Published in UT San Diego, February 2, 2015 “Gimme a second chance.” I went back to the Miramar brig last month (third time, but I don’t have to stay overnight) to talk to about 70 inmates on the subject of entrepreneurship. The topic this time was the “20 reasons startups fail.” If you regularly read […]
New Biotech Companies Moving to San Diego
Published in UT San Diego, February 2, 2015 Success often begets success. San Diego’s first big biotech success was Hybritech, which was sold to Eli Lilly for about $480 million in 1986. Scientists and executives from Hybritech have gone on to start numerous other companies, creating a massive family tree. Now, in addition to companies […]
Hard Work, Patience, Can Pay Off
Published in UT San Diego, January 12, 2015 Friends, family and fools are usually the first money for your business. Let’s assume you do not have any of those. The next best thing is to grow your business organically. That is a $5 concept that means reinvesting the net cash flow from one month into […]
Investing in Happiness a Profitable Pursuit
Published in UT San Diego, January 5, 2014 First column, 2015. No predictions. Instead we are going to discuss happiness — happiness in the workplace. Now tell the truth, you’re happy at work, aren’t you? Well, finding out how you feel is a big business. Eighty percent of firms have conducted a survey to gauge […]
It’s Hard for Investors to Determine Which Ducklings Can Become Swans
Published in UT San Diego, December 8, 2014 Today we are going to study the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a story about a homely little bird who suffers indignation and abuse from others, until finally, after much travail and loneliness, he finally decides to end it all and […]
Off-Site Meetings Can Build Trust And Better Teams
Published in UT San Diego, December 1, 2014 Potpourri. No, I am not advocating for marijuana. I am simply going to share some random thoughts — like a mixture of herbs, flowers and spices — and hope it smells good. First up — off-site meetings. Recently, I have seen the results of a couple, and […]