What about people who call off work because of a little bit of inclement weather?

Lately, and as all local Pittsburghers know, the bad weather doth cometh. 

Back when I actually OPERATED companies, I used to make sure that I was always in the office by about 5:00 a.m. or so,

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Well, I just got back from New York. I was up in the Big Apple for the NFTE business plan awards. (That’s National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship….many of you know about my involvement with this great organization, as I sit on their local board.)

There’s a city-by-city run off. The Western Pennsylvania representative, Mackenzie Barrett from Carrick High School, did a nice job. Unfortunately, “Mac” didn’t win, though. I’ve known Mac and his father for some time now, ever since I met Mac at the local competition.

He has a very unique business idea. It’s a tutoring service. It’s a clever concept, and I’m trying to talk him into using it with TalkShoe.

Anyway, we flew up on Wednesday night, after my Duquesne Entrepreneurship class. We judged all day on Thursday, and on Thursday night, the winner was announced. It was a girl from Baltimore, and her idea involved a nail polish applicator. It’s kind of like a syringe, where you push the applicator, making the polish come out quickly, so that you can get a set of ten nails done in 52 seconds, as opposed to five minutes the traditional way. And, there’s no spill. She did a GREAT job of selling it. I was very impressed.

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What a day was October 19.

For one thing, it was a Thursday…..Just one day after the birth date of my lovely wife, Karen (and I’m NOT saying “which one”.)

And, it was also the date that I was fired from one of my own start-ups. Talk about hitting some sort of “bottom”. Some day, I’ll HAVE to tell you guys this story.

And, it was also the same date that I filed for bankruptcy. Ugh! Another “bottom”.

Of course, October 19, 1987 was the date that the market crashed. Most of you probably don’t remember that. (I was in bankruptcy, so I didn’t really care much.)

AND, it was the day that I met, and in a private interview, my all-time hero, Alvin Toffler. Yep, thanks to Jonathan Kersting at the Pittsburgh Technology Council, I actually had fifteen minutes with the man who probably changed my life.

I remember thinking, and after Jonathan had told me that he set this meeting up, “Now, I can die happy.”

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