Back in late 2011, I got the opportunity to pitch Mark Cuban. I was just a student at the time, at Howard University, and cofounder of a company — no longer existent — called My College Hustle, a bartering platform for college students. Hoping to grab a $25,000 prize, my business partner Edward Lyles and I participated in a Shark Tank-style competition, in New York, that actually predated…
Almost daily, someone tells me about his or her amazing app idea. It will blow up into something huge, gain millions of users and make millions of dollars. All with word-of-mouth marketing. That enthusiasm makes sense, really. Apps are massive right now and show no signs of slowing down. Developers make billions of dollars in the app store every year, so people naturally chase any idea that could…
The day begins when you go to bed. If success is trackable, then look no further than the night before. To wake up early, you have to set the stage for success by purposefully designing a bedtime ritual for yourself. In my case, this involves a few things every single night: 1. No tech. I try my HARDEST to ban screens (TV, computer, phone) 60-90 minutes before bed. The…
Are you unmistakable? Here’s what I mean… When something is unmistakable, it’s so distinctive that nobody else could have done it but you. It’s immediately recognized as something that you did. It has your stamp on it. Ever seen a phone designed by Apple or a car designed by Mercedes? Just a quick glance at these distinct brands and you know exactly who they are. They are boldly…
Quick pro-tip to start your week off productive. Here’s how you get a LOT of reading done very quickly: Buy both the regular book (hardcover or paperback) then get the unabridged audio version on Audible and crank the speed up to 2x or even 2.5x. Follow along the words with your finger or a pen. You’ll get all the info without missing a beat because it’s like force-feeding…
What countries are still on your bucket list to visit before you die? I still have a few: Japan, Italy, Australia, Russia, Kenya, Brazil come to mind! When I first met my homie Matt Wilson , he was chipping away in New York, making world-class content for Under30CEO. But Matt had a serious vision to travel the world while he was still young — and he wanted to…
One of the biggest struggles millennials face is wading through the information overload to figure out what we should be doing with our time. Can you really blame us? Every time you look at your phone, dozens of pings, notifications and alerts flood the screen. All of them seem urgent. All of them could be important. So we spend entire days, weeks, months approaching these conflicting demands without…
Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of the world’s most popular wine brand, Barefoot Wine. Check it out…I guarantee you’ll see one of these in your local grocery store! What’s most humbling is that Michael and Bonnie had absolutely NO idea what they were doing at first. From the start, with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they…
You can read “how-to” articles all day about starting a business, building your brand or getting customers. They make the whole process seem so easy, don’t they? But actually making the decision become an entrepreneur? Now that’s a tough decision. It’s scary! It’s uncertain! There’s a chance you might fail. In fact you probably WILL fail in the beginning. And even if you succeed, it definitely won’t happen…
Remember that ridiculously cheery, borderline creepy scene from Mary Poppins where the children (rightfully so) complain about having to clean up their room? (If you weren’t forced to watch that movie in kindergarten like every other normal child on earth, the entire song the ensues revolves around a “spoonful of sugar.”) I was never a huge fan of the film — but I could always relate to the…