Happy Halloween

Being scared is a feeling that causes your heart to beat a little harder.
It's what causes that fight or flight feeling that is instilled in all of us.
That feeling is what gives you the adrenaline rush.
The adrenaline rush is what gives you that increased strength, power, heightened senses and intuition.

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That feeling is addictive.


For as long as I can remember, I have always loved watching old horror movies.  I have always loved hearing old ghost stories.  I have always loved Halloween.

Once a year when I was very young, my mom, brother and I would go into town (always in October) and visit all of the department stores.

There was one store that I really looked forward to.  It was an unknown store, run by a man from India whom barely spoke English.  I don't even know the name of the store, but it was a tiny, old building away from all of the mainstream stores.   

When we would visit, nobody else was every in there shopping.  It was a dead little store.  However, they had the ultimate halloween masks.  In order to get to the halloween stuff, you had to ask the man to visit the upstairs attic.  He would lead you up a dark stairway into another level where all the really cool stuff was hiding.  Where there were things that other people didn't know was there.  Things that others could not have.  He had masks imported from another country that were truly movie-esque.  And yes, they were masks that you couldn't find at the Hills, Kmarts, Gabriels, and Phar-mors.

It was as if nobody else knew it was all there.  It was all to ourselves.  Every year we were able to buy 1 mask (because they were not cheap).  Those masks are brought out and used as decorations every year on Halloween. 


I used to love Halloween because it was a time to be scared with all of the haunted houses and scary Roseanne episodes.  And I, like you, love that feeling of being scared. 

But, I think I love it for a different reason now.


You see, what scared me back then, doesnt scare me now.  And what scares me now, never scared me then.


Nowadays, I love what Halloween stands for:

 - - doing something out of the ordinary - - anticipation mixed with fear - going into those dark places and finding something that nobody else can ever have - - a reminder of the old days.


It's all so addictive.



Happy Halloween,

-Mike

you don't darken my door...

On one of my first Halloweens (approximately 5 years old), my parents gave me the choice to be  anything that I wanted (on a budget of course).

So...

I wore a Ghostbuster jump suit, a rabbit mask, and carried a machine gun.

From then on out, I was hooked on the holiday.   

The week leading up to October 31 is always special.  Better movies, better shows, and Halloween stores seem to fill in those abandoned warehouses that used to be Value City Furniture at one time or another.

However, this week is a little extra special.  We, as a company, have welcomed in a new branch that will take our vision into more lucrative areas.  

GoNextWorld, LLC  will begin to invest heavily into a direct-to-consumer service division:  TMA

So, Welcome to the family TMA.. and Happy Halloween - a day that we can do anything that we want..(on a budget of course).

3 things i learned in the past 5 years...

3 things that I learned in the past 5 years:



1) Zombies can become trendy. 

2) Corey Haim is not invincible.

3) Thinking way too emotional about something (especially in the beginning) will only hurt you in the end.




Our biggest mistake was our emotional attachment to something that we thought was a major piece to the company and the brand.

It isn't .  At least not for now.  So, it will take a back seat for while. 

What matters in the business world is:  Clarity, ease of use, and fulfilling a DEMAND.

After all of these meet..... then, and only then can you become emotional.

The day after we removed it, it was as if a fog disappeared, a ball and chain was cut free, and we were back on track.

I've said it before and I will say it again - Getting too creative can cost you your life. 

Fulfill a demand, then you can get creative.

Get emotional in the end.. not in the beginning.




until then...

stay curious,

Mike

anything less is just unacceptable...

Two nights ago, I had the opportunity to visit and speak at Duquesne University's Business Fraternity known as Pi Sigma Epsilon.

The main discussion was guided towards sales, in general.  So, I talked about my experiences and what I learned through much trial and error.

As I stepped back into one of my old classrooms, I had a weird feeling come over me.

I was thinking "The last time I stepped into that room 6 years ago, I was completely lost, wearing ripped up jeans, smelling of the night before, no care of learning, and had no sense of identity, belonging or certainty in my decisions.  And that was acceptable to me.


So, I started the discussion with a few questions: "Why do they want to be in sales, marketing, and management, or what do you want to do in your life outside of college?"

And like me when I was 21, most did not have an answer.

6 years can do a lot to someone.  Mistakes can make a man and a company bleed.

But, the 6 years can teach you a few things.

The discussion allowed me to tell some of the stories (both good and bad) that taught me a lot.

No scripted notes, no projectors, no magic show. 

Hopefully, they were able to take something away from it.

Whether they did or not, I am not sure, But I sure had a take away from it----


 I have an answer now.
And anything less, is just unacceptable.

how soon is now...

Never bite the hand that feeds.  Bite the hand that tries to take it away.

Throughout this entire journey of starting a business, it is easy to be lead down paths that may not exactly pan out immediately.

Paths there have no arrows/directions to your final destination.
Paths that have no "rest stops" to stop and refuel.
Paths that have no other souls to ask for advice. 
Paths that have no sales...no revenue, or shall I say "FOOD".


You see, in the beginning, we offered a service that took much reliance on small businesses to implement and use it.  That takes an unbelievable amount of time and money.  Time and money that startup businesses simply do not have.
The return on investment was poor.   It was almost like we were putting our future in the hands of small businesses that did not care. 

So, we had to work smarter... if we wanted to eat.


For approximately 5 years, we nearly starved to death.  Until 1 day, we found a bowl of food on the side of the path...and a way to keep it coming.

While one person kept an eye on the food, the others searched the other paths for more.

From here on out, the mentality remains the same - Never bite the hand that feeds.  Bite the ones that try and take it away.

the world needs a little...

If you know me at all, you know that October is my favorite month.  Not only is it the last month of the year that I have to cut my grass, the incessant sweating begins to fade, ...and it ultimately means Halloween is near.

It always makes me think of all of the haunted houses my parents took my brother and I to when we were younger.


Life is a hell of a lot more simple when you are younger.  Everyday thoughts consisted of:  "When is Peter going to finally accept Slimer as one of their own", ... and... "when are they going to actually make a hoverboard"... and.. "When will I have my chance at Vada Sultenfuss."

Simple... yet important.

 I've wrote a lot about the importance of keeping it simple.  
 The world tends to get a little more complicated as we get older.  How do I pay the bills,....and what decision should I make that will be for the greater good, ...and what do I spend our limited time on, are the everyday thoughts.  Life becomes objective oriented.

Sometimes, what you are trying to achieve is out of your hands.  Sometimes it requires a little help.

And as you make your way through all of the noise and pollution the world will throw at ya,  you keep uttering the same words Tommy said to the warden in Shawshank Redemption... "Just give me that chance".

When it arrives, you can't let it pass you by.


October ...(and the Halloween season).. has arrived.