Growing up, I had no shortage of business ideas and misfit passions I wanted to chase after. I also had other goals in the military, community and with grad school. And as a single guy (and introvert), I didn't skip a beat working 100+ hours/week balancing my career, volunteering at a juvenile detention center, studying for exams and trying to launch businesses. I'd stay up until 2AM every night writing business plans, building pitch decks, drawing interconnect diagrams, designing user interfaces, and tinkering content. But the truth is, I spread myself too thin, made rookie mistakes (discussed extensively under Lessons Learned) and doubted myself.
Regrettably, I only pitched NiceADays to two investors (none of which were from the the Silicon Valley area).
Looking back, I wish I told myself more that it's OK to fail and feel like garbage walking out of an unsuccessful investor pitch; or better yet, to get over it quickly. At the time, I was embarrassed to fail though. I would imagine these scenarios that some of the people I worked with would get-wind about my bad pitch. But I shouldn't have taken counsel to my fears and naysayers. That's a lesson learned I am going to share with my kids.
And now, working 100+ hour/week doesn't fly with my family; they can only put up with maybe 60 hours : )
I know; Mark Cuban (in his book "How to Win") is shaking his head at me.
But without further ado, here is a list of business ideas and misfit projects I have had over the years.
The International Communications and Peace (ICAP) Group
A non-profit organization that off-ramps extremism through strategic communication and common-ground initiatives. This idea is inspired by learning about Daryl Davis' initiatives with members of the KKK. I believe the same strategic communication and emotional intelligence methods can be applied more wide-spread domestically, and internationally to many forms of extremism.
This image is licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0, and was originally posted to Flickr by U.S. Embassy Jerusalem at https://flickr.com/photos/46886434@N04/26512537739.
Similarly, the same concept of building common ground initiatives could be applied to peace and relationship building between countries that are not traditionally allies. The idea is that camaraderie and trust are built with common ground projects; both of which are the strongest currencies in the world.
Grassroots GPS
GrassrootsGPS is a map-platform is for niche political and grassroots search to enable like-minded citizens to form connections. This do-it-yourself tool maps, broadcast and spreads your online presence making it google-easy to find you.
My friend Kellen and I actually built this website, but we were both undergoing major transitions out of the military at the time, and for one reason or another it kind of just died off as I started a new job and as he started his MBA.
A TMZ-like show for Politics
I have a strange political upbringing. I grew up in a moderate Republican house with dad who worked on Russian denuclearization in the Pentagon. I attended a very liberal and democratic high school, and was influenced greatly by these tremendously smart left-wing debate coaches. Then I went to a conservative military academy with world-changing and articulate professors. And now I live in the democratic city of Alexandria Virginia. All along the way, I surrounded myself with funny and open-minded people who liked to discuss politics.
Seeing how political comedy shows have as much (or more) influence on the American people as news and political opinion shows, I think there is room for a show that has a more balanced political setting that incorporates amicable comedy. I always laughed when watching the back and forth, speak-your-mind environment that the show TMZ had when covering celebrity news, and I think a political show could follow suit.
I know a handful of debate coaches and university professors that would make the perfect and amenable group for in-depth dialogue, and humor.
Taking Mars
A company focused on Mars-related products or initiatives. In the years to come, astronauts and space explorers will have celebrity status, and create even more hype around space. I see some of this now with how many people casually wear "NASA" t-shirts. Kids in the future will collect space artifacts just like they collect Pokemon cards. There will be backpacks, t-shirts, shoes and products designed like their favorite planets. With the commercialization of space travel, a Google Maps like GUI for the solar system will be what consumers use to plan vacation stops.
I Am Going To Be The Next
How many times have you said, or heard someone else say, "I am going to be the next Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, etc..
Description coming soon.
HWYDI
How Would You Do It (HWYDI.com). There are thousands of big problems in need of problem-solvers. But often times, all we hear are critiques and how others are failing to come up with solutions. HWYDI is a community platform enabling users to provide or pitch solutions to the biggest problems of our time through visuals, road-maps, diagrams, plans and discussion.
Healthy Fast Food
I am definitely not the first person to think of this as there are already great healthy fast(ish) food establishments such as Beef Steak, Sweet Green, Chop't, and LEON. I believe this trend will continue to kickoff and eventually it will be like McDonalds vs Burger King vs Taco Bell vs Popeyes vs KFC.
Celebrity Staffer
I used to be cynical when people who play "make believe" for a living got too political, but I have backed off that opinion. There are some very passionate and thoughtful celebrities who are active in making the world a better place, and care deeply about politics. This idea is similar to the week-long Celebrity Apprentice show where celebrities would take on business challenges until someone was named Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice. The difference is that these projects would be politically oriented. For example, the challenge may be to write a piece of legislation with celebrity colleagues throughout the week, conduct research, interview scholars, debate among one another, and pitch and defend the legislation to members of the legislative branch.
For the same reason people watched Celebrity Apprentice, I think they would watch what Tiffany Haddish, Meghan McCain, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Greg Gutfeld, Jennifer Aniston, John Stewart, Leslie Jones and Rachel Maddow would come up with legislative wise over the course of a season. It would be both entertaining to watch their engagements, and probably very educational as deep-dive into the challenges we face today.
International Peace Program
This idea is a working progress, but I have always found it disheartening that generations inherit the conflicts of their ancestors. I think there may be room for a next generation program where young men and women participate in supervised camaraderie building activities with other young men and women from countries that are not typically allies with the United States. This would be a cross-border initiative for next generation leaders to forge new relationships and friendships.
Studying abroad is an example of why this might work. I remember at the Air Force Academy we had students from China and Iraq go through school and military training with us. The friendships there still last until today. I think a similar setup can be established on a larger scale to forge unbreakable friendships that ripple between cultures.
Universities Peace Research Association
Advance peace- and common ground-related initiatives through research, technology, policy and education programs; an develop and operate premier programs by involving universities, governments, and the private sector for the benefit of humanity.
American Idol for 3rd Party Election Candidates
For better or worse, the two front-running US presidential candidates are always chosen with party-driven primaries. This is a very polar system, and a part of me wants to see a 3rd party enter the race. It is risky though, and I think that would-be 3rd party candidates have strategically decided to weave themselves into the two-party system by declaring an affiliation with the Republican or Democratic party.
I think there is an interest in finding a 3rd party candidate that defines their own path separate from the Democratic and Republican parties. A television show, similar to the mechanics of American Idol, could build enthusiasm around the idea of a viable 3rd party candidate. While I'm critical of the idea that a small panel of judges would be responsible for weeding out initial candidates, it is really no different than the way primaries are controlled now. I think this could be mitigated by rotating judges, rotating who appoints the judges, limiting donations and influence capacity, and ensuring diversity mandates. The end result is a 3rd party candidate that has been through open public scrutiny.
Lurned
I own lurned.com, which was intended to be a play off the word "learned". My initial thoughts was to make this a "lessons learned" website where professionals can share their lessons learned on various topics. It could be like a pit-stop for entrepreneurs or people starting new ventures.
Yelp / TMZ for Government Workers
I don't think I'm alone when I say I have felt dismissed and insulted after leaving government facilities like the DMV and military hospitals, or after a phone call to the social security and medicare offices. I have also witnessed many offices with aggressive government bosses who abuse their power in an environment that lets them get away with it. With that said, I think we need to have a mechanism to keep government workers/officials accountable and ensure a humble use of power.
There are many ways to correct this such as an online Yelp-like platform dedicated to government personnel and agencies. I also think workers may think twice about being rude to customers if they knew an iPad with customer-review app was right next to them. I saw a similar concept at a restaurant that had impeccable service; each waiter/waitress had their photos appear on this app and customers could rate their service real-time. I think the same kind of review process needs to be readily available for civil servants and members of the military who hold customer-oriented jobs. We have to keep government workers/officials accountable at all levels, and I think an information technology platform that highlights poor service or abusive power would deter insincere efforts, and make government workers think twice.
Positive Messages & Disclaimers before/after Movies, Shows, etc.
TBD