Wherever you are, be there

One of my favorite business philosophers, Jim Rohn (www.jimrohn.com), says the simplest yet most powerful sentence - "Wherever you are, be there."

So stupidly simple, yet so important!

Practically speaking, he means, if you are work, be AT work. If you are at home, be AT home. And if you are on vacation, be ON vacation.

It's hard to enjoy the pleasure of your family on vacation while checking your Blackberry.

It's hard to focus on work, if you are thinking about a project that needs to be done at home.

And it's hard to be a good father/mother/husband/wife at home if you are checking e-mail constantly and catching up on work (that is why I am writing this blog entry while my family sleeps!).

I thought about Rohn's phrase this Memorial Day Weekend because I thoroughly enjoyed it with my family. We swam, we went to the parade, we went to the park, we cooked, we went to dinner at a friend's house, we did chores together - it was a blast!

I didn't send one e-mail. I didn't use my remote desktop to tap into the office once. For three whole days, I dismissed myself from work and focused on my family and it was great. My mind is clear, I feel refreshed and ready to go.

I am a new man!

Thanks Jim Rohn!

Trade Show Love

When you are an exhibitor at a conference, often the attendees view you as a necessary evil. They need your money to put on the conference but God forbid if they actually have to talk to you!

I was at a conference last week and was made to feel like a king. Thanks to NYSTAA - New York State Transfer and Articulation Association. They get it.

When I walked in to the conference with all my boxes, etc, there was a warm welcome by the organizer, people ready to help me check in and get my bearings and a sincere appreciation of my being there. I felt truly welcomed!

NYSTAA invites the vendors to their meals, their parties and we even play bocce ball together! Last year, I was the reigning champ (With Tom Fletcher, an actual attendee)!

So THANK YOU to NYSTAA for not making the vendors feel like lepers. We appreciated it. Other conference I go to that make one feel special are NYSACAC, NACAC and SUNYCAP. There are many more I am sure that my staff attend.

But, I hear stories all the time, that some organizations will take your money, put you off in a corner and pretend that you don't really exist. Bag these conferences. You don't need them anyway.

We're paying good money for a booth, sponsorships and scholarships. At the end of the day, we need to establish and maintain relationships for this investment.

If a conference organization takes your money but doesn't make you feel like a king, drop it and spend the money on more productive things.

A Healthy Entrepreneur is a Good Entrepreneur!

I am committed to working it out and do it three to fives times a week. I am also committed to eating. You could probably say I am committed to over eating - but not by choice. I just LOVE food!

So when my doctor said that I was about 25 pounds overweight, my blood pressure was a bit high and my cholesterol was bit high too, I decided it was time to make a change. I figured that it's a lot easier to fix these things at age 38 than 58 when everything is even higher.

So now I am committed to really making something happen with my health. I have been talking the talk for years. Now it's time to walk the walk (or run the run?). This time will be different because I have a realistic plan that I can do forever!

My plan consists of real oatmeal for breakfast with fruit. This will lower my cholesterol. I go out a lot for lunch, so it gets tough sometimes. I have decided to not even open the menu for that is when temptation starts! I just ask the waitress what salads they have with chicken or salmon.

Then for dinner, I try my hardest to have portion control. And no desserts. My wife is trying to eat well too, so this has helped. Last night we had a salad with tuna fish and it was delicious - and healthy!

Plus I am working out more and harder.

At my last doctor's visit, I was 205. That was about two months ago. I just got on the scale and I am 192. So, slowly but surely. They say that's better anyway. You'll have more luck keeping the weight off if you if lose it slowly.

Wish my luck! My goal is 175.

Are Entrepreneurs Artists?

I was being interviewed recently by Maria Pascucci from Campus Calm (http://www.campuscalm.com). Maria has a great company that gives students helpful advice about handling stress and personal well-being. She's a fellow Western New Yorker and I am a big fan of hers.

Her interview of me was for a book that she is writing. Her goal was to obtain some my "pearls of wisdom" as far as what makes a person happy. She must know that rarely is there a happier person than a successful entrepreneur. :-)

She asked me an awesome question. Its awesomeness didn't hit me until later, but when I started thinking about it, it was the best question I have ever been asked.

She asked, "Are you an artist?"

Having no ability with a paint brush whatsoever, I initially answered no. But then I got what she meant. Maria wanted to know if entrepreneurs consider themselves creative artists in a way that doesn't involve paint.

I thought about it for awhile and then exclaimed “yes!” I told her that she hit it on the head! Yes, I feel like an artist! Business is my canvas and my brush stokes are my readers, employees, customers, ideas, design and more.

Serendipitously, the next week I was reading Small Giants, By Bo Burlingham (http://www.smallgiantsbook.com/) and he wrote about his former boss, Bernie Goldhirsh, the founder of Inc. Magazine (http://www.inc.com), my favorite mag...

In an interview, Bernie described being an entrepreneur as, "...the entrepreneur is like an artist, only business is the medium of his expression. Artists who create art, dance or music contribute so much. This is what the entrepreneur is. He’s like the artist in the business environment, he creates it from nothing, just blank canvas. It’s amazing."

Bernie died a few years ago of a brain tumor. I wish I had got the chance to meet him. Maybe he is with me somehow and that's why I got so excited about Maria's artist question.

See you later. I am going to work on my masterpiece...

~ David “Picasso” Mammano