It’s Thursday, January 30, 2020, and I’m feeling more “in the grove” as I’m back at the helm of our weekly ESC meeting after a wild adventure through the “STANS”. Our Entrepreneur Social Club [tm], meets every Thursday night, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at our glorious ESC HQ, my historic venue, NOVA 535. This dynamic group gathers for business development, drinks, mentoring, networking, laughter, plus sharing successes, failures and for honest feedback. Then we go downtown for dinner and more drinks. Good thing I’m in the groove, as tonight as we are Overflowing with Entrepreneurs! (more…)
brick and mortar kitchen
Happy 2020 Entrepreneur Social Club
It’s Thursday, January 16, 2020, my first ESC meeting after returning back to the USA from another EPIC travel adventures. Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and South Korea. Then landed into Las Vegas for CES 2020, where I spent a few days with ESC pal Seth Mattox. Wow! My head still spinning, I find myself back here at our HQ, my historic venue, NOVA 535. Our Entrepreneur Social Club [tm], aka the ESC, gathers each week, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm for business development, drinks, mentoring, networking, laughter, plus sharing successes, failures and honest feedback. Then we go downtown for dinner and more drinks. As 2020 is now upon us, let me offer up a Happy 2020 Entrepreneur Social Club to us all! (more…)
Entrepreneurs Galore
It’s Thursday, October 24, 2019, our last ESC meeting before Novaween 13. We’re here at our HQ, the historic venue, NOVA 535. Our Entrepreneur Social Club [tm], aka the ESC, gathers each week, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm for business development, drinks, mentoring, networking, laughter, plus sharing successes, failures and honest feedback. Then we go downtown for dinner and more drinks. Since there are so many new faces, personalities, ideas, pitches, and passions here each week, this blog seems aptly titled, Entrepreneurs Galore. (more…)
Mimi Wants Dinner at Brick and Mortar
Rinse and Repeat. We’re back to Thursday night. Here at my swanky downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, historic venue, NOVA 535. Our Social Club of Entrepreneurs, the ESC, gathers each week, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm for business development, drinks, mentoring, networking, laughter, plus sharing successes, failures and honest feedback. Then we go downtown for dinner and more drinks. A time after our meeting for building deeper connections and friendships, for creative expressions, plus time to blow off steam. Of course, some of us focus more on the dinner part of the night, some members in particular are seemingly fixated on it. Tonight this member in particular, her name is Mimi. Once again, unabashedly so, Mimi Wants Dinner at Brick and Mortar. (more…)
Falling towards 2020
We are falling towards 2020, with October just days away. Wow, it’s already Thursday, September 26th. I find myself back again in the ESC hosting chair, at my 5-Star downtown St. Pete venue, NOVA 535. We are gathered to share our successes and failures, to laugh, learn, and work together. Towards a better future for us all. Not just a rosie, pie-in-the-sky bunch of dreamers, a group of hard-working, learn by continuous improvement, we who keep pushing, evolving and growing. Small business owners. Those who do fail, and then get back up, harder, smarter and more determined than ever. All while having a tremendous amount of fun, and some incredibly wild, late-night adventures. Like our upcoming annual Halloween costume party, Novaween. This year, on Thursday, October 31, 2019, Halloween night itself, we will celebrate our 13th annual, Novaween. Get your Novaween 13 tickets now and support the ESC, especially before the price goes up!
A Virtual Analog Reality
Where are we? Hmm, there are many worlds. Some digital. Some Analog. Tonight, I think we’ve stepped into A Virtual Analog Reality. We the Entrepreneurs, are always tinkering. Dreaming, creating, trying, doing. Crazy. Mad. Forming dreams into our new realities. Analog and Digital realities. And when those realities meet, we have created a Virtual Analog Reality. Analog spaces and people. Digital tools and systems. With augmented and virtual realities, like some of the VR toys we played with tonight. Care of fellow Entrepreneur Stacy Waite. Yea, our world is a ch-ch changing! So let’s get settled in, around our massive meeting table, here at my historic downtown St. Petersburg, Florida wedding venue. The beautiful and unique event space NOVA 535. Tonight, yes as I’ve said for weeks now, is another hot and rainy Thursday. This one landing on August 8, 2019. (more…)
Gosh Dorn Clean
Wow!, these busy weeks just fly by. It seems that our 7 day week has been reduced to about 3, maybe 4 days. Blip blap bloop and it’s Thursday night again. This one lands on the 25th of April, 2019, scarily at the almost halfway mark into 2019. Gratefully we are gathering, once again, for networking, biz dev, tom-foolery, blowing off steam, ordering cocktails, and just about anything we can do to help lower the stresses of running your own business. No matter what size and scale, they are all difficult, mine included. I’m the super insane guy who has been trying, thankfully somewhat successfully, to manage the live event business. Weddings, Celebrations, Fundraisers, Celebrations, Meetings, and Film Shoots. Several events each and every week, here at my historic downtown St. Pete venue NOVA 535. Between that and running this ESC Klown Show, I am actually making progress on my first book, It’s 5 am Go Home, a wild, crazy and informative peek into my life, as a guy making his living hosting amazing parties and weddings.
Why we should not discount our pricing
Tonight we are delving into “Why we should not discount our pricing when asked by a prospective client.” Aside from the fact that it’s irritating – like when you’re in Outback Steakhouse and you offer them $15 for their $23 Ribeye. Huh? My mortgage holder, tax collector and insurance men would laugh in my face if I suggested 15% off. When you agree to give a client a discount, you are undermining your business, value and reputation. You are now open to negotiating everything, including the value you place on your time and efforts. Once you know, really know your costs and value, then you set your pricing to where it needs to be at and that’s that.
ESC enjoys the DTSP 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival
ESC enjoys the DTSP 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival. Tonight, Thursday April 28, 2016, was the opening night of the 11th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival, one where I and my venue NOVA 535 have sponsored since the beginning. So tonight as my fellow Entrepreneurs gathered here at NOVA, for our weekly meeting, I informed them we were going on a field trip. Just around the corner to the Palladium, to enjoy the red carpet and the opening night Film, “Spare Parts“. The carpet was electric, the film charming and delightful. Spare Parts is what all film makers try to accomplish – a film (and story) with heart! We cared about the characters and their struggles. We laughed and cried. We cringed and cheered. What a wonderful film to have shared with my fellow Entrepreneurs – a film about Mexican and Mexican American kids, who were “troubled” each in their own way, that found a bond of friendship and mutual respect via a underwater robotics challenge. Spare parts was based on a true story, and that story and film are certainly worth your time – enjoy it and, you’re welcome!