Michael Franzese, on the other hand, talks like a “wise guy” but the more you listen the more you realize how wise this guy really is.  He literally had the world at his feet earning at times upwards of 8 million plus a week through illegal schemes and a life of crime, but one encounter with a dedicated devout Christian that would later become his wife changed it all. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at an Austin Gathering Event last week and I must admit that he has a powerful testimony that can and has changed many lives.

He opened up by telling us how he went from a pre med student to a soldier in the mob and eventually a captain because of his father being sent to prison.After his encounter with his future wife, love compelled him to walk away from the mob. He decided he would take a plea and logically as a result would not be allowed to associate with his “old friends” when he got out. This move however resulted in even his father approving a hit on him according to his accounts.  Whereas some people have a tendacy to glorify their life before becoming a Chritian inadvertantly, he clearly is thankful that God has allowed him to walk in purpose. After an astonishing 29+ days in the hole reading his Bible the whole time during his last stint in prison, he completly surrendered to God.

“Sometimes we can walk in parallel with God and eventually those lines will intersect,” Franzese said,”Was it good that I found a good woman, yes…was it good that I left the mob, yes…but I did those things for me, not for God.” He contrasted clearly the difference between a good move and a move that is a true surrender to God.

“I know about evidence, and their is no doubt in my mind that Jesus is real and the only way to the Father is through Him,” he said, “I have nothing in common with an ameba!” He was unwavering in his faith, inspiring in his delivery and determined to help others to see they can have a life with Christ too no matter what they’ve done.  “God will take your past sins and use them as a tool to inact His purpose in your life when you surrender to Him,” Franzese said.
Franzese expressed true regret for the things he had done. “I don’t have to tell you how violent this life was and if God can bring me out when I thought I was too far gone, he can bring you out too…nothing you’ve done is beyond redemption,” he said “If you want a mob story, buy my book, but I am not hear to tell a mob story, I am here to talk about the goodness of Jesus Christ”

He is a true testament of the power of redemption purpose and change. He now travels the country talking about the goodness of Jesus.  He also trains athletes in Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NFL, and the NCAA about the dangers of gambling and a life of crime.  He is still a “soldier”, but now he is in the right army.

He summed it up best when he said,” When God has a plan and a purpose for your life, nothing can stop it but you.”

I had some interesting conversations with other non profits and techies alike. The city of Baltimore, because of its location to several metropolitan east coast cities, is flourishing in the downtown area. There are several hotels, residences and unique small businesses in the Fell’s Point and Inner Harbor areas. There is also great food.

When I walked into Walmart the other day to grocery shop, I finally got to see thier next big venture…Walmart Wireless. In my usual technical curiousity, I went to explore.

The plans are really streamlined and affordable for families. Unlimited talk and text plans are the only calling plans they offer and all of the plans run on T-mobile’s network.  The calling plans are very simple as well…$45.00  a month for the first line and $25.00 for each aditional line. A family of five can have cell phones for each family member for as little as $145.00 a month. The calling plans also do not require a contract and there are no hidden fees, according to walmart.com.

I think this is a good venture that will provide more options for the average consumer. It does make you wonder what they are going to come up with next…Walmart Autos maybe?

We fight through the stress and the toll it takes on our families, and our social life and we do all of this why? We tend to say we build a business to finally do something we are passionate about, to have a better source of income, or to have more control over our lives…

Even the entrepreneur must realize when a better option is right in front of you. I worked independently for the past five years as a consultant and contractor, I rejoiced in the highs and I fought through the lows. I built a one man operation that allowed me to not work for anyone else. In my eyes I was living the dream of entrepreneurship, but was I?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with a tremendous non-profit over the past 7 months and it has literally changed my perspective. At the non-profit, we provide food and clothing to those in need, we promote dignity to an under served population in our society, the homeless. I have found more fulfillment in this endeavor than I ever did building my businesses. Why!?

It is a matter of what is important. I built my business to be able to cater to the least, the small business, the “little guy” and to have the freedom to go after the things I was truly passionate about and I did just that, but now I have realized something about entrepreneurship through experience that I want to share with the world…

Entrepreneurship is not just based on the business you build, but it also centers around the ideas you contribute that build up organizations from the inside. A entrepreneur is not merely someone that builds a business, but an entrepreneur is also someone that sees the needs within an organization and positively adds value through meeting those needs and helping the organization to grow.

The reason I have been pondering the question of “What is important” is because I thought building the business was when actually contributing the ideas is. When I worked with clients, it wasn’t about simply building my business, it was about contributing ideas to help theirs grow. It was about planting a garden of information and watching that information flourish from concept to reality.

So, you are no less valuable as an entrepreneur if you make decisions based on what you can contribute and not necessarily what you can build. This concept only works in high performance, open work environments where you are viewed as an equal partner in the organization. They must value your ideas as important to the success of the organization as well. What is important as an entrepreneur is that the free flow of ideas you are blessed with reach the people that God placed them in you to reach.

Whether you are building a business or contributing regularly to the success of one, you are a “true” entrepreneur as long as you are bringing fresh ideas and value. Entrepreneurship is just as much about the flow of ideas as it is the building of businesses…what do you think? Are you an entrepreneur that is building a business or are you an entrepreneur that is contributing your ideas to the growth of an organization from within?

So I’ve had the rare opportunity of using both a Galaxy Tab 7 inch and an ipad2 on a regular basis in real world situations for the past two months. The question that I commonly get asked by my friends is which one do I like the most. I purchased the Galaxy Tab as my personal device even though I had an opportunity to buy an ipad and I later received the ipad 2 as a work device.

When comparing the two devices, it is important to note that they are both great technological advancements. I often hear evaluations of the two from a either or perspective, but they both have value depending on what the user wants. It is also important to note that the choice of which device to use also depends on your operating system preference. I have narrowed it down to four key areas: Productivity, Development, Entertainment, and Mobility.

The Galaxy Tab and the iPad2 share common apps for productivity such as Quick Office, Evernote, Springpad, Dropbox and Box.net. Documents are easier to view on the larger screen of the ipad2 sometimes and the keyboard is easier to use on the ipad2, but the documents can be managed easier on the Galaxy Tab because of better file management apps.

For development, the Galaxy Tab offers more apps such as Silveredit that allows you to code and run html,php, css code, etc. The ipad2 has some development apps, but not with the same level of control as the Galaxy Tab. When it comes to graphic design, the ipad2 offers a few more apps such as Adobe Ideas and ArtStudio. The ipad2 and the Galaxy Tab bothe share a Photoshop Express cloud storage app and Sketchbook Pro. The Galaxy Tab takes better images and takes great video although the ipad2 handles video better. The image quality on the ipad 2 is not that great. I have found video editing software for both although the ipad 2 offers iMovie and ReelDirector which are great apps. With some tweaking, you can get movie editing on to the Galaxy Tab.

Entertainment is one of the main reasons most consumers purchase a tablet and the reality is more developers have made entertainment applications available on the ipad2. Hulu Plus only offers an app for certain android models, while it provides a great interface for the ipad2. Netflix has fully operational apps for both devices. There are several developers that only offer a certain entertainment apps for ipad2 though, such as HGTV and some of the other cable and television show apps. The ipad2 handles music production better with apps such as Garage Band. The Galaxy Tab does have flash however, which is actually a huge plus. You can view several websites as they normally appear, except hulu does not work in the browser.

From a mobility standpoint, the Galaxy Tab can literally follow you anywhere you go, it is not as easy go carry the ipad2 everywhere, trust me I tried. I do keep my Galaxy Tab with me at all times (my wife does too).

So which device is better? It is a matter of what you will use it for. If you are an intense developer that wants to have great productivity apps, you may prefer the Galaxy Tab because of its portability and programming capabilities. The android system is open so it provides you with more options in this area. On the other hand if you simply need a device for productivity and entertainment, you may choose the ipad2. One thing I would suggest is that if you find a device you like, please go and try it before you buy it and don’t let a blogger tell you which one is best for you. If you like using the device, it is the best one for you! For instance, I wrote this article on my Galaxy Tab!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qelIAT_cztA

Click here to access the Homeless Resource Fair Flyer

Stores are often viewed as permanent fixtures in communities.  Retailers will open up a new location and ride the wave untill consumer demand deminishes.  What if stores opened only when demand was at its peak?  What if stores only opened when demand for thier product was the highest?  Would it change the way business is conducted in America?

Apple’s recent “experiment” in Austin may serve as a litmus test for other companies. Apple figured out this concept and got it right at the recent SXSW conference. They somehow managed to combine a release date with an opportunity to engage with their primary market at the same time. At the corner of 6th and Congress in downtown Austin, Apple opened a store just for the conference equipped with their full product line and an ample supply of the recently launched ipad2.

This was brilliant! They sold out of ipad 2s in the first three days and actually had to bring in more to meet the demand of conference participants.  When you combine obe of the largest technology conferences in the world with gadgets for sale, you will make money.  Samsung and Motorola need to pay attention to Apples’s marketing.  Sometimes superior marketing will override a superior product!

Why would anyone subject themselves to this?!?

I guess they have the right motivation!