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There are 27,000 current members in Linked n Chicago, thousands of members & friends of Big Ooga, Local First, BNC, Evanston Chamber, West Suburban Chamber, the Naperville LinkedIn Business Group and the Evanston / North Shore Business Group. Among them, the owners, founders, leaders, volunteers and members share a common vision, to create a working, [...]

The real heavy lifting for Chicago entrepreneurs is the thinking – it’s the figuring out and adjusting  – what is my product or service? What needs to change and improve? What words should I use to describe it? The ongoing evolution process is agonizing!  Real entrepreneurship means hitting moving targets and constantly adjusting to the [...]

Until recently I was a hardcore how-to reader, spending time inhaling nonfiction.  Why waste time on made-up stories when how-to do everything is indexed neatly in the library?  How-to books make you smarter. They break things into steps even a monkey can do! They strip away narrative and serve up facts gathered from lifetimes of [...]

I have started two companies – one backwards and the other with planning.  The one I knew nothing about was much easier than the one I thought I knew something about.  Here are both formulas for your reference. Company 1 Epiphany + no clue + limited skills + first client falls in lap x ignorance [...]

Image by Ioan Sameli via Flickr After reading countless stories about deals that fell through -  I want to share with you a famous story that I resented reading, but in retrospect have found comforting. Ping – A Frog in Search of a New Pond by Stuart Avery – tells of a frog who needs [...]

Image via Wikipedia Whether you are embarking on the entrepreneurial journey by choice or destiny- the method to entry is simple. You have a vision, skill or identify a hole in the market. You learn a bunch of stuff from people, courses, groups, schools and research. Then you put it into a business plan or [...]

You know the days when you get to your desk and you think it’s there somewhere? When mess is not a hall, it’s your environment, which is actually your brain?   When your secretary calls and says she’ll be late because her Mercedes has a flat tire, but still shows up unruffled with a yummy cappuccino [...]

Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr The single MOST uplifting part of the entrepreneurial journey is the existence of endless possibilities. Conversely, the single MOST frustrating part of the entrepreneurial journey is not seeing the endless possibilities even though you know they are there. Here are a few tips that might lead you to your next [...]

Image via Wikipedia If falling in love with the people with whom you work is a crime, I want to be guilty.  I’m an unashamed fan of work well done, inspired leaders and motivated people.  Awe, to me, does not go with shock, it belongs with words like brilliance, trust, accomplishment and courage. Love and [...]

Image via Wikipedia Big Ooga Big Bargains! 24-hour Stimulus Sale – You have until Midnight tonight – September 9th to call these people! Professional Services, Social Media Workshops, Innovation Seminar, Graphic Arts, Email Organization, Small Business Operations, Business Management, Technology Upgrades, Business Development, Photography, Twitter Page, SEO, Web Development, Banking, Meeting Planning, New Business Development, [...]