From the time you get a whiff of business cases and scenarios in college up to when your mid-life crisis starts and beyond, chances are you either dreamed of starting a new business (yours or someone else’s), attempted to put it on complex financial projections but failed, or have done so a few times yet it never sprung to life. Don’t be misled by my statement because I’ve done all three many times in my 25 years of working. Only one succeeded ’til today.

I’ve always heard many versions of sayings that simply tell, “personal stuffs don’t mix well at the workplace.” In my 25+ years of working for a paycheck, I’ve never seen this happen. Your personal side always mixes in the things you do at work. Even at play, your personal self always appears.

Like what the subtitle of Howard Schultz’s book says, “One cup at a time,” I strongly recommend going to Starbucks for the start of something great in your career, business and the things you do great! Why on earth would I say that Starbucks is a great place to do your work?

Online social networks are about conversations, besides being free, fast and (always available) forever. There are opportunities to use online social networks to market yourself, your organization, products and services. However, each one is distinct from one another and “overkill” will also drive your results downwards. This essay is based solely on my experience.