By Paul Newman

“What is branding?” I probably get asked that question at least once a month from friends and acquaintances. I tell them it’s like meeting a person for the first time. Sometimes you like them and connect with them straight away.  Other times, you think they’re just okay and could take them or leave them. Once in a while, you simply don’t like them at all and switch off.  In any case, you get an instant read, image or synopsis (in your mind) for who they are. That’s branding.

by Paul Newman

There’s a little old woman with a little white dog on my morning train walk and she always smiles and waves. There’s a guy that walks around Union Square with a cat on his head asking for money in return for a picture. There’s a taxi driver that asks me if I’m from England every time I see him because he’s obsessed with the Beatles. There’s an Iranian girl that works in an Italian restaurant who is making a film about four married men. There’s an amazing handicapped fella named Andy that won a contest and makes people cry.

If you open your eyes and see, there’s an idea or story around every corner.

By Paul Newman.

Thomas Edison quoted it best: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If you’re any bit like me, you’re the kind of person that can’t help but believe that “better” things take time and perseverance. Because it’s part and parcel to this process, reaching better means being brave, honest, stubborn, smart, stupid, angry and fun, among a host of other adjectives.

For entrepreneurial minded people, it can’t be any other way. The creative drive and spirit inside doesn’t allow for just good because good is simply not good enough. The most meaningful and memorable ideas are better because they’ve been put through the test. They’ve failed many times and that’s okay. Because when they finally prevail, we know they’re right.

By Neves Rodrigues

Today we are at the cusp of a paradigm shift. A digital time where collective knowledge and intelligence is readily available to feed and challenge the individual mind. A world connected by social media, viewed through Youtube, searched via Google–and all a pocket’s reach away.

So how does one deal with such revolutionary times? More accessibility, more adaptiveness, and basically a lot more choices… While we all approach and see things differently, it’s easy to get hooked on constant connectivity–a digital addiction. Being plugged-in is just as much of a part of our daily routine as brushing our teeth (and for some, these are done together). There is no doubt that the pace of our lives seems to have accelerated tremendously–faster connections, rapid multitasking, and speedy reactions. We love it and can’t get enough, right? Well yes, but sometimes it’s a good idea to switch off. 

Pause. Unplug. (And then fast forward).