Category Archives: Education

September 23, 2016 · 12:00 pm

IN YOUR FACE RISK

by John Jonelis

“Oh, you’re an angel investor! Isn’t that risky?” I hear such drivel all the time. Are people afraid of outsized returns? Or perhaps they don’t understand risk, don’t know how to measure it, or how to take control of it. Yet all that is quite easily done and it’s a real charge to play the game using a Monte Carlo simulation (MC). I’ll show what’s likely to happen if you follow three simple rules. Then I’ll break one rule—just a little bit—and we’ll use the simulator to see what happens. Continue reading →

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

Tagged as controlling risk, image of risk, mc, measuring risk, monte carlo, monte carlo and angel investing, picture of risk, picture risk, picturing risk, Risk, risk analysis, risk analysis of angel investing, risk analysis of private equity, risk analysis of venture capital, risk in pictorial form, understanding risk

July 28, 2016 · 7:24 pm

THE SAY/DO RATIO

by John Jonelis

You lose him. Jack Heyden was your father, your brother, maybe your son. A deep, intimate relationship. You know his profession—not the details, just what he did for a living. Normal so far. Then things start to turn.

His business colleagues invite the family here, and you all come, nerves raw from the shock that death brings. You arrive early, numb from the flurry of duties, people, and rituals that clutter such times and obediently take your seats in front, gazing about the room.

You have no idea what to expect. Continue reading →

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Filed under Business, Characters, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Influence, Relationships

Tagged as advisor, business consultant, business consulting, consultant, Death, inspiration, leadership, leadership training, that extra 2%, trusted advisor

July 19, 2016 · 2:58 pm

5 STARTUPS WE LOVED FROM TECHWEEK

Chicago’s Launch Competition

by Jeff Segal

Why does a B2B digital marketing agency that works with some of the biggest and best-known companies in America send a team to a startup competition?

Because marketing and startups actually have a lot in common.

Marketing is about problem solving, and startups are founded to solve problems.
Marketing is about storytelling, and every startup has a story.
Finally, a great marketing campaign and a successful startup both make people say, Wow, I wish I’d thought of that!

Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, app, Business, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Low Tech, mobile, mobile internet, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as amazing startups, cast 21, cast21, chicago techweek, common cents, common sense, ditto, find your ditto, flipword, flipwords, here 2, here2, new tech, startups, techweek, techweek 2016, young startups

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?
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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

April 15, 2016 · 4:22 pm

THIS AIN’T NO LEMONADE STAND

Loop Lonagan—Verbatim

What if y’could combat starvation by producin’ yer own meat ‘n potatoes—and do it right at da local food bank? Hey, I’m lookin’ at a real working prototype here. What about a solution to student debt? Or, maybe fer yer next birthday party, ever’body plays laser tag with drones? Or learns music real fast? Or gets a little help rememberin’ stuff. I can use summa that. Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Characters, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, loop lonagan, Low Tech, mobile, mobile internet, Poverty, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as gifted kids, hard working kids, invention, IQ, new technology, pitch competition, raw talent, smart, the gifted, whiz kids, young entrepreneurs

March 10, 2016 · 6:44 pm

MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU

Using Whole Trees in Building Construction

Neil Kane

If there was ever a way to combine high tech and high touch as John Naisbitt stated in High Tech, High Touch, his 1999 follow-up to his 1982 bestseller Megatrends, “embracing technology that preserves our humanness”, WholeTrees Architecture & Structures of Madison, Wisconsin epitomizes it. WholeTrees is an innovative company that has hit it out of the park in terms of innovating on technology while providing a substantial impact return, all while having one of the most gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing product lines you’ll ever see. Continue reading →

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Tagged as cleantech, cleantech company, cleantech investing, cleantech startup, commercial wood structures, impact, impact company, impact investing, impact startup, social, social company, social investing, social startup, trees, whole trees, wood, wood products, wood structure

February 5, 2016 · 3:20 pm

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF STARTUPS

By Howard Tullman

Getting a business off the ground is difficult enough. Don’t commit the mistake of making it more complicated, too.

[Editor’s Note – These are business principles that every writer should know.]

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Tagged as 10 commandments, advice, basic principles, basics, best practices, foundation, foundations, how to, how to live, how to start a business, how to write a book, how to write a novel, neccesities, postulates, principles, requirements, ten commandments

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

August 5, 2015 · 10:12 pm

RAW TALENT

by John Jonelis

Ever want to be a Shark on the popular reality TV show? Wish you controlled a billion dollar investment account? Wonder what it’s like? I’m here at Chicago’s 1871 incubator doing it. Emotions run high. Hey, mine are running away with me. That guy on the end keeps grabbing all the deals! Continue reading →

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Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Education, Electric Power, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital

Tagged as competition, computer simulation, computer simulations, Gifted, immersion experience, immersion training, immersion week, new tech, new technology, pitch competition, prodigies, prodigy, Shark Tank, simulation, simulations, smart kids, startup companies, whiz kids

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