At The Rise To The Top, we strive to bring you the most interesting stories we can drum up (or make up…just kidding) and one of my favorite moments this year was attending the Kairos Society Summit aboard the USS Intrepid in the New York City. These entrepreneurs are hustling, bustling, fundraising, making prototypes, marketing and…maybe a little studying as well.

The ideas were vast and we featured many of these students last season in this segment on The Rise To The Top, but we had such an abundance of fantastic footage that I wanted to make sure and give each of these hard-working entrepreneurs their due.
You will find a little bit of everything in the videos of these … Read More »

If you haven’t picked up your tickets for July 11th, we don’t want you to miss out on THE event of the summer in St. Louis.

And as important as it is to immerse yourself in work over the summer, make sure to take some time for yourself and come on out to Summer Business Break on July 11th. For $100 you will be treated upscale food and drinks, a gift bag, wine tasting, meet and greet with professional tennis star Anna Kournikova and special premium seat to a high-energy not-your-grandfather’s tennis match.

Oh and YES the future of TV will be in the house:

Widget Realm, a revolutionary technology company, will be in the house at Summer Business Break … Read More »

The Middle East often brings to mind war and confusion, but young entrepreneur Omri Cohen is doing his part to end the misconceptions through…Olive Oil. His company, Peace Oil.

I caught up with Omri this spring in New York City as he attended the first annual Kairos Society Summit for the top young entrepreneurs in the world. Omri resonates with passion and like many young entrepreneurs, he is not just seeking to create a profitable company, but instead aspires to better the world.

“There is a different way to live in the Middle East. We have a joint venture between Israel and Jordan,” exclaims the passionate young entrepreneur who is seeking 1.5 million in funding for his unique olive oil … Read More »

Save The Date, Nab Your Tickets, and Check Out The Future of TV!

Widget Realm, a revolutionary technology company, will be in the house at Summer Business Break and they are bringing a little something with them, the future of television!

Brian Powell, Founder and CEO of Widget Realm will be demo-ing the new Yahoo! TV Platform exclusively at Summer Business Break, before the international launch. Brian will also have some new mobile and desktop technology on display that even the most non-techy amongst us will enjoy.

Make sure to nab up your tickets for Summer Business Break on July 11th TODAY! Much more than networking, you will get to enjoy high-end cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, special box seats to … Read More »

The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

I would argue that YES there are major differences between a small business owner and entrepreneur. One of the major ones is thinking in terms of systems. Can you eliminate yourself from your business system and it still runs profitably?

And by elimination, I don’t mean wiping yourself off the face of the earth especially since you are probably the “face” of your business. I’m referring to day-to-day operations. If you take a trip to outer-Mongolia or take the day off to watch your daughter’s soccer game, does your business crumble without you?

For many small business owners (the flower shop, the candy store, the pizza parlor) the answer … Read More »

While summer often brings to mind hot dogs, water slides and popsicles, for the entrepreneur (especially an entrepreneur during our current recession) the summer is filled with hard work, marketing, brainstorming and executing…no matter how nice the weather is outside.

Over the summer on therisetothetop.com, you will find a BBQ Of Business: Exclusive interviews to jump start your business, how-to articles and resources to get your entrepreneurial dream out of your head and into action. Make sure to stay tuned daily to the Rise Underground Blog, Rise at Nite and our new main page on therisetothetop.com for the latest updates.

And as important as it is to immerse yourself in work over the summer, make sure to take some time … Read More »

The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

Kirstin Carey is a sales rock star to say the least. She is an incredible entrepreneur and also teaches those who could use some sales help how to…make more sales (shocking).

Kirstin and I caught up at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix to talk a little bit about ways to improve sales. For those that are more of the reading type… here are some highlights and lessons from the interview to help your business:

1. Skills and marketing and selling are important. The more you harness your skills in those areas, the more you can spend time doing other things.

2. If you have the passion, you can improve … Read More »

The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

Scott Ginsberg is one of those magnetic entrepreneurs who not only has a great story on his “rise to the top” but really understands marketing and how to stick out from the crowd. Scott joined me on an earlier edition of The Rise To The Top (check out that old-school hockey hair on me) and we wanted to bring him back for a little fireside chat to talk even more about marketing, branding and dominating in your niche.

You can find out much more about Scott through his many websites. Including:

1. His Blog

2. His main website

3. Stuff Scott Said

4. NameTag TV

5. His Books: The … Read More »

The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

On Rise at Nite!

Find out more about Island Records and Ludo by checking out their website.

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist – www.therisetothetop.com… Read More »

The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

On a recent trip to Phoenix filled with family, relaxing and a some guerrilla-style video shooting, I got to thinking about branding and what it means for your business.

When *most* people think of branding, they oftentimes have a very narrow view of the word and usually consider it identity or a logo. To me, branding and YOUR brand is the core of your entire business. The DNA. The blood.

Whether your company makes $1 in revenue or $1,000,000, you have a brand if you are out there marketing and what does your brand say about you?

Brands are stories. Brands build (and ruin) trust. Brands leave a legacy … Read More »