It isn’t very often that a book has the power to save a life. Yes, good books can improve lives, shape lives, even change lives. But when was the last time a book literally helped save a life?

We’re doing this by giving $20 from the purchase of each copy of End Malaria to Malaria No More to send a mosquito net to a family in need and to support life-saving work in the fight against malaria.

In addition to saving lives, buying this book means you can enjoy essays by 62 business authors.
Here’s mine for you.

This is what Blackberry’s stock looks like; it has declined drastically over the past two years, and Research in Motion RIM just announced that it would no longer go after the consumer market for its Blackberry phones. Instead it’s going to focus on just corporate.

Here’s Apple’s over the same period of time:

Two years ago, I mentioned on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money how Blackberry needed to refocus the brand while also creating brand extensions beyond the phone. As me and my guy Cramer pointed out, Apple came out with new carriers, new versions of iPads, and even Apple TV — but it took two years and a new CEO to cause significant change at the company.  Now, I know I’m not the first to criticize RIM and the direction it has taken its once-prized Blackberry brand, but this is the perfect example of what happens when a company (especially a technology company) does not continue to innovate. Think about it. Is your Blackberry really all that different from similar models from 5 years ago?

Do you think this plan is do-able or has RIM taken too long to adapt? How would you change up the Blackberry brand? What current brands aren’t innovating, and you see them one day having problems like RIM?

Let me know what you think by posting your comments in the section below!

It was a packed house at N’DIGO Magazine’s Business Breakfast. .. This is what you see when you’re on standby backstage right before you sit in the hot seat where every person in the room listens to every word you say, judging your every word for the next hour.

As you’re waiting to be introduced, you take a good look at your crowd and you naturally think, “Most of the people in the crowd are here to be inspired by me and show me love. Several are here to get to know me; maybe a few of those people hate hate me, or even worse—plotting to destroy me!” At least that’s what I am told by some entrepreneurs I consult. Understandably, the pressure of public speaking can sometimes lead your thoughts elsewhere!

Can you handle it?

Think about it, public speaking is just like being an entrepreneur—the world of Business is your audience … a bigger version of this audience! If you look at it this way, then this should help you overcome your fear.

When it’s time for me to take the stage I am fearless. Why? Because when I’m telling my story about my business, it’s my business. Nobody can object to my story because I was the one who lived it. And that’s the mindset you need to have about your business when you choose to showcase it to the world. Know the details—the good, the bad and the ugly—about your world so that nobody can object; they can criticize, but they cannot object.

You often see people get deals on Shark Tank because they have an answer for absolutely every question we throw at them, even if we don’t like the answer.

Know your business honestly inside out, so when you’re stage telling your story, you’re telling your story, and the audience will have no other choice but to respect you.

It’s not the first time something like this happens. With other famous product integrations in the past that you hear about in interviews and articles, the LL Cool J GAP Commercial FUBU stays on the map at a larger scale. GAP’s $30 million ad was a major guerilla marketing tactic; after pulling the commercial and firing employees who overlooked the white on white FUBU hat and “for us, by us on the low” rhyme, GAP re-aired the commercial for double the cost. Why? Because even with an ad that is considered the biggest coup in advertising history, the ad worked to GAP’s advantage: GAP was able to tap into African-American and Latino consumers, and that increased their sales dramatically.

When it comes to effective branding, it is no secret that product placements have been one of the keys to my career success. Because of this, I continue to sharpen my ability to effectively integrate products with companies I consult and companies I acquire. i feel that as long as you do what you do best, it will always serve you well. (Look at Donald Trump. He’s got The Apprentice, and even his hair has become a brand in it of itself, but he’s great at real estate and that, will always be his mainstay.)

Back to product integration, some of you may already know that it isn’t something you just put together last minute and throw out there. It involves careful planning. when it’s done right, it’s effective–especially now that consumers are becoming more immune to paid advertisements. Think about it… would Robert DeNiro have gotten away with saying “I’m wearing FUBU?” Of course not. With Chris Rock it works.. Some took it as a joke; some took it seriously—those who were not aware of FUBU’s suit collection looked into it and even placed an order from our suit collection; some continued to laugh, but only Chris Rock and myself would know if there was a product placement in play.

No matter where life takes me, I will always return to what I know best, which is positioning products and brands in popular culture. I have done this with other brands and public figures asides from LL Cool J, like Lennox Lewis and the Kardashians. And now we hear about FUBU from Chris Rock at The Oscars.

7 Ways to Treat Your Career Like a Startup

Surviving in today’s business environment requires everyone to start thinking like an entrepreneur. I’ve pulled out the seven ways from Forbes for a quick read:

1. Adopt the mindset of a permanent beta
2. Regularly assess and refine your competitive advantage
3. Plan to pivot as you learn
4. Build and use your network
5. Pursue breakout opportunities
6. Take intelligent risks
7. Maintain that sense of urgency

When you treat your career like a startup, you do not pigeonhole yourself into comfort, and because of this, you’ll continue to grow. As Brian Tracy puts it, “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”

What have you accomplished by moving out of your comfort zone?

» Read Forbes’ reasons why it’s important to treat your career like a startup

Innovative Companies 

Fast Company lists the top 50 most innovative companies and breaks it down to the top 10 of various industries. In retail, young Shopify makes the cut among these notable brands! Shopify has become synonymous with entrepreneurship and avid innovators who are driven to grow their businesses and is on a mission to make it easy for its customers to buy from/sell to mobile users.

If you’re contemplating on whether or not you should open up a Shopify account, just ask yourself what would you sell if you could open up your own storefront. If anything comes to mind, simply sign up and make it happen. There’s a 30-day free-trial, and if that’s not enough for you … try to make $26 during that month to invest into another month with a basic account. Any profit you make after that … is a profit.Get the picture?

» Read the full list on FastCompany

The Brand With-LIN

Okay, okay … so the “Lin” puns are getting a bit out of hand, but us New Yorkers are having the most fun with this! Lin’s brand is a marketing success story—he’s global without having to play globally; he went from obscurity to a promise both here and in Asia; his jersey has been the #1 seller in places like Modell’s, especially near Madison Square Garden. Forbes reports that NY Knick’s Jeremy Lin is the next big thling—if not, already is. According to a Forbes article, the Jeremy Lin brand weighs in at $14 million, which ties him with Kobe Bryant among the top athlete brands in the world.

»  Read more about the Lin-Growing Athlete Brand on Forbes

Reinventing MySpace

Over the past two months, one million new users have signed up to MySpace and COO Chris Vanderhook thanks Facebook and Twitter for its new integration. You’re probably asking yourself, “Weren’t they in competition with one another?” They were.

MySpace is now a social discovery engine as opposed to a social networking site. It houses a music player and other forms of media, which aligns them more with Spotify and Pandora. With Justin Timberlake as its investor in revamping the site, it makes a lot of sense to go in this direction. Reinventing MySpace may just be the answer to its brand survival.

How many of you still have your MySpace account? If you thought that was the end for MySpace, why did you keep it?

» Read the full article on Forbes

E-mail Overload!

Have you ever gone through your e-mails and found a handful of irrelevant ones? I do … lots of them, too. FastCoDesign shared an infographic to help you decide whether you should send an e-mail or not; hopefully, this message circulates and everyone follows these rules! (It can save your cellphone’s battery life).

My quote from Huffington Post | Edited 3/6/12

Entertainment Weekly, among other news blogs, immediately picked up a story on a tweet sent out by Snooki of Jersey Shore last Friday:

Because it was Shark Tank-related news, it got my attention so I tweeted it out. As a business, television-reality show, Shark Tank is a strong product—it changes lives and brings hope to many; it’s just as educational as it is entertaining, and it made me proud to see that 6 million people were watching the show that night and [hopefully] learning from it. But when I tweeted [the news], I was amazed at the backlashes I got for mentioning Snooki! Now I have to admit, I don’t watch Jersey Shore, but I hear about the binge drinking and partying… but if that’s all she does, then why would she be watching Shark Tank? I decided to do some quick research on the reality star that people make out to be “dumb.”

“Dumb” is far from what I concluded about her. Here’s what I discovered:

• Within 3 years of Jersey Shore, in which its highest number of viewers reaching 8.9 million, Nicole Polizzi has created a one-name brand for herself, like Madonna, Jordan, Prince, Versace, etc. To be able to accomplish this in three years means that there must be a high level of exposure or interest in this person, whether it’s good or bad. Many people try to be known this way, but only a few have succeeded in the one-name category.

• With this one name brand, @Snooki has over 4.3 million followers on Twitter and 1.4 million likes on Facebook. It’s one thing to watch the show, but the number of fans and followers show just how interested people are in her brand. Those followers are influenced by her one way or another—whether they want to believe it or not, they seek her out!

• The 24 year old young lady earns $10k-$20k hosting parties, $5k to send out a tweet, advances on all deals whether they succeeded or not, and at one point even got paid $30k+ for a speaking engagement. She brings in an estimated amount of $3 million a year.

• She has written two books, and has her own product line selling shades, slippers, indoor tanning lotion, jewelry, eyelashes, perfume and nail polish

While people are at home criticizing Snooki and her buddies’ antics on their show, Snooki is at home educating herself watching Shark Tank, so she can entertain her fanbase and convert it into dollars.  Snooki has become her own business. Now, who are we to be critics?

Everybody wants to be a critic. But would you drink and party the way the cast members do on the show if you were making $100K per episode? Think about it. Some of you already do it without getting paid for it.

Let’s keep things in perspective here: Yes, she has done a lot of things that get out of hand, but how many of us made stupid decisions at 24? I remember making foolish decisions at that age, too. Thank God nobody was filming it for me to see it today. Remember, Snooki is still a kid; she has the rest of her life to live, learn and become wealthier than most people at the end of their career, and when that happens she’ll be the one laughing all the way to the bank. The good part is, she does not rely solely on Jersey Shore to bring in revenue. Like other entrepreneurs, she invests her money (ignore the fact that it’s “partying and drinking” money) into other ventures, like writing two books and starting a business. Whether we agree/disagree with the Snooki brand, as portrayed on Jersey Shore, she’s obviously doing something right having all of this under her belt.

I’d like to leave you with this food for thought: Try not to judge people for minor reasons. I understand that the Snooki character models herself inappropriately, but when Shark Tank, an educational and empowering show, has 6 million viewers and Jersey Shore, as some people would say is a mindless show, has 9 million viewers, that’s not Snooki’s fault. It’s the rest of the country who would rather stay occupied criticizing her. While Snooki is busy watching Shark Tank and learning how to sell products to her fanbase, everyone else is at a standstill mocking her.

I’d like to hear your opinions about Snooki’s love for Shark Tank in the comments section below. Who’s watching the show tonight?!

The results of being in love with what you do will make you feel like you’re living a dream … I got to experience this surreal moment on New Year’s Day.

That entire week of New Year’s was spent in Miami because I had been hosting events. My friends, who happened to also be in Miami with me, insisted that we party into 2012 to continue to have a good time. By that time you can imagine just how drained I was when the time came to party. But it’s no secret that I work hard and play even harder, so I decided to show them the town the only way I know how—Shark style!!

My friends are out-of-towners consisting of a great mixture of some really cool Asian and white business associates. Since they don’t get to Miami often, I decided to take them to what many consider the hottest club in the world! CLUB LIV.

CLUB LIV is the type of club where you just never know who you’ll run into there… but that night was different. Sunday night Hip-Hop at CLUB LIV turned into legendary hip-hop night. This time it wasn’t about guessing who you will see, it was figuring out who did you not see! One of my friends noticed that Diddy, Nelly, Nas, Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida and Cee-Lo casually walked by him all in a blink of an eye—these artists weren’t getting paid to be there either! The point is, forget the fact that I know these artists; these are creative influencers of our time all hanging out and having a good time.

The culture of hip-hop has been so good to me and many others. All the while I stood there reflecting on my own life with Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Imagine” playing in my mind… I started to think about how blessed I am with the way my career continues to take me to new heights; I have the luxury of working with these amazing people on a daily basis (keyword “work”). I am at the point where I now find myself in some of the top boardrooms negotiating and consulting with some of the biggest individuals, brands and corporations in the world—yet it all started because I am a product of Hip-Hop, something I love.

Take a look at what went down that night:

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

While Brady and Manning threw the pigskin around you crunched on the fried pigskin. While the Giants and Patriots piled on top of each other you asked Papa John’s, who sold over 1 million pizzas during last year’s Super Bowl, to pile on the toppings. When those athletes sweated and got dehydrated after every play you gulped down a keg of Budweiser or can of Coca-Cola in their honor. —I know this because I did the same thing!!

Now I’m not the smartest or best branding person in the world, but I noticed how the ads in between plays make us gain weight. With a record breaking 170 million people watching the Super Bowl this year, the day after is low hanging fruit in the advertising world. If advertising costs are back to normal the next day, then why don’t brands [that help us lose weight or cure stomach pains] like Weight Watchers, Whole Foods, athletic apparel companies, gyms, diet pills, P90X, Tums, etc., take advantage of this opportunity?

Why aren’t gyms compiling a Super Bowl package for the new customer—even if it’s just 2 week of workout for $5? Perhaps even bring a friend and it’s $10 for 2 weeks. Companies need to be promoting their businesses this way. Think about it for a minute: we all feel disgusting because we ate too much junk after the Super Bowl. Because of this, it’s the right time for “feel-good” brands to give new customers a taste of their business; people will try your product/service and then get hooked. Once they’re hooked, they’ll remain loyal and be more than happy to pay the regular rate just to continue looking and feeling great! Wouldn’t you?

Daymond John is honored to be the brand ambassador of Shopify, a powerful e-commerce solution that includes everything you need to create an online store.

When Daymond started his career as a young entrepreneur, e-commerce didn’t exist. When he made his first sales of those tie-top hats you hear about, in front of the old New York Coliseum, he relied entirely on oldschool word of mouth marketing. Things certainly have changed. Now, in addition to Shark Tank and FUBU, Daymond is advising clients all over the world with his company Shark Branding, and will be helping entrepreneurs start their business online with Shopify.

Start Your Business with Shopify Today!

Daymond and the rest of the Sharks will be back in the boardroom listening to pitches from budding entrepreneurs hoping to turn their product or company into a reality. The new season kicks off tonight at 8 / 7pm CT on ABC.

Entertainment Weekly reports Shark Tank as its favorite underdog show. Watch its exclusive trailer for the third season here: