Category Archives: Business

Selfish Expression

Posted on February 12, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Certain words or phrases, or demeanors, or attitudes convey certain things.  Your every action makes an expression, either bolstering or betraying you.  Stand up straight, look people in the eye, speak clearly and without hesitation, and people are inclined to … Continue reading →

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Fear and Fire

Posted on February 11, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can’t control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy … Continue reading →

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Cultivate Failure

Posted on February 8, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill Failure is part of all entrepreneurial processes.  Even if you’re wildly successful right out of the gate, even if you’re Facebook, … Continue reading →

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How Do I Improve?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Someone wrote to me today asking how to improve their photography.  I wrote back a short reply, and realized it is in no way limited to photography: Hi S., Thanks very much! My advice to you would be to look … Continue reading →

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Sustained Charity

Posted on February 6, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Most people think of charity is something to be done weekly, monthly, or yearly.  A tithe, or a purged closet to Goodwill, or serving Thanksgiving meals to the homeless. But charity can be practiced on a more immediate, more constant … Continue reading →

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Shut Up

Posted on February 4, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Michael Bloomberg shares some excellent advice: Always ask for the order, and second, when the customer says yes, stop talking.  I have watched more people make great presentations, whether they’re trying to sell to their family or in business or … Continue reading →

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The Hacker Way

Posted on February 1, 2012 by AJ Kessler

As part of Facebook’s S-1 filing today, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a letter to shareholders.  In it, he outlines the culture and process that helped make Facebook’s phenomenal success possible.  If you notice your way of doing business, or creating art, … Continue reading →

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How To Succeed At Anything

Posted on January 30, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Be so good they can’t ignore you. – Steve Martin Being good is easy to ignore. Lots of people are good. When you’re just good, you give someone else the power to decide your future. Whether it’s a hiring manager, … Continue reading →

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The First Thing You Do When You Sit Down At The Computer

Posted on January 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

What’s the first thing you do?  Check your email?  See who needs you?  Whose problems need solving?  Maybe you “warm your brain up” by checking news, or gossip, or sports, or playing a game. (hint: you’re really warming your brain … Continue reading →

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Productive Procrastination

Posted on January 25, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Everyone needs a mental break at some point during the day.  It’s biological: mammals are programmed to experience two intensely sleepy periods during the day, the first between 2 and 4 am, and the second between 1 and 3 pm. … Continue reading →

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It’s Never Easy, Even For The Great Ones

Posted on January 24, 2012 by AJ Kessler

David Ogilvy was the “Father of Advertising”.  In 1962,  Time magazine called him “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry”.  He, and his eponymous advertising firm, were responsible for some of the world’s most iconic advertising campaigns, like “Don’t leave … Continue reading →

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Bad Career Advice: Just Network!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you’ve ever looked for a job, you’ve undoubtedly been advised that the best way to get a one is through your network.  If you don’t have a network, all experts agree you need to get out and build one. … Continue reading →

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Racing To Not Fall Behind

Posted on January 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries. – Blaise Pascal, 17th Century We have now, as a society, reached a point of near constant and total … Continue reading →

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Front-Running

Posted on January 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why does it matter who wins the South Carolina primary next week?  Why, after votes in only two other states, would a win for Mitt Romney make him the prohibitive favorite?  It’s an interesting psychological question that reaches far beyond … Continue reading →

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You’re Not A Perfectionist, You’re Just Scared

Posted on January 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why was Steve Jobs so good at what he did?  Not because he was a perfectionist. For all the talk of Steve Job’s perfectionism in the weeks and months after his death, most people tended to gloss over the cornucopia of shit products … Continue reading →

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