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…]

Book Review: Million Dollar Weekend

Reading Time: 3 minutesNoah Kagan Million Dollar Weekend ISBN: 978-0-593-53977-4 When you attend a conference, there are usually one or two sessions that stick out in your memory as the best session you attended. Usually these sessions are a bit outside the norm – either there is some sort of interactive component or something unusual about the way … [Read more…]

Book Review: Unstuckable

Reading Time: 2 minutesHeather Kernahan Unstuckable ISBN: 978-1-77458-418-7 Many of the books I have reviewed over the years are vanity projects for CEOs in the middle of their careers. Put yourself in that position – maybe you’ve started a couple of companies, held C-suite positions at one or two more, and have over two decades of knowledge in … [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…]

Book Review: Read Write Own

Reading Time: 3 minutesChris Dixon Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet ISBN: 978-0-593-73138-3 As we approach thirty years of popular use of the Internet, we’re at a good point to look back at the history of the modern Internet. I started using it in 1995 on the one computer in the junior high library … [Read more…]

Book Review: The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality

Reading Time: 3 minutesLudwig von Mises The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality ISBN: 978-1-57878-798-9 Anyone who pays attention to politics or is just terminally online should be familiar with the Mises Caucus in the Libertarian Party – a group of people who follow the Austrian school of economics and hold a strict, laissez-faire attitude toward capitalism. I’ve also found them to … [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…]

Book Review: Startup Program Design

Reading Time: 3 minutesPaolo Lombardi and Adam Berk Startup Program Design ISBN: 978-1-260-46325-5 One thing I enjoy doing when I travel to conferences and conventions around the country and around the world is to attend book-related talks, in an effort to snag a copy of the author’s latest work. At the Rally convention in Indianapolis this past August, … [Read more…]

Book Review: Build the Fort

Reading Time: 3 minutesChris Heivly Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide ISBN: 978-1-5445-4259-1 Through my work with Techstars Startup Weekend, I’d had a chance to attend online talks by Chris Heivly, author of Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide, during the pandemic period of 2020 through 2022. I’d never had an opportunity … [Read more…]

The Pitch Competition Challenge

Reading Time: 7 minutesPitch competitions are a great way for students and entrepreneurs to raise equity-free money as they build new startups and businesses. I actively encourage students to apply to as many pitch competitions as they find around the United States and Canada. A handful of my students have made it into competitions over the years, and … [Read more…]