Category: zUncategorized

Why a Nonprofit?

The reason I started a nonprofit was the combination of two ideas.

1) Was Equity Crowdfunding was the topic of the entrepreneurial elite. I’m not an elitist. I wanted to bring Equity Crowdfunding to the crowd.

2) Minnesota is in dire need of glamour.

By making Minnesota a hotspot for entrepreneurship AND a little more glamorous, we could attract and retain a whole bunch of talent and capital. Silicon Valley was for the 90’s. It’s still the center for IoT.

But right now, things that are very Minnesotan, such as MedTech, Food Tech, and others, are being lost, as innovators move West, where the money is and where the action is.

Now is the time to change that. Hence the name, MinnesotaNow.

MinnesotaNow has published several articles, but not everyone bothered to read them.

Complaining that MinnesotaNow was charging $15 for a chance for people to meet Venture Capitalists, which it was not doing, is just as well justified as the guy who complained because it wasn’t a singles event.

Seriously people….. Stop being sad.

MinnesotaNow is about raising the bar so Minnesota is a more suitable environment for small business investors. We’re trying to get away from”Venture Capitalists” because the phrase is too marketingesque.

But MinnesotaNow is also another reading the bar for events. Every event is the same. That’s why it’s gala was different.

MinnesotaNow is also about the long-term. Capitalism seems to be short-sighted. MinnesotaNow is going to make more money for everyone. It’s just not doing to happen in this fiscal year! Be patient. MinnesotaNow is about culture. It’s about helping this be such a great small business environment, that the guidance, knowledge, assistance, and capital is available, so all people need to succeed is a great idea and hard work/discipline.

That’s what MinnesotaNow is about. It’s a nonprofit because the kind of return it’ll give I’d I’ve The course of years and years, and that’s not a good investment, and it’s a return for everyone.

Oh, and awesome events. Duh. But that’s because I’m in charge.

 

MinnesotaNow should write a formal now similar to this, but I feel like they’re not going to have time until at least their Community day is passed.

For my Non-Facebndsrieook FriendsS

Believe it or not, I do have some  friends who are not on Facebook.

They may want to see pics from my trip. They’re available here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100645477430252.1073741847.40102582&type=1&l=da76ceafd9

After a Few Hours On Board

In just a few hours, I had dinner at a nice restaurant, went to a salsa class, broke out into being the only couple salsa dancing (between class stages, the instructor let us keep going, two levels of people were cheering), and sang Bohemian Rhapsody karaoke (people didn’t just cheer, but people came up to me after and said it was awesome). Note I’m changing for a dance party.
This was an awesome decision!

Warmer

It’s getting nice outside!

today I ran the 2.7 mile loop by my house for the first time this year. It was bad, but in a good way!

I started running season by running the Everybody’s Irish 5K. I ran all winter, but only 1 mile at a time because it was cold and I was really busy with work. So at the 5K, I ran good for about a mile. Then I ran/walked the last 2.1 miles…. I averaged 3.75 mph. Yuck!

That will no doubt get better once I learn how to breathe and can run longer. I’ve always been fine with distance (when it’s not the first long run of the year). This year, once I get my legs back so I can run indefinitely again, for the first time ever, I’m going to work on speed.

Type

I’m the kind of person who follows up with everyone always.

I’m responsive. If life gives me a hint, I take it, even if it makes no sense. You’ll never know when people might need a hand, and it’s possible that they need to be reminded that someone’s got their back.

Moreover, I’m an incredible friend, and I support people. I’ve built my life around helping and supporting others, and I see no better way.

It’s Only Tuesday?!

Today started like most days: I got up to go to work at “whenever o’clock”, had some coffee, checked the Facebooks, that kind of stuff.
I saw that my friends were moving at 9:00, so after heading to the ATM to deposit client checks, I ran to my friends’ place to give a hand. Many of you know I support my friends whenever possible. And while my self-made schedule at work said I’d be there at 9:30, I recalled the note I have next to it that states, “times are approximate.”

I chuckled at my immense cleverness and went to help my friends – plus there was bagels of the sugary, “why don’t they call these donuts?” variety.

After helping my friends, I headed in to work. Blah, blah, blah – I worked.

Then I went to my SLP office to meet with someone who wanted to chat.

Knowing about the meeting previously, my intern was scheduled to work there after. We worked together for only a couple hours, but we were having technical issues.

So we drove back to Saint Paul and had a little Davanni’s, where she’s never been, and which she enjoyed.

After dinner, I went back home. I sirens until now working on my computers with dance music going and having the occasional dance (way quicker than going to the gym).

Tonight I solved all of the technical problems (which I did in my head on my way to Davanni’s, but I had to set up the systems and write instructions for the solution).
I actually solved two problems.

If you ever notice that I feel like I haven’t talked to you for months when I’m busy, it’s not because I’m desperate to talk to people or to smile, but it’s because time slows down.

I LOVE IT

I am blessed with a skewed perception of time, and it allows me to do more and experience more life. While normal people have a year of life experience, I feel like I have 2. I’m the luckiest man alive!

I’ve only heard of this time slowing down phenomenon one other place, but I can’t remember where….

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Chilling Drama

I was at the board of directors meeting for my new client’s nonprofit, not as a director, but just seeing what they’re doing. It’s pretty cool – my client is a big jazz singer, and her nonprofit has a few big, highly-marketed concerts each year. At the concerts, they let a few young artists (16 to 22 years old or something) showcase their skills. Pretty neat stuff.

Anyways, I was there for about 90 minutes and thinking about taking off, when I got some text messages from Alaina. She was super upset because of a guy.

She hadn’t eaten all day, so I took her to dinner and listened to her as she ate dinner. I was definitely there for her, which I live supporting my friends and do so more than most know.

besides calming her down, I had her reflect about getting so upset. How drama is totally useless and offers no remedy but often renders a person unproductive (and yes, I talk to people using this precise diction).

I’m trying to get her out of the habit of being a drama queen because it helps no one. She’s also been emphasizing finding a husband too much, and I told her, basically, she won’t find a good guy if she’s looking for one. That’s not how life works. That’s how sure was before she met the more recent guy – just having fun and taking care of herself.

The general rule is that if your looking hard for the right significant other, you’ll be too eager to hop into things, and you’ll hop into things too early and you’ll get hurt.

She said she’ll definitely get to know someone better next time.

For me, I’m not looking too hard. I get along way better with people I meet onlifr instead of meet online. I’m online, but I don’t like it. I don’t like most women, apparently. I think it’s because most women can’t carry a halfway decent conversation.

I’ll send on a side not. Alaina’s Ukrainian friends always want a picture of her and I together. Likely it’s because I’m the best man in her life until she keeps a husband candidate for longer. But tonight she took a clever one looking out to Nicollet. I enjoyed it:

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Annual Reminder

For all of my friends, family, and anyone who sees me from place to place, I’d like to write you the same message I do every year around this time.

I am very busy from now until mid-April. While I absolutely enjoy people when I am with them, when I am writing you messages or emails or even sometimes talking on the phone, my communications may be a little curt. That’s not because I’m mad or anything, but it’s because I’m doing something.

Getting to the main purpose of my annual reminder, just because I’m busy does not mean I am too busy for you. I push myself very hard during busy season to maintain work/life balance. Sometimes, this means just a little balance, like blasting away for a quick drink with a friend or for dinner, before returning to work.

So as I always say, don’t say, “Oh, Justin is probably too busy to hang out” or “We should leave him alone to get things done.”
That is incorrect. You should give me the option. I’ve been doing this for years, which means I can tell you whether it would be better to come or not. I know myself, I know my business, and I know the ramifications of the bad decisions I might make. I also know that I can handle it.

If you need a “yes” or “no”, please let me know, and I will tell you. However, most RSVPs, for instance, on meetup, are definite maybes. If it’s early in the morning, it’s contingent on whether or not I work until 1 or 2. If it’s in the evening, it’s contingent on of I can take the time.
Usually if it’s a business event, I’ll RSVP yes because I usually hope to go, but lately, I’ve been saying “yes” because it’s better exposure. I kid you not, I had someone contact me because they were hoping they would meet me. Therefore, I always “hope to attend” networking events. Of course, I’m hoping to go to them because I often get one to three clients fro each event, plus I want to introduce my intern and one of my clients to some networking.

So please, bug me, distract me from work. I push myself because I want to succeed. Losing work/life balance is not succeeding. I’m busy, but I’m social. If I need to do the impossible, I can. I’m more capable this year than any busy season past. It’s awesome!

Very busy business