We’ve all heard variations of the phrase, so I won’t even mention it. But it’s inaccurate. Because opportunity doesn’t knock.

Sure it might happen once in a blue moon, but typically, things don’t fall into place. Your lap will remain empty (non-sexual reference, of course) and nothing/no one will come aknockin’ if you’re not out there chasing it!

Opportunity differs from person to person.

For me, it’s as simple as sitting on an airplane next to a stranger, who’s reading a book that I recently read. Striking up a conversation with said stranger, is the pursuit of opportunity. It’s taking the chance, and leaving my comfort zone to make a new friend, acquaintance or even business prospect.

What’s opportunity to you?

Sometimes, it’s in the simplest things. But we get so caught up with the big “life changers” (furthering education, finding new clients, taking new jobs, finding time for vacations, making large purchases), that we forget that opportunity truly exists everywhere.

It’s at your neighborhood coffee shop. It’s in your Twitter network. It’s with the guy sitting next to you at the bar (the less desperate looking one). It’s in the project that you’ve been thinking about kicking off or the blog you’ve been meaning to start. it’s everywhere.

So go get ‘em, tiger. The ball is always in your court. There’s never going to be a right time.

Time = past, present and future.

The past is long gone, no one knows what’s going to happen in the future, and right now is your best bet.

The right opportunity won’t knock. It’ll just hang out down the street within walking distance, waiting for you to come looking for it.

2011 was an awesome year for me.

FIlled with mostly ups, and not many downs.

Let’s hope the trend continues in 2012.

January

I rung in the New Year with close friends in Milwuakee. It was a blast.

January was a big month. In December, I’d left my awesome job at McNally Smith College of Music to embark on a journey back into “agencyland” where I took a position at OLSON. I met so many new people and learned some great stuff.

I also coached little snowboarders with the G-Team. That was fun.

The Egyptian revolution was happening during this time, and I was pretty emotional about it all.

February

I got the creative/entrepreneurial bug again and came up with the concept for InboxCupid. David Dellanave did the programming, Blake Bensman worked on some of the marketing support stuff and Eddie Machado did our design. It was an awesome project to work on and I’m glad we took it to market. We got a bunch of press and launched with a story on Mashable.

I moved into a new apartment in Uptown.

March

Did a couples trip to go snowboarding in Lutsen with one of my college friends and our girlfriends. It was really mellow and a nice way to get out of town for a weekend. Looking forward to more.

I also went to Chicago for Saint Patty’s day with some friends from Minneapolis and met up with some friends from Egypt.

April

Ah….April. The month of Coachella. I had the time of my life there with 3 of my closest friends. We got to see some great acts including: Kanye West, The Black Keys, The Strokes, and Kings of Leon. This was a trip to remember.

May

My brother decided to pick up his things and move to Cairo. It was a big change for our family but a great decision for him.

For Memorial day, we went to Denver and instead of just partying in the city, we ended up doing some whitewater rafting and camping in the mountains. Although we still partied in the city one night.

I bought my Ducati. And now I can’t ride anything else…well, maybe a Triumph. We’ll see.

June

June was cool. I decided to resign from my position at OLSON and “freestyle live” for a while. It was a great decision. I continue to learn more about myself (how I want to work/what I want to do/what makes me happy). After I resigned, I started focusing on clients for New Economy Labs.

In June, I also decided to sell my car and live carlessly (haha, get it?). My goal was to go for a month, I ended up going for four.

My friend Greg began working on opening his second location of the Urban Bean. It was fun to watch the progress and be there from day 1.

I also went to an internet dating conference in Brooklyn, New York. It was my first time staying in Brooklyn (usually I’m a Manhattan guy) and I loved it.

July

My 25th Birthday. Time flies.

I had a huge dinner at Ichiban and about 30 guests came (whoa). We partied downtown at Brit’s and The W. It was a great mix of friends…old and new.

August

August was filled with motorcycle rides.

Some friends got hitched. Congrats again Tia & Travis.

I started working on some very cool projects as well. Most are still top-secret but one of them isn’t. Chris Mcduffie and I filmed our mini-documentary…below is a still from the video: Socializing with Kareem Ahmed.

September

In September, I began teaching a course at McNally Smith College of Music called “New Media Studies.” I never thought I’d be an instructor but, hey, you only live once. I ended up learning so much from this experience that I’ve signed on for another semester.

It was my brother’s bday, but he was in Cairo.

October

In October I was highlighted in Metro Magazine in a feature titled: The Opportunist. It was lovely. Thanks to Megan McCarty for writing that.

This was also the month for Mimi’s birthday. We had a ton of fun and I actually did a good job of picking out presents (for the first time ever). Her friend Jordan came to town and we surprised her. Wee wee!

My sister also celebrated her birthday and that was enjoyable. My mom and I came to dinner with her and her friends at the Chambers Hotel.

I also got to visit LA on business/pleasure. I had some cool meetings with TOMS and Thrillist. I stayed with my good friend Tyler and celebrated my friend Kasey’s birthday while I was there.

Too much time and energy (and money) was spent, but I ended up with the perfect costume for Halloween. Rick Sloth/Ross. I DJ’d a friends party pretty lazily.

November

Movember.

Mobeque.

Mother’s birthday.

Mustache (below).

Went to Denver for a big project and ended up getting a day of snowboarding in. Saw a couple of friends while I was there but this visit felt like the blink of an eye.

December 

Traveled the world and visited London, Paris, Florence, Zurich and celebrated New Years Eve in AMSTERDAM.

What a life.

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Thanks to all who have supported me, inspired me, or pushed me. I owe each and every one of you.

May your 2012, be as blessed as my 2011.

CHEERS.

Early this summer, I received an email from a photographer named Chris McDuffie.

I’d heard his name around town before…I was familiar with some of his work. We’d never actually met in real life, but we’d been lurking in eachother’s internet shadows for a while.

Chris was emailing to let me know that he was getting into film. He said that he was hoping to shoot a short film….a documentary of sorts, over the summer.

And he wanted me to be his subject.

He mentioned that he’d been following my “progress” for a couple of years and had decided that I’d be the perfect person for his first film.

So we shot a film.

We captured 12+ hours of footage, over a period of 7 different days and whittled it all down to a 10 minute show.

Here’s a sneak peak into my life…into my story.

I hope you enjoy it.

Turning down work. Ha! What a novel concept.

About a year ago, I remember reaching out to contractors/freelancers/small business owners and hearing them say:

“Sorry, I’d love to help you out but I’m not taking on any new work right now.”

I’d think to myself…”Lazy freelancer….doesn’t want to do any real work…” or  “If I ever go solo, I’ll never say no. I’ll just find the time to make it work…”

I seriously couldn’t fathom why anyone would ever say no to new opportunities or better yet, paid work!

But recently, I found out why. Because I’ve had to start saying no myself.

I’ve had to turn down prosperous opportunities for paid work, I’ve had to ignore very plausible leads for new business, and I’ve had to to tell people that their intriguing ideas are great (and could be huge hits) but that I can’t join the team.

I’ve discovered that sometimes, you really just have to say no.

Sometimes you’ve got to say no in order to keep putting out the best work.

Sometimes you’ve got to say no in order to pursue what you were meant to pursue.

Sometimes you’ve got to say no in order to say yes to something better, later down the line.

Sometimes saying no helps you remember why you chose this path in the first place.

Saying no is hard, but it’s necessary.

As a lifestyle entrepreneur, saying no has become more common than saying yes. Sometimes I have to remind myself that my motivation isn’t the money.

It’s the freedom. It’s the time. And it’s the choice.

Follow me on Twitter here.

Have you ever gone to a Target store with the intention of “picking up a couple of things, like deodorant and laundry detergent” and ended up leaving an hour later with a heaping cartful of product that you suddenly remembered you needed?

It’s a serendipitous experience.

But it isn’t.

Because it’s science and art.

When we walk into any Target store, we’re purposefully guided to what we need. Our shopping experience is seamless and we float through aisles of strategically placed end-caps picking, prodding and contemplating prospective purchases.

Target brand products are always at eye-level (ensuring that we see them first) and the grocery department is in the corner of the store (forcing us to walk past everything else to get there).

In an era where big box retailers have suffered, Target has managed to grow and expand.

They care about user experience. Target’s goal is both a business objective (to get us to buy more stuff) and a consumer satisfaction objective (to get us to become repeat visitors) and they’re doing a good job at both.

Target knows the value of spending time, money and energy into making sure that their stores are decluttered, easy to navigate and intuitive.

That’s how your website experience should feel, like floating through a Target store.

I don’t write here to make money. I don’t write here in hopes of one day becoming a “famous blogger” or to get free stuff from companies.

I do it for the likes.

I work for social currency.

Many of today’s creators are “doing it for the likes”.

The thing is, people don’t want to pay money for content. The internet has taught us that content should be free. Facebook accounts are free, Flickr photo hosting is free, Gmail’s email service is free, Skype is free, WordPress blogs are free to create and free to read, Instagram is free, and tons of the other services and things we interact with online are free. We watch YouTube videos for free, browse Google Images for free or read news on the Huffington Post for free.

It’s an epidemic of free.

The current common consensus is that content is king and content is free.

So as creators, we have no choice, but to do it for the likes. All we ask is that you repay us with some form of engagement. We’re in it for the retweets, comments, linkbacks and “social amplification” that your likes cause.

If you stop participating, we stop creating.

We need reaction. We crave engagement. We desire emotion. We inspire connection.

Support creators by providing one of the above.

And don’t be stingy with your likes, after all, they’re free.

Follow me on Twitter here.

This is a guest post that was originally written and published on the Spin Sucks blog back in August. I’m reposting it here because I want to make sure that you guys see it! Enjoy.

Something odd is happening in the land of the web these days; we’re becoming weary of self-promotion.

(Some) Business people are afraid to “toot their own horns” because on the Internet, it’s so easy to sound like a braggadocio (and even if you don’t sound like one, chances are @humblebrag will find you).

Social media is inherently a narcissist’s tool, so we’re all in good company. But lately, we’ve been calling out others in our own networks for being “shady salesmen.”

The Internet has a bad habit of eating its young and we (as a collective group of social media users) are responsible for that. We create or position someone as an “influencer” or “thought leader” and as soon as they start selling us on something, feelings of distrust, jealousy, and deceit start to develop.

Interestingly enough, there are industries out there, where self-promotion is not only accepted, but is the necessary standard.

If you’re friends with a musician or band member on Facebook, I’m sure you’ve seen similar posts:

• “Make sure you ‘LIKE’ [insert band name here] on Facebook! We rock!”
• “Hey, we need your help, vote for [insert band name here] in this contest. Thanks! If we win, you’ll get to watch us rock out LIVE!”
• “[insert band name here] is having a show tonight at the venue, make sure you come and bring a friend. It’s only $10.”
• “We just released our album! Swing by our record release party and buy the album online. Also, watch our videos on YouTube, we just hit 50,000 views!”

Are bands and musicians and artists exempt from self-promotion?

No, they are not.

They just do it in a way that’s so authentic, so pure, and so genuine that you can’t help but to support them. Artists are the ultimate entrepreneurs and we as business people can learn a lot from them.

So, it’s time to recognize that we’re all here for ulterior motives. We all have something to “sell.”  It’s OK to self-promote and there are ways to do it without sounding or looking like you’re full of yourself.

First and foremost, get rid of your cheesy avatar and slip into something a bit more comfortable.

Five Ways to Self Promote and Keep it Real

1. If you’re going to talk about an accomplishment, give props to others. It’s not possible to do it alone. Give the people who helped you along the way credit. Not only will it help you spread you’re message, but it allows you to be self-promotional without sounding self-absorbed. Invest in yourself by investing in others.
2. Believe in yourself. Believe in what you’re saying and believe in what you’re doing. Stand for something and don’t be afraid to argue your point. If you don’t believe in your cause, no one else will.
3. Honesty is the best policy. Unfortunately, many marketers tend to “extend the truth a bit.” People are already skeptical of us, and our industry. Earn the trust, reap the reward.
4. Everyone makes mistakes. One of the biggest faults committed by big names in the industry is that they hardly admit fault. They never say sorry. They never seem as vulnerable as we do. Being human is our biggest selling point.
5. Be Likeable Remember that kid in gym class who was always the best at everything? Remember how much you disliked him? Don’t be him. Stay humble, remain respectful and  make it easy for people to like you. Always remember where you came from/how you got where you are.
6. Just Say It. If you have something to say, just say it.

Do you have any other tips on how to not come off as an “online braggadocio”? Share them with us in the comments!

Last night I went to a show at the 7th Street Entry where one of my new favorite bands, The Drums, put on an incredible performance.

What’s interesting is that I’d only heard about The Drums about 10 hours prior to the show.

So how’d I end up there so quickly? Well, it was quite a serendipitous experience.

I give credit to the magic that is the Facebook / Spotify integration.

If you haven’t started using Spotify, I suggest you do so. You’ll have access to 15 million tracks, for free. I’m a paying member and get premium features like offline sync and the ability to use the Spotify mobile app, but I believe that even the free version is better than any other listening platform out there.

I couldn’t find the exact post that I first laid eyes on, but it looked something like this (I’d like to think that I caused the reaction of the ’3 other people listened to The Drums on Spotify’ thing).

I clicked play on one of the songs, and ended up listening to the entire album. Twice. I guess it was love at first listen.

After googling the band, I discovered that they’d be coming to town playing that night. Just my luck.

I texted some friends and found one willing to come along for the ride. We paid $15.00 each for tickets.

Without Spotify, or the Facebook integration, I may have never heard The Drums – and I may have certainly never gone to their show and may have never spread the word about their music.

Without Facebook/Spotify integration, they may have never gained a loyal listener and a paying customer.

After the show, I ended up texting 11 people, updating my Facebook status (1500+ friends), updating my Twitter status (4000+ followers) and posting the video below (3000/monthly blog visits).

City of Music: The Drums perform “Me and the Moon” from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

Pretty powerful, in my opinion.

Music is a connective tissue, and I welcome technology like this in my life.

Spotify will drastically change the music industry, just like Napster did.

What are your thoughts so far?

Networking is the lifeline for success.

Whether it’s for business, pleasure or general life, there’s nothing more useful than a network worth bragging about.

This isn’t limited to professional contacts and interactions.

A network can only thrive when it’s built atop a tight knit base of personal relationships. Ones that are maintained, nurtured, well-kept and most importantly – real.

I have never referred work to someone because they were super “professional” or had impeccable business etiquette. I refer work to people that I like. I call these people : friends, not contacts. 

Almost every opportunity that has come knocking at my door was because of an existing contact  friendship (see what I did there?).

When your network is a spiderweb of emotion, experience and memories it will continue to thrive, grow and build itself almost automatically. Current connections will lead to new companions and past opportunities will become future projects.

Handshakes and businesses cards are one thing, but favors, conversations and general “looking out for one another” are another.

A power networker has the interests of others in mind.

A power networker says “yes” to opportunities outside of their comfort zone.

A power networker is a referrer and connector.

A power networker nurtures and maintains relationships.

A power networker makes friends, not contacts.

It’s important to actually practice this mentality with the new people that you meet.

Make friends, and watch the opportunities come a knockin’.

Below are a few helpful tips from people in my Twitter network.

“Be willing to help others first, never turn down a meeting or conversation, help others connect, be genuine!” - @tcthurhappyhour

“Don’t network for personal gain, rather network to learn about others. Once you do this, then you truly realize their potential and yours, then you will know how to truly connect them and what will spur positive and prosperous partnerships/relationships” - @jfreeman159

“Sometimes you learn the most by trying to help someone else with their problem while networking. It’s not all about you ” - @datingrev

“Don’t just network for yourself, be willing to connect people even when you have nothing to gain. Has a way of coming back lata.” – @jensinkler

“its a lot of fun to watch as your friends succeed together! I love finding people jobs at random” - @giryagirl

and my personal favorite:

“Be polite, be yourself, and don’t look desperate. #justlikedating“ - @toddodowd 

photo by joshuahsong

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Ordinary content, ordinary campaigns, ordinary interactions.

There’s no room for ordinary in a world that’s fueled by Likes.

Ordinary doesn’t stand out.

Ordinary is uninteresting and uninspiring.

Ordinary doesn’t get shared.

Ordinary just won’t cut it.

We must strive to be extraordinary.

Being globally connected through the Internet has drastically changed the dynamic of “competition” and “attention” and the extraordinary of your neighborhood, is now on the same playing field as the extraordinary of other neighborhoods, around the world.

The extraordinary among us will make cool things (online and off), use creativity to solve problems, share their creations or as Seth Godin calls it, art, and will eventually, rise to the top – regardless of what geographic location they surfaced from.

Today, when I was perusing Facebook in my habitual morning ritual, the ad below caught my eye.

So I clicked it, and was taken to this landing page.

I don’t know much about these two, but I do believe that what they’re doing is extraordinary.

These two gentleman are:

• Investing in themselves. 
• Honest and transparent. 
• They’re willing to fail. 
• Doing something different. 
• They believe in themselves and their cause. 

Giovanni & Jose could have easily set-up a Kickstarter campaign or went and “raised a round of funding” but instead are going to do this in their own respectable and extraordinary way.

Best of luck to @jpadilla_ & @gcollazo of San Juan, Puerto Rico – you’ve just made a new friend in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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