Penguins are my favorite animals. Anytime I have the opportunity to visit them at a zoo I will ALWAYS take it to watch them frolic around and flap their little wings splashing around in the water and waddle around on land.  It always makes me laugh and puts a smile on my face. I’ve even been fortunate enough to watch the famous little “ferry penguins” do their little dance in Southern Australia as they come in from the sea at night!

Starting a business is a lot like how the Emperor Penguin brings its baby into this world.  They take a trek out to a remote place in the Antarctic where the female will lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to eat.  The parents will then take turns going out to sea to feed and caring for their chick in the colony.

I like this analogy for starting a business. You decide to take a journey. You (and maybe a partner, or partners) create your baby –i.e.: the egg.  You then sit on that egg and endure freezing cold weather, hunger, and possible death to ensure that safety, warmth, and hatching of your egg. Just like in business, you do everything necessary to make sure that your new company hatches.  Even after your baby hatches, it takes a year before the baby down goes away and the adult water resistant feathers grow in and during that year you are very vulnerable to be eaten by a fox, or die from cold or even worse, hunger. Just like in business the first year or years are the hardest, and when you are most vulnerable. It is the creator’s job and duty to ensure that you grow up all safe and sound for you to be able to fend for yourself.

Penguins have been doing this year after year as have entrepreneurs and there is a lesson to be learned from these happy little flightless birds!

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Listening is a very hard skill to master.  It’s much easier to talk peoples ear off with everything that you want to say or is on your mind.  But here is the thing… In society EVERYONE wants to have a voice so they speak more to try to convey their message and most people think that “the more I say the better I can get my message across”.

While in reality, it’s the exact opposite.

I have worked with many entrepreneurs who had no idea how to listen.  They thought they had the greatest idea since sliced bread and wanted to let everyone know that. The most successful people in history all had something in common: they knew how to listen.  Winston Churchill would listen to his trusted advisers.  That doesn’t mean he agreed with everything they had to say, but that is not the point. Successful people listen, absorb, and take things in.  They are not blabbermouths.

Its simple human nature that we all want to be listened to.  I love it when someone pays attention to me and wants to listen.  So does everyone else.  If you pay a genuine interest in others, and are open to what they have to say you will be amazed at how much you can learn from them while listening and observing rather than running your own mouth.

So what do you do?  SHUT UP AND LISTEN.  Seriously.  It takes a ton of conscious practice and effort to learn how to listen and is no easy task. Do whatever you have to do to listen even if its means covering your mouth, or pinch yourself every time you want to talk in a conversation. Anything to start breaking the negative pattern that has been ingrained in you.

For me I have had to learn the hard way on how to listen.  It did not come easy, and is something I still continually must practice at daily.  However, since I have became a listener I enjoy conversations much more, I don’t miss things, and instead of always trying to put in my two cents I listen to others who generally have amazing advice and ideas to give which would never be heard if I were not listening!

We can listen to ourselves all day long in our heads.

Listening is a great skill and a sign of maturity and wisdom.  Become a listener.

This week I had the great fortune to be on a small entrepreneurial panel for MCAD, an Arts and Design College in Minneapolis, MN.  It was myself, Bruce Edwards from FAME, and another serial entrepreneur Damien Novak.

What was most fun for me is to see young minds that aspire for more. For me, my path was not a college or formal education. However, what worked for me and is not right or wrong, just different. I applaud those students and any students who spend years and years going to school to learn as much information as possible about becoming an entrepreneur.

The image above that I received the day before I went to the event is what struck me the most (click on the image to blow it up).  This is how I think and live on a daily basis, and in my opinion how most other entrepreneurs think as well.  What this tells me is that even though those students are not quite ”entrepreneurs” yet…they are well on their way to having the right mindset to become a great success!

On Fridays, I host a live weekly radio show every Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT for 1 hour called “The Matt Crowe Show”.  During this weeks segment I will be interviewing Stefan Wills, Founder and President of Club Tourismo – the newest super car club based in Minneapolis, MN.

Click on the button on my website where it says BlogTalkRadio or click here to tune in and listen.

Tune in, call in, and enjoy!!

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Listen to Matt Crowe

On Fridays, I host a live weekly radio show every Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT for 1 hour called “The Matt Crowe Show”.  During this weeks segment I will be interviewing Daryn Kagan who is the creator and host of DarynKagan.com.

Click on the button on my website where it says BlogTalkRadio or click here to tune in and listen.

Tune in, and enjoy!!

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Listen to Matt Crowe

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This weeks profile is another personal favorite of mine. A man who gives the definition to Entrepreneur sure does it well.  Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin in my opinion is one of the best examples of a truly successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, innovator, and visionary.

After dropping out of school, and constantly thinking outside the box with a very edgy approach to business Richard Branson is constantly innovating. Most recently his company Virgin is bringing people into space via Virgin Galactic, and Virgin America’s new fleet of Boeings have became a smash hit for travelers in the US.

Although that is not even the tip of the iceberg of Virgins 300+ companies.

Richard has three books, which I have read and recommend all as great reads:

Business Stripped Bare

Losing My Virginity

Screw it Lets Do It

Richard currently lives on Necker Island part time, which surely can’t be too stressful. Waking up to the crashing waves of the Caribbean is just about everyone’s picture of relaxation. But he doesn’t quit there….

Here are three more fun resources about Richard if you would like to learn more.

I suggest taking a look at his blog here:

http://entrepreneur.virgin.com/index.php

Here is a great video with Richard at a TED Talks:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/richard_branson_s_life_at_30_000_feet.html

An absolutely hilarious video with him and Steven Colbert:

http://www.comcast.net/video/colbert-branson-in-on-air-water-fight/481544970/

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Most people go through their entire life never taking risks.  Humans are incredible creatures and are able to do just about anything they put their mind to if the want it badly enough and are willing to take enough risks knowing that there will be potential failure to make it happen.  In business, and as an entrepreneur, taking risks needs to be or become part of your anatomy.

Take risks often, for you will be rewarded.

For some time I have wanted to host a radio show and today I am proud to say I have finally made that a reality and will officially be hosting my own radio show!! Now, it’s no nationally syndicated drive time show or anything, but in any event….you have to start somewhere and what better way to do it than in a very 2009 way – streaming over the Internet where anyone with an Internet connection can listen live and/or call in anywhere in the world.

So instead of me blogging on Fridays, I have decided to host a weekly radio show every Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT for 1 hour called “The Matt Crowe Show”.  During each segment I will talk about things that matter to people who care in the areas of business, entrepreneurship, philosophy, and life.  Over the course of the next month I will define my niche even more specifically and pin down specific show topics, and who knows….if my listeners really enjoy the show you never who where you might hear me or see me next!

The very first episode will be August 7th, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. CT so click on the button on my website where it say BlogTalkRadio or click here to tune in. On my first live episode of The Matt Crowe Show I will introduce a little about myself, the show, and a general overview of what we will be talking about on the show moving forward.

Wish me luck, tune in, and enjoy!!

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Listen to Matt Crowe on Blog Talk Radio