - Entrepreneur - Incredulous - Uncategorized
Incredulous #5; White House no longer “that important”
Mr. President; We respectfully decline your kind invitation because… it’s just no longer *that* important we show up at the White House now that we have social media to reach our fanbase. So said LeBron and Steph last year, or something like that… Any bets for this time around? Hey! If you liked that, you may like the next one: Some snotty little kid made poor choices on social media… and got Mom Fired For her Instagram Antics Or, check out all the Incredulous episodes here… For Boomers, the party never ends! Jimmy Buffett opening a Retirement Home Erasing History at Washington & Lee. Is that really what we want to do? Sign of the Times; Giuliani Gets Booed at Yankee Stadium Duh! English Teacher Corrects White House Letter […]
24TH May 2019
Angel Investor - Entrepreneur - Incredulous - Uncategorized
Incredulous #4; White House letter graded by Elementary Teacher: F-
Dear Mr. President; does sloppy spelling lead to sloppy leadership? Maybe. Maybe not. But I got a kick out of one teacher who, after receiving a response from Pennsylvania Avenue, took her red marker out and cut the letter to shreds. She was pretty funny about it. It doesn’t take that much to get it right. ( I hope this post is spell checked!) Hey! If you liked that, you may like the next one: Note; I’m not picking on the President today but here’s an example of Social Media being more powerful than a White House visit. Or, check out all the Incredulous episodes here… For Boomers, the party never ends! Jimmy Buffett opening a Retirement Home Erasing History at Washington & Lee. Is that really what we […]
16TH May 2019
Angel Investor - Entrepreneur - Incredulous - Uncategorized
Incredulous #3; America’s Mayor Booed in his own Hometown
Rudy! Rudy! Mayor Giuliani was a hero of 9/11 for just being there, for the country, answering question, and getting things done. He was adored at Yankee stadium then. But lately, working for a new boss on assignments that seem, well, a little out of touch, Rudy got a very different welcome: the dreaded Bronx Cheer. What changed? Hey! If you liked that, you may like the next one: Where an elementary teacher corrects a White House letter. Basically, an F. Or, check em all out here. For Boomers, the party never ends! Jimmy Buffett opening a Retirement Home Erasing History at Washington & Lee. Is that really what we want to do? Sign of the Times; Giuliani Gets Booed at Yankee Stadium Duh! English Teacher Corrects White House […]
12TH May 2019
Angel Investor - Entrepreneur - Incredulous - Uncategorized
Incredulous #2; On General Lee
Erasing History at Washington & Lee is about a West Point graduate, Lincoln’s first pick for the Union Army, and a soldier who refused to fire upon his neighbors. One of the great military leaders of our country, but he actually led the Confederate Army; General Robert E. Lee. Is erasing that history really what we want to do? Hey! If you liked that, you may like the next one: Sign of the Times; I will never forget Rudy, having walked all the way to City Hall on 9/11 to take questions and assure everyone that, while disaster had struck, he was on duty and ready to pull us back together. America’s Mayor. So how do times change such that he Gets Booed at Yankee Stadium? Have a look… […]
10TH May 2019
Angel Investor - culture - Entrepreneur - Entrepreneurs - Family Office - Incredulous - Leadership - Uncategorized
Introducing Incredulous… a little show about cultural shifts, discomfort and opportunity.
Over the past few months, I’ve worked with the best PR firm in the nation, Gregory FCA, to develop something we talk about at the dinner table each night. Incredulous is about culture, emerging trends, generational conflict… and some damn silly stuff we get upset about. Sometimes it’s an opportunity. Other times, it’s just something to laugh about. In this flight… For Boomers, the party never ends! Jimmy Buffett opening a Retirement Home Erasing History at Washington & Lee. Is that really what we want to do? Sign of the Times; Giuliani Gets Booed at Yankee Stadium Duh! English Teacher Corrects White House Letter Trumped; Social Media more powerful than White House visit. Teach your parents well. Mom Fired For Kid’s Instagram Antics FOMO built this. Beanie Babies Empire won’t […]
09TH May 2019
Angel Investor - culture - Incredulous - Timely - Uncategorized
Incredulous #1; The Boomers next party
For Boomers, the party never ends! And why should it… we did Woodstock, Wall Street, Dot.Com, and the Wall came down! Can we keep it going forever? Well, Jimmy Buffett’s opening a Retirement Home… Hey! If you liked that, you may like the next one: Erasing History at Washington & Lee. Is wiping out a military hero and leadership icon what we want to do? And if you really like what we’re doing, add something that made you Incredulous. We’ll put it to good use on the show soon!
18TH April 2019
Angel Investor - Business Tricks - Family and Friends - Timeless - Uncategorized
Busy could, sometimes, just be BS
We’ve been talking an awful lot about work norms. Goldman Sachs no longer requires suits. IBM allows flex time. MasterCard permits video attendance at weekly touch base calls. This is all terribly progressive, and probably helps with attracting, retaining, and motivating A Players. But one thing remains a fallacy; the common safe place called “being busy”. Maybe it’s the old puritan work ethic. Maybe it’s from back in the days when people- most- billed by the hour. Those warriors who worked on weekends. Brought files along on vacations. Always had a conference call, or a reason to burn the midnight oil. How impressive. What a workhorse. Such a team player. An animal. We gave you a pass because you were full on, all day. Frantically moving from one thing to […]
13TH April 2019
Business Tricks - Entrepreneur - Leftovers - Platforms - Timeless - Uncategorized
We are the Factory
I’ve spent the last two years super optimized on one platform- I can’t believe the increased efficiency, and the decreased anxiety of this move. I credit Don Dalrymple. First, about my work: I mentor startup founders, and I am quite active in that role. Which means I have to be able to plug and play into their systems seamlessly. I do not, hell I can not dictate which conference line to use, which product management tool, which crm, etc. I have to adapt, quickly, to whatever they choose. It used to be maddening, but I flipped that; now I enjoy the challenge of learning how they communicate by diving in quickly, so we can get to the real stuff. Which meant my stuff had to be super organized. It wasn’t. […]
08TH April 2019
Business Tricks - Entrepreneur - Food - Good Story - Incredulous - Timeless - Uncategorized
Avocados also come with Values!
Entrepreneurs are mad for Avocados- in shakes, on toast, even guacamole. it’s perfect as protein, and even better as a value reminder. Yes, true! I caught Seth’s Godin mention the Avocado principle recently: it’s a well cited mantra in the Bay and especially at 500 where I learned so many incubator scale tricks. It goes something like this: If you wait until you really want an avocado, the market won’t have any ripe ones. You need to buy them in advance. But… If you eat an avocado that’s not quite ripe, you won’t enjoy it. AND, you won’t have a chance to enjoy it tomorrow, when it would have been perfect if you had only waited. If you live your life based on instant gratification and little planning, you’ll either never have […]
- Is Shark Tank “Real” Enough
- June 20, 2019
- Incredulous #5; White House no longer “that important”
- June 04, 2019
- Incredulous #4; White House letter graded by Elementary Teacher: F-
- May 24, 2019
- 10 Things to ask before Investing with someone
- May 08, 2014
- Angel investing for Family Offices: What if you knew ‘Zuck… back then.
- July 10, 2013
- Now I really want to be like Peter Thiel
- June 11, 2016