Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

TED…a conference where people tell interesting short stories of their experiences in life. These are Ideas Worth Spreading, according to TED’s mission. Ideas Worth Spreading huh? I shall soon confirm.

TED is 50 or so 18 minute “unrehearsed” presentations from some of the biggest names in the world and some that few have ever heard of, all converging at an event said to be spectacular and “life changing.” This is what I’ve garnered from the press, the TED website and confirmed by the TEDsters I know.

Currently, I’m a TEDVirgin. Next week I’m off to Palm Springs (my hometown) for TEDActive. While I wish I was going to Long Beach where the actual event is held, I am only able to attend TEDActive in Palm Springs this year. TEDActive is where TEDWannabees like me pay 2/3 the price of the actual TED Conference in Long Beach and hang out with 399 others and watch the event on TV, live. Sound ridiculous? I for one can’t wait.

For those you that don’t understand the different TEDs, here’s a quick breakdown:

TED
This is the actual conference in Long Beach and is invitation only. 50 live presenters, 18 min each, 4 days, from the Dalai Lama to Bill Gates, about 1400 in attendance, $6k/head.

TEDActive
Held in Palm Springs, this is the live simulcast version where overflow wannabees get to watch and interact with the TED experience at a mere $3800-ish. Tons of events in addition to the presentations coincide and make for great networking with 400 total in attendance.

Here’s how they describe TEDActive:

The swanky, mountain-framed and pool-dappled Riviera Resort in Palm Springs is the backdrop for four days of gripping talks and engrossing TEDActive workshops. We will explore how the next gen in tech, entertainment and design can be brought to bear on “What the World Needs Now …” In this luxurious, brainpower-fueled environment, you’ll enjoy the live-hosted TED2010 program on crisp Sony monitors, you’ll connect with other curious and passionate souls in pre-conference outdoor adventures and campfire-hued meet-and-greets, and if you so desire, you may even step up into the program spotlight during TEDYOU.

TEDx
This is the independent version of TED, where a local group, individual or organization becomes licensed by TED to put on their own mini-TED event. Ours is TEDxAmericanRiviera and will be held on 10/10/10 at 10:10:10am. Cost: almost free.

TEDGlobal
Like TED, but somewhere else in the world like Oxford, UK.

Anyhow, check out www.ted.com for more information. I hope you get a chance to attend a TED event some time in your life. I hear its truly amazing. I’ll let you know in about a week.

Time to clear this up. I’m Eric Greenspan the entrepreneur, not Eric Greenspan the chef (or Eric Greenspan the lawyer).

Eric Greenspan's The Foundry on Melrose

I’m not the chef Eric Greenspan, he owns the Foundry on Melrose. That Eric Greenspan was recently up for the Next Iron Chef on the Food Network but lost to grasshoppers. He is the master of the grilled cheese amongst other culinary delights. He’s my friend on Facebook and on Twitter so look for @chefgreeny. By the way, I’ll be on the Food Network soon, but not as a chef. Some private chefs (not Eric) are cooking for me and a bunch of my fellow entrepreneurs. Look for us on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills (coming soon.) In the meantime, eat at this Eric Greenspan’s restaurant the Foundry and his new grilled cheese restaurant too. I hear this guy can cook!

I’m not the lawyer Eric Greenspan. While I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I’m not their lawyer. I guess I could’ve been a lawyer, mom wanted me to, but I’m not. This guy is an entertainment lawyer. I tried to add him on Facebook, but couldn’t find him. If I was a rockstar, I could hire him. “Eric Greenspan representing Eric Greenspan your honor.” I’m thinking “Who’s on First” right now.

I’m an entrepreneur, the CEO of Make It Work, Inc., and the Executive Producer of two radio shows: Tech News, powered by Make It Work on CBS’s KNX 1070 in Los Angeles and Make It Work with Jeremy Anticouni currently on Citadel’s KSFO 560 in San Francisco and soon to be in markets nationwide. I’m also Jacob’s dad, Marian’s husband, soon to be a dad again, and a few other things. For more on me, click here.

For the chef Eric Greenspan, click here.

For the attorney Eric Greenspan, click here.

If you are another Eric Greenspan, find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ericgreenspan

First, my thanks to Tim Draper for allowing me to use his song in my entrepreneur presentations at UCLA, Anderson School of Business and USC, Marshall School of Business. This song is the heart and soul of many entrepreneurs like me and I love sharing it. I’m actually working (per Tim’s request) on a new version of his song. Stay tuned for that, but here’s the lyrics from Tim’s version along with a link to the actual song itself. Careful, it’s catchy!

The Riskmaster, lyrics by Tim Draper

Invested all his mattress money
Divorced his Prom Queen hometown honey
Scraping up his alimony
Friends think he’s a little funny

Needs a “world class CEO.”
Just another million or so
Get him to some real cash flow
So tears and sweat can IPO

For 15 years he’s been out gunned
Bankers demanding blood refund
Company’s looking Moribund
Even Draper will not fund!

Chorus:
He is the Riskmaster
Lives fast drives faster
Skates on the edge of disaster
He is the Riskmaster

He’s got a mission
Company vision
An artist’s ambition
Gut intuition
Fearless and free employee
No guarantee for the Corporate escapee

Team fights on against the trend
Had to lay off his best friend
Called a “recession” seems like “depression.”
Chapter seven. Is this the end?

But then a salesman shouts, “We got it!”
The company’s gonna show a profit
To think the papers rang, “quixotic”
The sky has opened astronautic.

Chorus:
He is the Riskmaster
Lives fast drives faster
Skates on the edge of disaster
He is the Riskmaster

He is on top, on top of the world
At last they see it. Vision unfurled!
Cashflow landslide!
Now everybody wants a piece of his hide.
Court wants him tried. Press wants him fried.
Anyone this rich must have lied.

Chorus:
He is the Riskmaster
Lives fast drives faster
Skates on the edge of disaster
He is the Riskmaster

To the moon!

-Eric Greenspan

While Make it Work keeps me very busy, I still take some time out to breathe once in a while. These are real Google Voice voice-mails converted to text by Google technology. I laugh every time I read them, so I had to share…

From my brother Randy Greene:

“Hey something on the phone for the last 30 minutes and burned up 20% of my battery already. Just wondered if you had in the Simpson trial access to let me know what, which shouldn’t shouldn’t be on on the phone getting a lot like a slot at there’s definitely some from advantage is a and what not. I can get over some of the blackBerry issues. Hey, I’ll give me a call at the office. Bye.”

“So, okay. Nixes recording that at facebook was a country is the fourth largest populated country and we’ll I was a good one. Hey, I’ve just written down the coast of back to San Diego on sort of it right now. Good day up but something has you. I guess from updates worked out a lot. The expansion plans. I suppose I think a couple of you could ours as well. Great news on all the because I’d already just thursday, november. I’ll be in the car for another hour or so. Talk to you later. Bye.”

From my friend Ian Joles:

“Hey, just calling you back. Sorry I I was called upon to get my ear Smacks. So anyway, I don’t think we’re gonna be able to go to North Beach. Because the where we’re gonna be stressed out a little too nice for that. Tonight alright buddy hopefully get to see you soon. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

From my buddy Ken Sterling:

“Hey Green in sterling cos that’s not going to go voicemail, Mechanical, Yeah, I’m around tomorrow afternoon, so if you got some time. Shoot me a text of the time that works for you and we’ll make it works. Talk to you. Bye. Yeah, you.”

From my mother:

“Hey edg, it’s mom. We do have a good chat about F. This is held captive Tom. It’s a letter hook up with that. So we need to talk about it and and I’m just giving you about your card. Eric, It was a nice dot for you from you and whatever, but we’re doing okay with one car. You know I would just rent a car when we get up there if we have to not will. I don’t know, we’ll figure it out anyway. Okay love you dear bye bye.”

“I’d like to your other phone better. I could connect with you. I don’t know what this is this phone. Anyway it’s mom, we are outside, planning our garden our vegetables and everything. So we we will make it this year at least cat food. I don’t have anything else. At least we have found okay. Anyway, it’s me. I’m home and 2 putting up late lunch early dinner for us right now. Okay, and Mom.”

“Hey Eric, it’s mom, we’re trying to come up. Bilton week of Christmas. I’ll probably come up Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday. We’re going to bring our R. V and stay at pollution Mesa and held cap the time I didn’t know what your plans were for Christmas, but it doesn’t matter if you guys there and you know going somewhere or whatever world. We just wanted to come up want to see if it’s a place a good place for us to stay if we did come up to visit you guys being that up, probably want to come up and see the baby. More off and I have tried. Take care of her him that was first day zero week or whatever it is you want me there 4 and so give me a call back when you get a chance so we can make some plans. Eddie there include you or don’t include you okay my dear be talking to you. Bye bye.”

The school called to tell me my son was sick:

“This is Chris calling from available at the school and here in the office he doesn’t feel well. We need someone to come and pick him pops. He says his mother sick. But I’m going to try her as well.”

From the ex:

“Hey Eric, but wanted to know whatever you’re gonna head out your office. Because, so if you think, that’s cool, and he needs to talk with you. Dot and if you could bring that out to him, that would be great. I just don’t feel well and I don’t want to drive out there again. I’m gonna drive out there and pick them up. Of course in 330, but I wanna go home now. I just got back from driving in, get in touch for a while, so if you’re gonna head out there, you can bring it to him. Can you let me know. Thanks. Bye.”

“I want to but the ticket before it that there was some good luck. So if you get this call me before a job tomorrow. Alright.”

From my friend Matt:

“What up Eric, it’s not give me a call back, we’re gonna start going like the Catholic meeting. Just wondering how that it yet.”

Okay, time to get back to work. We have onsite computer repairs,  to tend to at Make It Work!

To the moon!

-Eric Greenspan

Home Sweet Home

The first question is…how did I get this loan in the first place? Why did Countrywide do the deal? The answer is simple and now a part of history…Countrywide was doing bad deals.  Thanks to them, I was able to get the house! No hard feelings here!! I had two choices on that day in October 08.  I could continue paying my mortgage and watch the principle grow above the value of the home or I could try to negotiate a loan modification. I chose the latter.

The next day I called Countrywide to discuss the loan mod process.  They said I fit all the requirements: negam, adjustable rate mortgage, etc., except, I was current on my payments!  I made the toughest decision in my career that week…I skipped my payment. I’ve never missed a payment on anything in my life prior to that day, so it was a scary decision. After the due date, I called them again and wouldn’t you believe that they told me I now fully qualify for the loan mod. Unreal!

Over the next 11 months I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited…you get the drift. I didn’t make a mortgage payment for 11 months. Yes, it did affect my credit rating, but it just seemed worth it to keep the house and the gain in value over the period. I have a great company that I hope to sell some day and cash out, so I had to take the chance. I figured I could explain the situation to a creditor down the road; they’d remember the worst recession in 40 years. I also figure I can get Bank of America to reverse the reporting to the credit agencies once I get back on track (working on that now). I’m an entrepreneur, I’m used to living on the edge.

On Sept 2nd 2009, 11 months later  (the day before my birthday), I got a Fedex from Bank of America (who acquired Countrywide). I opened it nervously thinking they were about to foreclose and to my surprise, they offered me a reduced interest rate from 8.25% to 2.375% for the next 5 years, effectively reducing my payment by over $10,000/month and eliminating the neg-am!  Long story short, I took the deal. Whew!!

Would I recommend that you follow in my footsteps? I wouldn’t wish the frustration or restlessness I experienced over that 11 months on my worst enemy. But it sure feels pretty good now!  We still have our home and we can easily afford our payments now. Sometimes things do work out…thanks Bank of America!

To the moon!

-Eric Greenspan