Want to own a small business? It's not as romantic as you may think. Very few entrepreneurs go on to become the CEOs of publicly held companies. Sure, there are many upsides: the independence, the freedom, the joy of innovation, the girls, the parties, the cheering crowds. But for most...

2002 was not a great year for the Phillies.

The team finished with a record of 80-81 and 21 1/2 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. Their renaissance was still 5 years away. They were not a team to be counted on. Except for one guy. In one...

Last week, the Federal Reserve of Philadelphia announced a three day conference on "Building Resilient Cities" planned for May, where many academics and other like minds will come up with ways to make our cities better in the future. Also last week, a local non-profit organization called the...

The Super Bowl is only a few days away. What's your favorite all time moment?

Was it Roger Staubach's "Hail Mary" pass to Drew Pearson? Or James Harrison's 100 yard touchdown run in Super Bowl 43? How about Bart Starr's famous quarterback sneak in the 1967 "Ice Bowl"? All of...

So the news is out. Mitt Romney's rich.

He made more than $20 million in each of the past two years. His effective tax rate was less than 15%. During this time, he made so much that he was able to give over $7 million to his church. He's one...

A few months ago I had the opportunity to sell one of our database software products to a prospect with about thirty users. My heart sank when I learned that the prospect was the Department of Justice. No, I don't have anything to hide from the DOJ. Except for that...

We're less than two weeks into 2012 and already we've hit a new low. And I'm not just talking about Snoop Dogg's recent appearance on The Price is Right. It's our national debt which, at $15 trillion, is now officially equal to our Gross Domestic Product.

But...

Here's a myth: a box of baking soda keeps a refrigerator smelling fresh. Maybe that's the case for some people, like New Yorkers who eat out most of the time or families that, well, clean their refrigerator. Our house has three teenage kids and two working parents. We don't have...

Wow, what a relief, huh? No, I'm not talking about finally getting rid of the in-laws now that Christmas is over.

I'm talking about the last minute deal reached last week by Congress to extend the payroll "tax break" for another couple of months into 2012. And just in the...

Back in 2006 the government decided to close an Air Force base near where I live to save money. You can imagine the outcry at the time. The base, which had been in operation since the mid 1920's, had provided thousand of jobs and was a major part of the...

I am excellent at screwing up my business. I sell to customers who can't pay, hire people who don't work and rely on vendors who don't deliver. I purchase outdated technology, say the wrong things to the wrong people and I'm terrible at making plans. But somehow and despite my...

Just last week I was trying to sell a large software project to a prospective client. It was a big client, with lots of users and a potential for lots of revenue. But they were tough negotiators. Actually, they were unreasonable negotiators. They asked for huge product discounts. They dismissed...

About ten years ago I listened to a great Tony Robbins CD. In it he talked about how when things were lousy you need to do something to "change your state." It made sense to me. So now if I'm in a funk about something and I'll do something to...

To all of you who are spending your weekends and valuable time protesting as part of the "occupy movement," I want to thank you.

I'm not in agreement with everything that you're fighting for. But I do believe in the right to free speech. I get it that you're feeling...

Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs.

All I'm hearing and reading today is about the passing of this man. Everyone, from politicans and business leaders to the individual man on the street is praising his life and achievements. He's been compared to Edison and Ford and Einstein. He's been...

A few weeks ago I went for a colonoscopy. For those of you who haven't had a colonoscopy let me just say this: the actual procedure is much easier than the prep you go through the night before. That experience was, well...explosive. But let's leave out those details.

Because...

So today Glenn Beck launches his new TV show.

I have watched Beck's previous show on Fox a total of two times. Once, I was actually sitting in a green room at Fox TV and was forced to watch it. The other time I was at home...

August was quite a month for me and my business. Brutal, brutal heatwaves kept my customers inside or down the shore. A semi-serious earthquake disrupted a work week. A major hurricane shut things down for a few more days. And those were the good things that happened this month.

For...

One thing about leaving your job and starting a business is that you find out, very quickly, that it's a cold and lonely world out there. No one really cares about you or your business. You're completely on your own. If you're thinking about becoming an entrepreneur take my advice;...

For months we've known that our debt ceiling will be reached on August 2nd. And yet here we are a week beforehand and there's still no agreement. Hey -- no big deal. Business owners are cool with that. In fact, many of us are paying more attention to the Major...