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Our Halloween 2025 Special was.................. spectacular.
"Spectacular" means something is very impressive, dramatic, or grand, like a breathtaking view or a stunning fireworks display. It can also refer to a large-scale, lavish performance or show, such as a Christmas TV spectacular, or describe something that is remarkably great, like a spectacular increase in spending.
We had a spectacular increase in new NYDLA | NADLA membership. BOOtiful! 😎
Everyone seems to have done some sort of Halloween coupon, discount, special. I am sure that you received a million ads or emails with Pumpkins and Witches and whatnot. Since I have not had an original thought in years, we did the same.
Ah, but what I did not predict is the number of people who would join the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org because they were starting up a business.
Many were starting up a business because they have been chasing the dream of Entrepreneurship for years. Well, we are well aware of this, as ENTREPRENEURSHIP became a College Major years ago. Marketing was always a college major, then ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Now in 2025 you can actually get a degree in SALES. (I teach that now...at University level).
It's 2025. Many people are now starting up a business out of desperation. They have lost their job, they have lost their source of income. So many of the people that we have been meeting are....scared. They are worried, they are afraid and they need help.
THIS page is old. Probably from around 2012. RUTGERS was the first major sponsor of the NYDLA. You can see their original letter on the 'About' page on NYDLA.org Not only did they sponsor us with funds but we also connected with their 500K+ living alumni at the time. I remember offering www.RutgersCONFERENCING.com for FREE to anyone with a RUTGERS.edu email. Ah, but I digress.
THIS page is also old. This too was probably from around 2012. Since ENTREPRENEURSHIP became 'a thing' at the College and University level, we jumped on the bandwagon. Fast forward to 2025, there are now 174K+ K-20 schools across North America serviced by the NYDLA and NADLA. And many of those students are ENTREPRENEURSHIP majors. They are going to graduate with an Entrepreneurship degree, and most will be....... startups. People with a dollar and a dream, looking for funding. Looking for support. Or many of these students are taking Certificate Courses to boost an existing career. Cybersecurity is our #1 Certificate Program across North America.
So, it hit me this morning.
What if we reboot / relaunch all of our ENTREPRENEURSHIP pages. What if we focus on helping STARTUPS. Especially helping folks who are starting up a new business without the benefit of a college degree in ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
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- Give them access to our $1B+ buying power from partnerships like TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, D&H and others.
- Give them all access to Zoom or GoTo or Webex or 8x8 or (the list is long) at our $1B+ buying power.
- Give them all access to Shopify or BigCommerce or WooCommerce or Kajabi or Teachable (again, long list) at our $1B+ buying power.
- Give them all access to Dotdigital and Adobe and Zoho and Hubspot... all of our tools.
- Give them all access to PayPal, Stripe, Fiserv at our $1B+ buying power.
- Give them all access to the millions of (now global) members of the NYDLA | NADLA because 'none of us is as smart as all of us.'
Give all of these amazing people across North America a boost. Give them support. Get their startup to cash flow positive. Get their startup to sustainability. I remember what it was like to start a business (my first was in 1983 - there have been many) and it is hard! It is very scary to be in business as a solopreneur or entrepreneur. No one starts a business to go out of business. No one borrows money from friends and family to lose their friends, and to piss off their family.
Well, it is now 2025. There is no need to go it alone. There is no need to struggle in business alone. The world is full of amazing people who will help - who WANT to help. People who have achieved SUCCESS in business, as they too were once a startup. The world is a very scary place, and millions of people will become ENTREPRENEURS because they have no choice. They are starting a business out of survival.
Knowledge + Technology + Talent + Buying Power. Results. Business OUTCOMES. Profitability = FREEDOM. And I have learned since 1983 that profitability is a choice. Yours.
Our 'Halloween' page still works, it is just no longer on Page 1 of our website. Maybe we'll use it again in 2026. Ah, but THIS week, you shall see a NEW link on Page 1 of NYDLA: STARTUPS. Until then, you can simply email STARTUP@NYDLA.org and we'll get you all sorted.
Ask for help. Get the help that you need. And then one day YOU TOO can pay it forward. You too can help to make the world a less scary place.
Oh, one more thing: effective immediately https://www.feedingamerica.org/ is the new official charity of the Distance Learning Association. So when we DO get a member to be cash flow positive, when we DO make (your) business SUSTAINABLE and PROFITABLE we all shall be helping to make a difference. To end hunger when we all work together.
We're paying it back. We're paying it FORWARD.
