Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, September 25, 2023 by Neil Senturia I get a resume. In it, the guy tells me everything he has done and what he can do for me, and he ends by mentioning that he is a member of Mensa. That fascinates me. I get that your resume might tell […]
Neil’s Blog
If you have a great story, go get yourself a great storyteller
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, September 18, 2023 by Neil Senturia One of the early things that an entrepreneur worries about is raising money and giving The Pitch. There are pitch fests where you get two minutes, there are incubators that teach you the 12 slides you need in order to pitch and there […]
Case study: A nonprofit’s sustainable business model
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, September 11, 2023 by Barbara Bry They had no farming experience, they couldn’t tell an apple seed from a corn seed, and they didn’t know how to drive a tractor. So naturally, the most obvious thing to do is buy a farm. The Leichtag Foundation, which was started in […]
How seemingly good incentives can lead to dumb decisions
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, September 4, 2023 by Neil Senturia Now tell me true, do you love your bank? Banking is not as easy as it used to be. For example, in 2023 alone, let’s consider bank failures by Silicon Valley Bank, Signature, First Republic and Heartland, as well as a few other […]
Why a little chaos is a good thing as an entrepreneur
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 28, 2023 by Neil Senturia Chaos can be good for your health. When paired with leverage and small bets, it is a three-course tasting menu for a certain kind of entrepreneur. Namely, one willing to keep losing until he wins. I am fascinated by behavioral economics. I have […]
How I took a gamble on the ‘Chipwich’ craze — and melted
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 21, 2023 by Neil Senturia It is summer. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Last week my neighbor gave me some chocolate chip cookies and mentioned in passing that she used them to make “chipwiches.” Oh, really? Let’s go back to the summer of […]