Evolution of a Business Relationship...

Several years ago I used to make politically charged hip-hop music with a friend of mine. We thought that we could change the world for the better by creating and distributing music that had controversial viewpoints about our government and the multi-national corporations that rule a large portion of the world. We had a purpose that was selfless and because of that we experienced a moderate degree of success. As we invested more and more into this project, it became clear that we needed a way to fund our efforts.





We decided to take a break from the music and focus on creating a profitable enterprise that could allow us to expand our movement. We created a promotional company that would be dedicated to promoting local community businesses online. After several years we had yet to make a real profit in the marketplace and became discouraged in our effort. Our dream had yet to materialize into the organization we had hoped to create. I found myself doing most of the clerical/technical work i.e. website, graphics, sales, marketing etc...

My business partner had no interest in learning these disciplines. He decided to concentrate on street promotions i.e. distributing fliers, posters etc... I wanted to spend more time developing the infrastructure of our organization but he didn't seem to have an interest in developing infrastructure, he wanted me to do all the work organizing the company and just wanted to focus on the day-to-day operations. I was able to successfully negotiate a street-promotion contract with a local venue. I was the first and only person to bring revenue to our company.

Because it seemed that my business partner didn't have a passion for organizational development and I didn't feel like I should have the responsibility to develop all the systems on my own, I thought it would be better to put the development of this organization on hold while i pursued my passion for photography. This eventually evolved into a business itself and my business partner felt threatened.

This resulted in him feeling alienated and decided to start his own promotion company. I completely understood this decision and felt relieved because through this process I realized that I don't have a passion for promotion myself. We should try to only do things that we have a passion for if possible, this results in a much happier existence. The bottom line is that when you own your own company, you have control over is success or failure. This is not always the case in a partnership.

Depravation Mentality Pt. 1

There is an emptiness in all of us that cannot be filled with material possessions. Sometimes this emptiness manifests as envy, other times it manifests as greed. Having a dualistic mentality contributes heavily to this feeling of emptiness that many of us have experienced at one time or another. Things are generally seen as Black or White, Wrong or Right, Us or Them. Lets attempt to break down the walls that confine our minds and look at the world from a more collective perspective. We live on a planet with a finite amount of space, at some point we are going to have to learn how to share.

Should We Sacrifice Our Ethics for Extra Income?

I've been noticing a trend in modern business to sacrifice ethical behavior in exchange for added rewards. The thing that seems odd to me is that many people take the deal without considering the consequences of their actions. I have had several opportunities in my lifetime to sacrifice my ethical beliefs for financial rewards. Since then I have come to learn that every cause has an effect, every action has a reaction, it's simply a law of nature. To become aware of the decisions we make before we make them has an incredibly beneficial effect on our future. If we can imagine the chain of events that may occur as a result of a single action, we can effectively begin to control our destiny. This post is a testament to that fact.

Can you help me fix my friend's problem?

What do you do when you have a friend that is trying his best to support his family, working 12 hour days and just can't make it happen. I have learned many things from him, most importantly how hard it is to run your own business. He owns and operates a Mediterranean restaurant near my house. He provides excellent food for a very fair price. Some people have all the luck but all he seems to get are bills. I have made several suggestions regarding his situation, my first idea was that he applies for an advance on something called the Earned Income Tax Credit. I am uncertain whether this applies to families that are self-employed but I don't see why it wouldn't. My second idea is that he sells the business... Even though it is his family's primary source of income, I think that it will take too long to make the business profitable and the seed money has long been spent. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding government assistance, or loans that apply to businesses? BTW my friend went through bankruptcy recently due to financial hardships...

A Few Thoughts on Work...

I woke up early today and experienced a temporary state of confusion... What is that loud obnoxious sound? Why is it dark outside? Why does my neck feel like beef jerky? And then it struck me... My Thanksgiving break is over, it's time to go back to work. I can't remember the last time I had a four day weekend... Lately I've begin to realize that my job is dull, the people I work with are obnoxious, the satisfaction I receive from a job well done is minimal. I am a robot. I wake up, get dressed, go to work, go home, eat dinner, do some work for myself, get some exercise, read a book for a while and go to sleep only to repeat this process again and again until I reach the weekend. But to keep things relative, Americans work longer hours then most of their foreign counterparts but the standard of living is still alot higher than most third world countries. With that in mind, I can appreciate the fact that I'm work in a safe office environment, blog at work, complete tasks that are not that difficult and receive an income that provides me with a roof over my head, a cell phone, car insurance, groceries, a modest entertainment budget and a few bucks to throw in my savings acct every month. Things aren't too bad after all...

Yesterday's Challenge Was Today's Success

Don't worry about the challenges you face in life, I assure you there is no life and there are no problems. The Chinese word for crisis also means opportunity. Do not allow yourself the dissatisfaction of allowing emotions such as greed, jealousy, envy to disrupt your life. These are things that make us feel separated. Instead lets try to feel emotions like love, hope, enthusiasm, excitement and happiness. Our strength comes from the source. Lets be one with the source and enjoy the peace and serenity that it brings us. Let your anger, rage and frustration disappear. Allow yourself to forgive those that have caused you pain. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made in life. Practice forgiveness in every moment of every day.

A Day In The Life

Sometimes life can be confusing... We wake up, get ready for school, work etc... Never do we take pause and wonder "who made all these rules?". Society was arranged before we arived on this terristrial plane and it will continue to be after we are long gone. I take comfort in the fact that I am connected to all things and they to me. If we could all help perpetuate a culture of acceptance and forgiveness our problems would solve themselves. If we can begin with the end in mind we can be closer to that goal.