Warren Buffet - Never Back Down

He challenged the conventional teachings at business schools. He’s a 25 Top Visionary, one of the Top 24 Most Powerful Men In Business, and advises people to hang out with people who are better than you.

I wanted to add to the Warren Buffett story by sharing another valuable lesson from one of the world’s richest men: Never Back Down! read more

How Seth McFarlane Turned Family Guy Into $2 Billion

Family Guy = $2 Billion.

It’s not hard to find someone who delights in attacking the show Family Guy. Which isn’t a criticism, per se. Much of the animated sitcom’s purpose seems to be to stoke the opposition, to offend the easily offended. But that’s not the only reason it annoys people. There is a school of thought that says the show is hackish — crudely drawn and derivative of its cartoon forebears. Members of this school would include, most prominently, Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the fathers of South Park, which is probably the only show on television that rivals Family Guy for objectionable content per half hour. South Park has devoted entire episodes to attacking Family Guy, portraying the show’s writers as manatees who push “idea balls” with random jokes down tubes to generate plotlines. Kricfalusi has said, “You can draw Family Guy when you’re 10 years old.” read more

Meet Seth Gordon - Gordon|Diaz-Balart

Here’s someone you need to meet. Seth Gordon, Managing Partner @ Gordon|Diaz-Balart.

Seth Gordon brings over thirty years of intensive local market experience in community relations, economic development, and corporate relations to Gordon|Diaz-Balart, widely known as the “Miami Relations Firm” for their ability to help clients succeed in the complex and rapidly changing Miami market. read more

Just call me President Barack Obama

A huge victory for Obama, the Democratic party, and the United States. But can Barak Obama come through on all his promises? read more

Bill Gates Starts A New Mystery Company

Just months after his Microsoft farewell, Bill Gates is quietly creating a new company — complete with high-tech office space, a cryptic name and even its own trademark.

Public documents describe the new Gates entity — bgC3 LLC — as a “think tank.” It’s housed within a Kirkland office that the Microsoft co-founder established on his own after leaving his day-to-day executive role at the company this summer. read more

An Interview with Marc Andreessen

At 37, Andreessen is a legend in Silicon Valley. He created, with Eric Bina, the first graphical browser while at the University of Illinois, then co-founded Netscape Communications with überentrepreneur Jim Clark in the early 1990s. Netscape’s browser brought the internet to the masses, set off the dotcom boom, and so angered Microsoft at the time that Steve Ballmer, now the software giant’s C.E.O., led employees in “Kill Netscape!” chants. By bundling its Internet Explorer browser into Windows, Microsoft eventually drove Netscape into the arms of a suitor: AOL bought Netscape in 1999 for $4.2 billion.

Andreessen hasn’t had a success of that magnitude since. But he did create another billion-dollar company, Loudcloud, a tech-services outfit that later changed its name to Opsware and was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion. More recently, Andreessen started Ning, a website that lets anyone create a mini social network. Its most prominent customer: 50 Cent. read more

Warren Buffet’s Snowball

The first authorized biography of Warren Buffett seeks to explain how he’s made a lot of people, including himself, very rich over the last five decades. The first part, however, offers precious little insight.

The Snowball, the first authorized biography of Warren Buffett, has been one of the most eagerly anticipated business books of the year. Published on Monday, the book is particularly timely because of Buffett’s role in the credit crisis now roiling Wall Street.

A team of Conde Nast Portfolio.com writers, starting today with finance blogger Felix Salmon, are reviewing the book in sections over the next five days, and will be commenting on each other’s reviews. read more

Alex Bogusky + Microsoft = Dangerous Combo

Crispin+Porter completely changed the image of Apple, and returned a brand thought to have been gone in the dump. Partner Alex Bogusky now joins Microsoft to see if he can reinstill the magic that once was the Seattle superpower. read more

Mighty Fundraiser Haim Saban

The man who gave you the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers now wants to sell you a president.

Haim Saban still hadn’t decided whether or not to help Senator Barack Obama get elected president when he picked up the phone this summer and began planning an imaginary event.

The Hollywood billionaire—America’s top political-campaign contributor—was still heartbroken over Senator Hillary Clinton’s defeat. As one of her national finance chairs, he had single-handedly raised more than $1 million from his friends and associates, and her departure from the race had left him so bereft that he considered backing John McCain. When that idea met with opposition from Saban’s wife, Cheryl, and their four children (“Are you kidding? We pounced on him,” she recalled), the self-described “cartoon schlepper” (he made his first millions in kiddie TV) was left with two options. read more

Do You Watch Donnie Deutsch?

Do you watch Donny Deutsch on his show THE BIG IDEA? Well if you don’t, start TiVo-ing it today. Donald Jay “Donny” Deutsch is an advertising exec and chairman of Deutsch, Inc., a $2.7 billion marketing company founded by his father. In 2000, Donny sold his agency to the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) for a reported $265 million, and took on his CNBC show full-time. read more

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