MSNBC’s Television Personality & Author Mike Michalowicz Shares with Jamaican Entrepreneurs
14 May 2012 by Karin in Entrepreneurs [ 35 comments ]
Mike Michalowicz and Jamaican entrepreneur Khary Sharpe
‘The resume is not the reality.’ This is the message that Mike Michalowicz, U.S entrepreneur, T.V personality and author of ‘Toilet Paper Entrepreneur’, sought to leave with his audience as he shared stories of his entrepreneurial journey to becoming the success he is today.
Caribbean Fortress’ Gale Peart, at the request of Michalowicz, organized the event entitled ‘Entrepreneurial Reflections with Mike Michalowicz’. A friendship spawned when Peart served as his host in 2009, along with sponsors, Mayberry Investments Limited.
This year, affiliate sponsors Social Calendar JA and Karin Wilson and Associates also joined. the event held this time at Liguanea Club in New Kingston.
While explaining to the audience that there is rarely ever an entrepreneurial success without pitfalls, Mike divulged the secrets of building his first computer business including sleeping under conference tables, moving into a retirement village with his young family, and shared a tearjerker of having lost everything soon after landing his first million.
Convinced this was a lesson from God for getting ahead of himself with excessive arrogance and show-boating with several material things, Michalowicz went on to discover that the true meaning of wealth can be found in an unlikely source – a child’s simple gesture. The catalyst for ‘digging’ his way out of enormous debt resided in a change in mindset when Mike’s then 10-year old daughter, Adele, offered, “Daddy, we are not broke. We have this – my piggy bank!”
Armed with renewed hope and confidence from his immediate family, Michalowicz re-charted his concept of wealth and amassed more money than before but now ever mindful one of life’s biggest lessons – that of keeping arrogance in check by staying humble and to never take life for granted.
His appreciation for persons who take the risk of building a business was evident through his delight in noticing that majority of his audience were, in fact, entrepreneurs and business owners themselves.
In the true spirit of fostering unity and growth, Mike was only happy to share some more of the lessons he learned along the way. Along with encouraging all members of the audience that most successful people do not need to prove they are successful. Be ready he said to embrace new opportunities and experiences and where possible become niche specialists for therein lies a unique offering.
He enforced the message that people should do what makes them happy and use that to fuel exponential growth and success. Most importantly, entrepreneurs should acknowledge that friends and families may act supportive of their ventures to spare feelings but one should test their wallets to see if they show the same support.
Connect and do business with who chose to attend a business event on a Saturday night instead of opting for the hottest track and field event in town. This he felt spoke volumes about the attendees’ entrepreneurial commitment and their capacity to do what is required for successful entrepreneurship – making serious sacrifice.
Jamaicans giving up the chance to see Bolt run – are you kidding me? Michalowicz’s love for Jamaica was most evident as he proudly announced that he enjoyed Jackfruit, sugarcane and his new favourite – roadside, roas’ yam and saltfish! The bright smile was pretty telling that when given the chance, he would be returning to our shores over and over again.
The keynote speaker also shared a fun, behavioural psychology exercise that challenged attendees to take on the perceived impossible task of a photographic memory, said to be found among 0.25% of the world’s population, and a highly effective part of business networking. By the end of the evening, the audience gained success with the Michalowicz-taught mnemonic technique. This practical demonstration proved to attendees that with a paradigm shift, however small, nothing is impossible.
Excitement filled the room when it was announced that Jamaica has been included in Michalowicz’s worldwide scavenger hunt where two (2) Penguin-published advance reader copies of ‘The Pumpkin Plan’ are to be hidden island wide. Once the books are found, a photograph reading the book will be posted on Michalowicz’s fan page, the business’ owner will be given an opportunity to be interviewed and the video circulated among Mike’s business network inclusive of U.S media contacts, publisher and high net worth-friends from the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). Hints will be posted randomly at fb.com/caribbeanfortress and pre-orders for ‘The Pumpkin Plan’ can also be facilitated through Caribbean Fortress Ltd.
During the event, Chris Mills of Chrysalis Communications posted “Really enjoying this talk by @MikeMichalowicz…“ This was quickly cosigned by Connectimass’s C.E.O, Ingrid Riley. Team eMedia Interactive Ltd, was equally impressed. It was however a tweet from Blogger, StacyAnn Hayles that ultimately echoed inner thoughts best “Home from #PumpkinPlanJa – awesome event. Wonder if @MikeMichalowicz realizes that he’s changing lives?”
Business networking and building, solid connections along with award-winning cheesecakes courtesy of Treasury of Desserts, Jamaican pumpkin-carving (a conversation piece) by Chef Theo Smith and pumpkin farming décor by Bridgette Anderson all together added a special element to the evening. Even after speaking, Mike moved around interacting and getting to know the persons who came to hear him speak – an invaluable gesture on his part.
Everyone left feeling inspired and more prepared for the challenges they would face as entrepreneurs. Most, if not all, are looking forward to reading Michalowicz’s upcoming book, ‘The Pumpkin Plan’ that is scheduled for release by Penguin Group on July 5. His first book, U.S bestseller, ‘Toilet Paper Entrepreneur’, is currently available at Kingston Bookshop.
Caribbean Fortress Ltd offers speaker facilitation services and quarterly business events in the Caribbean. C.E.O Gale Peart, is a Director with the Women Business Owners Association (WBO), serves on the Private Sector of Jamaica’s Trade Policy Committee and volunteers at St Andrew High School’s Museum. The next business event is scheduled for August 2012 in Jamaica.
For further information, please contact Gale Peart at (1876) 564-8041 caribbeanfortress@hotmail.com
Inspiring read and majorly SHARE worthy:
“most successful people do not need to prove they are successful” – AMEN
“acknowledge that friends and families may act supportive of their ventures to spare feelings but one should test their wallets to see if they show the same support” – REAL TALK there – WoW!
“people should do what makes them happy and use that to fuel exponential growth and success” – #MindtheGap
thanks for this post!
Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found
that it is truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels.
I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
I think this is among the most vital information for me.
And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on
some general things, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really great : D.
Good job, cheers
We turned on the wireless connection on both and checked that they could connect to the
internet and worked at a decent pace. And with good reason because sometimes running an app on the big screen is nothing short
of magical. Being a computer and laptop manufacturer, the
company jumped in tablet PC market soon after they came into market.
I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re using?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest website and I would like to find something more safe. Do you have any suggestions?
For the novice, the first thing you need to understand is what the term “Digital Single Lens Reflex” means.
A montage specially edited for the occasion works best.
Whenever you rent a book from them, they plant a tree to
show the benefits of renting books.
I have read so many articles regarding the blogger lovers however this piece
of writing is genuinely a good post, keep it up.
This page really has all the info I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find the majority
of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. can you offer
guest writers to write content for yourself? I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome weblog!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something
which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and
very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post,
I will try to get the hang of it!
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to
do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. appreciate it
It is so rare to hear about any drug offenses within the car racing sport but too
much of this and congress just might get involved. Take the time to let them know you value their business, their contribution to your revenue stream, and their loyalty to you.
It should be a special day for the NASCAR family &
the online sports betting professionals to win online sportsbook bonuses.
Watkins Glen soon enough would be filled with 50,000 cheering NASCAR aficionados for the
afternoon race. Johnson is coming off a 2nd place finish in the Auto Club 400 with a 3rd place
showing in the Jeff Byrd 500 before that. Kyle Busch has
been the top racer in this race recently, winning two of the last three Fed – Ex 400′s.
cheap hydroponics systems free shipping
It is absolutely simpler over a lot of men and women believe.
As you progress to the next higher level, the game becomes tougher.
The actual pc is usually Wi-Fi enabled and can connect to web anywhere.
Great blog here! Also your website loads up very
fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?
I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol
Obama science adviser John Holdren proposed blasting sulphate
particles into the atmosphere to block the rays of the sun.
The effects of higher daytime lows are mostly good. Mining and
processing the oil sands wreaks havoc on the environment.
I’m more than happy to discover this great site. I need to to thank you for ones time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every part of it and I have you book-marked to see new information in your web site.
Today, banks often don. At this site you will get quality for money
at low interest. As you may already be aware, personal
lines of credit offered by banks and private institutions are usually available to creditworthy customers.
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of house . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am glad to express that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed.
I so much definitely will make sure to don?t fail to remember this
site and give it a glance on a relentless basis.
Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers?
My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing months of hard work due to
no back up. Do you have any methods to stop hackers?
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group?
There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Cheers
t figure our way out of our consumerist addictions we will eventually have to go
cold turkey. Well, then, how would they do
this without causing a real-life Armageddon. Therefore, these lights are the best option for saving energy and
the global environment from global warming.
Live richer and happier lives by living
for others. Beijing officials are not struck by the prestige of Xiaobo’s
new distinction. Receiving fifty-seven votes out of sixty, Hammarskj.
Your style is very unique compared to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this page.
I know this web site presents quality depending content and
additional data, is there any other web site which provides these kinds
of things in quality?
The rate of return against cost rises to 70% if the homeowner
does the job herself, although the work often requires a level of expertise that is beyond the ability of most do-it-yourselfers.
You can put a dehumidifier to keep the moisture out of the air so it will not affect your things and your home.
” Equipment that is used to measure the saturation of moisture.
Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo
News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did
you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks
For the novice, the first thing you need to understand is what the term “Digital Single Lens Reflex” means.
Once decided on the things to bring, start packing.
With the i – Phone you can stay connected anywhere you go,
and access maps, flight info, weather reports, restaurants and more in every new city you
travel to.
hi!,I love your writing so much! percentage we keep up a correspondence more about your article on AOL?
I require an expert on this space to resolve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking ahead to peer you.
You’ll encounter a change in your lifestyle after undergoing this bariatric surgery. Body Mass Index (BMI) is an important factor to determine obesity. The weight loss also reduces their risk for several diseases.
What you ought to do is find a wedding marquee hire that will provide you with the cost effective for
the money. While some maintenance can be done by a homeowner, a good plumber or HVAC technician should be consulted to make sure that your heating system will run efficiently
during the next winter season and for years to come.
” Equipment that is used to measure the saturation of moisture.
Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will come back later on. I want to encourage one to continue your great work, have a nice weekend!
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to
your blog? My website is in the very same
area of interest as yours and my users would truly benefit from a lot of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this okay with you. Thanks!