My Ventures

8,760 hours exist in a given year. How we invest that time – a function of our Energy – determines the quality and conditions of our life.  As a ‘serial Entrepreneur’, I love nothing more than to start and see ventures through to successful manifestation.  Of course, ventures, especially commercial ventures, are always a risk.  So be it!  What do we expect to achieve in life without taking some calculated risks?

Here are current, active ventures in which I am an equity stakeholder or Founder.  It takes a lot of discipline and will power to get a venture off the ground.  Great ideas are magical – but the follow-through is where the real challenges lie.  I believe strongly in the saying – 1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration.

Current Ventures

1. Blueliner is a global digital marketing & web design agency that I Co-Founded in 2003.  Headquartered in the heart of New York City, we are now regarded as one of the top agencies around (Honeytech Blog recently rated Blueliner as the #1 Social Media agency in the world).  Our team is dynamic and diverse, with staff and offices in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, India (Hyderabad), Bangladesh (Dhaka) and Europe (Macedonia).  I spend most of my weekly work effort running Blueliner, as it’s CEO, either from New York, or one of our global offices.  I do frequent webinars, speaking engagements, blogging and guest writing.  One of my main projects in 2014 is the expansion of Blueliner into several new cities, and thought leadership – speaking at more conferences and educating the industry on our unique marketing methodology, called The 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing.
2. I started 401kid before Blueliner – back in 2000, and it took off quite fast until Blueliner started and I had to split my time.  401kid.com, now with over 10,000 subscribers and over the years millions of visitors, is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) that gives parents and students advice on education funding.  In 2011, we plan to rejuvenate 401kid with a major web design overhaul, Facebook Application, multi-lingual versions of the site and national marketing push.  I love anything that has to do with helping kids have a better life, which was the major motivation behind 401kid.
3. Ajustco is a product innovation company and creator of the world’s first adjustable surface bolt lock – AjustLock.  The well-funded startup was incubated by Blueliner and I joined the flagship product’s inventor – Jason Stile – as a Co-Founder of Ajustco.
4. Timebug is a Life and Time Management research and app company that helps people be more productive with their time (however they define “productive”) and as a result, fulfilled in their lives.  Timebug is creating the world’s first comprehensive, open-sourced database of how human beings spend their time and have spent their time across all of human history.  

Past Ventures

1. Exeter Technologies – In 1996, I Co-Founded an automotive electronics firm called Exeter Technologies, where we manufactured and marketed collision-avoidance products.  Our first product – Park-Zone – was a rousing success, selling over 1 million units worldwide and ultimately being sold to a large public company (Measurement Specialties) in 1999.  It was a fantastic A-Z start-up experience, right out of college, in which I worked day and night to learn the ropes and get the company off the ground.  Amidst the hard work in starting up a business, I always found myself to be most productive and confident when I struck a balance between work, personal life, Spirituality and health.  That kept me happy and focused on holistic – not just money and work-related – success.

Future Venture Categories

1. Mobile Apps – For better or worse, mobile is taking over.  There are over 5 billion cell phone subscriptions in the world today (out of 6.5 billion people).  25% of new cell phone purchases in the U.S. nowadays are smart phones, or as my colleague David Houle calls them, “App Phones”.  I’m building a couple of interesting mobile apps now that I think will be a hit when they’re ready.  Stay tuned!
2. Web Applications – Being in the services business and building website applications for clients has been a rewarding experience.  It’s always easier to be objective and give good advice when it comes to client ventures.  Our ‘own’ ventures are always tougher, because of the emotional attachment and vested interest that develops.  With 15+ years of venture development and market intelligence under my belt now, I believe that I’m ready to develop some very effective niche applications, for both business and personal use markets.
3. Youth Related Ventures – I’m all for anything to do with the betterment of opportunity and education for kids, who represent the karmic seeds of our past and future of our planet.  Aside from 401kid, I have some other yout related ventures in the works.  I still don’t have kids of my own, but plenty of nephews, nieces and cousins to keep my connected to the innocence and creativity of youth that we all need a dose of to ‘stay young at heart’ and avoid getting too serious about life.
4. Spiritual – The time for global Consciousness is about us, I truly believe that.  I have always been a seeker, as you can tell by reading most of my blog entries.  Having ‘found myself’ to some degree, amidst the never-ending process of self-discovery, I believe it is my responsibility to collaborate with others who have True Knowledge to bring about greater Consciousness to the planet.  In an age where we are more globally connected than ever, the possibilities for positive change are endless – and I am actively exploring them!