Great article in the LA Times today:

http://latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz31mar31,1,2967749,full.story

I agree with most of this writer’s points especially about
1) Operating Lean
2) Redo Debt
3) Use Technology efficiently
4) Market Smart

My parents’ had a small business in Philadelphia growing up and seeing the ebbs and flows of the small business, its crucial to keep an eye out for ways to work smarter, not harder.

1) Wawa- Yeah, its this convenience store that is the best thing ever. Fresh hoagies (yeah, this is the name of a philly sandwich with Amoroso’s bread, oregano, lunchmeat, and this oil/vinegar dressing)

2) Rita’s Water Ice- No one outside of Philly or Jersey knows what this is, but everyone who knows it…they’re fans for life.  Fruit, sugar, ice… and oh yeah, massive loads of sugar. FYI, I used to work there when I was 15 and the highlight of my nights were when the hot soccer boys would get water ice after the game. Nice.

3)Hard-core but loyal Philly sports fans -  I have nothing but love for Philly fans, but don’t cross them.  Seriously.

4) K-Street/5th Street- LA has Koreatown. Philly has 5th St in Olney, North Philly.

5) The Franklin Institute- For all you science nerds out there, this place is amazing. You can run around a giant heart, watch films in the planetarium, build robots and eat freeze-dried ice- cream.   Ah, to be a kid again.

Okay,  I just got home and am ready to pass out.   I had a workshop today, then was in LA traffic for an hour or so before going to the Mashable event.   Have you ever gone to one of these “meet people in your industry” events? OMG. So awkward.  Someone, AHEM, from my work was supposed to go, but then he backed out, but I was already there.  OH SNAP.  So, I figured, I’ll go inside, have a drink and then bounce out.

Basically you go in there, everyone’s wearing those sticky name tags and then you search around for a friendly face.

Smile= Yes you can talk to me

Nod=  Yes, you might know me and I might know you, but I don’t want to talk to you, so let’s just acknowledge that we’re both alive

Typical conversation:

Me: Hey, how are you?

Person #1:  Oh, so what do you do?

Me: I work for a start-up.  I’m the “Tom” of the site. What do you do?
Person #1: I do a bunch of stuff.

Me: Sweet.

I did meet some cool people though.  Awkward.  Geez, it felt like one of those high school mixer dances.

Then I proceeded to drive over to K-town where I went to a cozy little bar with a bunch of young, diverse emcees who were rocking the mike.  I was surprised, entertained, and had so much fun.   Talented young people with something to say and all to a hip-hop beat.  I love it.

Guess which waitress I played on this episode of “The Office?”

Okay, so I’m originally from Philly, born and bred on hip-hop music. So anything with a sick beat, baggy pants, and long white tees, I’m all about it.

Getting to the point, I was reading Michael Calores’s blog, he’s a writer for “Wired Magazine” and I came across this video. I literally choked on my coffee. Don’t know how that’s possible. Does he have a video about hyperlinking? Holla

I work at a start-up with a bunch of dudes, and have absorbed a lot of information.  So, I thought I’d share the knowledge….

Top 5 Things I’ve Learned By Working With a Bunch of Dudes - Get more free documents

So, my friend looked at this site and said its not visually stimulating. Too many words. Oh snap! I plan to make this full of hyperlinks, pics, and more fun stuff.

BTW, I feel like Conan O’Brien in the 90’s when no one watched his show. Except me of course b/c I have a thing for pale, red-haired dudes. haha. I think about 3 people read this blog, and if you do and are in the LA area, come hang out with me March 29 at Mashmeet LA

<a href=”http://www.mashable.com/mashmeet-la-20″>http://www.mashable.com/mashmeet-la-20/</a>

Great women entrepreneurs…check out their sites.

http://www.nycityexplorers.com/
a fellow NYU alum. They’re opening a second location in New York. Much props!

http://www.shinepetphotos.com/ - if you need to have amazing pictures taken of your pets in all-natural lighting. She moonlights as a pet photographer and also works at a huge ad firm. Nice.

Sigh. Yeah, its Monday, and I just realized that I have another whole week to go until the weekend. Thank GOD for youtube!

I used to love this song, partly b/c of the beat, and partly b/c it used to drive my mother nuts.

Females in Technology Classes - Get more free documents

Okay, so I admit I’m not the most technologically adept person, but I’d hate to think that it has to do with me being a female. I knew many girls in high school and college who were ridiculously smart tech/science whizzes. My roommate in college was a National Merit Scholar, aced the SAT’s, acheived 4.0 every semester, and then got herself into John Hopkins medical school. Plus, the girl looked like a fashion model. I was like, um… yeah, please don’t stand near me.

No, but seriously, reading ppt’s like this make me want to take some web design classes and hole up in a Coffee bean with several back issues of “Wired magazine.”