A Dash of Curry Blog

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal called Teaching Entrepreneurs to Do More Than Dream. The article talks about the closing of the University of California, San Diego’s Moxie Center for Student Entrepreneurship. I love the articles thinking behind the fact that we need to do a little less with the classroom textbooks of learning about entrepreneurship and more about the actual doing. Thinking outside of the box. For example, the concept behind The Moxie Center was a great one. Giving grants to young innovators which allowed them to take that idea and make it a reality. Thanks to a million-dollar gift the center was able to sustain for two and a half years before it gave out all of the money. In my entrepreneurial mind and the fact that I would want this program to sus ... read more

As a successful entrepreneur with A.D.D, I have taken my distractions and turned them into direction. I know that A.D.D. will not go away and so I have started some lifestyle changes that has helped me not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. 1. Limit distractions. Working in a noisy place can trigger your brain to go in many different directions. I use headphones that can cancel out noise (I love this pair). Or if I need to pay attention in a meeting or have an important conversation with someone I keep my cell phone off or in another room. I close the door to my office when I don’t want to be disturbed and my team knows when the door is closed to not disturb me. 2. Train my brain. I read every night ... read more

Today’s post marks the first part a of series about the important traits, actions and habits that set Entrepreneurs apart from Wannapreneuers. Throughout the series of posts, I will offer several examples from my career when I met major challenges with smart decisions, solid planning and help from my reliable team. At the conclusion of each post, one of my most trusted advisers, Nancy Snell, will recap the key decisions, share her valuable insights and provide vital takeaways to apply in your own career. Nancy is a business and ADHD coach with a degree in psychology and sub-specialization and comprehensive expertise in the field of Adult ADHD. She had a very successful career in media broadcasting sales/marketing/media buying included mentoring, training and new business development. That experience taught Nancy how to get fast, laser-focused, remarkable results. Nancy has helped hundreds of business professionals optimize their time and maximize their potential through simple ... read more

Philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “In times of great change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.” When I was growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s, everyone always told me to go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a job and contribute to their 401K to save a little nest egg for retirement and life would be good. Well, I did not take that path, and I’m really happy I didn’t… The world has changed dramatically since the 80’s and there is now more opportunity to become an entrepreneur than ever before. With the internet boom, we have seen more and more people creating from home, becoming app developers, internet marketers, social media gurus, SEO and website experts. Businesses are able to start with very low start up capital. According to the ... read more

It dawned on me recently while listening to an interview with Judd Apatow that we business leaders could all learn something from the guys and gals who make us laugh. Judd is a crazy, successful comedy writer, producer, and director who is best known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and This is 40 among a long list of other projects. I wondered, “So, what makes him so successful?” I mean, there are millions of comics out there, pounding the pavement, doing stand-up, posting YouTube videos. Why did this guy make it while others crash and burn? I got my answers in the interview he did with Fresh Air on NPR. It become obvious that this guy was obsessed with comedy, to the point where there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for comedy. From having the nerve to book famous comedians for his high school radio show (that he admits probably didn’t reach beyond the parking lot at his school), to repeatedly delivering a terrible stand-up routine that got its biggest laugh when he clo ... read more

I recently visited a Cosi café to pick up a juice and a snack. While I was waiting I noticed a manager training a new employee. Amanda was showing the new girl around telling her this and that and then something really caught my attention. Amanda showed the new girl how to count the apples on the front counter….She explained to her new employee that at certain points in the day they needed to count the apples and fill out an “Impulse Item Production Sheet”. I just had to ask Amanda about this policy and procedure. She explained to me that they displayed certain fruits and snacks on the counter near the register to spur impulse sales (o.k., no brainer). But she went on to explain how they MEASURED it! Several times a day they would fill out an Impulse Item Production Sheet, replenish the apples and such that were sold and COMPARE their sales against their goals and make adjustments to their displays based on what sold.WOW! They actually had a plan, a way to measure it and make sure ... read more

Everyone has experienced some type of sleep deprivation. It’s normal when you have a big project coming up at work or school or an exciting life event is about to happen. Whenever we were about to open a new store at Curry’s Auto Service or I had something big going on, I would only sleep several hours a night for several weeks in a row. I would wake up at two or three in the morning, not be able to get back to sleep, so I’d just head into to work and start to take on the day. People, like myself with attention deficit disorder (ADD) have a love/hate relationship with routines. Being easily distracted, having trouble staying on task and difficulty with prioritizing are all symptoms of ADD in adults. Some might say that routines and ADD would be like oil and water, but, in fact, these are the reasons why creating a routine is critical for success. It is important to create a routine as an adult (eve ... read more

I believe in the “say yes” philosophy so much that I made it a major part of my presentation to Sir Richard Branson and the other entrepreneurs assembled at Necker Island when I was there in 2014. At the conclusion of my talk, Branson was quick to point out that he had instilled the same mindset throughout the Virgin Group, where their internal marketing slogan was “The answer’s yes – what’s the question?” As Branson and I both know from experience, customer focus is not just some New Age touchy-feely Kumbaya concept. It’s the key to generating profit. So make it your business to find a way to say ‘yes’, because you never know where it will lead. For example, I’m not a techie, not by a long shot. But if I hadn’t taken a leap of faith and said ‘yes’ to hybrid battery conditioning technology, I would never have been able to launch my newest venture, The Hybrid Shop. Back in 2012, I met one of the world’s leading technologists in all things hybrid, Dr. Mark Q ... read more

I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I’m a Realist and a Capitalist. Capitalism built America, and I believe it will save America and help the world – which is a core belief of Richard Branson and The Branson School of Entrepreneurship as well. I believe that capitalism and entrepreneurism can save you and your family, too… but only if you can get past the idea stage and on to the execution stage. Millions of people have great business ideas, but until those ideas are executed, they aren’t worth the cocktail napkin they’re scribbled on. This is one thing I know for sure about business:execution is what separates the entrepreneurs from the wanna-preneurs. So, once you’ve identified your passion and have racked up some real-world experience in your chosen industry, the next step is to develop your unique vision and a game plan for executing your business idea. You have to know where you’re headed (your vision) and how you’re going to get there (your game ... read more

My name is Matt, but some people have called me HazMat, which is short for “hazardous material.” My wife, Judy, says she’s the Tasmanian Devil Whisperer. That’s because I have a condition called Attention Deficit Disorder, commonly known as A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. My A.D.D. makes it really hard (OK, impossible) for me to sit still and focus on anything for more than a few minutes. I’m like a pinball, bouncing off the walls, switching gears on a dime. My mind and body go full tilt from the moment I wake up in the morning until I finally fall asleep at night. Life is kind of crazy for me sometimes. I was diagnosed with A.D.D. back in the 1970s, when I was eleven years old. I always got along great with the other kids in school, but as I grew older, my non-stop energy became harder for me and my teachers to manage. Consequently my grades weren’t very good. I was getting low B’s and C’s even though everybody told me I was smart enough to earn A’s. Unless I was doing something I enjoyed ... read more