Category Archives: Education

July 3, 2019 · 3:08 pm

CONTROLLED DESIGN MANAGEMENT – Part 1

By Moises J Goldman & John Jonelis

Today’s business culture is more strongly creative and entrepreneurial than at any time in history, posing new organizational opportunities and challenges. That calls for a new way to think about and implement design management. Using the language of the digital age, this article introduces a new perspective, applying a radically different technique to the management of the creative process, and then demonstrates an intuitive working model that functions in any modern organization. This is the first installment of a four-part article. Continue reading →

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Filed under Business, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, Low Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as 6 sigma, brand marketing, business model, Control, controlled, controlled management, creative design, Deming, dominant model, Entrepreneur, globalization, hollow corporation, Japanese, JIT, just in time, just in time manufacturing, laen development, lean, lean manufacturing, lean planning, lean sigma, lean startup, management model, manufacturing overseas, model, offshore, offshore design, offshore production, offshore project management, Ouchi, physical design, product management, service economy, six sigma, Theory Z, Traditional Model, virtual business

March 14, 2019 · 8:01 pm

TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BAG

John Jonelis

I’ve asked it before, “The way you conduct business—is it meaningful to those left behind?” Is it?

I’m here at the Levy Entrepreneurship Group, talking with some of the most brilliant business minds in Chicago. This group’s been meeting for over 60 years. It’s the genius of Joe Levy, the prolific entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist—the son of a south Michigan Ave car dealer. Joe was an endless entrepreneur—constantly learning, constantly experimenting—the quintessential gentleman who gave everybody an at-bat—who spoke quietly but directly and told the truth as he saw it. He pushed people off the bag. “You’re lousy at this. What are you good at? Contribute. Help somebody.” People found inspiration and hope. Never a disparaging word about Joe. “If you don’t have a satisfied customer, you’re compromising your future.” He was the original automobile mega dealer, angel investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. “God put me on this earth to produce, not to consume.” Joe Levy is dead at 92. Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Characters, Death, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Giving, Influence, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, Story, vc, venture capital

Tagged as Death, Entrepreneur, Father, genius, horse racing, investor, joe levi, joe levy, landlord, levi, levy, Life, mastermind group, mentor, philanthropist, playwright, racetrack, salesman, teacher

June 16, 2018 · 9:00 am

TOP OF THE LIST

by Mark T Wayne

“Admirable! Superlative! Top of the list! Gentlemen, you are indeed fortunate that I invited you here!” I study the greedy faces of my two compatriots—the estimable Donatas Ludditis (good old Don) as well as the execrable Loop Lonagan and his stinking bull terrier, Clamps. (Claims it’s a therapy dog.) We are here as judges, along with a crowd of luminaries from Chicago’s startup community for the finals of the tenth annual POWER PITCH competition. Today we will hear pitches from a host of exciting new companies. Yes sir! The enthusiasm is riveting.

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Tagged as Gifted, gifted high school, gifted students, High IQ, High School, high school for the gifted, highly gifted, highly intelligent, highly intelligent students, IMSA, Intelligent, precocious, school for the gifted, startup, startup companies, startup company

October 6, 2017 · 7:37 am

HYPERLOCAL SOCIAL ECONOMIES (HSEs)

by William Arrington

While most of our lives have transcended into the digital world through experiences such as social networks, friends are still very much tangible. We make friends because we share common ideals, motives, beliefs, activities, influences, communities and even consumption patterns. Social media sought to capitalize on this relationship by broadcasting our lives to the world and then selling them to the highest bidders (i.e. advertisers and retailers) for lack of a better illustration. The effects of this commercialization of our digital lives has left a divide in the purpose and utility of social networks begging to ask the question whether our friendships and connections online have become nothing more than apparatuses for advertisers and marketers to spam us through? Continue reading →

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Tagged as acting as a group, buying groups, group buying, group leverage, marketing, online buying clubs, online buying groups, privacy, private internet groups, private online groups, private social groups, spam

May 5, 2017 · 11:30 am

THE SUM OF ALL PARTS

Optimizing Human Behavior with a STEM Model

by Moises Goldman PhD

The Human Conundrum

For the last 15 years I have given numerous seminars aimed at optimizing executive and managerial performance in technology driven firms. The goal is to optimize departmental performance resulting in the larger optimization of an entire firm. As the theory goes: If the whole is the sum of the parts, and each part is optimized, then the whole is optimized.

These experiences have challenged my ability to communicate with people involved in STEM fields. This group represents a highly gifted segment of the population, and they tend to be very results driven. How does one reason, interpret, and convince scientists to modify their own behavior? Continue reading →

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Tagged as discovering the best outcome, finding the best way, influencing behavior, influencing outcomes, optimize, optimize behavior, optimized behavior, optimized system, optimizing a company, optimizing a department, optimizing an organization, optimizing and people, optimizing behavior, planning, predictive analysis, the language of science

March 30, 2017 · 11:30 am

INQUIRY AND INNOVATION

by John Jonelis

What happens when you invite the community into your high school and send your high school students into the community?

Amazing things! You create a THIRD SPACE in people’s lives.

Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Characters, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, mobile, Startup Companies, Startups

Tagged as Community, High School, high school company, high school entrepreneur, high school startup, high school startup company, high school venture, illinois mathematics and science academy, IMSA, innovation, inquiry, socrates, socratic method, startup, startup business, startup venture, student entrepreneur, student startup, student startup company, student venture, Third space, third spaces

March 25, 2017 · 11:42 am

POWER PITCH

by John Jonelis

What happens when you give kids—kids gifted in math and science—a real chance to bust out with their God given talents and excel?

What if you trust them to lay their greasy little hands on equipment normally available only at elite universities?
What if you allow them to direct their own time?
What if you challenge them to construct their own goals and learn by themselves how to accomplish them?
What if you dare them to build real startup businesses at such a tender age?
And what if you throw them into a competition against a panel of critical judges from the real private equity world?

What happens? Good things! Good things happen! They happen here at IMSA – the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. I’ll give you an intimate peek at the inner works of this educational powerhouse so you can see for yourself what makes this one of the biggest success stories in the country. Continue reading →

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Tagged as college prep, competition, education, engineering careers, genius, gifted school, high school business, high school businesses, management careers, pitch competition, preparation for the world, preparing for college, preparing for the world, school for the gifted, science careers, Social venture, STEM, student entrepreneurs, student pitch competition, student startup companies, student startups

March 17, 2017 · 6:00 pm

THE NAME IS IN2

by John Jonelis

What happens when you give kids—highly gifted in math and science—a state-of-the-art facility entirely dedicated to entrepreneurship? This could be the best-designed business incubator on the planet and the students are going to create real businesses here. Hey—this is too much fun! It sure doesn’t look like high school to me! Where did they put the usual long halls walled by the usual rows of lockers? Where are the standardized rigid rectangular classrooms?

This is IN2, the new entrepreneurship center at IMSA—the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy—the Statewide high school for the best and the brightest. It’s located near Chicago and students live on campus, as if attending a university four years too soon.

IMSA will host a big party and ribbon cutting for the new IN2 innovation space on the 30^th of the month—that’s the 30^th anniversary of the school’s founding. I had the unique opportunity to preview this amazing facility. Here’s a sneak peek: Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, app, Business, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Startup Companies, Startups

Tagged as Britta McKenna, Carl Heine, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, gifted students, High School Students, IMSA, IN2, Innovation and Inquiry, Jim Gerry, Moises Goldman, precocious kids, science and math, science and mathematics, start up companies, STEM, student entrepreneurs, student entrepreneurship, student startup companies, student startups

February 2, 2017 · 7:00 am

ENGINEERING YOUR PITCH

Insights from the Cornerstone Angel Meeting

by Stephanie Wiegel

Angel investment deals aren’t made on the spot as the TV show Shark Tank suggests. Instead, entrepreneurs are excused from the meeting after delivering their pitches. If you’re vying for early investment money, what’s said behind these closed doors can make or break a deal. Continue reading →

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Tagged as angel, angel investor, behind closed doors, deal, Entrepreneur, IP, jockey, jockey and horse, jockey not horse, make or break, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern, Northwestern University, patent, patents, pitch, Shark Tank, startup, startup company, Stephanie Wiegel

December 9, 2016 · 7:00 am

INVESTING: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CASH

by Scott M. Anderson

Angel investing is influenced by many factors affecting the startup including: technology, unmet demand, scalability and, most important, the founding team. These and many other factors will have a critical impact on the success or failure of the investment. However, there is one common factor to them all: Cash.

An investor and founder are in the elevator together. The investor says “Nice idea, how much capital do you need?” The founder says “$750K”. Investor says “Why $750K?” Founder says “We believe it’s the right amount based on other startups I’ve heard about.” Or she might say “It seems like the right amount based on the size of other angel investments.” Or she might say “It just seems like the right amount.”

Those responses are all wrong!! Continue reading →

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Tagged as advice on raising funds, funding in stages, funding strategies for startup companies, high level business plan, how to approach an investor, matching the elevator pitch to the business plan, traunches

November 16, 2016 · 7:00 am

TRUMPED

by John Jonelis

Political outsider elected president! Nationwide shock! Emotions run wild! Markets in turmoil! Worst riots since Orson Wells’ WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast!

Loop Lonagan watches the mayhem on television. People on the streets shout lewd obscenities—carry hate signs—crawl over cars—destroy businesses—throw bricks at police. “Da theater o’ dee absurd,” Lonagan mutters, “Did deeze folks even vote?” Continue reading →

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Filed under Business, Characters, Education, Influence, Jim Kren, loop lonagan, Politics, Relationships, Story, The Economy

Tagged as benghazi, cheating, chicago politics, Clinton, conspiracy theory, corruption, donald trump, ego, email scandal, ground game, handpicked opponent, Hillary, hillary clinton, liar, lying, machine politics, narcissism, narcissist, politics, president, president elect, rioting, riots, split the ticket, split ticket, stupid voters, the creep and the crook, The Donald, Trump, vote, voters

October 6, 2016 · 7:00 am

ALIEN ABDUCTS FISH, THROWS FISHERMAN BACK

by Jim Kren

Avid fisherman John Jonelis was enjoying some late night fly-fishing on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan when he had a close encounter with something not swimming upstream.

“I’m casting a fly called a Crystal Bullet with a number 4 hook on a sink tip,” said Jonelis. “This beautiful Chinook Salmon practically bends my number 10 Recon in half but after about an hour, I land it. Al snaps a picture, then all this happens. Me and my salmon get lifted by a glowing ray into some giant saucer-like ship that smells of fish inside.” Continue reading →

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Filed under Biography, Characters, Education, Games, Low Tech, Mystery, Story

Tagged as alien abduction, big fish, bueter, bueters salmon camp, catch and release, chinook, crystal bullet, Fish, fly fishing, king salmon, michigan fishing, pere marquette, salmon, silver bullet, steelhead, trout