Archive View (March 2006)

Contributing EditorBrands are for the big guys, right? Proctor & Gamble, General Motors, Starbucks, Gap, Trump. Wrong! If you have a business, you have a brand. If you have a career, you are the brand. Anyone out there in any market of any kind has a brand. It may be making you money, or losing you money, but your brand is there. So what exactly is a brand? Many people confuse branding with graphic design. I still have clients come to me saying, "Can you design us a brand?" They are asking for a logo, and my response is always what more...

Chairman, Trump UniversityThanks to everyone who e-mailed, posted comments, and sent letters congratulating Melania and me on the birth of our son, Barron William. Thank you so much for your kind wishes and thoughts. Everyone is doing just great.Being a father again, I'm reminded how important it is to prepare for your child's future. I'm going to assume that if you've found this site and you care enough to come here forbusiness education, then you're smart enough to know how to save money and make wise investments.But don't forget the other financial investment you make in your children: instilling in them more...

Chairman, Trump UniversityWe're only a couple weeks into this season's Apprentice, but there are already many good business lessons to be learned. So far, the candidates are making some textbook mistakes. As usual, they always think they're smarter and more clever than everyone else, but it always boils down not to what they think, but to what they actually do.In the very first episode, I felt like it was a lesson in radar awareness. In the business world, it's never good to fly too far below the radar. Although you never risk your neck, you never take chances which means you more...

We all know what it means to love someone or something, whether it is a silver-anniversary marriage partner, a television program like The Apprentice, or a local sports team. So why is it that it's so easy to become infatuated with an iPod, yet most people have trouble falling in love with their jobs? I have seen a disturbing statistic in newspapers and magazines that up to 70 percent of people are unhappy with their jobs. What side of the statistic are you on? In working with college students and young professionals as they prepare to launch successful careers (work I love), I more...

If you're running your own business, you had better cast yourself as the star of the show. Too many entrepreneurs waste their time playing every supporting role from sidekick to understudy. But to be truly successful in business, owners must place themselves at the center of the action. If you're going to be the diva, however, you have to learn how to delegate. Success in the business world requires balancing your desire for control with a need to bring the star quality out in those who work for you. Finding your balance will allow you the freedom to perform at your best more...

Chairman, Trump UniversityA new season of The Apprentice is underway with another crop of talented, ambitious candidates, each vying for a coveted job in the Trump Organization. Like last season, I was directly involved in choosing the contestants. I wanted to make absolutely sure that we had the most interesting and most colorful group we could find, and we certainly had our pick among hundreds of thousands of applicants.Everyone is asking me about my first impressions upon meeting these 18 hopefuls for the first time. Of course, they all looked remarkable on paper. They've started their own businesses, been top in more...

"Location, location, location" is one of the most overused (and misunderstood) phrases in the real estate business. Sure, when it comes to real estate, a property in a great location can seem like a no-brainer investment, but where do YOU fit into your investment decision? What role does entrepreneurial vision and imagination play in deciding what and where to invest your time, energy, and money? For real estate entrepreneurs, like other entrepreneurs, seeing possibilities where others might see problems is the name of the game. Entrepreneurial real estate investors look beyond the obvious to discover or create value on their own. In the more...