I have nothing to do…or do I?

I have spent this summer struggling with what I can do to make money, or at least feel like I am being productive. I know that when you run your own business there is always so much to do. However, you try to prioritize, and when that happens you end up procrastinating more than anything else.

This is very difficult for me because I have always lived my life staying busy. I set some goals this summer, but I did it with a naïve attitude, and they seem to be difficult to achieve. So what have I done this summer, and what do I plan on doing? I have started selling advertising, and it is going well. However, sales are very sporadic, and I find myself with too much time on my hands. In order to force myself into being productive, I have been going to the gym six days a week, and I have gotten one of my fraternity brothers to join me. Aside from that, I got a job at a bar checking ID’s and collecting a cover charge, but that is twice a week at best.

I immediately realized that this summer was going to be a far cry from the summers of my past. Prior to this year, I spent every summer in Connecticut. I had a steady girlfriend of three years, worked at a golf course, and spent time with my friends and family. I was used to going to sleep before 10:00 PM, and waking up at 5:30 AM. As of last year I was salaried, and my work week consisted of at least 48 hours (sometimes more like 60). Don’t get me wrong, I made a lot of money, and a lot of it was cash (making it much easier to spend). I would play golf, sometimes on the clock, and I would spend my entire day making wealthy people feel better about themselves. I hated it. The only positive thing I can say about that job was that it gave me the skills I need now with sales, and it taught me about hard work paying off. It just made me sick being talked down to everyday by people that had no idea who I was or what I was really doing with my life.

During my time as an “unlicensed assistant pro”, I had already owned a business for two years, I had gotten into the business school at Ohio State, and I had a 3 handicap. Throughout all of that I would be cleaning clubs and getting yelled at by people that were lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and a serious alcohol problem. So what motivated me to leave a well paying, steady job with benefits like free golf? I think that speaks for itself.

Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of the negativity I feel towards that job came out of the actions of a few certain individuals that really have no respect. I kept my head up for the four years that I worked there, I always worked hard, and I managed to gain respect from a lot of the “elite” members. I also made some great friendships, and I learned a good deal from my boss about how to manage difficult situations.

Now I have found myself in a difficult situation. I don’t have a schedule, I have some tasks I need to complete, and I have some tasks I want to complete. The trouble I really have is wondering, come September, what will make this summer a success?

I think it will be a mix of things. First, if I have enough money in the bank, and on its way in to make it through my senior year, and do everything I want to. Second, if my networking has led me to enough open doors, so that I can call in the favors that I know I will have to. Third, if I am in the best shape that I have ever been in (I have never worked out this much, mainly because I have never had the time). Last, and most importantly, if I can look back at this summer and feel that I didn’t waste any time or opportunity.

I guess it is my job to make sure that every day I accomplish something, and come the end of summer, if I haven’t done a great job, there is no one to blame but myself.

I’ll let you know in September.

Social networking… How important is the booze?

Everyone knows that a big part of college is drinking. Whether it takes place at house parties, or in bars, there is little denying that it is a part of life. But do people really ever think how important drinking is to social networking, and that this may be one of the reasons that it takes place so much at college. Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of the drinking is done because parents are no longer around, and there are fewer rules and more options. However, once people get by the immediate shock of binging just because you can, the booze begins to get more important.

There are many reasons, and many types of people at college, especially at a large university like the one I attend. It is more than interesting to watch as people adjust to this new social opportunity. Many look to older siblings, or friends that have attended the school for a long time. How do most of them get comfortable enough to talk in situations that can be awkward? They drink… In the movie “Road Trip”, four college students go on a drive from Ithaca, NY to Austin, TX. The movie is a portrayal of the life of a college student today. In one scene, the student that was supposed to be the naïve, nerdy kid, gets blackout drunk at an all black fraternity party, ends up becoming very comfortable around the brothers, and loses his virginity to a large, African American girl. Would this happen without alcohol… I doubt it.

 

What is really important in that message is what happens to this guy’s persona after this ridiculous night. He is no longer this punching bag for his three friends. Instead he turns his hat around, lights a cigarette, and walks with a stride. He learned that he could talk to people, including girls, just because he got drunk one night and realized how social he could be.

Now of course, there are limits that need to be put on alcohol consumption. It is dangerous, and many people die every year from over usage. But it is important to look at drinking as a test of your responsibility, and a test of your ability to socialize. If you feel confident that you can go out with a person to discuss business, and limit your drinking to an amount that will loosen you up, but keep you from being stupid, then this shows responsibility. On the other hand, if you are incapable of limiting your consumption, and you end up binge drinking on a business meeting, then you need to evaluate whether alcohol should even be a part of your life anymore.

 

I am as guilty as anyone for having my nights that I have drank too much. I have done stupid things and not remembered them. However, I learned a lesson a few years ago, that I will probably never forget. I was in Italy with my family, and we were all sitting around a table about to enjoy a nice meal in paradise. Of course the drinking age there is 16, so I was legal for the first time. My father raised his glass, and toasted the family. Everyone said cheers and took a sip, except me. I threw my head back, and downed the beer like I was at a high school party with a $.50 Busch Light in my hand. When I had successfully drank the entire beer, I looked up with pride. Instead of getting high fives and another beer, I just had shocked looks from my parents and brother.

 

I learned right then and there that you need to learn how to adapt to your surroundings, whether it is in business, or with family. It is necessary to evaluate the people you are with, the setting you are in, and the amount of alcohol you consume. You will soon realize that limiting yourself in some areas allows you to take advantage of other things you may miss out on, or even forget.

 

There are other ways to look at drinking, and the positive effects it can have on socializing in situations that may not be as comfortable as you may have hoped. For example, I have been going to a rabbi’s house on Friday nights for the Sabbath. He is attempting to teach me a little more about the Jewish religion. He is well aware that I do not speak much Hebrew, and being at dinner with three girls from Israel, and two other conservative Jewish people, I may feel a little out of place. He knows this, so he will have a few more toasts because he knows that it will make me more comfortable.

I would like to know how other people feel about this, I know some people have bad experiences with alcohol, and family, but when responding, I would like you to look at it purely from a networking perspective.

Time management: The most important lesson I learned in college

When I started my website I was more then excited. I was looking forward to the challenge, and the dreams of instant success (which rarely exists). However, I quickly learned that there are many different aspects of running a business. There are client and customer relations, marketing, financial issues, and a constant monkey on your back. So about a month into the company I had to take a step back and look at everything I had going on. I was the vice president of my fraternity, a full time business student, and now the owner of a business. This led to a lot of worrying, and with that came great anxiety. It was not until I decided to take the advice that my mother and father had been giving me for as long as I can remember. They always told me that life was a balancing act, and if you approach your day with a schedule, balancing out time for everything, then the tasks at hand will come easier, and you will find more success. I began to start putting events into a calendar. I would schedule the time that I would spend working on my website, time to study, social time, and most importantly the time that I would take alone.

After a few weeks of forcing myself to write out what I wanted to do, I began to get the hang of it. I started to see changes in my lifestyle. I noticed everything from more success with my website to having a clean room and working environment (which makes a big difference in productivity). I was not surprised by this; I realized how obvious of a solution this was to managing your time.

Some people look at scheduling as just another thing to do. This is not the case, if anything it puts less on your plate because procrastination starts to filter away from your everyday life. I realized that when I was sitting there watching ESPN every morning, I could be reading my email, and planning my day out. Later on that day, when I just wanted to sit down and relax, I would look at my schedule, and see that it was time to be working out. I would hold myself accountable, and if I worked out, then I wouldn’t feel guilty at 7 pm, when it was time for me to take an hour to relax.

I have maintained a life style built around a schedule, and it only gets easier. My next challenge is learning to budget, but there is a new girl in my life that is forcing me to learn that skill.

The Only Constant should be change itself

An entrepreneur is nothing more than a person who organizes and manages an enterprise. Adjust your life to live as an entrepreneur, if you don’t have a business to run, then make your enterprise your life.

Some people say it is my age that allows me to live life by my own rules. I completely disagree with that statement. Why can’t anyone live their life the way they want to? Whether you are like me; 21 years old, in school, and running a business, or you are a 30 year old that has been in the same job for 5 years, with “real” responsibilities like a family and a mortgage. There is no reason you can’t take everyday experiences and approach them from a new point of view.

Instead of getting up in the morning, showering, brushing your teeth, putting on your black suit and plain tie, going to work, seeing the same people, and doing the same thing, why not change your routine? You cannot do the same thing every day of your life for 40 years and be ok with it. Ten years down the road you will look back and ask yourself what you did with your life. There are millions of simple things you can do everyday to change your life, and every time you do something different you are setting yourself up to have a new experience that just might change your life.

Start with the little things. If you are looking to benefit your personal health get up an hour earlier then normal, go for a run, and then get ready for work, you will see a domino effect on how your everyday routine is changed. By simply waking up at a different time and exercising, before your daily morning shower you will completely disrupt the status quo, increase your energy and improve, the way you approach your day and your job. As you begin this different routine be sure to constantly change how you do things. Run a different route, walk to a coffee shop and get your day started there, read the paper Who knows, maybe you will read something interesting to talk about with the people you work with.

Once you have started to change your everyday life for the better, begin to change your social life. Get involved in the community, instead of spending your Saturday shopping, or watching television, go give a few hours back to the community you call home. Through this you will meet new people with new interests, and they will tell you about things you can do that you may have never heard about. I know last time I went out to do some community service I learned that there is a gallery hop the first weekend of every month in Columbus, Ohio. I now go to this every time it is here because of the cultural experiences I gain…

I realize that some of this advice is repetitive, and you have heard it all before, but I am not just preaching community service and exercise, I am telling you from personal experience that adapting to change, and making the most of it is the key to success in entrepreneurship. I know you will try things that you won’t necessarily enjoy, and some things that you will love. I can guarantee you will have experiences you never quite imagined, and you will see what it is like to adapt to change. Don’t allow your life to slip away because it gets lost in your routine. Make sure you have something to remember, and something to talk about whether it is today, tomorrow or 20 years from now.

Welcome to my life

Welcome to my blog.  This is a look into my life, my experiences, and my view of current events and people.  I would like to start by explaining the name I chose.  Future4Now is my interpretation of the everyday life of someone that is completely motivated by entrepreneurial visions.  Everyday it is necessary to exam your future, what exactly you are doing, how it will affect you at that moment, and what impact it will have on your life tomorrow, next week, and next year.  However, the title has more meaning than that.  As a person driven by my own motivation, I know that it is important to keep an open mind, and my future is my future for NOW, tomorrow it may be different. Through my experience as a college student I have taken the opportunities to reach out to people that have started their own businesses, and have been successful, people that have attempted and failed, and people that have chosen to follow the Intrapreneurship path.

 

Through these meetings, lectures, and readings, I have realized that no matter what area you focus on, whether you want to promote a product, a person, or an idea, you need to adjust your lifestyle so that you are completely comfortable and confident in what you are doing.  The life of an entrepreneur is full of questions and answers, and NOTHING happens over night.  Join me as I post about what I have seen, some of the things I have done (and will be doing), and the uncertain future of a senior in college attempting to find his own way while avoiding any dollar signs that large corporations want to waive.