By Cliff Lee | July 9, 2012
On Friday, Debbie Goldstein explained the art of handling a difficult conversation. The techniques she mentioned are designed to help overcome the agreement gap between two people. The techniques can be applied in difficult conversations with just about anyone including a roommate, co-worker, or family member. The next day, I learned Ray Allen decided to…
By Fan Bi | June 8, 2011
A little advice on getting connected to investors, with Frank Lo, founder of Mountain Vertical. Several years ago, I founded my first startup, a retail company that I had ambitions of turning into a viable regional chain with potentially dozens of stores across the northeastern US. We raised capital and were firing on all cylinders…
By Fan Bi | August 25, 2010
I was reading an article written by Ron Brooks about saltwater fishing. “I know times when the fish were visible, lots of them, and they would not so much as nibble at even a live bait presented to them. What reason is there for a fish not to bite?,” he wrote. Weird but after reading…
By Fan Bi | August 21, 2010
There are many ways to communicate. You can do so by talking to the person face-to-face or if you choose to do so, you can talk to the person via phone, email or Internet. Not like how it was in the old days when people have very few methods of communicating. Can you imagine yourself…
By Fan Bi | May 12, 2010
We just rented an office for $400 or $500 a month — some really tiny little office in Palo Alto. [It] was cheaper than an apartment. And then [we] bought futons that converted into a couch, which was sort of like a meeting area during the day. We would sleep there at night and shower…
By Bongo Bing | April 5, 2010
There has been much debate among entrepreneurs as to whether it is better to start a company in California or Massachusetts. One of the main arguments for Cali of course is the unbeatable weather and more relaxed atmosphere. For Mass, one of the biggest pros is the “aggressive” minded entrepreneurs who will be your peers…
By Bongo Bing | January 3, 2010
I’ve always worked better while having CNBC in the background, it makes me feel more professional for some reason. I see all of those traders on the New York Stock Exchange moving millions of dollars worth of equity and it motivates me to work harder so I could one day be the investor they are…
By Bongo Bing | December 3, 2009
Today I met a fellow entrepreneur at his “day job”, this was a first for me. A day job and entrepreneurship never really occurred to me as something that could exist simultaneously, amazing. This fellow entrepreneur shared with me that getting a job does not necessarily mean that you have to quit being an entrepreneur, but instead have found…
By Bongo Bing | November 22, 2009
Just read “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson. The book is a must read and has already begun to help me in my business and in my personal life. Everything comes down to thinking about the other person, but not spending too much time managing them. Instead of “watching” them all…
By Bongo Bing | November 9, 2009
My biggest drawback has always been my inability to stay focused on a boring task, but it is something that we must all do. The way that I’ve grown to deal with it is by using the same thought process everyone goes through right before they go into a pool and are afraid of touching…