Category Archives: Conflict

November 4, 2016 · 7:00 am

NO GOAT

by John Jonelis

This thing still replays in my mind. And the news is everywhere!

“The last real American sports story—the story of the team that couldn’t and seemingly never would—is gone for good… [Rick Morrissey – Sun Times] Now I watch in shocked delight as the Cub’s sleeping bats come alive! A leadoff home run…

“…ending more than a century of flops, futility and frustration.” [Ronald Blum – Associated Press] …now more runs—a lot more runs, but way too many innings left to go… Continue reading →

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Filed under Business, Conflict, Death, Faith, Games, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, Story, Suspense

Tagged as Baez, baseball, Bears, blackhawks, Bryant, Bulls, Chapman, Chicago teams, Contreras, Cubs, cubs win, Dexter Fowler, Ernie Banks, Hendricks, Heyward, Jake, Lester, longest drought, longest losing streak, Montero, Rizzo, Ron Santo, Ross, Russell, Schwarber, Sox, unbounded joy, White Sox, World Series, Zobrist

August 13, 2016 · 12:00 pm

IMAGINED HORRIBLES

Sourcing Strategic Investors, Part II

by Laurence Hayward

Make a wish—that the corporate venture investment world continues to grow. Strategic investors are an increasingly vital source of capital for many entrepreneurs. Who else will put up the cash? Ask yourself, “How many financial venture capitalists are investing in material science these days? Or cleantech? Or hardware?” Not many, right? So let’s discuss finding corporate investors that understand an entrepreneur’s needs for flexibility and ubiquity. Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as corporate relationship, entrepreneur relationship, finding the right investor, negotiating terms, relationship in entrepreneurship, relationship with a buyer, relationship with a corporation, remaining flexible, selling internationally, selling to a large customer base, selling worldwide, staying flexible

July 6, 2016 · 12:44 am

SOURCING STRATEGIC INVESTORS

Part I – Funding your Business with Strategic Corporate Investors

by Laurence Hayward

It’s common to think of strategic investors, or strategics, as large established corporations that make equity investments in entrepreneurial ventures (and that is precisely how the Kauffman Foundation defines it). However, the reasons they make these investments vary and are more subtle than the definition implies. Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, mobile, mobile internet, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as corporate investor, deal structure, exit, how to value, sale of company, strategic, strategic corporate investor, strategic investor, terms, valuation

June 14, 2016 · 5:22 pm

LIAR

How Far Will You Go to be Loved?

by Howard Tullman

You’re ambitious, motivated, and totally committed to your company. But are you strong enough to always tell the truth?
Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Influence, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as half truth, liar, Lies, lies of, lies of omission, white lies

May 19, 2016 · 11:03 pm

THROW THE BUM OUT

by John Jonelis

Mark T Wayne hurls his cigar to the barroom floor and grinds it under his heel. “Lonagan, you’re a consummate ass!”

“Shuttup ‘n’ have anudder whiskey.”

“You sir are heavily inebriated.” Wayne’s voice resonates above the noise of the crowded bar. “I know better than to get tight oftener than once in three months.” He lifts his chin and peers down his nose at Loop Lonagan. “It sets a man back in the esteem of people whose opinions are worth having.” Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Characters, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, loop lonagan, mark t wayne, Startup Companies, Startups, Story, vc, venture capital

Tagged as Bar, Bar room, Barroom, bull terrier, Clamps, Courage, Drunk, Drunkard, Exercise machines, Loop Lonagan, mark T wayne, mark twain, Moocher, Norco, Pain pills, Pavlovian PT, Private deals, Samuel Clemens, Strength Training, swedish massage, Therapy

January 14, 2016 · 8:24 pm

KILLER SHILLER

John Jonelis

At Loop Lonagan’s urging, I’m walking his 85 pound bull terrier Clamps down the hard Chicago winter pavement. I don’t mind because it’s an opportunity to road test my two knee replacements. That’s right; I’m the happy product of the wonders of modern orthopedic carpentry! And I enjoy the best physical therapy known to man because I own the company!

Old Donatas Ludditis flanks my other side to make sure I don’t slip on a stray patch of ice. Despite my upbeat attitude, I hold Clamp’s heavy leather leash with some trepidation. In my condition, I seriously doubt my ability to control such a large and volatile animal. Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Biography, Business, Characters, Conflict, Education, High Tech, loop lonagan, Story, vc, venture capital

Tagged as bob shiller, Donatas Ludditis, economic theory, Economics, economist, economists, eugene fama, fama, Loop Lonagan, perfect market theory, predict, predicting, predicting asset prices, prediction, prediction of asset prices, random walk, robert shiller, shiller

October 19, 2015 · 9:53 pm

APPLESAUCE AND APPLE

THE FINANCIAL MINDSET OF A NEW GENERATION

Tom McBride and Ron Nief

The students who began college this past fall have a forty percent chance of graduating in four years, and a seventy percent chance of graduating in six. Having grown up in the Great Recession they can rarely take money for granted. They are more interested in money than in love, unlike their parents, who may have grown up as hippie advocates of free love during the far more prosperous 1960s. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Bill Gates, college debt, college kids, college students, great recession, k-mart, kids, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Zuckerburg, Mark Zukerberg, market crash, medicare, money and love, money or love, money vs love, Mort Zuckerburg, outsourcing, outsourcing jobs, pensions, social security, stock market, stock market crash, Target, Wal-Mart, wall-mart, Walmart

August 25, 2015 · 9:49 pm

THE DRAGON LADY AND THE BIG BAD DUCK

By John Jonelis

■

“Tell me a story, Uncle Loop.”

“Okay Princess, that’s what I’m here for. First let’s get you all tucked in and ready fer bed.” Loop Lonagan sits back in the chair and opens the news app on his phone. “Let’s see what we got here.” He runs down the headlines.

“GANG SHOOTING ON HALSTED—No that’ll just get ya all riled up.”
“TERRORISTS ABDUCT CHILDREN—Nope. Too scary.”
“LOCAL REP ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLEMENT—”

“What’s ‘bezelment, Uncle Loop?”

“Ferget it kid. Way too boring . Here’s another one.”

“TRUMP IN BED WITH CLINTON—”

The small voice turns suddenly shrill. “That one! Read me that one, Uncle Loop. It’s a bedtime story.” Continue reading →

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Filed under Characters, Conflict, Education, Influence, loop lonagan, Politics, Relationships, The Economy

Tagged as conspiracy, conspiracy theory, donald trump, elections, false flag, false flag candidate, hillary clinton, national elections, president, presidential race, primaries, primary, run for the presidency, split the ticket, splitting the ticket

July 14, 2015 · 5:43 pm

CROSSTOWN CLASSIC

by John Jonelis

Here in Chicago, we’re blessed with two professional baseball teams. I root for them both—yes, for me it’s Chicago against the world. But how many fans do that? Almost nobody, right? Whenever I betray my crosstown allegiance, people look at me cross-eyed. Continue reading →

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Tagged as cubs vs sox, cubs/sox, fans, interdivisional rivalry, long standing rivalry, major league baseball, pro ball, professional baseball, rabid fans, rivalry, sox vs cubs, sox/cubs, team rivalry

June 2, 2015 · 10:47 pm

HAWKS

by Mark T. Wayne

“Quit talking business! This is important!” A shocking pronouncement coming from one’s employer! I go mum. We sit behind thick glass, watching the Chicago Blackhawks clobber the Anaheim Ducks in the final game of the series. The Hawks will win this game and go on to the coveted Stanley Cup. That is correct, sir—an opportunity for a third championship in just a few years! Continue reading →

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Filed under Characters, Conflict, Games, High Tech, loop lonagan, Low Tech, mark t wayne, mobile, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital, wireless, wireless internet

Tagged as arena, athlete, blackhawks, blades, blood, bloodthirsty, blue line, check, coliseum, crowd, Drunk, felon, goal, goon, hawks, hockey, ice, ice skates, iceskates, menace, post, puck, rude, skates, spectator, sports, stadium, stick, taves, thug, toews, violence, writer

February 27, 2015 · 10:25 pm

YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR CHILDREN

By Nick Arvis

“Why am I doing this?” That’s the question dominating a President’s Advisory Committee board meeting (PAC). None of the members—all business owners—intend to give or sell their business to their children. Instead, in a reversal of traditional social norms, all of them plan to use their wealth to empower their children on whatever paths the kids happen to choose.The members range in age from early forties to mid-fifties. Each of them has done very well. Their children range in age from the early grades to out-of-the-nest adults.

. Continue reading →

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Filed under Conflict, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Giving, High Tech, Low Tech, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, The Economy

Tagged as business owner, ceo, Entrepreneur, founder, hiring your children, hiring your kids, nepotism, PAC, president, President's advisory committee, social change, sociology

January 31, 2015 · 1:36 am

SABBATICAL

By Mark T Wayne

“He’s in Tahiti,” says Loop Lonagan. “Dat’s where Jonelis is. Them guys at Heartland Angels oughta know.”

Speaking strictly for myself, I see no excuse for a man like Lonagan and place no weight on his opinions. I may fire him—I have not yet decided. After all, Jonelis ain’t here. He announced a sabbatical and disappeared. That is correct, sir! I am in charge! That is my hat on the hook. Those are my boots resting on the WWII Air Force desk. I will take this opportunity to exercise my power as I see fit. Any fool that criticizes my splendid white suit or magnificent mustache may face instant dismissal! Continue reading →

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Filed under Characters, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Games, Mystery, Relationships, Story

Tagged as britian, brittian, brittish isles, flying across the ocean, iceland, lost, missing, Mystery, sabatical, sabattical, sabbatical, time off, trip, vacation, where's waldo