Mixing emotions with business

Yesterday, someone told me that you should not mix emotions with business. Clearly this person (who is a VC) does not understand entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs start businesses because they are passionate about something.

It's wrong to mix business with pleasure because it's not professional (most of us understand that). Emotions with business? That's the basis of Entrepreneurship.

Spamming SMU with your product

Thinking of spamming your school with your product? We did (with Adeline's help, thanks!) and apparently we're the first SMU startup to do it. And why not? it's free!

Would it be effective? Well, it depends on what you're selling. I sell computer games so it's pretty easy for students to just click the link and try out our game for free.

Our main aim in spamming the school was to increase awareness of our product and what we're working on. I wasn't exactly expecting a huge increase in sales but it was very encouraging that some professors and students actually emailed to ask questions about the product.

Love Your Work

Counting down the lessons that could be learnt... Articles about Donald Trump

Lesson #2: Love Your Work

“The most important thing in life is to love what you’re doing,” says Trump, “because that’s the only way you’ll ever be really good at it.”

It wasn’t Trump’s knowledge of the real estate market or salesmanship alone that led him to become one of the wealthiest Americans and owner of over 18 million square feet of land in Manhattan alone. Rather, it was all the late nights he worked to get his ideas off the blueprints and onto the streets; it was the endless business meetings and phone calls he placed to the powers that be; it was his tireless promotion of what seemed to others to be nothing more than outlandish fantasy. In other words, it was his passion.

As soon as the young Trump began making property inspections with his father, he knew he could take a strong liking to real estate. While he had confidence in his abilities to excel in this field, it wasn’t the potential for money that was pushing Trump ahead. Nor was it the fame. Instead, it was the real estate business itself and the art of deal making that Trump thrived on.

“Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score,” says Trump. “The real excitement is playing the game.” It is Trump’s love for the game that allowed him to keep playing despite the critics, the lawsuits, the bankruptcy. It was only the dedication that came from his passion for real estate that enabled him to continue reaching for his dreams against all odds.

“Without passion, you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing,” says Trump. “It’s tangible, it’s solid, it’s beautiful. It’s artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.” Trump knew he would never be able to devote his life to anything else, and so he threw all his energy into real estate. And, that, says Trump, is one of the biggest keys to his success. Otherwise, he might have crumbled when the first ten or so people laughed at his ideas.

Making business deals was, for Trump, an art form that he was happy to spend endless hours devoted to. “Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals,” says Trump. Whether it’s painting or writing or buying and selling real estate, Trump stresses that a passion for what you do will be the underlying cause of whatever success you achieve. And without it, success will never come.

Today, Trump could easily retire knowing not only that he has amassed a fortune worth over an estimated $2 billion, but that he has also changed the face of New York. Instead, Trump’s passion keeps him going to work every day. He craves the adrenaline that comes from a handshake over a new deal, a tough negotiation, or a groundbreaking for a new building. Despite his lavish lifestyle, Trump would not be content to sit in the penthouse at the top of Trump Tower and be idle. He craves his work, he loves his work and this is why he has succeeded in his work.