Isn’t it great to be alive!!!

We all have limitless ideas and the ability to accomplish practically anything we want!

Well….why don’t we?

Why is it that there are more “idea people” than “action people?”

I’m here to tell you that ideas are a dime a dozen (I know, you’ve heard that before….but stick with me here) and action ISN’T enough, but it (ACTION) is certainly the first step to moving toward your goals and accomplishing your dreams.

The purpose of this post is to explore what separates winners and losers, well intentioned idea people from millionaires, and success from failure.

I’d like to argue that while ideas are precious and action is crucial to accomplishing goals, it’s more about EXECUTION than anything else.

A great idea with no action is nothing. Hot air.

A great idea with action and no specific plan for execution is likely to result in agony and eventual failure……unless you get lucky, which happens one out of every 100,000 times (not scientific, but my point is you are leaving your destiny to luck).

The key to taking action and actually crossing the finish line of victory is execution.

Ask yourself – What’s your plan? Is your plan specific? Is your plan similar enough to others who have already accomplished what you want? Are you absolutely committed to your outcome? Are you absolutely certain of your victory?

Let me give you some perspective here…let’s use something we are all familiar with – New Year’s Resolutions.

Every New Year’s 75% of the American population makes a New Year’s Resolution. The idea that most people adopt is that exercise and / or weight loss would be great….therefore, they adopt it as their resolution.

The good news is that in most cases the person in question has decided to publicize their resolution (share it with friends and family), which is actually a brilliant way to build some initial leverage….that more times than not will lead to some form of action. Driving by a gym…….calling to get monthly rates…..soliciting friends to work out with you…..You know the kind of initial action we typically take based on New Year’s Resolutions.

So…..your New Year’s Resolution is set – I’m going to join the Gym and get in “shape.”

Let’s step back. What does “get in shape mean?” This is crucial to your success, but the problem is 99% of the time the person never defines what “getting in shape” means.

Also, what’s the difference between success or failure here? Lose 15 lbs. Reduce the size of the tire around your waist, your gorgeous love handles, or your J-Lo booty?

Chances are….if you are using a New Year’s Resolution to motivate yourself to take action on something just about all of us want (to be in “shape,”) you may be setting yourself of for failure…..or not!

I’m comfortable in concluding that if you are reading this post you agree with a few facts.

(1) Most people who set New Year’s Resolutions don’t accomplish much.
(2) Good intentions (ideas) aren’t enough.
(3) Action alone isn’t enough, but it’s a step in the right direction!
(4) A killer execution plan is the secret to taking a great idea, along with physical action across the finish line.

Ideas and actions aren’t enough to truly live an exceptional life and accomplish your goals and dreams – you need to have a specific execution plan.

OK Kris – I get your point…….but how do I apply this to my life?

Here’s what I’d like you to do.

(1) Identify five goals that you’d like to accomplish within the next 12 months.

- Be as specific as possible with your goals. For instance, one of my goals is to submit my table of contents (within 30 days), get approval and begin writing (within 90 days), complete first 1/4 of book (within 180 days), complete 2/4 of book (within 210 days), complete 3/4 of book (within 240 days), complete final 1/4 of book (within 240 days), and make final edits and complete my third book (within 12 months). The more specific you can be the better.

- Don’t be afraid to put one or two goals down that make you feel uncomfortable. By uncomfortable I mean goals that, when accomplished, will actually change your life. Use your imagination here. Give yourself some credit….and again be as specific as possible about what your desired outcome is.

(2) Take action.

- Each of your goals will require you to take action. When you take action depends on the nature of the goal, but keep in mind two things – first, action will be required and second, a start date is absolutely necessary. You can’t just write a goal down without identifying when you’ll initially take action and what other action steps will be necessary to carry you across the finish line.

(3) Evaluate your progress and modify if necessary to accomplish your goal.

- This step is critical to your success. As yourself – Am I hitting my benchmarks? Am I moving in the direction of my goal? If I continue on this track will I accomplish my goal? Does my execution plan need to be modified in order to reach my goal? Of course, if you answer any of these questions with a negative that’s NO PROBLEM!!!!! It just means that you need to modify your execution plan.

- Rinse and repeat. In other words, you’ll need to continually evaluate your progress and modify your plan until you cross the finish line.

(4) Set new goals. Arm yourself with a solid execution plan and use the above steps to accomplish your goals!

- Once you have accomplished your goal you aren’t done. You need to replace it with a new goal….hopefully something even more aggressive and exciting. Accomplishing your goals is like growing your muscles. As you accomplish more and more of your goals you get stronger and your execution strategy becomes part of your personality…..and accomplishing your goals and achieving desired outcomes becomes part of your life.

SUMMARY:

Ideas are a dime a dozen.

Most people never take action on great ideas.

Action is a rarity and when people take action toward a desired outcome they fail to carefully construct an execution plan.

An execution plan requires you to specifically define your desired outcome, typically in the form of a specific goal AS WELL AS continuously monitor your progress and modify your approach if necessary to successfully cross the finish line.

Once you successfully achieve your goal it is absolutely critical that you replace it with a new goal. Life is a journey, not a destination….so you need to continually build your high achiever muscles so that over time accomplishing your goals and dreams becomes part of your personality….and is directly correlated with the expectations others have for you and your abilities.

So there you go. I’m glad you read this post and allowed me to share this perspective with you.

What are your thoughts? What am I missing.

As I said above one of the most strategic ways to taking action is to share your goal(s) with the public. Once you set your goals come back here and share one or more with us by commenting on this post….and on FB or Twitter.

Here’s a quick snapshot of some upcoming events. Hope to see you there! I’ll add more as I confirm them. Click here for a longer list of past and upcoming speaking engagements and book signings.

• Looking Forward Conference, Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, March 31, 2012
• Daily Deal Summit, Crowne Plaza Times Square, New York, New York, April 17-18, 2012
• Radio Ink Convergence Conference, Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, California, June 4-5, 2012
• FORUMcon (Keynote), Hotel Kabuki, San Francisco, California, June 12, 2012
• PubCon Las Vegas 2012, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 15-19, 2012

This video is 45 minutes long and it starts with a recap of the previous episode….I don’t come on until around minute 21.30 or so….

Granted this is an oldie, but it was a great time spending a few days in Colorado and finds itself on my top 20 list or so of the more interesting things I’ve had the opportunity to do over the last decade or so as an internet CEO. I also made friends with some of the finalists of the show that I still keep in touch with to this day!

Enjoy!

Well…..I never stopped working but I did take a few months off from travel and public speaking outside of local events and seminars in my hometown of Wilkes Barre / Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition, I started a new company (more on that in a later post) and put some money to work in various early stage and alternative types of investments.

So….for those of you that attend internet marketing conferences or just so happen to attend one of the colleges or universities I’ll be speaking at, here’s a quick summary of my confirmed public speaking appearances.

September 2011

WHAT: Entrepreneurial Mindset; A Discussion with College Students
WHEN: September 13, 2011
WHERE: University of Scranton
TOPIC: Entrepreneurial mindset and planning for a career as an entrepreneur.

WHAT: Times Shamrock Commuications Digital Marketing Seminar (for Scranton area businesses)
WHEN: September 27, 2011
WHERE: Radisson Scranton
TOPIC: Leveraging the one-two punch of traditional and digital media. If you are interested in attending please contact (570) 348-9140.

October 2011

WHAT: Wednesday Night Entrepreneurship Series – Marywood University
WHEN: October 12, 2011
WHERE: Marywood University
TOPIC: This will be my second lecture to Marywood University for Dr. Christopher J. Speicher’s Entrepreneurship class…and once again I can’t wait to engage with the students.

WHAT: Times Shamrock Commuications Digital Marketing Seminar (for Wilkes Barre area businesses)
WHEN: October 2011 / TBD
WHERE: Genetti’s Best Western, Wilkes Barre
TOPIC: Leveraging the one-two punch of traditional and digital media. If you are interested in attending please contact (570) 348-9140.

November 2011

WHAT: PubCon, Las Vegas
WHEN: November 7 – 10, 2011
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada
TOPIC: I will be speaking on two panels. The first panel will focus on social media signals. The second panel will be an interactive lab on search-engine optimization.

December 2011

Are you crazy! No speaking during the holidays.

January 2012

WHAT: University of Pittsburgh Entrepreneurship Series
WHEN: Early 2012
WHERE: Pittsburgh, PA
TOPIC: Search-engine optimization (SEO) and social media for small businesses. This one will be based on the 2nd edition of my book: SEO Visual Blueprint.

February 2012

WHAT: Online Marketing Summit (OMS)
WHERE: Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, California
WHEN: February 6-10, 2012
TOPIC: I’ve been asked to moderate multiple panels and lead an educational track. The details are being worked out but it looks like I’ll lead a few sessions on local digital advertising and a few session on performance marketing. More details once I have them, but I’ll see you in sunny San Diego for a third straight OMS!~

I will update this page as I receive more confirmations.

Just a note as well…..I’ve decided to lighten my public speaking load a bit in 2012 so that I could attend Mastery University with Tony Robbins. My first Mastery University session will be Date with Destiny, which will be held this December in Palm Springs, CA. The next session is Business Mastery in January 2012 in Las Vegas, NV. The final sessions will be Life Mastery and Wealth Mastery, which will be held in later 2012 in Fiji.

Living it. Loving it. Crushing it. Always. Every day is a baseline.

I’m excited to present to you an exclusive interview with KBJ Capital portfolio company APPEK Mobile Apps. In this interview, co-founder and CEO Adam Ceresko shares his vision for the future of APPEK Mobile Apps and the broader mobile application industry in general, while also providing some tips for young entrepreneurs on what it takes to raise funding, build buzz, and penetrate a fast growing market. In all respects, Adam and his team at APPEK are crushing it!

If you are an APPEK Mobile Apps fan like I am you can learn more about them here or visit them in San Francisco in two weeks for TechCrunch Disrupt. Follow APPEK on Twitter @appekapps and fan on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/appekapps. If you are a business in need of professional mobile application development call 1-877-844-1386 right now.

KRIS: Tell me about the history of APPEK Mobile Apps?

ADAM: APPEK was co-founded in 2009 by Andrew Herman and myself during our graduating semester at Penn State University. During that semester, CATA, State College’s transit agency, released GPS bus location to the public, but only in the form of a website. The web experience of the browser was very poor, so Andrew and I decided to develop an iPhone app that combined the power of a native app with the GPS information. Long story short, we partnered with CATA and released the app in January 2010. With instant success, there was an immediate demand for an Android app. To date, the iPhone and Android apps have been downloaded over 30,000 times in all markets we serve.

In October 2010, we re-located APPEK to the Scranton Enterprise Center, which is home to the Small Business Incubator of Scranton, PA. Within our first couple months, we were fortunate to meet some great people, including you Kris. During this time, with your help, Andrew and I started to notice a very large demand for high-end mobile development. So on March 9th, 2011, APPEK announced a $50,000 investment from KBJ Capital to fund the creation of a B2B Mobile App Development Division of APPEK. Our services include design, development, testing and consulting for clients ranging from funded start-ups to Fortune 2000s. We build on all major platforms, including IOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows.

Since taking down some venture financing we’ve increased the size of our staff considerably and added some incredible talent. Our developers, mostly from Penn State (Kris’ Alma mater as well), have been incredible assets to the team and the culture of a silicon-valley start up is really starting to take form.

KRIS: You mentioned in your answer to the previous question that your focus is on building mobile applications for funded start-ups and large Fortune 2000 companies. Can you share with me a bit more of your thinking here? Why start-ups and large enterprises? Is APPEK Mobile Apps willing to build mobile applications for others types of businesses outside of your core focus?

ADAM: APPEK focuses on funded start-ups and Fortune 2000s because they are more immediately prepared for our services. These companies either already have the existing product or service in place and are ready to add the mobile component, or have their vision well planned and the necessary development funds in place.

We absolutely are willing to build mobile apps for other types of business. At the beginning of every project, we start by working through our Requirements Gathering Document to help APPEK and the client better understand their vision. The goal of the document is to provide a tangible outline for the project that allows APPEK to give a more detailed and accurate quote.

Just because our main focus is on high profile companies, we are always willing to help create the next big thing!

KRIS: APPEK Mobile Apps was funded with $50,000 from my early stage technology fund KBJ Capital. Why did you take the funds and how has the experience been thus far?

ADAM: The investment funds were mostly allocated to building the B2B division. It allowed us to immediately a lead developer – Nick Heckman, plant a seed for other employment expansion opportunities, and upgrade all the technology we had in-house. But at the end of the day, the reason APPEK accepted the investment from KBJ Capital was for yourself and the intangibles you brought to the table. Between your experience gained from Pepperjam, the vast network and passion for building the next big thing, it was a no brainer.

KRIS: Mobile is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of technology. What are your thoughts on the future of mobile? Have we just gotten started or will mobile continue to grow indefinitely?

ADAM: Go back to 2001, there was no such thing as text messaging, Facebook or iPads. We then had the ability to take a mobile device, snap a picture and send it to a friend within seconds, but that was so 2006. Now we can sit in front of a beautiful 3.5” mobile device and live video chat with anyone, from anywhere!

So to answer your question, we are still just getting started. Mobile devices, and more importantly apps, are completing reshaping how we consume not just the internet, but all information. This has lead to a complete paradigm shift in technology that will be around for many years.

KRIS: Pretend I’m a decently successful start-up Web based business (let’s say I’m Yumm.com). How can mobile help me? Can I make money from mobile?

ADAM: Not all web-based business can benefit from a mobile app, but the majority of them can in a big way.

First off, mobile is sexy and is the best new branding tool on the market. We’ve been hearing “check us out on the web” for so long it goes in one ear and out the other where “check out our mobile apps” sticks a bit more. From a shear-marketing standpoint, having mobile apps is attractive and shows your customers you’re keeping up with technology.

Furthermore, mobile does two things very well; geo-location and push notification. These features allow companies to target specific audiences and push simple messages to each audience, in a matter of seconds.

KRIS: Please share with my readers one interesting story about yourself that few people know and one story about your cofounder Andrew Herman that he’d kill you to share publicly.

ADAM: First off, I have an unlimited number of stories about Andrew that he’d kill me for telling, but I am going to pass. He is my co-founder & CTO, and without him APPEK doesn’t exist. If you would like to get some of the good stories, invite me out for a drink and I’ll be more than glad to share individually. As for making fun of myself, that’s a different story…

It was early 2010. APPEK just released the CATA iPhone app, our first product we’ve been working on for months. It was a huge success, landing us major local media coverage. Bus companies starting contacting us to inquire about our product and there was an immediate demand for Android. The business was starting to gain traction and we felt on top of the world. Then, our business cards came in the mail. Having personally designed them, I was more than excited for the first official hand off.

The next day, we traveled to Pittsburgh to view apartments and office space. It was our last stop, an apartment complex just outside the downtown. We arrived and were greeted by a very attractive young woman who proceeded to show us around the facility. After the tour, she invited us into her office to get more information and supply us applications. As we were walking in, I had the great idea to go back to my car and grab a business card…the first hand off! I proceeded to walk inside and instead of handing it to her professionally, I did the two-finger spin toss onto the table and mumbled, “There’s that.” Sitting down like nothing was wrong, I look up to both Andrew and the young woman completely in shock followed by uncontrollable laugher. Needless to say, I will never live down my first business card exchange.

KRIS: From a consumer standpoint which mobile operating system is better Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android?

ADAM: As a consumer, you can’t go wrong either way. Both platforms are very powerful and are clearly the leaders in mobile compared to the others (BlackBerry, Windows, etc.) From a straight OS standpoint, I am biased considering I’ve only ever owned an iPhone & iPad since 2007, 2010 respectively.

When comparing phones, it’s a toss up. iPhone offers a simple learning curve with a beautiful interface, while Android offers several different options (price, screen size, etc). When it comes to tablets, the iPad not only created the space, it’s dominating it. Even outside the US in countries where Blackberry & Nokia dominate, the iPad is selling like hotcakes.

This very interesting info graphic adds a different look into the world of Android vs iOS (http://blog.hunch.com/?p=51781).

KRIS: If you could trade shoes with anyone for two straight weeks who would it be and why?

ADAM: I would trade shoes with Jason Fried, the co-founder of 37signals (www.37signals.com) who is responsible for Basecamp, Highrise and other excellent collaboration software. In an article he wrote for Inc. Magazine (http://bit.ly/qwkXIX), he discussed his lifestyle and morals, both professional and personal. Jason explains his views for transparency, efficiency and time management, but the most respected attribute is his dedication to user engagement. Between the many 37Signal blogs, twitter, podcasts and books, Jason has created an incredible culture that focuses on technology for the users, not just the bottom-line. Please check out their latest book, “Rewire” (http://37signals.com/rework/).

KRIS: What is the future of APPEK Mobile Apps?

ADAM: Success for any start-up company is based on staying focused and building on momentum. For APPEK, the creation of the B2B division was great and now its time to ramp up our marketing efforts and maximize our in-house efficiency to become one of the largest app developers in the world. But what’s next?

I’m proud to announce that APPEK is currently in development on two incredible projects…

The first is a mobile analytics technology that is unlike anything currently offered in the market. This tool will allow developers to better understand how users are interacting with their apps and where improvements can be made. This software, which has been named PathMapp, will be formally introduced in BETA at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco on September 12th, 2011.

Our 2nd project, also being announced at TechCrunch Disrupt, is our first release into the largest category of apps…mobile games. Our gaming team has been in development for several weeks preparing for the launch. Without ruining the surprise, lets just say this new twist on an old classic will provide endless hours of game-time for you and your friends. Please stay tuned to our website for more information in the coming weeks (www.appekapps.com).

KRIS: Complete the following sentence and tell us why. If I was not a start-up entrepreneur I would be……

ADAM: If I was not a start-up entrepreneur I would be bored. I had no idea when I approached Andrew with our original idea that APPEK would have blossomed into what it is today. But it’s not enough…

I have created an opportunity for myself where the sky is the limit and I am bound by only my thoughts. Recognition of your accomplishments should only fuel you to surpass them and in turn make all the doubters sit back and have nothing to say but…shit.

Why would I want to be doing anything else?

To kick things off I am happy to provide an exclusive interview with Josh Mullineaux, the co-founder and CEO of KBJ Capital Portfolio company Highlighter.com. This interview is particularly timely since just today Highlighter announced the release of Highlighter.com 2.0!!!

KRIS: Congrats on the release of Highlighter.com 2.0! Please tell us more about the new and improved Highlighter.

JOSH: Thanks Kris!

Well, when we released the original WordPress plugin at the end of TechStars, we learned a ton. We spoke to a bunch of customers and potential customers, mentors, educators, authors, you name it, we talked to them about Highlighter. We learned who will get the absolute highest amount of value from using our tool and took all the feedback we received to completely revamp the product. Two groups of people that are targets of Highlighter are authors and educators (professors especially).

Authors publish long form documents online that beg for the use of Highlighter to make it more engaging and more social. They can use it for editing and a host of other things. Professors publish a ton of classroom material online but have a really tough time will how to create discussions around that content. Highlighter works perfectly for that. Also, with Highlighter students can save important snippets of text to their highlighter account to make it easier to remember and help them study. With the newest version, Highlighter can work on any website (not just WordPress)! We have also developed some powerful analytics to help publishers understand how readers are interacting with their content. Enabling them to create more engaging content and reach their readers more effectively. You can see our awesome new video produced by Mike Folden below…

Highlighter from Highlighter on Vimeo.

KRIS: Amazon.com continues to make strides in e-reading through the Kindle digital reading device. How is Highligher different than the Highlighting feature offered as part of the Kindle?

JOSH: Amazon has been doing some amazing things but has also been creating a ton of enemies in the process, especially in the self publishing world. Highlighter will work on any website and it lives on the internet. This means that you don’t have to have a Kindle to use the highlighting features. Any device that is connected to the internet can make use of Highlighter.

KRIS: Please describe the core or prototypical Highlighter user? Do they read books? Magazines? Web Blogs? News Web sites such as Techcrunch and the New York Times? Buy Online?

JOSH: We have two main types of users, publishers and readers. With the first piece of software that we released today, publishers install 1-line of code into the footer of their site or digital book or online publication and they get all of the Highlighter functionality.

Our ideal publisher is one that creates long form content or academic based content, I.E. authors and professors. Our next supporting piece of software will have readers as the main customer. Essentially enabling readers to have Highlighter functionality for any piece of content that is online period! Be on the lookout for that in a few months.

KRIS: What do you believe are the two or three features of Highlighter that really separates it from the competition?

JOSH: Our sharing feature and our analytics have actually been receiving the most praise from our publishers. We’ll see as we grow if those continue to be the favorite features of our customers. Here’s a screen shot of our social sharing tools, which allows readers to interact and share highlighted content they like from across the Web:

KRIS: Do you have any additional features in mind (in the development pipeline) for Highlighter?

JOSH: Oh yes!

The very next feature we will roll out in the next month or so is our ‘Groups’ feature. Allowing users to form groups and even sub-groups around pieces of online content. This came as a request from a professor at the University of Colorado who is helping us refine the feature. The feature is aimed strait at the needs of professors and educators who want to get students more engaged with online class material. Also, this will allow book clubs to use Highlighter.

KRIS: Highlighter.com is a 2010 graduate of the inaugural TechStars Seattle class. Please summarize your experience as a TechStars company a.) while part of the incubation and b.) post incubation. What were the highlights before and after?

JOSH: Like every other entrepreneur who has been a part of TechStars will tell you, the experience is literally life altering. The program will teach the CEO’s to pitch effectively and get everyone used to hearing ‘No.’

The developer community while in the program is 2nd to none as well. All the teams are able to lean on each other for help.

Arguably the most valuable part of the experience is the networking with investors, successful entrepreneurs, and other mentors. You get unprecedented access to them and they will sink their teeth into the product, strategy, and pitch.

Post incubation, TechStars gives us an advantage when speaking to potential investors or partners. Everyone knows TechStars and how competitive it is to get in. So when you meet with someone and they know that you have been through the program, they know that you have been taught well, are capable, and have already been evaluated by some of the most successful investors and entrepreneurs in the business.

KRIS: Why should an early stage technology entrepreneur strongly consider an incubator program such as TechStars or Y-Combinator? Why not?

JOSH: See my previous answer for why. For any serious entrepreneur, no matter how successful they already are, TechStars or Y-Combinator provides so much value that given the chance they should all go through the program. There is no reason not to that I can think of.

KRIS: Fantasize with us for a moment. Share with KBJ readers a list of your absolute dream team partner list for Highlighter.com? For instance, maybe you have a burning desire to get the Washington Post to install Highlighter so its reader would be able to interact with content (and the author) using Highlighter….

JOSH: I have a dream…

I have a dream that all universities, colleges, high schools, and elementary schools would be using Highlighter to make their online content more engaging for students making their eduaction experience better. I also have a dream that J. K. Rowling and Amanda Hocking would use Highlighter on all of their online content and books and chapters along with all of the rest of the Amazon best sellers list.

KRIS: For potential bloggers, publishers, and media companies…can you walk us through the set-up process to enable Highlighter on a Web site?

JOSH: All a user has to do is go to Highlighter.com, sign up for an account, enter your website URL in the space provided, take the code snippet provided and paste it in the footer of your site, and BAM!

Highlighter is working!

Here’s a screen shot of the Highlighter Dashboard, which provides publishers and authors with statistics on reader interactions using Highlighter:

I spent the last three days in New York City at TechCrunch Disrupt with two KBJ Capital portfolio companies: Yumm.com and APPEK Mobile Apps.

Both Yumm and APPEK absolutely crushed TechCrunch Disrupt!

APPEK Mobile Apps

From the time Adam Ceresko and Andrew Herman (Cofounders of APPEK) hit the Start-up Alley floor on Monday until the place closed down around 6pm the booth was packed – even Michael Arrington (founder of TechCrunch) stopped by with questions for the guys, as did representatives from Sequoia Capital, Google, and Bing.

Appek Mobile Apps is a B2B Mobile App Development Company – the company was created to fill the void between customer demand for mobile application development needs and high-end development. Appek focuses on funded start-ups and large clients and the reception from attendees of TechCrunch Disrupt was nothing short of positive.

Yumm.com

Yumm.com exhibited on Tuesday in front of hundreds of fellow foodies and technologists – Founder Chris Hedgecock absolutely rocked the house with a demo of the soon-to-be-released Yumm iPad App (watch TechCrunch for the announcement). The excitement over the Yumm Web site and iPad app was awesome – so awesome that a major publicly traded company has taken an interest in a partnership – stay tuned!

A third KBJ Capital company, Highlighter.com was also in New York as cofounder Josh Mullineaux was in town for the Annual Book Expo, which was held at the Javitz Center – while Josh didn’t attend Disrupt he did attend Monday’s after party at the Hudson.

I’ve got to admit – I’m sincerely proud of the entrepreneurs I’ve invested in – to watch them in action is awesome!

Here are some pics:

Last year I spoke at an investor conference in New York City which included 400 of the world’s most successful internet entrepreneurs – while I had the opportunity to meet some incredibly smart and talented people one guy stood out in the crowd more than anyone else….Obinna Ekezie, and it wasn’t only because he is nearly 7 ft tall.

Not surprisingly, Obinna Ekezie is a former college and professional basketball player…first at the University of Maryland and later as a NBA player for various teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, LA Clippers, and Vancouver Grizzlies. Obinna counts Dallas Mavericks owner and fellow entrepreneur Mark Cuban, as well as former NBA player (and fellow entrepreneur) Magic Johnson as inspirations.

Of course, one is inclined to want to talk basketball with Obinna…as I did over dinner in NYC one of the nights of the conference, but ironically Obinna primarily wanted to talk about business – in particular, about how he was on a mission to build the #1 provider of online travel bookings in Africa and his native home of Nigeria.

As we began to talk I found myself quickly on the edge of my seat for a few reasons. First, Obinna is a passionate guy and brilliant entrepreneur – during our initial meeting he came across as a combination of an Ivy League professor and a motivational speaker. Second, Obinna thinks big – listening to him is like listening to a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs….he really wants to revolutionize the way people book online travel in Africa. Did I mention Africa has over 1 billion residents? Yeah – Obinna thinks big!

Over the last year my personal and professional relationship with Obinna has grown much closer – in fact, there probably hasn’t been a week that has gone by without us chatting at least once or twice by e-mail about Obinna’s entrepreneurial ambitions and in particular his travel company Zeep (see Wakanow.com), which has quickly become the fastest growing online travel company in Africa.

Below you will find an exclusive interview that I conducted with Obinna – we briefly chat about his basketball career and then discuss Obinna’s entrepreneurial ambitions along with what inspires him to do what he does. I hope you find the interview as rewarding to read as it was for me to conduct.

INTERVIEW BETWEEN KRIS JONES AND OBINNA EKEZIE – APRIL 2011

KRIS JONES: So…let’s talk basketball first. You attended and played college basketball on a full scholarship at the University of Maryland from 1995-1999. Why did you attend the University of Maryland?

In the video above Keith Booth and Obinna Ekezie lead Maryland over Duke.

OBINNA EKEZIE: I wanted to study Mechanical engineering and business. UMD was the only school that offered engineering with the IBM Total Quality Management program as a business minor so I chose MD. Moreover, it is the ACC. The best conference in college basketball at that time.

KRIS JONES: What was the highlight of your basketball career – is there a particular game and / or achievement that you cherish?

OBINNA EKEZIE: There are 3 games against UNC that we won. One we were down 21 points and came back to win at their gym. One we won at home. The last I had 3 fouls in the first half with 2 points. Second half I ended up with 19 points and we won. I couldn’t be stopped. The UNC team had Vince Carter, Antwaun Jamison, Shammond Williams, and more NBA players.

KRIS JONES: You were drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies and went on to play for multiple teams over the course of your basketball career. Can you tell us more about your professional basketball career and share some of your favorite highlights?

In the picture above Obinna Ekezie plays defense against Philadelphia 76ers’s great Allen Iverson

OBINNA EKEZIE: My professional basketball career was a blessing. It is an achievement I cherish. In terms of my actual performance, I feel I could have done much better without the injuries which was out of my control. I still feel very blessed though because the injuries cut my career short but led me to where I am today.

KRIS JONES: After having a successful professional basketball career you decided to dedicate your life to being a full-time entrepreneur. Your current business is Zeep Travel, a Nigerian based online travel company. You offer hotel business and bookings in Lagos and air travel from notable African airlines such as Virgin Nigeria and Aero Contractors. Can you tell us more about Zeep Travel and what it is that you are attempting to accomplish with the company?

In the above video CNBC’s Erin Burnett interviews Obinna Ekezie, Zeep Travel founder.

OBINNA EKEZIE: I believe there are few opportunities in life that come ones way. This is a big one and I recognized it from the start. When I was injured in 2005, I started thinking about life after basketball. I was introduced to online travel through a former friend but our venture was not successful and I pretty much lost quite a lot of money but I never gave up. A few years later I returned to Nigeria to visit and I had difficulty booking my flight. Next time I got stuck at the airport going from Lagos to Moscow because I needed a transit visa through frankfurt which I did not have and I could not buy a ticket at the airport. Although I met my wife the next day while buying a new Turkish Airline ticket, I did not find this funny. This is when I realized that there was no online travel company in Nigeria so I said we must do this.

KRIS JONES: Travel is one of the most competitive spaces to build a new online business. What makes Wakanow.com / Zeep different than other travel companies in Africa and other parts of the world?

OBINNA EKEZIE: We do not have the competition like the U.S or other developed markets. We are actually pioneers in this extremely challenging market. With the success we are having in Nigeria, we have the opportunity to expand to other African markets quickly.

KRIS JONES: How do you stay motivated and find passion on a daily basis? Can you share with us some tips for how you have been able to build such as successful career despite the natural challenges that you likely faced along the way?

OBINNA EKEZIE: People close to me know that motivation has never been an issue for me for anything that I am passionate about. I think about Wakanow and the travel business 24/7. I want to be successful and I want to make a difference. We are radically changing the way travel is planned and booked in Nigeria and I am happy about that. In terms of challenges, I put everything I had on the line. Fortunately, my father also invested as well as my partner. This is a capital intensive project but I decided to go into it knowing it would be difficult to attract VC’s without showing a viable business.

KRIS JONES: Over the years I imagine you’ve had many mentors that have inspired you. Can you share with us who your top three mentors have been and why? In basketball? In business?

OBINNA EKEZIE: My mentor is my father. He is a successful businessman so I learned a lot from him. I was inspired by guys like Mark Cuban, Kevin Plank (under armour), Magic Johnson and Steve Bischotti (Baltimore Ravens). I also read a lot of Forbes magazine trying to gain knowledge on how the richest people in the world made their money.

KRIS JONES: If you could “trade shoes” for one month with anyone who would it be and why?

OBINNA EKEZIE: No one not because I don’t admire people like you and the guys that I mentioned above because I do. I am in Nigeria doing what has been very successful in the U.S and other developed countries and having success doing it here. This makes me happy and very determined to take this across Africa. This is Africa’s time and I feel blessed to be among the leaders in the technology space. We are creating jobs and opportunities for young people here. This is very important to me.

KRIS JONES: In business, who do you admire most and why?

OBINNA EKEZIE: I admire my father because he built arguably the best Nigerian owned oil service company in Nigeria. I admire Kevin Plank because he is a UMD grad and built what we see today (founder of Under Armour) from 5 t-shirts. I actually tried one of them.

KRIS JONES: Please share what it is like to conduct business in Nigeria?

OBINNA EKEZIE: Challenging is an understatement. Things just do not work like it does in western countries.

KRIS JONES: Aside from building Wakanow into the most successful travel company in Africa, are there any other projects that you spend your time on? (this is an opportunity to share anything else you’d like…from service / philanthropic related projects, to your itunes project or whatever.

OBINNA EKEZIE: The work load is enormous so I spend a lot of time on Wakanow. After we have achieved our goal of being the biggest online travel company in Africa in a few years, I would like to make the same impact in the development of sports academies in Nigeria. We need to create opportunities for our very talented youth and we are no where close to doing that right now. The demand for Nigerian music and movies has exploded globally. It is in great need of online distribution to generate global and domestic revenue for its continued growth. Piracy is rampant but technology can soften its impact tremendously.

Yesterday was one of the highlights of my professional career as eBay announced the acquisition of GSI Commerce, the parent company of Pepperjam, which I founded in 1999 (and sold to GSI in 2009). Pepperjam was an offshoot of a gourmet food company my brother Rick and I founded in 1999 called Grandma Jones’ Originals, Inc.

I founded Pepperjam as an internet marketing and consulting company while I was a graduate student studying psychology at Villanova University. After graduating from Villanova in 2000 I went on to study government law at Albany Law School where as a student I grew Pepperjam from a small internet marketing company into a several million dollar affiliate marketing business.

Upon graduating from Albany Law in 2003 I partnered with my long-time friend Michael Jones (no relation; at the time Michael was a young lawyer at a prominent local law firm) to take Pepperjam to the next level. Michael quit the law firm and he and I joined forces to build Pepperjam into an industry leading full-service internet marketing company.

The idea was to position Pepperjam as the go to agency of record for businesses looking to leverage emerging channels of internet marketing, such as affiliate marketing, pay-per-click, and search engine optimization. We would later go on in 2006 to develop several pieces of innovative technology, most notably Pepperjam Network, which has become one of the leading affiliate networks in the world and currently powers affiliate marketing for brands such as Toys-R-Us, the NFL, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Mattel, Crayola, Sesame Street, Jenny Craig, Teleflora, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Jelly Belly, the BBC, the NHL, the NBA, and over 1,000 others.

It was Mike’s hard work and shared vision for thinking big in the early days coupled with our combined efforts to build an elite and talented team of young professionals from Northeastern, Pennsylvania that made the difference and allowed us to eventually build a company we would both be proud of, that would be much bigger than either one of us, and that would have a multi-generational impact on Northeastern, Pennsylvania.

The sale of Pepperjam to GSI Commerce and later eBay is a story of two young guys who thought big, broke tradition, and built a team of exceptional people who ultimately made the dream a reality….which continues to this day, albeit many of the folks (including myself) that walked through the doors of Pepperjam over the years are no longer with the company.

It’s a great time to recognize some of the initial and current brains and brawn behind the company (besides Mike and I) called Pepperjam – some of our first employees (in 2004) included Farukh Shroff (initial director of PPC; left PJ to work for Solid Cactus), Jonathan Runquist (became CTO and later head of software development – left the company after the GSI acquisition to pursue other opportunities), Krista Golanoski (would later become director of affiliate marketing and is still a Pepperjammer), Brock Siegel (probably held more titles than anybody in the history of Pepperjam and may have been the hardest worker ever, but was most recently VP of Sales before leaving the company prior to the GSI acquisition) and Robyn Jones (headed affiliate program management early on and went on to eventually head the entire affiliate management team and publisher relations of Pepperjam Network).

Others that held executive / senior management titles over the years and made Pepperjam into a world recognized internet marketing leader that would eventually be acquired by eBay include Ken Mohn (former VP of Search / Chief Strategy Officer – left the company prior to the GSI acquisition), Aaron Baker (former VP of Sales – left the company to become president of publicly traded Atrinsic Interactive), Trevor Brennan (former head of business development for Pepperjam’s agency business and later became VP of Sales – left the company prior to the GSI acquisition), Wes Hablett (Pepperjam’s long-time head of IT / was an employee reference from my friend Jeremy Schoemaker “aka Shoemoney” – Wes currently heads-up technology for Pepperjam and is one of the best IT guys in the world), Maura Goodwin (an early Pepperjam employee who would eventually become senior director of advertiser relations for Pepperjam Network – Maura is still a Pepperjam employee), Kat Dempsey (Kat continues to serve as senior director of lead generation at Pepperjam Network – Kat held many positions over the years including General Manager of Pepperjam Network shortly after launch in 2008..and has also provided some legal counsel as she is a lawyer), Jay Signorello (former director of software development – helped architect Pepperjam Network – left Pepperjam to head up the dev team at Heavy.com), Tim Casperson (early Pepperjam employee and software director / responsible for building Shogging.com, among other Pepperjam assets), Tara Deguisto (early Pepperjammer heads advertiser integration on Pepperjam Network – still at Pepperjam), Mandy Foley (early Pepperjammer who served as a supervisor and later director of various parts of Pepperjam Network), Alan McGlaughlin (relatively early employee; remains to this day as head of the graphics team for Pepperjam Network), Leslie Stewart (early graphics employee – went on to serve as director of agency graphics….arguably the most creative person in the history of Pepperjam – still is an employee), Matt Bradley (held various leadership roles for Pepperjam agency and later became head of internal affiliate marketing – Matt left the company after the GSI acquisition to head up internet marketing for MLB Interactive), Shawn Fassett (became Pepperjam’s first VP of Search – left in 2006 or so to pursue other internet marketing ventures), Dan Salvaterra (was a Pepperjam employee for a short period of time but served as VP of Business Development prior to leaving to pursue other things internet), Brian Gill (Pepperjam’s controller – provided direct oversight over the GSI acquisition and later left the company to join / run his father / family accounting business), Maggie Oldziejewski-Gill (an early Pepperjam employee; Maggie headed HR for many years at Pepperjam and eventually married our controller and left the company after the GSI acquisition), Ned Friar (started out as a sales guy – now is the Director of sales for Pepperjam), Quinn Kavanaugh (former director of sales, left the company to head interactive for WBRE Channel 28′s PAhomepage.com), Christian Wenzel (technical head of Pepperjam’s PPC agency business – left after the acquisition to launch his own agency business WenzelPPC), Todd Butcher (director of SEO; led the SEO team to be an industry leader – left after the GSI acquisition to founded TEB-Media), Brian Watkins (early Pepperjam employee – left Pride Mobilty to come to Pepperjam – Brian would eventually head the entire PPC division – he left after the acquisition), Ian Howells (started out as an intern; was director of SEO before eventually becoming General Manager of Pepperjam’s agency business) and Roxy (heck, I thought I’d throw Roxy into the mix, my English Bulldog in here since she was part of the fabric of Pepperjam over the years). If I missed anybody here from the leadership team please let me know and I will update.

Over the years we would build a staff of over 100 employees and would win countless awards, including being recognized by Inc. Magazine for three consecutive years as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. I may have received most of the accolades in the press and across the industry but it’s because of the above folks and the countless other members of the Pepperjam Team that made the dream a reality.

While I am no longer employed by Pepperjam (or eBay is it is now) I can’t tell you how excited I am for the future of Pepperjam.

First of all, Pepperjam is located across the street from my new offices and includes dozens of people I admire greatly.

Second, Pepperjam represents the dream that Mike and I set in motion many years ago and continues to make the type of impact on Northeastern, Pennsylvania that I personally dreamed about making after graduating from Law School and moving back to my community to build a business that would have multi-generation impact. The dream if you will lives on.

Finally, when I decided to sell Pepperjam in 2009 one of the driving reasons was strategic fit – what I mean by that is that I believe that GSI made Pepperjam a better positioned company than it was before the sale and visa versa. I was right. Similarly and even more profoundly I feel the same about eBay. I strongly believe that Pepperjam provides incredible value to eBay as eBay does to Pepperjam – together there is no doubt that the combined entity becomes the world’s leading affiliate marketing platform.

And all of this……….in my hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Unbelievable!

My friends – think big and dream big. Believe in yourself and take action with conviction. Hire smart people, support individual freedom and creativity, and build a culture / workplace that inspires. Don’t ever give up.

We are only as good as the sum of our parts.

As for me and my entrepreneurial future, I’ve only gotten started, but let’s all agree that the bar has been set high. Now off to take my newest venture ReferLocal.com to the next level.

I’m happy to announce that I’ve invested $50,000 (through my investment fund KBJ Capital) in B2B mobile app developer APPEK Mobile Apps!

As a condition of the investment I will join APPEK as a strategic advisor and member of the APPEK board of advisors.

After meeting with dozens of mobile app start-up technology companies from across the country I quickly discovered that APPEK Mobile Apps (located in my home town of Northeastern, Pennsylvania) is particularly well positioned to immediately take advantage of the massive supply demand discrepancy that exists between the tens of thousands of businesses that require mobile app development and the very limited number of professional B2B mobile app development providers.

I look forward to working closely with APPEK founders (and fellow Penn State grads!) Adam Ceresko and Andrew Herman as a strategic advisor and mentor to position APPEK as the world leader in B2B mobile app development.

On a side note, I am confident that today’s investment in APPEK will result in the creation of numerous high paying technology jobs, while also supporting the growing cluster of innovative companies and technology success stories originating from Northeastern, Pennsylvania!

I can tell you from the bottom of my belly that supporting home grown entrepreneurs and cultivating the technology community of Northeastern, PA is one of the main drivers of KBJ Capital….and one of my personal goals.

If you are in need of mobile app development or want to learn more about APPEK visit their site – APPEK Mobile Apps – B2B Mobile App Development or simply contact me here.

For a press release from today’s event CLICK HERE.