business Tag

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder Of Atomic Tango + Professor Who Loves To Cold Call His Students; photo by Fabrice Florin via Wikimedia Commons… Picture yourself in a class or business meeting. You don’t have a pressing thought or opinion on the current topic — indeed, your mind is wandering to what you’d like to have for dinner — when suddenly you hear your name called along with the question, “What do you think?”Read More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Entrepreneurial Advisor; photo by Valentin Antonini on Unsplash… Too many entrepreneurs treat their startups like Hollywood relationships: the affair begins with a lot of passion, it’s great for gossip and headlines, and it might even lead to deals, but as soon as things get a little rocky — or something better comes along — the entrepreneur is outta there. These zero-commitment capitalists proudly call themselves “serial entrepreneurs,” which, in relationship terms, would make them philanderers. But hey, whatever consenting adults wantRead More

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango, MBA, and Professor of Communications… A point that really stood out to me in an overall fantastic article by Philosopher and Business Consultant Matthew Stewart: “Next to analysis, communication skills must count among the most important for future masters of the universe. To their credit, business schools do stress these skills, and force their students to engage in make-believe presentations to one another. On the whole, however, management education has been less than a boon for those who value free and meaningfulRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Marketing Professor; photo by Manuel Cacciatore via Wikimedia Commons… So you’d like to learn more about business but can’t take a class right now. Or maybe the idea of school gives you nightmares about forgetting class until the final exam. (Been there, dreamed that.) No problem. While I teach university courses, I understand the need to learn on your own. So I compiled this business reading list to enlighten, inspire, even entertain. Academic vs Commercial Most of these books are lightRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Caffeine Addict… Three yuppies walk into a Starbucks. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, and in a way it is. Two claim a table while the third goes to order. He asks the others what they want, and they both say “nothing.” He responds, “So why are we here?” One replies, “Someplace to talk.” The first guy scowls and says something that makes me want to high-five him: “That’s gonna put them out of business — people like you.” IRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Fellow Aspiring Mogul; illustration by Barzak… “In this very real world, good doesn’t drive out evil. Evil doesn’t drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.” — Bill Bernbach, advertising legend I recently spoke about media careers to college students at the National Broadcasting Society AERho Convention. We gathered in the heart of the Disneyland Resort, amidst thousands of tourists wearing Mickey Mouse ears and celebrating America’s greatest media brand. It served as the perfect stage for discussing the futureRead More

By Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Teacher of World Classes; photo by Greta Schölderle Møller on Unsplash… As yet another public service, I’ve identified a few words and phrases that have been so overused, misused, and abused that they no longer have any meaning. (Kind of like the joke in an average Saturday Night Live sketch.) These terms sound important without saying anything, which makes them ideal for press releases and political speeches…Read More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango & Professional Provocateur; photo by Ryoji Hayasaka on Unsplash… I got some fan mail about : “I was liking your article, as I have others that I’ve read… However, I soon found the in-your-face political opinion rude and quite unprofessional to say the least. I just wanted to read a good professional article not something that would make the Huffington Post.” Hmmm. How to respond?Read More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Occasional Publicity Seeker; photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash… Handling your own public relations is like serving as your own lawyer in court. Possible? Yes. Advisable? Not so much. I write this in response to the NY Times article “Which P.R. Firm Do You Use?” by entrepreneur Jennifer Walzer. Walzer describes her success in handling PR for her tech startup. Her achievements certainly deserve kudos (whatever a kudo is), and she provides smart tips on scoring media coverage. The problem? The same as with anyRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Social Media User, Instructor & Consultant… So let’s trip back to 1876, the year the telephone was invented… Hmmm… something’s missing… and I’m not talking about Starbucks on every corner…Read More