MONKEYZ BLOG

As the Federal shutdown, slim down, or whatever you want to call it starts week number two, I just had to take a step back and wonder if the politicians in Washington D.C. (and locally, for that matter) really have any notion of the wants, needs, and desires of us constituents. Polls tell us one…

There’s a simple business axiom on which I think we all can agree: “If you can’t turn a profit, you really don’t have a business and you won’t stay around very long.” This doesn’t mean you have to turn a profit day one—few businesses do, and even the IRS assumes most businesses won’t turn a…

It’s official—as of September 22 at 4:44 pm ET (the autumnal equinox) summer is over. Now it’s time to get back to work after July and August vacations and make a last dash toward year’s end before the holidays hit. It’s also time to think about reconnecting with business and work colleagues, clients, and leads.…

Just because something is innovative, does that mean commercial success is assured? If you listen to most politicians, you’d think the answer is “yes.” Innovation is good, they tell us. Innovation is what drives the American economy, makes us different, makes us want to see what’s just around the corner or over the next horizon.…

We’ve all been there: buyer’s remorse. What looked so good in the store, on the lot, or on the Web site, doesn’t look so good now that I’ve got it home or in the office. What was I thinking? Chances are I wasn’t . . . and if you find yourself in a similar pickle, that your…

It took me at least four attempts to start writing this blog. I kid you not. It’s not that I didn’t want to write the blog, or that I didn’t have anything to say. (I rarely have nothing to say!) Rather, every time I pressed my finger tips to keyboard, something else seemed to grab…

Where has the summer gone? Hopefully, the summer months have been treating you well and you’ve been able to balance a bit of play time with work time. But with Labor Day just around the corner, it’s back to school and back to work . . . and a whole new sort of balancing act…

What if I told you that you could market your product or service to a handful of key individuals and be just as successful, if not more so, as you would casting a wider net to reach a bigger audience? Would you think, “Paul’s been spending too much time on the volleyball court” or “What’s…

The sales this week of the Boston Globe and the Washington Post to John Henry (Boston Red Sox majority owner) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder), respectively, got me to wondering why such successful business leaders would venture into print media—arguably a dying industry. The more I thought about it, the more I realized these sales…

Communication, by its very nature, is a two way street. Someone speaks and someone listens—well, hopefully someone listens—and then someone speaks again; or someone writes and someone responds, and so on. People also communicate non-verbally. A gesture here and a wink there can have the same effect as words. People communicate in-person, face-to-face; by telephone;…

If, like me, you’ve been skimming the headlines recently (online, of course) and ducking the constant barrage of what’s happening where and when—from the Trayvon Martin case and the Edward Snowden stare down, to D.C. politics as usual and the birth of a future king—you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed, maybe even a little anxious.…

While the lone wolf, silent hero is certainly popular in movies, books, and TV these days, when it comes to real life few of us truly “go it alone.” Instead, we rely on networks of friends, family, co-workers—you name it—when the going is good and especially when the going gets tough. Think about it. It’s…

This past long holiday weekend, I couldn’t help but contemplate the state of workplace America, especially as I strolled the beach, smartphone in one hand, sunscreen in the other, and visions of the next great volleyball match dancing in my head. Independence Day fell on a Thursday this year, close enough to the weekend to…

The Fourth of July is upon us. Without question, that means it’s time for baseball, barbeques, family and friend get-togethers, fireworks, parades . . . and for yours truly as much beach volleyball as these aging (ahem!) bones and muscles can stand. I like to think that our founding fathers would find comfort in the…

As shout out to all who attended, organized, or otherwise participated in these fantastic events during the month of June. A good time was had by all!

Catching the news these days (and it’s tough not to, between 24 x 7 cable news networks and ever-present Internet news feeds), it’s clear a lot of the newsmakers out there could use an attitude adjustment. From the stagnation that is Washington DC, to Russian president Putin’s purported pocketing of New England Patriots owner Robert…