My latest guest is controversial. If you google ‘Nathan Latka’, you’ll see headlines that call him inspirational... and others that call him a con-man (or use more colorful language). Most CEOs or software founders would fear that kind of negative press. But not Nathan.  In fact… he encourages it.

Wow. What an amazing speech. I had no idea. What I love most is the passion, the story and the way he told it. This video should be shown in every business class because it represents the power of story and passion. Here's a guy that devoted his life to helping children understand themselves better. He didn't agree with cartoons and the way they misrepresented the right way to teach kids. I grew up on Mr. Rogers, however in my

Every time I bring up Bitcoin, people quickly say "I don't get it", or "It's too complicated to use".  Then I ask them "Guess how many websites existed online in 1993?". 623.  At the end of 1994 - over 10,000+. Oh, and how hard was it to use the internet at first? Well you needed to use your phone, dial a number, put it on a special machine, then slowly wait for the content to "download" onto your computer.  But

Shit happens. As an entrepreneur, it's inevitable that things aren't going to work out as planned. Just because you came up with the idea, doesn't mean it will work.  That would be like working out at the gym and thinking just because you put the weight on the bar, that you should be able to lift it. That's not how it works.  There's a point where the weight is too much and you'll fail to lift the bar. Now, that

I read a lot of tech news and blog posts from smart startup people. I believe it's important to stay on top of things to get a feeling for new trends, to learn from fellow entrepreneurs, and to hear what my friends and colleagues are working on. There is one problem with tech & startup news though... there's too much! There's a lot of not-so-interesting content floating around, and it's difficult to filter and find only the best, most valuable

I believe that it takes more than innovation to succeed. It requires a great product experience. Apple definitely set the standard, but many new companies have embraced this trend and the bar has been set higher. Product design will be a huge differentiator going forward especially when it comes to mobile and consumer applications. Mobile web, displays and browser technologies have all elevated what's possible now online and the expectation of our users. They expect more. .. and I want

Big Thinkers I've had an epiphany.  It hit me the other day that no matter what's happened to me in my life, I've always been able to work it out.  Sure I've hit some crazy walls and got stopped in my tracks, but at the end of the day I figured it out.  Things weren't as bad as I thought and good things always came from those experiences. So the big realization was that I wasn't thinking big enough.  Or

It's that time of year again - conference season. Below is a list of events and talks I'll be giving at each.  So far I've got 11 nailed down with a few more being figured out. I love speaking and connecting with amazing people - it's what fuels me. If you're going to the event (or want to and need a discount code ;), or you're from that city, leave a comment below and be sure to include your twitter

Here’s a lesson in how to put your foot in your mouth - email your start-up friends and tell them that no one is doing anything to create a community in Canada.  That was me today in a Maple Butter update. I choose the wrong words and lacked context to make a point. Canada has some amazing groups - like Startup North, Sprouter, StartupCamp, LaunchParty, NextMontreal, StartupDrinks, DemoCamp only to name a few - working hard to build this community.  I know

Maple Butter is a project I started to test a few experiments in building an entrepreneurial community that is self-sustaining (generates revenue) and delivers huge value to it's community (the entrepreneurs).  The goal is to unite geographically challenged communities to share knowledge and experiences.  Sign up here. More to come.