The Word that Earned Me Millions
The year was 1960. I was 12 and obsessed with having a Red Ryder BB Gun. I had grand visions of hunting with my dad, Chubby. The problem? It was July. Christmas was six months away. I pleaded with my dad for the gun. “Well,” Dad said, “Aaron could use some help at the office. […]
Read The Frickin’ Manuals
I am a fan of Shark Tank, particularly outspoken, maverick entrepreneur and billionaire, Mark Cuban. We all know that Mark Cuban is a wildly successful businessman, investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. He went from a zero net worth to Forbes list of The World’s Billionaires when he sold his second company in 1998. When asked what he […]
Better, Faster, Cheaper
When my son Brian was seven, he asked Santa for a pair of basketball shoes. These weren’t just any basketball shoes. They were the latest, coolest, most-talked-about shoes on the planet. And they were at the top of his Christmas list. The year was 1985. Nike had just released the “Air Jordan,” named for the Chicago […]
A Tale of Two Young Men
There’s an iconic story of two young men. Picture a beautiful, spring afternoon 25 years ago. Two young men stand next to each other, graduating from a small, midwestern college. These two graduates are very much alike. Better than average students. Personable. Lots of friends. Big hopes and dreams for the future. And coincidentally, both have […]
The Great American Road Trip
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” What happened in the summer of 1919 forever changed the way we travel in America. A 28-year-old U.S. Army lieutenant volunteered for a “genuine adventure.” It was a cross-country road trip to determine the travel time should the Army need to move […]
The Dark Side of Zillow
Every Realtor knows that Zillow’s Zestimates are often inaccurate. What many homeowners don’t know is that Zestimates can often prevent the sale of their home or cause buyers to pay a below market price. When Zillow’s Zestimate value is lower than your asking price (they appear together on Zillow), buyers presume that your home is […]
The 8 Words You Need to Know
“The most expensive thing in the world is TRUST. It can take years to earn and just a matter of seconds to lose.” –Unknown Several years ago, I wrote a book on fathering titled How Fathers Change Lives; Stories of Remarkable Dads. It’s not an “I’m an expert in this subject, let me tell you all […]
The Man Who Turned A Paper Clip Into A House
Kyle McDonald sat at his desk in Montreal, pondering. He wanted a house, but didn’t have much money or even a job. He remembered a game he played as a boy called bigger and better. You trade for something bigger and better and keep doing it over and over. Kyle wondered if he could trade […]
Three Chubby Rules for Life
I’ve written a lot about my dad, Chubby. He was a huge influence in my life, and the lessons he taught me have served me well. I call them Chubby Rules. I’m sharing three of my favorite Chubby Rules for Life with you today. 1. Swallow the Frog We all have frogs: difficult or unpleasant […]
The Oatmeal Curse
If you don’t say it with brevity, you don’t know it with clarity.” Are there times when you virtually bite your lip to keep from interrupting someone? You know what they’re trying to say, but they go on and on, kind-of-sort-of saying it, but never just right? It’s what I call the “oatmeal” curse, speech […]