Blog - Mike Smerklo

Monkey Masters: Rusty Shelton

For my fourth Monkey Masters installment, I am thrilled to interview Rusty Shelton. Rusty is an entrepreneurial jack of all trades! Author, speaker and business owner, Rusty has done and seen it all. Prior to founding his current agency, Zilker Media, Rusty built and...

Monkey Masters: Rusty Shelton

Read the Latest from Mike Smerklo

Thank You 2020 For…Well…Everything

Nov 23

| Uncategorized

Six things I am grateful for as this wacky, wild year draws to a close ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my favorite holiday. Family,...

Why I Wrote This D*mn Book

Nov 13

| Entrepreneurship

Day job at Next Coast Ventures. Board Meeting. Wife, Kids. Podcast. Book launch. Book Launch? Shit, why in the hell did I write that damn book anyways? Not for the money (I am giving any proceeds away). Not for the fame (Stephen King, here I come). Not for...

The Proverbial Shit Just Hit the Proverbial Fan. Now What??

Sep 28

| Entrepreneurship, Persistence

The S.T.O.P acronym can help you stay on your entrepreneurial journey when the worst of the worst happens

Find a Brutally Honest Friend In Your Life and Ask Them This One Question!

Aug 19

| Authenticity, Entrepreneurship, Humility, Self-Awareness

An unusual way to get feedback might be the secret to unlocking your entrepreneurial dreams. Typical Tuesday morning. Scanning emails before my morning workout, checking to make sure the world has survived without my online presence. Suddenly a subject line...

Let Me Talk You Out of Being an Entrepreneur

Aug 5

| Entrepreneurship, Persistence

A short, two question quiz might just save five years of your life (and a hell of a lot of pain) I reached for my beer and tried to think of how best to respond to the question that was just presented to me by an aspiring entrepreneur. A warm breeze was...

How to Accidentally F*ck Up Your Career Every Day!

Jul 22

| Entrepreneurship, Expectations

The world is filled with blog posts and clickbait that will tell you the seven hacks you need to do to become super successful, wealthy, and powerful and to climb the corporate ladder. These drive me nuts for multiple reasons! It seems so easy – like any...

Just DON’T Do It: Five Reasons NOT to become an entrepreneur

Jul 8

| Entrepreneurship, Persistence

The greatest part of my day job as a venture capitalist is the inspiration I draw from watching amazing Founders take a crazy concept, work tirelessly, and sacrifice a ton with the sole purpose of turning a dream into a reality. I recognize how hard the...