3 Things I learned About Crypto from Kevin O’Leary

Last month I attended a Web3 Expo where Kevin O’Leary Spoke.

I was quite interested in hearing his thoughts on Web3 and business in general at this interesting moment in time.

His talks were on the day I was leaving, so I got up extra early that day to make sure I was able to hear his thoughts on some of these issues before rushing to the airport at the latest reasonable moment lol.

Three things that he said stood out to me, and I think they’re worth sharing- so here they are- in no particular order.

1.     Crypto is the biggest wealth opportunity we will see in our lifetime.

In his keynote interview, Kevin O’Leary stated that although crypto is a new market, he believes that if you’re watching very closely, you can see that it’s here to stay and will become the 12th leg of the S&P in 10 years.

And the main reason is because crypto solves several problems.

He gave a number of examples as to how it does this, but I think that the most significant one- which by the way- no one is talking about- is trading in foreign markets.

If someone wants to make a purchase in the European stock market, they get hit with lots of currency conversion fees from banks that don’t add any value to the transaction. 

BUT- if they use USDC instead of US Dollars- the fees are zero.  And that makes a BIG difference to a lot of ppl.

And as technology makes our world smaller and smaller, having a universal currency will become more and more relevant.

2.     If you are an investor, and you think Crypto is a ponzi scheme, it’s simply because you’re inflexible.

During that same interview, Mr. O’Leary admitted that when he first heard about Crypto, he thought it was a terrible idea and it would become worthless.  However, as an investor, he watched what was happening with it, and by 2016 he saw the writing was on the wall and he jumped in the game.

He also said that the best investments are the ones that you get in very early, that are industry disruptors, that everyone says have no chance of success. i.e.- Crypto

And he feels that Bitcoin will never go to zero because there are too many ppl who believe that it will never go to zero. 

He acknowledged that most of today’s investors have never been through a market correction like this before. He said “It feels shitty, but these are the conditions that make fortunes….”.

And the main reason Crypto markets are down is because of a lack of regulation, not inflation.

3.     Women are likely to be the leaders the next bull run.

During one of his talks, a woman in the audience asked him:

Billionaire Tim Draper predicts that the next market bull run will be powered by women, do you agree?

His response:

“ I’ve done Shark Tank for 14 years and 75% of my profits have come from women. I believe this is bc Women are more flexible and better at mitigating risk.  So that very well could be the case.”

I found his answer to this question fascinating, but not surprising.  Our world, markets and economies have developed into a very complex system full of variables and nuances.  And women are generally better at recognizing and understanding variables and nuances, than men.

And if it is in fact true, that in this newer stage of human evolution women will be the leaders, this could be the explanation as to why there is a new obsession in politics with legislating women’s uteruses.

Taking away women’s rights and denying proper healthcare means less women will have successful careers and make it into leadership positions.

And to be clear- I’m not speculating a conspiracy theory here.  I actually don’t believe in the concept of conspiracies, just misguided thinking.

I sure do hope that’s not the case, because the way we’ll create a better world is by giving everyone more opportunities to succeed, not less.

If women rise into many of the high-ranking leadership positions, and it helps our world, we all win. 

Which reminds me of a quote I recently came across… 

“Power is not controlling other people. Power is controlling yourself. Trying to control other people is the first sign that you are entirely out of control.  Controlling others is what weak people think power looks like.” – Kalen Dion

I believe that Real Power is simply recognizing that you have all of the power you could ever need, inside of you, right now.

#Kevinoleary #mrwonderful #sharktank #crypto #web3 #womenrising #leaders

I Love Good News!!!

Earlier this month, I spent a week in Vegas where I met dozens of innovative entrepreneurs who are working on some pretty exciting projects.

Last Wednesday, after 8 days of non-stop business and fun I it was time to leave.

As I was about to board the plane a phone call came in from a client but I wasn’t able to answer it.

Then, after my phone stopped ringing, this text message came in from her that simply said ‘thank you’.

I had no idea why she sent me that message, so I replied with a question mark, explaining why I couldn’t pick up.

She was thanking me for the second huge contract she has gotten as a result of working with me.

This is her second six figure contract in less than 3 months.  And we’re not even including the other clients she has signed on for 4 and 5 figures recently. 

She’s currently on track to 15X her revenue in the next 12 months.

Getting texts like this from my clients will never get old!

Even if I’m running, tired and boarding a plane… it always warms my heart to know that my work makes a big difference for people!

#revenue #revenueoptimizationexpert #revenueoptimizationstrategy #highticketsales #salesconfidence

How to Start a Business in 2022

Long gone are the days of ‘If you build it they will come’.

If they ever even existed at all.

In Today’s market everything takes a strategy.

And in many cases you will need to make precise calculations along the way.

Which makes goal setting in 2022 very different from years ago.

Just last week, I took a call with a prospect who claimed that he’d like to start a business centered around creating a radio station.

As we got into our conversation I asked him- as I ask everyone: What are Your Goals?

He repeated himself.  “I’d like to create a radio station that helps people…” And he went on to elaborate on all of the reasons why he’d like to do this.

Then I asked him: What are your SPECIFIC goals.

He thought that I didn’t understand him and repeated himself.  “I’d like to start a radio station…”

This went on a few times until I realized- he didn’t understand what a specific goal actually is.

So I had to explain.

I told him: Starting a radio that helps a lot of people is an idea, not a goal.

Years ago, when the market was not as competitive, that might have been considered a goal.

But in today’s market, that’s just an idea.

Today, in order to be successful, you need to be much more specific for many reasons.

For example- a goal in today’s market might be: I want to start a radio station that will help millennial entrepreneurs with their mental health and achieve 10,000 regular listeners within 9 months.

He was very surprised to hear that’s what I meant.

And as it turned out, he couldn’t come up with a goal that specific, so I told him to come back to me when he does have one.

What new business owners don’t realize is that business has changed a lot over the past few decades.

We’re no longer living in the days of the newspaper and phone book.

Back in those days, you could make the generic vanilla goals and get decent results.

But in today’s market those are simply ideas, not goals.

We live in the age of Google, Social Media and Web 3+.

It’s a whole different world out there.

AND it’s constantly evolving and changing.

Which means that it takes a lot more drive, stamina and specificity to be in business these days.

It’s not about location, location, location anymore.

Unless maybe you’re talking about SEO.

And that would be assuming your ideal prospects don’t get pixeled by an ad before they get to the google search bar.

Business is a whole different ball game these days, and it’s important to stay on top of the game.

Make sure that you have the guidance and tools in place to do just that!

Because if you do, you’ll scale to the moon!

And if you don’t you’ll probably get stuck along the way.

But one of the greatest things about being human though- as hip hop artist Black Sheep said back in 1991- The Choice is Yours!

Scale with proper supports or hit a plateau and stay stuck.  It’s all up to you!

Never Judge a Call By it’s Cover…

A few months ago, I posted on my personal Facebook page about my experience with a colleague who did a ‘bait and switch’ podcast call with me.

He messaged me to set up a call to talk about being on his show, but in reality it was a thinly veiled sales call that he was inviting me to. 

And I was not his avatar.

Sadly, this tactic has gotten a little too common in this industry.

To the point where- when I posted that story- no one was surprised by my experience.

In fact, some people said that they expected that would happen!

Which is why- when a total stranger jumped on my calendar the other day- for a same day appointment time- that threw up a big red flag for me!

Granted, I was grateful for the reminder to check my calendly settings- bc same day bookings are not a setting I usually allow! LOL

But I was definitely concerned that this person would be a spammer of some type. 

Why else would a total stranger want to jump on my calendar immediately?

It was probably someone who has a lot of free time this week.

And spammers usually have a lot of free time….

So I searched the guy’s name bc I’d never heard of him before. 

We had no friends in common.

And he was barely indexing on google…

More red flags!

So I got on the call, hoping and praying that I wasn’t about to speak with a total stranger who wanted to ‘get’ something from me before knowing anything about me.

But as it turned out- he was actually a nice person!  He reached out to me bc he was looking to partner with people in my niche and I really liked what he had to say.

I told him that it was our first meeting, and I don’t get married on a first date.  

But- stay in touch- we can get to know each other better and at some point in the future we might be able to work a partnership of some type.

We had a really nice and meaningful conversation, then parted as friends.

After posting about my experience a few months ago with the guy who did a bait and switch, it’s only fair that I bring up this experience too.

While at times we may feel like we’re constantly running away from spammers…

Business owners with ethics and morals do still exist!

Is Roe vs. Wade a Slingshot?

I’ve now spent some time processing what has gone on over the past few weeks.

The various events that have ensued- and particularly- the SCOTUS having gone rogue.

I’ve now thought quite a bit about why this has happened.

And what it means for us- past, present, and future.

We are living in a very interesting time.

Humankind is evolving like crazy.

But at this particular moment- we can only see the crazy.

Growth is messy.

And not everyone wants to grow.

Many will dig their heels into the ground and refuse to do so.

That’s what’s happening right now.

Sooo much has happened in the past 100 years or so.

We’ve gone from believing that women and people of color are the property of white men, to having them run for office and win- against those same white men.

They are running entire countries.

And they’re leading- corporations, schools, universities, and other organizations.

This isn’t how it was in the past.

And the conservative party- by its nature- does not like to move forward.

They are the party of the past- that fears change- and wants everything to stay the same at all costs.

And with so much change in so little time, they are likely feeling overwhelmed and threatened.

There’s a very big and basic problem with that though-

It goes against human nature.

As humans we are meant to evolve.

Staying the same means never growing and becoming better.

Which is why it’s a party that’s dying.

Looking at millennials and younger- there is no way that the republican party- in its current state- can possibly last.

And I’m not saying that democrats are perfect, but they are more flexible and more willing to move forward than republicans- which is why they are not dying the same painful death.

Conservativism is rooted in the old-world paradigm that believes in Newtonian Science.

That things ‘are the way they are’ and changes are limited- if they are even possible at all.

But Newtonian Science has been outdated since Einstein.

And we are entering a completely new era of human evolution.

There’s no avoiding it because it’s already here.

Money is changing, real estate is changing, travel is changing, healthcare is changing.

Almost anything you can think of- is changing- pretty much right before your eyes!

That’s pretty scary for people who reject change.

It would only make sense for them to want to travel back in time.

It felt so much safer back then.

But if we go back further than a few decades- which IS the time period they want to go back to- we travel into a time when oppression was the norm.

And women were simply baby-making machines working for whichever man claimed her.

She had little to no say about anything in her life.

Women were expected to be seen and not heard- so they would not question the arrogance or self-centeredness of the white men who were in running the show.

Abuse was tolerated as a norm with no repercussions. 

Because no women in charge means no accountability for men.

And the men of this country have a history of violating anyone and anything that gets in the way of their ego’s plans.

Which is why the court didn’t just stop at abortion.

It made an emissions ruling that was quite disturbing as well.  

And that’s because there’s two big things in the way of the GOP’s egoic agenda right now.

Women and Global warming.

Women have risen high in a very short time.

And at the rate we’re going right now- in a few decades- we might be running everything around here.

BUT- if they make us have babies with our rapists, risk our lives to give birth to dead fetuses and   take away our own personal bodily autonomy- surely there will not be as many women available for these positions.

Not to mention- it sends a subtle, subconscious message to all of the women in these red states that have completely outlawed abortion- that women are baby making machines first and foremost.  And they aren’t capable of making their own decisions- be it for their own body or for their life.

In other words, they are not fully charge of their own destiny.  The white patriarchy is.

So, why even bother going after your dreams?

Again, putting more balls in their court.

Imagine that- the supreme court is so afraid of women leading the world, that they want to revoke all of our own personal rights to our own bodily autonomy.

It’s the work of evil geniuses.

Because having women in charge is that much of a threat to them.

Why is it a threat?

Because having women in charge means that we would be solving many of the problems in our world much faster. 

Which also means- we would solve many of the problems that white male conservatives NEED to have in existence in order to get elected.

The most obvious of these is Global Warming.

If the conservative party were to admit that global warming exists, they would likely lose the financial support of big oil and gas companies.

And losing those financial contributions might mean losing their campaigns.

Because Big Oil and Gas spend at minimum- tens of millions of dollars on lobbying each year.

97% of those lobbying dollars go to the GOP.

Pissing off big oil and gas means replacing AT LEAST 10’s of millions of campaign dollars yearly.

And that’s not a small task.

Without the support of big oil and big gas the party will likely die much sooner.

So, their solution is to get women out of their way.

But that will only work if we allow it, and we won’t.

It’s time to get serious here.

And allow this to inspire all of us- every woman here in our country and on our planet:

To run for office.

Get involved in government at the highest levels.

AND throw our hat in the ring for ONLY the biggest and most massive badass influential positions that any company, school, government or organization has to offer.

No holds barred.

If you are a woman who believes that every one of us should have all and complete rights to our own bodily autonomy AND be in charge of things in this world- and you are reading this- I want you to take a moment right now- to think ONLY about the biggest and boldest position you can go for RIGHT NOW to make sure that women stay in charge of their bodies and lives as we rise into our real power in running this new world.

Specifically, I’m talking about:

YOU becoming President of your country.

YOU becoming the President of your University.

YOU becoming your company’s CEO.

YOU becoming your company’s CFO.

YOU becoming the principal of your school.

YOU starting your own 7-8-9-10-11-12 figure business.

Who are we even kidding here?

If there are men in the world worth 12 figures, there should be women worth 14 figures!

And I’m dead serious here.

Sometimes we have to move backwards in order to move forward.

This is our slingshot.

Don’t fuck it up.

It’s not for the next generation.

It’s for YOU- RIGHT NOW.

What’s your plan?

I want to know.

#womentakingovernations

#womentakingovertheworld

#ThanksfortheInspoSCOTUS

Science and Spirituality

We’ve come to an interesting point in human evolution.⁠
⁠
Spirituality is now everywhere!
⁠
I’m not talking about religion- I’m referring to our spiritual nature and the acknowledgement of its existence.⁠
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For many people, what they once considered to be ‘woo woo’ is now normal.⁠
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And if you’re in the coaching space- regardless of your niche- you can no longer deny that it exists!⁠
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What I find very interesting though, is that a lot of people don’t realize that spirituality and ‘woo’ is just different language to describe science. ⁠
⁠
The Law of Attraction is just physics!⁠
⁠
As is any Universal Law that you find.⁠
⁠
It’s just different words to describe the same principles!⁠
⁠
If you’ve read ‘Think and Grow Rich’ Napoleon Hill is just teaching you how to be successful through Universal Spiritual Laws….. AKA Physics!!!⁠
⁠
And most of the top books in the industry are doing the same thing!⁠
⁠
Talking about the Divine Feminine sounds so much juicier than talking about the right brain.⁠
⁠
But if you look very close- you’ll find- there’s hardly any difference between the two!!!⁠
⁠
There’s just one Truth in life. And it can be spoken many different ways.⁠
⁠
#onetruth

A Year of ‘Deep Authenticity’ … Reflections from 2021

It’s been an interesting year in many ways, for so many different reasons.

My theme for 2021 has been ‘Deep Authenticity’

Not to be confused with regular Authenticity- which is now a buzz word in the coaching space.

We hear it all the time:

“You need to be authentic.”

“Show ppl who you really are.”

“Tell the truth about your launch.”  (i.e. don’t round up or include gross revenue)

It seems to have become ‘a thing’ bc a lot of people have a hard time being honest and genuine about who they are and what they’ve actually accomplished.

But that’s not something that I’ve struggled with personally, which is why I felt called to take it to the next level.

I’ve always been authentic.

It’s actually hard for me to not be.

Anyone who really knows me… knows this about me! LOL

I even suck at role plays because of this!

But after becoming a personal growth junky these past 10 years or so, I’d gotten into the habit of holding back some of my deeper and more controversial thoughts sometimes.

Because it’s much easier to just say the stuff you know everyone wants to hear.

I found myself avoiding sharing the thoughts I have that might make waves.

So I decided to put an official end to that this year.

Shamelessly. Holding nothing back.  Regardless of where I was and who I was with!

I also made a point of opening myself up to being judged by others.

I posted and allowed pictures and videos of myself that some might find questionable.

And I integrated more of MYSELF- the things that I love and are important to me- into my business.

A lot of ppl actually appreciated my deep authenticity and even thanked me for it.

Although I for sure pissed some ppl off too- and it was apparent at times! Lol

It’s been an interesting, fun and freeing year.

As A Course in Miracles says: In your vulnerability is your strength!

And just for fun, here’s one final ‘deeply authentic’ photo from a few years ago that I haven’t shared on this page before! 

#vulnerabilityisstrength

#deepauthenticity

#baltimoresalsacongress

Everyday Gratitude

A few weeks ago, I found a wallet on the ground right next to my car.

I was at the mall, and it was late.  

The mall was closing soon and no one else was around.

So I picked it up and looked inside of it.

There was a lot of money in it.

Between the cash and gift cards, it had well over a thousand dollars.

And I didn’t see any ID inside of it!

To be honest, at first- I was happy! 

Thinking- the Universe sent me an early Christmas present- and I was ready to treat myself!

But then I started thinking about the fact that for some people, this is a real lot of money.

Like- it might mean the difference of having a roof over their head or not.

Which led me to start thinking about how strange it would be- that a person carrying that amount of money on them would not have any identification with them.

So I checked the wallet again- this time more thoroughly.

I found a hidden pocket that I had missed the first time I had looked.

It had a family picture and an ID in it.

The wallet belonged to an 18 year old boy who lived in Central Falls.

My first thought was: Why is an 18 year old boy carrying around this much money on him???

But in truth, it was really none of my business.  The money wasn’t mine.  

It was simply my job as a decent human being to return it back to him.

So I considered how I could safely and responsibly return the wallet to the boy.

And I of course consulted Kelly Britto on my plans (as part of the BGC she weighs in heavily in all of my major decisions! lol)

I decided to send the boy a letter.

I told him that I had found the wallet and if he was able to identify it wallet along with the items he had in it I’d be glad to return it to him, and included my phone number.

So, I sent out the letter, and a few days later he called me.  

He was very anxious to speak to me.  He called me a few times in a row.

When we spoke, he verified all of the things that I asked him to, and a few days later we met up so I could return it to him with everything in it.

When I handed him the wallet, he was so very grateful.

I could actually feel his gratitude radiating off of him towards me.

He told me:  You have no idea how much you saved me.  I can’t thank you enough.  

Then he reached into his wallet and handed me one of the hundred-dollar bills that was inside of it.

It felt so good to bond with him energetically for that moment.

It was a great reminder to me that gratitude is actually a form of love.

It is my hope, that one day we will live in world like that.

Where love and gratitude radiate among us everyday and not just once a year.

I wish love and gratitude to everyone today and everyday.

#thefutureofthanksgiving

Inflation Solutions

About a month ago, I decided to buy a new set of luggage.

I hadn’t upgraded since 2005 when I purchased a designer set that I really loved.

Going through the pockets before throwing some of the old pieces out, I realized that I had bought my old set at the same place I bought my new set. 

I purchased it at Marshalls for $39 per piece.

It was a great deal bc some of the bags from this brand go for over $1K.

Now enter my new set: It’s pretty cute, but it’s not designer.

I paid $69 per piece.

Now- if I was to follow the trend of what I’m seeing others do in a case like this, I’d throw my hands up in the air and yell: 

Inflation!!!!  Our government is horrible!!!!!

But before I draw a conclusion, I like to reflect. 

And the reality is- Marshalls didn’t suddenly double their prices this year due to recent inflation.

Their prices have gone up incrementally over the past 16 years.

And this is true with nearly everything else that people are complaining about the price of.

I find it interesting- that people are just now starting to notice and complain about it.

Some are blaming it on the current administration.

But the reality is- this is not something that just started 10 months ago.

Nor is it exclusive to the US.

Or even North America.

So saying that it’s the fault of the current administration actually makes no sense.

Not to mention, it takes much more than 10 months to create the magnitude of what we’re dealing with.

Much of it is bc we’re dealing with loads of shortages as a result of the pandemic. 

And it has very little to do with government.

We have chip shortages, oil shortages and other shortages.

No one is talking about this side of things or how we can fix these shortages to get prices back down.

Instead, they’re looking for the first guy they can find to blame.

And it’s this type of thinking- the superficial search for the easiest guy to blame- that is one of the gravest mistakes that we make as humans.

It’s this exact cognitive pattern that keeps many of us stuck.

When the desire to make someone else guilty wins over the desire to find the real root causes and solutions, we’ve all lost.

20 years ago, George Bush took us into a 20 year war that couldn’t be won.

And it has costed us well over 13 figures.

I’m pretty sure that has had an effect on our rising prices.

But in all of the complaints that I’ve heard about ‘inflation’ I’ve never heard anyone mention this aspect either.

I get it, people are grumpy and it’s been a rough year and half.

Some have lost jobs, loved ones, lifestyles, money and more.

But using blame to solve a problem is never helpful or effective.

Maybe we’ve simply reached a point where humans have done all they can do with fiat currency and the next natural step is decentralized finance.

It will be interesting to see how this conversation changes in the not-too-distant future when most of our money is on the blockchain.

But in the meantime, if we don’t like what’s happening, let’s look for solutions, not blame.

Staying Positive in Challenging Times

One of my favorite stories about staying positive in challenging times is from a few years ago when I sold my house.

For over a decade I owned a multi-family house and lived on the first floor.  It was great at first, but after a few bad tenants I decided that I didn’t want to be a landlord anymore and put my house up for sale.

This was a tricky situation because my second- floor tenant at the time was very manipulative and I knew that she would give a hard time with showings.

So, I decided to be proactive and offer her $50 off of her rent for the month if she would just clean her apartment before the showing.  She agreed to the deal.

That’s a win-win for both of us, right?  You would think.

Fifteen minutes before the showing, the realtor went upstairs to verify that she had cleaned her apartment.  She hadn’t. It was a wreck.  

But several people were already on their way over to the showing so it was too late to do anything about it.  

I left the house so the showing could happen, hoping for the best.

But the result was a nightmare.

After I left the house, the realtor showed the first and third floor, but when he got to the second floor, she didn’t answer the door.

He called to tell me, but I didn’t hear my phone ring.   By the time I called back the showing was over and everyone had already left.

I was so mad I wanted to scream!

There was some kinda-good news, though. 

Three offers were made on the house- conditional to seeing the second floor.

The realtor scheduled another showing for a few days later so they could come back and see it.  

But I was worried that this tenant would pull another fast one and try to sabotage the sale of my house.

Then I remembered that I had power over the situation and I wasn’t going to let her run the show.

I know worry is a prayer for chaos.  So that was the first thing I had to change.

I chose instead to focus on my favorite mantra which is “Only good can come out of this.”

So, for those next few days, I decided to stand in my power and believe that only good would come from this situation.

Every time a doubt tried to creep in, I didn’t let it.  I instead reverted back to my mantra which eventually became automatic.

I also created a fool proof plan.  

I made it clear to my tenant that whether she opened the door or not, the apartment would be be entered and shown.

And instead of leaving my house for the showing this time, I went next door to my neighbor’s house, so I’d be available immediately if she tried to pull anymore stunts.

And sure enough, by the end of it- my mantra rang true!!!

During that second showing of my house, a new viewer who hadn’t attended the first showing joined the group.

And he loved my house so much, he offered me more than my asking price!!!

We had a total of 5 offers on the table, including this new one which was the best one!

We accepted that offer and the buyer was super cooperative through the whole process because he loved the house and couldn’t wait to move in.

Not only did good come out of it, the result was much better than I even imagined.

And to this day- I am thankful that she didn’t let them in that day, because her resistance resulted in a 5 figure profit for me!!!

So, whenever I have a moment of challenge, I always remember this story! 

It’s a powerful mantra, that’s why it’s a favorite of mine.  I encourage you to use it!

#onlygoodcancomeoutofthis

Why Trump should be Impeached for Terrorism

What has happened this past week has been a long time coming.

Months before the election, Trump made it clear publicly that he feared he would lose the election and if he did, he’d do whatever it took to overturn the results.

And there was good reason to believe that he’d lose.

The polls showed that he was significantly behind Biden from the beginning of the race.

And in the first race he received less than 50% of the popular vote.

The concern was valid.

Knowing that the majority of mail in ballots would not be in his favor, he defunded the post office.

Then he fabricated rumors of mail in ballots being an unreliable way to vote despite the fact that he and his wife have been voting this way for years and there has never been any indication of a problem.

He had republicans plant fake drop off ballot boxes in democratic areas.

He had treasonous phone calls with other countries looking for dirt on Biden.

And when speaking to his base on his campaign trail- he suggested to them that violence would ensue if he did not win.

His subsequent tweets over these past few months have nurtured those suggestions by telling his followers directly and indirectly to fight the system.

And this is exactly why- at the debate- when he was asked to denounce white supremacists, he instead told them to stand by- because he knew that he was their ideal candidate and would need their support if he lost.

He has been validating and energizing white supremacists starting back before he was even nominated.

He questioned the validity of Obama’s birth certificate- which implicitly suggests that brown ppl are not really American. 

Then he created a campaign called “Make America Great Again” centered around building a wall and tightening immigration policies to keep non-whites out of the country- which fertilizes the seed that he planted- in questioning Obama’s place of birth.

Then he broke laws to permanently separate over 700 migrant children from their parents.

He banned Muslims from coming to our country.

He called for the death penalty of the Central Park 5 who were found innocent.

He has told tan and brown senators who were born in the US to go back to their country.

And he has called white supremacists “very good people”.

And that’s just a few highlights.  I could go on and on.

It’s not just a few questionable acts.  This is his pervasive pattern.

And it’s why he is the white supremacist dream come true.  

No previous presidential candidate has ever had the audacity- or should I say caucacity- to exude such bigotry and create such a hateful movement.

And yes, this movement is hateful.

If you’ve ever read emails from the campaign you know that it’s true.

Their emails say things like “The Left Hates You and what you stand for”.

And they subtly suggest that Trump’s base is a militia that must keep him in power at all costs.

So, when Trump told his followers to ‘come and be wild’ on January 6, they came ready for aggression and violence.

In his speech to them that day, he gassed their heads up telling them to “fight harder” and that they “are allowed to go by very different rules”.

Therefore, none of what happened was an accident.  It was precisely calculated.

The current president of the US is a terrorist of his own country.

And he has been banned from inciting further terrorism by private businesses who had rules in place against terrorism long before he was president.

We should be GRATEFUL that these companies have guidelines to protect us.

If a business thinks it’s ok to endorse terrorism- THAT is what we should have a problem with.

Not the other way around.

This has NOTHING to do with free speech.

And it has NOTHING to do with censorship.

It has EVERYTHING to do with respecting rules.

It has EVERYTHING to do with not inciting violence and terrorism.

Every company has rules in place to protect people and the company itself.

And they have every right to have these rules.

Any other day of the week, Republicans would be FOR businesses being able to make their own rules and policies.

They want businesses to have the right to do whatever they want.

Until they don’t like it.

That’s a double standard.

It’s the equivalent of being the kid who changes the rules of the game bc he’s losing.

It’s not a mature or healthy way to operate.

If you go into a restaurant and try to incite a riot, you will be kicked out fast.

And getting kicked out is not violating your right to free speech.  They have a right to not allow violence in their establishment.

As does any business.  Social media platforms included.

This is not the time to get paranoid about censorship.

Yes, things do get censored sometimes, but it doesn’t apply here.

When you violate rules or laws, there are consequences.  

That’s what is happening here.

Period.

Arresting a felon is not a violation of their rights.

It’s a consequence of their behavior.

My hope is that this felon gets arrested.

This has gone way too far.

The Entrepreneurial Dance: How Owning a Business & Dancing Salsa go together… and why everyone should do both

In November of 2008, I started my own business. 

One month prior to this new venture, I started dancing salsa and it became my favorite hobby.  

And looking back on it, I don’t think it was a coincidence!

I’ve since realized that they have much more in common than you might think.  In fact- I believe that they go together hand in hand and every business owner should dance salsa.  Here’s why.

Getting Started

Whether you’re starting your own business or starting to dance salsa, most people have no idea what it will take to become good at either one so they start off by taking shots in the dark.

New business owners envision themselves growing their empire rapidly and in simplicity.  The infamous “if you build it, they will come” is the mantra that speaks their truth.  

They create products or programs, build a pretty website, make business cards and put out a few Facebook posts, expecting people to come running in their direction with their wallets out.  But the chances of that actually happening are about the same as winning the lottery!

Similarly, in salsa, people think that the way to become a fabulous dancer is to just go out to a nightclub and start dancing.  They think that they can just teach themselves as they go along and everyone will be impressed.

But that never works! 

Salsa dancers (or ‘salseros’ as they are frequently called) rarely attend nightclubs.  That’s because salsa is a very technical dance, and only a tiny percentage of nightclub attendees actually know and understand the techniques.

In other words, when you go to a nightclub and hear salsa music come on, very few people on the dancefloor are actually dancing salsa!

Salseros are trained dancers and they don’t usually go to night clubs.  They go to dance socials.  

On rare occasions, a social will take place at a nightclub. But the majority of them happen at dance studios.  

Salsa Pro Tip: Hang out at a dance studio instead of a club!

The Entrepreneurial Dance: Carlos Gonzalez of Mambo Pa Ti

Location: Metamovements Dance Studio in Boston

 Gaining Momentum

In order to gain momentum, be it in business or salsa, you need to be willing to learn and get feedback.

The amount of learning and feedback you’ll need depends on your goals.

For example, if you’re just dipping your toe into the business world, a pre-recorded class for a hundred bucks might be enough to get you started with your first few clients or customers.

But if you’re serious about growing your business to 6 figures or more, you’ll need ongoing customized feedback from at least one mentor.  And you can’t get that from a pre-recorded class.

Business Pro Tip: Have at least one coach for every area of your business.

Similarly, with salsa, if you’re just testing the waters, you can get away with taking some classes at a night club.

But if you’re serious about wanting to become a good dancer, you’ll need to find a reputable studio and take classes ongoing so you can further develop your abilities and evolve as a dancer. 

Refining Your Skills

After you’ve built the foundation of your business and are generating income, the next steps are to tweak and refine.  

You’ll need to examine the primary components of your business to determine the areas that are strongest and weakest.

That means- checking in with your mindset, ideal client avatar, messaging, marketing strategies, conversion rates and other key performance indicators.

In the areas that are substandard, you’ll need to determine whether you’re able to make the improvement on your own or if you’ll need a professional to help you.

The same is true in salsa!

After you’ve taken some classes (probably a few months’ worth) you’ll want to start refining your dancing.

You’ll need to look at your technique, execution, musicality and your connection to your partner. 

Get feedback and recommendations from your instructor and partners who are more advanced than you then adjust yourself accordingly.

Salsa Pro Tip: Attend Latin Dance Festivals world-wide to learn from the highest-level instructors!

The Entrepreneurial Dance: Mambo Pa Ti Dance Company

Location: Boston SalsaFestival 2016

Standing Out in the Business Crowd

If you own a business, chances are that there are many others on the market providing the same service that you provide.  

Some might call these other companies your “competitors”.  

But the truth of the matter is, there really isn’t any competition in business.  The people who go elsewhere just aren’t your people.

Here’s why:

Of all the businesses that offer what you offer- no one else does it like you do!

Every business has a soul, character, personality and specific results that they deliver.  This is your brand.

The better you know and fully express your brand, the more soulmate clients you will naturally attract toward you.

How do you figure this out?

Look at yourself.  You are your business.  

One of the biggest spiritual lessons you will learn on the journey of entrepreneurship is authenticity.  Your business will not survive without it.  So be authentic!

Business Pro Tip:  Reflect- What is standing in your way of becoming more authentic in your business than you are right now?

Standing Out in the Salsa Crowd

When you go to a salsa dance social, you will usually see a lot of people.  Sometimes hundreds.  

But no two dancers are alike.  

Their energy, style and technique are unique to them.

Some of the dancers you see will stand out to you.

And some will inspire you. 

Others will be the ones that you feel called to dance with. 

The dancers that inspire you are reflecting back to you your own potential as a dancer and as a human.

The ones you want to dance with reflect your own energy for dance and life back to you.

Dancing is about authenticity too.

Truly dancing means making an authentic connection to the music, your partner, your body, your movements, your freedom, your creativity and all of the joy that you feel as you experience it all!!!

The dancefloor is like a playground…for adults!!!

And yes, it really is as thrilling as it sounds!

Salsa will bring out more of the real you- the fun you- that is the perfect complement to your entrepreneurial nature!

Salsa Pro Tip: Train with a dance team and take private classes so you can play full out on your playground- aka the dancefloor!

Mambo Pa Ti Dance Company at Boston Salsa Festival 2015

Why Business and Salsa are Best Friends

Owning a business you love will bring you autonomy, freedom, fun, growth and unlimited opportunity for expansion.

But at the end of the day, your business will bring you many challenges as well.  Which means- it’s very important for you to balance your energy! 

If you don’t balance your energy, you’ll end up feeling burned out and your business will suffer from your energetic depletion.  Not to mention, your health will suffer also.

Dancing- especially salsa- is a way to completely unleash all of your challenges and responsibilities and live carefree for as long as you are dancing! 

If I’m having fun at a salsa social, I literally forget that anything else in the world exists! And I’m not a unique case!

Dancing is a way for you to play full out in a dreamland that is completely care-free!  

That’s why I see business and salsa like the yin and the yang!

Final Conclusions

Business and salsa are both alike in many ways and also complimentary.  

The learning curve to mastering each one requires a similar process.

Both will encourage you to grow and expand in new ways that will thrill your soul!

So if you own a business, you should take up salsa!

And if you dance already, think about starting a business!

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