Looking Ahead to 2026

Reading Time: 7 minutesI have mixed feelings about the coming year. Usually, I’m pretty optimistic in these posts where I discuss the coming year. However, what I’m seeing and what I’m hearing from business owners and startup founders worries me. The reality on the ground is not lining up with the folks who talk in terms of billions … [Read more…]

2025: The Year of Rebirth

Reading Time: 7 minutesI don’t know about you, but 2025 was a year where I felt like I couldn’t keep up. Most days felt like they got away from me and the pile of work to do just increased each week. Thinking back over everything that’s happened this year, it’s actually been incredibly productive. I’ve been all over … [Read more…]

Living the Messy Middle Each Day

Reading Time: 6 minutesI’ve made a career out of helping people who reside in the Messy Middle, that 10 to 12 year span between the launch of a business and an eventual positive or negative exit. It’s an interesting space to be in for someone who likes to be in the weeds, but for everyone else, it seems pretty … [Read more…]

Turns Out Giving First Has Its Limits

Reading Time: 15 minutesThese last few months have really felt like swimming in the deep end of the pool. I’m fully engulfed in EntrePartners – writing grant applications and reaching out to corporate sponsors, hosting events, creating partnerships, travel to conventions and conferences, and planning for the next few months. I’ve never gotten this deep into a project … [Read more…]

One Year Putting Theory Into Practice

Reading Time: 9 minutesDo you ever get the feeling that you’ve accomplished so much but just barely scratched the surface of a project? That’s how I feel after one year building the EntrePartners Innovation Center. I look around at the coworking space I’ve cobbled together and see how much I’ve done, but at the same time, it feels … [Read more…]

Always the Cameraman, Never the Influencer

Reading Time: 7 minutesIt seems like these first two months of 2025 have flown past. Between meetings, trainings, conferences, and many school delays and cancelations, these weeks haven’t been the most productive. I think I’ve spent about as much time shuttling kids and running errands as I’ve spent in my downtown office in February, going in when it’s … [Read more…]

Looking Ahead to 2025

Reading Time: 8 minutesIn the last ten years, I’ve offered predictions for the upcoming year every December 31. I’ve learned that I’m pretty terrible at making predictions. Perhaps there was a time long ago when it was easier to predict the future – when things weren’t so chaotic. Five years ago, right before the pandemic, I made all … [Read more…]

2024: The Year of Unburdening

Reading Time: 7 minutesIt’s hard to believe, but this post marks the tenth year I’ve published a review of the past year. Back in 2015, I had no idea what was in store for me in the following years. I was just a guy interested in entrepreneurship and technology trying to learn as much as I could and … [Read more…]

One Man Can Move Mountains

Reading Time: 6 minutesIt’s very hard to believe that it’s nearly November. In what feels like the blink of an eye, I’ve built out the EntrePartners Innovation Center piece by heavy piece in the heart of downtown Iowa City. The podcasting room is completely finished, the white boards and chairs have all been assembled, and all of the … [Read more…]

The Change™

Reading Time: 13 minutesI haven’t had a chance to sit down and write a blog post in over three months. I’m talking about an actual post with career updates and discussion of the latest events, not book reviews or educational posts that I’ve had in the can for the better part of a year. Usually when there’s this … [Read more…]