Startup Libraries: Build One Today

October 19th, 2011



To any startup owner in Boston, NYC, the Valley, Detroit, Miami, and Antarctica, too.

If you own a business, you should think about building a startup library for your fellow employees. I don't care if there's only one of you, ten, fifty, or if you run a company of thousands. I highly suggest you buy books (whether physical books or through a bunch of Kindle's or iPads) that your fellow co-workers can take with them at their leisure, at any time, anywhere. At our business, we've bought about 25 books thus far for employees. No. Not hundreds. Just 25. It's a start in the right direction. I imagine by year end we'll be hovering around 50.

If you were to look at our "library" you'd think it looked pretty bare. And while many people may scoff at that, it makes me smile. What would you rather have: A library with all of it's booked neatly stacked on shelves? Or an empty bookcase, with the books in the hands of employees?

Buying books for your fellow employees sets a tone within the office that you value productivity. It says that you value progress. That you value deliberation and thought and curiosity. That you value enhancing individuals lives through knowledge. And most importantly: It says that you care about them.

Here is a list of my favorite books of all time that can help you popular your own startup library. In order...

1. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand (my #1 favorite book of all time)
2. Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
4. Lincoln the Unknown - Dale Carnegie
5. What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School - Mark McCormack
6. The Definitive Book of Body Language - Allan Pease, Barabara Pease
7. The Art of the Deal - Donald Trump
8. The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki
9. Rework - Jason Fried & David Heinemeier
10. Do More Faster - Brad Feld, David Cohen
11. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickins
12. Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
13. Inc. and Grow Rich - C.W. Allen, Cheri S. Hill, Diane Kennedy, Garrett Sutton
14. Manhunt: The 12-Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer - James Swanson
15. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

Education is the light. You cannot escape it. Embrace it and make it a staple of your office. Promote education and reading amongst your peers. Be the champion of your startup library. Add new books to it each month. Talk amongst the office and see what others are reading. People work out to build strong muscles. Now build the strongest muscle of all: your brain. The mind is a beautiful thing. I'm sure you saw the movie. Now it's time to put that puppy to work.

Tell me what you think gangsters.

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Where startups should buy business cards

October 18th, 2011

One word: Vistaprint. Why? Because they have a 50+% off coupon that is ALMOST ALWAYS on the internet at any given point in time.

The next time you buy business cards... do this:

  1. Go to Vistaprint.
  2. Click on "Business Cards" and follow their process to select what you'd like to make (upload your own image or choose a template)
  3. Before signing out, search in Google for "90% off Vistaprint coupon." (I realize I typed 90%. You can easily type 50%, but hell, might as well try for 90%, right???)
  4. A number of searches will come up. Open up these websites and find the one with the biggest discount on it.
  5. Once you find it, click on it. It should then redirect you back to Vistaprint. The previous quoted pricing will now be slashed with a line through it, displaying the new (significantly cheaper) price next to it.
TA-DAAAAA.

Now that's getting business cards on the cheap!

Oh! And for my favorite business card video of all time... Please enjoy...
American Psycho Scene: Paul Allen's Card.
Tell me whatchu thank!

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How to Hire Young People: Showers & Kitchens

October 17th, 2011




If you are a college or university in the U.S. of A, you most likely have realized by now the importance of building great dining commons (where students get food) and great athletic facilities (where students go to exercise and hang out). And if you're a startup in Boston, I hope you've realized by now two important things you should absolutely look for when looking at new offices: showers and kitchens.

I think that finding top talent is insanely important. Luckily, I really enjoy it. It gets me going. And I'll tell you what helps me close deals: showers and kitchens.

Salary, equity, commissions, health insurance, dental, and 401k are all great.

And I'll tell you what seals deals for young people: SHOWERS and KITCHENS.

Allow a motivated employee the ability to bike or run to work, or leave in the middle of the day to exercise, and shower at the office, and you just scored a BIG WIN.

Allow a motivated employee the ability to cook his/her breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the office, and you just scored double time baby. It creates convenience. It creates frugality. It just makes sense.

Encourage your employees to stay at the office longer by removing the common need to eat and bath at home. At the end of the day it will always come down to their choice. But, having the choice is a major step in the right direction.

Learn a lesson from colleges across the country, and take advice from me on this one. Showers and kitchens: the team builder's best closer.

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Atlas Shrugged Sunday: This is John Galt Speaking

October 16th, 2011

To all those looking for John Galt's speech. This is the best I've found online. If you have not read Atlas Shrugged yet, I suggest you do so. Enjoy.

Part I of III


Part II of III


Part III of III


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Atlas Shrugged: the greatest book of all time

October 15th, 2011


Today I finished Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Of the hundreds of books I have read throughout my life, this surpasses all.

It is, in my eyes, the greatest book of all time.

And the greatest part of all: I know already that nothing will ever surpass it.

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