Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 6, 2020 In January, every columnist worth his digital fingers likes to offer predictions for the coming year, but I’m going to resist falling into that trap. Instead, I want to share a fascinating paper from two professors — Barbara Mellers, of the Wharton School of Business, and […]
Business
Entrepreneurs need to do their homework before taking investor money
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, December 23, 2019 The holiday season is often used as a golden opportunity to talk about peace and goodwill toward men, to remember the less fortunate, to spend time with family, to take stock of the past, to consider the future, to ask forgiveness for hurts inflicted on loved […]
Research: Beauty doesn’t make easy path at work
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, December 16, 2019 Women entrepreneurs share many issues with men, but they are challenged by one particular bias that is often not discussed in a public way and looms as the ultimate “third rail” issue — how the world perceives attractive women. Now, I am on record right now […]
Listen — customers will tell you how to succeed
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, December 9, 2019 The basic premise behind starting a company or building a product is to create something that someone needs and wants, and the best way to do that is to go out into the world and ask your future customer if he cares at all about what […]
What to expect — and not expect — when you’re a mentor
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, December 2, 2019 Finding a mentor is a basic puzzle that the entrepreneur needs to solve. While it is clear what the entrepreneur gets (if the mentor is not an idiot), it is not always explicit what the mentor gets. And that brings me to a story. A CEO […]
Taking time to count 9 things to be grateful for at Thanksgiving
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, November 25, 2019 Over the past six years, it has been my pattern to take a moment at Thanksgiving to give exactly that — thanks. 1. Being 65.577 inches tall means that I fit nicely in the middle seat on Southwest, able to fight for either of the armrests […]