And then there were none

March Madness Part II

And then there were none.

In the 35th game of the NCAA tournament, the final perfect bracket fell. A 26-year-old sign language interpreter from Cleveland picked his favorite team -- Ohio State -- to beat Arizona. The Wildcats bested the Buckeyes 73-58 Saturday night.

On Friday night, the man who became the sole ESPN.com entrant with a perfect bracket through the round of 64 was checking his phone from a salsa club, reloading the final scoreboards to make sure he still had every game correct.

By day's end, Malachi, who asked to keep his last name anonymous out of privacy concerns, had the only one out of 11.57 million brackets with every team still in green. You can read the entire article HERE

11.57 million brackets filled out. Over 11 million people took the time, did the research, asked for advice, and filled out a NCAA tournament bracket. And of course, after submitting the bracket, they all paid close attention to see how far they would get.

In the time that it took them to do this, they could have opened a new business.

See my blog from earlier this month (scroll down). 

Never has it been so easy to start a business. Never has it been so easy be mentored, to be coached, to be guided on how to launch, run and grow a thriving business. 

One of last year's "Build A Business" winners launched their store in ONE DAY. That's right, from start to finish, they opened their new store and began taking orders in less than 24 hours. They had a idea. They took a shot. They got off the bench, and into the game. 

The NCAA Tournament is in the "Sweet Sixteen" phase. Our "Build A Business" 2015 contest is in the "Terrific Ten" phase. You have until March 31st to take a free trial of Shopify and start a business. Get off the bench. Get into the game. Your coaches are waiting for you, but they can only match your energy. 

If you are a member of the NYDLA.org you have DOUBLE the chances to win - as we shall be taking 5 lucky members of the NYDLA.org to Necker Island. It will cost you nothing to enter the contest, just like filling out a bracket for the NCAA Tournament. 11.57 million brackets filled out. 

Wow, just think about 11.57 million new businesses. 

Got questions? Send an email to NeckerIsland@NYDLA.org. 

You never know what will happen if you try. You only know with 100% certainty what will happen if you don't even take a shot. 

On Necker Island, you’ll be joined by this year’s mentors: Tim Ferriss, Richard Branson, Daymond John, Marie Forleo, and special guest Seth Godin. You’ll receive personalized, invaluable advice and guidance from each of them to help you continue to grow your business.

March Madness on Necker Island

March Madness. The Big Dance. Today is the first day of March, and with that begins the “buzz” about the 2015 NCAA Tournament. And of course, “Bracketology”.

Bracketology is the process of predicting the field of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, named as such because it is commonly used to fill in tournament brackets for the postseason. It incorporates predicting what the NCAA Selection Committee will use to determine at-large (non-conference winning) teams to complete the field of 68 teams, and, to seed the field by ranking all teams from first through sixty-eighth. ESPN's Joe Lunardi is the inventor of the term "bracketology", and is the resident bracketologist on ESPN. He also teaches an online course at Saint Joseph's University titled "Fundamentals of Bracketology".  

In recent years the concept of bracketology has been applied to areas outside of basketball.

Enter: The Build A Business competition.

Shopify, the industry leading eCommerce platform that allows anyone to sell online, in-store and everywhere in between is once again holding their Build A Business competition, the world’s biggest entrepreneurial contest encouraging anyone with a great business idea to start selling. The company has partnered with the industry’s most successful entrepreneurs to help new and emerging stores launch and grow their businesses. Over the past four years, the Build A Business competition has helped create over 36,000 new businesses that have sold over $180 million in products. Past winners including: DODOcase, GoldieBlox, Coffee Joulies, Bolder Band, among many others, have gone on to create multi-million dollar companies.

To participate, entrepreneurs must open a store and start selling products using Shopify. At the end of the competition, the top five stores that sell the most over a two-month period will be flying on a private jet to Richard Branson’s Necker Island for a five-day adventure full of mentorship, exploration, and professional growth.

This year’s mentors include names that every entrepreneur will recognize:

• Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group)
• Daymond John (FUBU, Shark Tank)
• Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek)
• Marie Forleo (MarieTV)
• Seth Godin (Best selling author)

“Over the years, I have witnessed thousands of people start and grow successful businesses using Shopify,” said Tobias Lütke, CEO, Shopify. “Becoming an entrepreneur is a dream for many people and Build A Business provides the platform needed to kickstart business ideas into a reality. Providing mentorship along the way has proven to be an invaluable tool and this year, we’ve brought together an all-star team to provide the guidance needed for these businesses to succeed.”

The Build A Business competition runs until May 31, 2015, with each of the mentors providing exclusive advice and guidance along the way. Inspired by the Build A Business competition - and the thrill of “The Big Dance” we have decided to throw our hat into the ring.

Enter: The Work At Home Coaches.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 50% of the workforce is expected to be self employed in the next five to ten years. 

The Work At Home Coaches nationwide network of business mentors and coaches are focused on providing the advice, training and skills to entrepreneurs and to create new jobs.  

We connect teams of qualified participants with successful CEOs and Schools of Business across the country to learn the steps needed to transform an invention or discovery into a product for the marketplace. The program gives both startups and experienced professionals the training and skills to become entrepreneurs or bring their new entrepreneurial skills to an existing company.

Over my 30+ year career in business, I have always operated under a Knowledge, Technology and Talent model. I feel that you need all three legs of that stool to truly thrive in business. By combining eCommerce technology like Shopify with the experience and mentorship of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are strengthening communities by creating new pathways for citizens’ employment — giving participants the tools and training they need to create new businesses and stimulate job creation.

Back to March Madness: VOTED BIGGEST UNDERDOG MOMENT IN NCAA® HISTORY. 15-seeds had upset 2nd-seeded teams before, but when Lehigh knocked off Duke in 2012 it was the first time that the losing team featured a coach wearing a championship ring.

Are your ready to make your own underdog dreams a reality? 

Our business coaches and mentors are ready to help you every step of the way. Maybe all the way to Richard Branson’s Necker Island. 

Now THAT is what I call getting invited to “The Big Dance”.

Visit The Work At Home Coaches today!