Do you have a protégé?

You have spent years following your dream and now you have created an awesome reality for yourself and others to enjoy. You also made some mistakes along the way too...

Why not share your past experiences and current knowledge with a protégé?

There are millions of dreamers starting a new journey today down an unknown path. The first steps are always filled with excitement but laced with fear and anxiety. Will the next step be on solid ground or a hole? Or a cliff?!

This journey is especially dangerous for a first time entrepreneur. Approximately 75% of new businesses fail their first year. It's a tough gig to create revenue, cash flow, sales, a new product, manage employees, regulations, taxes, etc... And if you have no experience with these things, it's easy to drown quickly.

Have you made it through this storm and lived to see year two? Year five? More?
Are you sharing this experience with a protégé?

I have been blessed. I have made it to year 13 so far.

Am I a genius? Far from... Someday I'll share my SAT scores for proof.

I was a B student but had a good work ethic. I always say I’m not that smart, I just work my tail off.

So how did I make it? It was a variety of things. A good idea, my dogged persistence, my sales ability but most of all, I have an uncanny ability to hire well. I surround myself with A players who complement or enhance my abilities.

Was it always smooth sailing? Yea, right. Of course not. Birthing a baby is not always pretty and either is birthing a business. You pray for beauty but it starts out messy!

It still gets messy but it's easier with a great team and 13 years of experience and momentum behind me.

Here's my point - I have learned a ton.

I have learned from my successes and my mistakes.

In my opinion, it would be a sin if I did not share these experiences with new entrepreneurs. If my experiences can help an entrepreneur create something beautiful, why wouldn't I try to help?

Recently I have taken this responsibility to a new level - commitment. I now view helping new entrepreneurs as a duty to give back. I have been blessed with a great business and an incredible work family. So, I have decided to add structure to my commitment to give back. Yes structure. That's a hard word for an entrepreneur to swallow, but in this case it's easy.

You see, I get something from helping them too - energy!

I have made myself available to four young entrepreneurs. They all know they can meet, call or email me anytime and I will be there to listen. I actually have a scheduled weekly call with one of them. She provides the agenda in advance and we go through it together.

Here is my current protégé line-up:

Marita Greenidge - a U of R Simon School student from Barbados who is launching a Barbados business magazine when she graduates. Marita and I have the weekly call together.

Joe Norman - graduating from SUNY Geneseo this month and is the Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of The VIP Profiles - http://notableandnewsworthy.blogspot.com/. He has some big ideas for the future that I am helping him cultivate.

Maria Pascucci - President & Founder of Campus Calm - http://www.campuscalm.com/ Maria is an incredible young entrepreneur and is helping young people in college manage stress.

Brenda (last name withheld) - Brenda still has her "real" job so she can't go public with her idea just yet. I am helping her develop a great idea for a new magazine. She has discovered a niche that is not yet being covered. That's hard to do these days!

And I talk to many others randomly per month.

I make time for these people. Yes, I am crazy busy but like I said, I view it as my duty to share my blessings. I have intellectual venture capital to invest!

Plus the more I give of myself, the more I get. I feel incredibly energized and jazzed after talking with these new journey takers!

Now I ask you. Who are you going to help today?