Hello everyone! My name’s Shane and I’m one of David’s team members, working as a content provider for his various sites. He’s spoken about me before in previous posts, like “Cut Out The Middleman” and the first part of “The Cost of Debt.” I pitched an idea to David about doing a guest blog for today since Halloween is by far my all-time favourite holiday, and he gave me the...
Hi, I'm David T Rosen, and it is my privilege and honor to use this space to share my experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. I'm quite busy, as you can imagine, but I like to stop in here from time to time and post my thoughts about life, business, and the ongoing transition to a new economic structure that emphasizes - indeed, requires - individual entrepreneurial endeavor. Or...
The concept of the carrot and the stick is something that most people should be familiar with. The earliest recorded use of the phrase was in December 1948 in The Economist magazine. The concept is drawn from the idea of a cart driver using a carrot suspended in front of his or her horse, mule, etc. just out of reach to motivate it to constantly move towards it, while holding...
I've spoken at length in a pair of previous articles about what debt can do to a business (in a two part article, found here and here). But what about the other side of the equation? It's one thing to be in debt yourself, but what if one of your clients becomes indebted to you? Obviously this is a situation none of us wants to face, but it can, does,...
We've all heard the cliche "practice makes perfect". And it can, if you're doing it right. But it's not necessarily going to make things perfect. In fact, it might not be helping you at all. Consider a golf swing. You can work on it over and over, day after day, but if you're simply replicating your own bad form then you're not actually getting better - you're just further entrenching...
In an uncertain economy plagued by unemployment and insecurity, the idea of working for yourself can seem as appealing - and remote - as winning the lottery. How do you get started? What kind of work can you do? Is it expensive to get started? Faced with all that, the lottery starts to seem like the safer bet, even though you probably don’t know anybody who has won the lottery....
In today's day and age, smartphones are more prevalent than they've ever been. One need only take a look at the people around them as they go about their day to see countless Blackberries, iPhones, and one of the many, many Android offerings currently on the market. Tablets too are increasingly popular, with almost every major electronics manufacturer in business today having one on the market. People are connected to the...
Securing your piece of PIE – personal, independent earnings – isn’t the same as taking a hand out. There’s no sugarcoating it, you’re going to have to put in time and effort. But there are some fundamental principles to the process which, when understood and applied properly, can make your task not only simpler, but also easier and even enjoyable. One of these fundamental principles of PIE is securing a...
For everyone out there operating their own business, the urge is most likely very strong to operate every aspect of your business yourself. After all, as the old saying goes, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself", right? Wrong. See there's another old saying you should be aware of. I honestly can't remember the exact phrasing or the source, but its message is no less clear....
If you're a regular reader, you know all about the Cooperative Age - the ongoing transition to an economic environment that has seen major corporations and institutions stumble and collapse under the disruption of advancing technology and the weight of their own greed. Though this has spelled disaster for many of those who relied on such institutions, it is an unparalleled opportunity for those with the wherewithal and dedication to secure...