What a Difference a Decade Makes Techno Utopia Things can change fast. Big things. Real Fast. I think a lot about the cultural shift in the 1960s and how disorienting the cadence of change was. For me the significant barometer of change was the music of the sixties and the surrounding scene of fashion, sexual…

To Be or Not to Be Action vs. Inaction   Hamlet famously wrestled with whether to act or not. Its one of the biggest challenges we all face each and every day: what to do; when to do it; never enough time. And the plaguing questions about how will it be received, whether what we…

If your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.   The great industrialist Henry Kaiser, speaks to our tendency to over sell or over explain. Don’t let words get in the way and obscure good work.   The anthropologist Margaret Mead had this insight: “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do…

Startup Funding Rounds The whole process of funding and developing startups has become more widespread because the cost of getting a product to market has dropped so precipitously in the past couple of decades from millions of dollars to typically anywhere from under $20,000 to $500,000. The funding levels are relatively manageable by investors and…

Oh Behave! Behavioral Economics   Behavioral Economics is a method of economic analysis that applies psychological insights into human behavior to explain economic decision making.   Behavioral Economics: We are not Spock.   Behavioral Economics is a heroic attempt to get classical economics to get more real when it comes to actual human behavior. We…

Net Present Value   Net Present Value (NPV) is the gold standard analytic technique used in financial analysis and investment decision-making. And spreadsheets like Excel make it super easy to use. Lets talk about what NPV is, how its derived, and how to employ it.       In business we invest in projects that…

Entrepreneurship and Startups Here’s an infographic for quickly understanding the core principles of startups and entrepreneurship. It all centers around the fit between your product or service value proposition, and customer needs. For more info check out my new book MBA ASAP 10 Minutes to Understanding Entrepreneurship and Startups. Everybody should be literate in the basic…

Ex Nihilo     Ex nihilo is a Latin phrase meaning “out of nothing”. It often appears in conjunction with the concept of creation, as in creatio ex nihilo, meaning “creation out of nothing”.  This is an ancient religious and philosophical concept.           It is also what entrepreneurship and startups are all about: creating something out of…

Seven Good Reasons to read biographies and autobiographies: They provide a sandbox for role-play and rehearsal   Biographies allow us to test our mettle by trying to figure out how best to navigate and negotiate situations in a risk free environment. Because history tends to repeat itself and human behavior follows relatively predictable patterns, we…

Understanding Corporate Finance Infographic Here’s a cheat sheet for quickly understanding the core principles of corporate finance. It all centers around the relationship between money, time and risk. For more info check out my new book MBA ASAP 10 Minutes to Understanding Corporate Finance. Everybody should be literate in the basic vocabulary and concepts of…