They choose to feel lucky. — The founder of Hinge, Justin McLeod, uttered five provocative words at the end of an epic interview on a recent episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz. Guy had been trying to elicit pangs of regret for selling Hinge to Match. McLeod wouldn’t have it. …

What is the ROI of legacy? — Daring entrepreneurs exploit new technologies to the fullest, overthrowing traditions that get in their way. …

5 practical strategies to deal with naysayers — To be an entrepreneur is to do deal with criticism — from investors, employees, partners, press, governments, and even family. It can feel as if you are in a bunker, certain to be overrun, but refusing to yield. It’s a wonder anything ever gets created. A leader leaves a wake…

3 strategies to nurture your entrepreneurial imagination — Sometimes entrepreneurial insight emerges like Athena from Zeus’s skull — fully grown, clad in armor, and hungry to take over a market. Think Bill Gates realizing as a college student that personal computer hardware, then the realm of hobbyists with do-it-yourself kits, would spawn a massive software industry. Other times…

An entrepreneur begins. — I’ve never worked a day in my life for a company that I didn’t start. I started and sold three companies in the last 25 years. As a college student, I predicted in an article in WIRED magazine in March 2000 that I would be a millionaire by age 24…

What AI says about what makes successful Harvard and Yale admissions essays work. — With deadlines looming for college applications, as many as two million college applicants nationwide will spend the holiday season putting their final touches on that most important and feared aspect of the college admissions process: the college application essay. Because of COVID, the essay is more important this year than…

Dismiss 2020 as a dumpster fire at your own risk. — ’Tis the season of taking stock, of planning, resolutions, and hope. The Counting Crows sang: “Maybe this year will be better than the last.” John Lennon asked: “And so this is Christmas and what have we done?” 2020 answered the question: We are here, that’s what we’ve done. Many people…