“No” seems like such a negative word. Usually we don’t want to use the word when correcting kids or when your colleague asks to borrow money for lunch. Yet in business, as well as in our personal life, we want to say "no!" Saying "no" is the most strategic decision we can make. By saying "no", we focus and improve quality of the ‘yes’ areas. We improve ourselves and our organization’s effectiveness. "No" empowers people because it simplifies. Our companies succeed on the basi

What is mindfulness? In a word, it is presence. It is to live (or rest your mind) in the present moment. That means letting go of the suffering judgements of past and future. And it is where clear thinking can occur, which I find critical for life, relationships, and business. I'm not always mindful. Honestly, I'm rarely mindful. I move fast. I think ahead. And my thoughts lead to emotions, leads to thoughts, lead to emotions. Quickly. One day I was practicing a 360 stunt in

I find motorsports fascinating. I find many parallels between racing cars and growing, in life and business. To win in racing (or to go faster) there are so many variables. As a driver you are trying to control something that wants to be out of control. To go fast requires aggression and restraint, blended together with finesse. It’s a craft. And and you can’t focus on anything but the road ahead of you, which is very zen. Let's start here… If you haven’t seen Formula 1: Driv

I’m excited to announce a company my co-founders and I have formed to go after a big market problem. Today we announced the launch and funding of my new company, Mass Relevance, co-founded with Brian Dainton and Eric Falcao. You can see early coverage at the Statesman, AustinStartup (more full story here) and TechCrunch. I foreshadowed this announcement with a market thesis post I just wrote, and the point that there’s a big content gap in the market. Chloe Sladden on how Twi