Damnnit Americans, why aren’t you learning Chinese? My friend Abiy just sent me this newsweek article Americans still aren’t studying Chinese in school? I like this paragraph in the middle of the article: But the sad fact is that Americans are not learning Mandarin, the main tongue spoken in mainland China, in droves. Just take a look at the numbers. …
If You’re Going to Do Blackhat things – Keep your mouth shut!
Its sad in a way, that the illegal business is what always makes the highest profit. Maybe that is also why it does, because its the highest risk (therefore highest reward). Last week the NY times ran an article about a Brooklyn, NY merchant selling eyewear starting using customer’s negative reviews for his benefit on Google (SEO) to rank at …
Looking To Steve Jobs For Inspiration
I think its always good to learn from those who have done great things in their life. We have to surround ourselves with positive, like minded, goal centered people in order to achieve success. Maybe this is what I have been lacking. While I have not been fortunate enough to know or have met Steve Jobs, I do take interest …
Social Media Growing – Facebook Seen As Important to Business
Guess I am in the right zone…or just following what people are demanding – but more and more people want help promoting the facebook pages, their twitter accounts, improving their reputation online….and building a brand. I am perfectly positioned to do this in the Philippines, and have been working on a more standard package for businesses to talk to me …
More Friends Weddings and Newborn Babies
One friend proposing last week. Another announcing a baby coming soon. Good friend in Shenzhen just having his second son. A couple getting married in China. Life keeps on moving forward. Now I understand the perspective of people my age…..this pressure people would tell me when I was a young boy about other friends and piers getting married and having …
At a Domainers Meetup, Finding My Calling
For those of you following my blog, its been pretty obvious I am scrambling to find my calling in life. This year really has been a transitional year…..since Google China leaving, business environment in China getting more difficult, and my trip back to USA to reflect on things since I’ve been away for two and a half years. Marshall from …
Summary + Reflection of My 2 Month USA Trip
Writing this on my China eastern flight to Hong Kong. I’m so addicted to blogging! Well it would have been a paper journal if not online. What an exhausting 2 months in USA….reflecting about it is rewarding for me to reflect on. For those of you following my blog, this may seem like a repeat, but this is a good …
In Los Angeles Having Injera from Ethiopia
Been spending my time here in Los Angeles with my Stevens Tech friend and fraternity brother Abiy Yacob- he’s now married to his beautiful wife Kiddy and living in West LA. Have been learning more about him and the Ethiopian culture more then I did when I was in university. I guess I was more “sheltered” then, and focusing purely …
In San Diego, Remembering A Few Years Ago
Been an unusual few days so unable to post for a while. Was in Los Angeles with Abiy for a day, then rushed down to San Diego for the weekend. Remembering the same route in San Diego May 2007 when I was just getting here after leaving my day job at Deutsche Bank. That feels a lot longer then a …
Recap of my Last Day in NYC
Yesterday, man, what a rush…started bright and early in the morning with catching up on tons of emails, and phone calls. Lunch with Jason Perez, my fraternity big bro, and his client for financial services that is looking for advice and help with his website for New Jersey sports leagues. Rushing off there, I headed from the lunch (in Hoboken, …
New York Bar Store Looking For Investors, Buyers, Partners
Just been holding this back the last couple weeks, but in an effort for me to better focus my energies, I have to look for more strategic alternatives for the first business I started up, this is the letter to marie Hi Marie, Thanks for talking to wholesalers, dropshippers, and others about strategic solutions for New York Bar Store. I …
Startup Entrepreneurs Pitching Their Dreams, Their Passions
Was invited by a Stevens Tech friend to FundingUniverse.com’s CrowdPitch event, the first one its had in the New York City area. It is quite an interesting concept, like the “American idol for Entrepreneurs” they have a panel of judges that moderate and critique the entrepreneurs pitching their business, with an audience voting (with fake money) on which of the …
When Family + Business Collide – A new born baby while running a business
Met my good friend, Mike Andrews today, who went to Stevens Tech with me, at his company Hudson Digital Systems for internet marketing training and SEO consulting for his business. Again, trying to use public transportation has been difficult…looked to take a train to West Paterson, NJ but so many connections for only 16 miles….he ended up picking me up …
People Watch Too Much TV in America!
I guess I never really was a big TV watcher, back when I was younger, maybe in grade school, I remember getting my first computer, a 25 MHZ PC (I am not so techy now, back then it seemed easier) and Brian and William helped me overclock it to 33MHZ and upgrade RAM. Anyway, I would work on my computer, …
Maybe I’ve Been in China Too Long – Readjusting to USA
A few times while I’ve been back in America, my friends have had to slow me down and remind me “dude, you’re not in China anymore”. And not just my friends reminding me, but my finding out myself. Here are some of the bullet points (better then boring paragraphs of text, right) Mistakes are more expensive in America – I …