Digital Ventures

I am passionate about ‘entrepreneurship’ and love to work in and with Startups as an advisor, coach, and investor.

My life as an entrepreneur started well before I was aware of it, my Mother would say from the age of 5, but whatever age you go back to I was always a maverick, even at school.

I went to many schools around the World, lived in many countries, and was exposed to many cultures and languages – this helped me become a keen and curious observer of life. Even when I was young I was also one of those people that was a good listener and kids would often confide in me but I was actually also quite shy and something of a loner.

I learned early, however, that I could make friends and help other people not through an outgoing personality but by ‘contribution’. At that age, I didn’t have a word for it, but today it’s my watchword and what I base much of my life around. This website and its content are an example, I want to help you, and I also want you to help me help others by sharing what you found helpful and your life lessons.

Let’s try and encourage everyone to pay it forward!

Over the last 30 years I have started over a half dozen businesses, indeed today I am still involved in several so I am a working entrepreneur but I take the time to actively help others through giving my time, my resources and my money – my favorite phrase to sum up my philosophy is “you get what you give” – I find the more I give the more help I get but don’t think that my giving is driven by a need to have my gifts returned, it is not. I am just reporting a healthy consequence of my actions. If you “give to get” you will not have the same results I assure you.

It’s an important philosophy because many of the ideas and businesses I have created have come from outside my direct experience and domain but I have been so lucky in my life in being to turn many of these ventures into successes – much of that luck has been generated from contribution and manifesting.

You will find if you choose to be an entrepreneur you will have many moments when you need inspiration, help, and guidance and out of nowhere it will come if you have been thoughtful enough to have given of yourself during your entrepreneurial journey.

Being your mentor or coach?

First I want to say that being a mentor is not about talking down to you about how wonderful I am and to boast about my past successes, if anything my role is to expose my past failures and weaknesses in order that you can avoid them. Think of me as an equal, a coach, someone who is a trusted friend who wants the best for you and your life.

I encourage you to get as many mentors as you can to help you navigate your life as an Entrepreneur, I have found them a lifesaver in so many ways and there is no way I would have as much success without them. Each added their own value, each had a limited set of experiences like me, but as a whole, you get a broader knowledgebase to boost your own to help with the many challenges you will meet on your journey.

I hope to help you with what I have learned in my blog, books, and at the Schools, I teach at such as CU-Boulder, Stanford, LBS, and Berkeley.

See the LinkedIn profile for an up to date overview of the Author.