Your 15 minutes

“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” – Andy Warhol The source of the quote may be contested, but the idea is solid.  It seems that now days everyone seems to think that they are special and unique in every aspect.  Otherwise why...

The IRS and Passports

Do you owe the IRS over $50,000? As part of the FAST Act, the State Department can revoke, deny or limit passports for anyone the IRS certifies as having a seriously delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000. With modifications to air travel and an...

Budgeting

Do you do an annual budget for you company? I have the belief that a business owner should have an understanding on where their money is coming from, who their money is coming from and when their money is going to come in. From the opposite side of the ledger, they...

Growth

There is an old business saying, “If you are not growing, you are dying”.  In many regards this saying is correct.   All businesses are trying to grow.  Even those who want to only maintain their current status need new clients to replace those who fall off;...

Equity

I have a few of clients that are examining opportunities that would force them to give up equity stakes in their companies. One client is looking for ways to increase his business base.  While on vacation he met a gentleman that was between assignments and appeared to...

Precariat vs Proletariat

The precariat is a social class formed by people suffering from precarity, which is a condition of existence without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare. The proletariat, in a capitalist society, whose only possession of significant...

Elections as an investment

Do you think of elections as an investment?  Do you think others might?  If you don’t you may be a bit naïve.  I am called cynical from my family because I believe most people do just about everything they do for their own self-interests, which typically can be...

Growth of Data

It seems that the amount of data that we are generating and storing is growing at a truly exponential rate.  According to a recent article our collected data id doubling every two years.  Most believe that it will change our world forever more. Obviously we are...

The History of the Internet Revolution

Here are my version of the history of the “Internet Revolution” The Stone Age Industrial revolution Internet created by the military for the military The internet concept release to the masses Originally just limited data available The use for communication, e-mail,...

Agent of Chaos

A few years ago I was working with a group of financial advisors and they were subleasing space from another office.  This office had an outside tech guy that came in once a month or so.  He had them tied in such a way as to make himself indispensable. But even as he...

The world is catching up to my office policy

Once I started my business, I made up my mind that business formal was not going to be the expected dress code. having had to wear suits most of my professional life. I wanted to ease the distance between myself and my clients and a suit has the ability to create...

Picture, words or video

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I prefer words to video for quick short articles or topics. Granted that seemingly everyone is screaming from their pedestals that all blog posting should be video.  That Millennials have the attention span of gnats and...

Millennials

At the Sage Summit a number of the presenter were giving their take on Millennials.  Everything from how they think to how they act to what to expect from them. I was listening to one Millennial who claimed to be a specialist on her peer group.  She explained that the...

The Next Level

Ok, you made the decision to start your business, or the decision was made for you.  Either way you have a business. After the initial start-up phase you went into the growth phase of the business.  You have acquired those initial clients and grew your business from...

Board of Directors

I sit and have sat on numerous Boards of Directors (BOD) in my lifetime.  I also know a number of people who do or have done the same. An overriding concern of being on a BOD will always be the liability issue.  Being on a board does contain legal responsibilities the...

Cell Phone Security

I recently went to the Sage Summit.  It was suggested to me that heavy usage of the Summit app could garner prizes, fame and fortune. When I went to download the app, it was demanding access to very and all aspects of my phone. Why would an app for a three day event...

Commercial Property

I don’t believe that the commercial property market has ever recovered from the economic downturn.   I base this on a couple of findings.  Close to home, my complex has a number of open for sales units.  When I moved in all were filled and active.  But as time...

The slow descent of the small business

I was reading a WSJ OpEd piece that hit home for me.  Robert Wilmers of M&T Bank had the stats that I suspected but pulled them together.   According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, since 2009 the pace of small business start-ups has fallen to the lowest...

Promoting yourself or the business

I have run into a number of situations where an individual should be promoting themselves, yet seem to be promoting the company wrapper they currently have about their shoulders.   I know a realtor form a networking group, when I was a member of the group he...

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