Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

The Startup Maze

Posted on June 22, 2016 by

I recently gave a talk at UW-Madison.  The presentation–part of WARF’s Entrepreneurons Series–was about entrepreneurship generally, and more specifically, about what it’s like to think up, launch and scale a start up.  It’s something I’ve done four times, and I really … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Find the Experts-How to use Podcasts & Curated Lists to get Smarter/Faster/Better

Posted on October 13, 2015 by

In my last post announcing my EIR role at American Family Ventures, I mentioned how much I value working shoulder to shoulder with smart people. Today, I want to highlight another method to surround yourself with brilliant people that can … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups | 1 Comment

Why I’m Working at an Insurance Company

Posted on September 3, 2015 by

I just finished a year off. As I mentioned here (Why I’m Taking a Sabbatical), I set out to have an adventure with my family and to better answer the question “what am I on this earth to do?”  It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups | 6 Comments

What We Can Learn from Silicon Valley

Posted on July 14, 2015 by

I’ll admit it. As an entrepreneur working in Wisconsin, I’m jealous of Silicon Valley. Case in Point: A few weeks ago, a social planning app called Free (Ffrree.com) launched. It wasn’t much different than the dozens of other mobile apps … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship | 2 Comments

Travel School. What I Learned Homeschooling my Son for Five Months

Posted on June 25, 2015 by

My wife, son and I just returned from a 5-month trip. We spent most of this time sailing a boat from Grenada to the Virgin Islands. Just the three of us—it was an amazing, inspiring, awesomely fun adventure. I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Entrepreneurship | 3 Comments

Re-Entry—It Isn’t Just Hard On Astronauts

Posted on June 2, 2015 by

We are back. Just a few short weeks ago Sarah, Jimmy and I stepped off the boat that had been our short term home and began a 22 hour journey from Tortola, B.V.I., that included a ridiculously dangerous taxi ride, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Entrepreneurship, Sabbatical, Sailing | Leave a comment

Want to be more creative? Go Running.

Posted on October 31, 2014 by

I was just reading Peter Thiel’s fascinating new book, Zero to One, in which he argues that the best startup businesses strive for a game changing technological breakthrough. Rather than work on small incremental enhancements, entrepreneurs should seek out quantum … Continue reading →

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You might be an entrepreneur if . . .

Posted on October 24, 2014 by

Remember Jeff Foxworthy’s redneck bit? My favorite: You might be a redneck if you’re too drunk to go fishing. But seriously people. Thanks to Jeff we all know how to gauge our redneckness, but what about those of us who want to figure … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups | 3 Comments

Nextt is no more—A postmortem

Posted on October 8, 2014 by

My most recent start-up, a mobile planning application known as Nextt, is shutting down. “Starting a company is like throwing yourself off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.” Reid Hoffman, LinkedIN co-founder I’ve jumped off 4 … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Nextt | 15 Comments

Don’t Start a Company—Start a Movement

Posted on December 21, 2013 by

“The best founders aren’t starting companies, they are starting movements.” -Tony Conrad, Big Omaha Presentation I doubt that I’ll ever meet Tony Conrad to thank him personally for this quote. He oozes Silicon Valley cool in way that makes me suspect … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Nextt, Start-Ups | Leave a comment