Entrepreneurship Education

What did you actually keep from the last program you paid to be in? For me it wasn't the degree. Years after my MBA, the thing that still pays off is a handful of relationships I made there, not any single lecture. One of them started with a guest speaker. He came in, presented, and most of the room took notes and left. I introduced myself. Then I did the part almost nobody bothers with... I stayed in touch, for years. That one relationship went on to matter more to my business than anything on the syllabus. The curriculum has a shelf life. A relationship you actually tend can compound for decades. If you're building a practice of your own, treat the people you meet now as the asset. Positioning gets you in the room; the relationships you keep are what pay you back for years. That's the work I help with. See how on my site, linked in the first comment. #IndependentConsultant #Coaching #GoingIndependent #PersonalBrand #ThoughtLeadership …more

I got a Master Teacher award from SJSU. Thank you to SJSU, to the College of Business, and especially to the students who made the classroom worth showing up to. #ThoughtLeadership #Reputation …more

It's competition season for university student founders. If you're building a company while juggling exams, team schedules, and pitch decks, you already know how hard this stretch is. The late nights refining your deck. The pressure to stand out in a room full of talent. The quiet worry that your idea won't land the way you hope. Here's what I've seen after advising dozens of founders and helping build companies from launch to exit: the teams that do well in competitions aren't always the ones with the flashiest ideas. They're the ones who can explain their value clearly, show they understand their customer, and prove they can execute. Competitions are a forcing function. They push you to sharpen your story, defend your assumptions, and practice delivering under pressure. Win or lose, that clarity stays with you. So if you're in the middle of this right now, good luck. Take the feedback seriously. Use the reps. And remember that the real work starts after the competition ends. If you're a student founder who wants a second set of eyes on your messaging or go-to-market plan, send me a message. Happy to help. #startups #entrepreneurship …more

Here's a little clip from my Radi8 pitch at the March 4th New Tech Meetup in Santa Cruz. I always tell founders to beware the demo demons, doing a demo that quickly shows the unique value of your innovation is HARD... I admit my demo fell short, but I learned a lot from the experience. And that's what matters most: Get out into the world. Learn and do it again. What do you think I can do to make my pitch better? Radi8 is a Social Media Command Center that helps marketers create, schedule, and post content easily. Plus, new features for employee advocacy, content discovery, and AI assisted posting, make Radi8 the most powerful social media marketing platform available. If you want to pilot Radi8 in your marketing team, let me know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC376aW8Nec&t=204s …more

AI is reshaping the job market. Universities must do more than prepare students for jobs; they should act as incubators for entrepreneurship, teaching critical thinking, curiosity, ethics and product skills. I’ve seen first hand how SpartUp at SJSU has helped students, the university and the community. From launching programs and startups, three practical lessons stand out: use project-based coursework, embed experienced mentors, and run low-risk pilots that let students ship and learn. If you’re an early-career professional aiming for product or operations roles, start by building a short project, finding one mentor, and proposing a campus pilot. https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/the-case-for-universities-as-startup-incubators …more

SJSU students: this is a practical way to get involved and experience entrepreneurship while you're in college. If you're an early-stage founder or curious about startups, join SpartUp Founder Fiesta on 3/12 for a panel discussion hosted by the SpartUp Incubator. As a founder and long-time mentor, I've learned that early customer feedback and mentorship shape are the fastest way to go to market. Want to connect there? Send me a message. #startups https://luma.com/nnxlhtzj …more