Coffee as a backup plan

Coffee as a backup plan
There is a little coffee shop in downtown Holland, Michigan called Lemonjello’s. I got really into this place during my sophomore year of college. I would stop by every day and order their iconic yellow mug of coffee or one of the special $5 drinks. After about a week, I started wearing a baja sweatshirt and was dangerously close to... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
April 8, 2019 at 7:40 am • 

2019 NCAA Tournament: Last minute bracket advice

This is extremely last minute. From the time I’m posting this, I think you have all of three hours to finish up a bracket. But hey, better late than never. So, to all of the procrastinators out there, or anyone looking to make some last-minute adjustments, here are links to my annual Medium Rare bracket... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
March 21, 2019 at 8:42 am • 

Please, take this idea: Barber-Q

Some of my fondest memories are covered in BBQ sauce. Every Christmas growing up, we would hop in a car and make the long drive from Michigan to Kansas City. We’d walk through the door at Mombo and Poppo’s house, greet all of our aunts, uncles, cousins, then about five minutes later say, “Alright, so... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 25, 2019 at 7:20 am • 
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The startup holidays

How does something become a big name national holiday? How does a holiday go from the start-up tier (think National Taco Day or National Talk Like a Pirate Day) all the way up to that rarefied air of Christmas or Thanksgiving. Or, not even that, how does a startup holiday climb the ranks to reach the Columbus... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 20, 2019 at 7:44 am • 

The surprising business case for the Locker Room Guy/Gal

In business, there’s something called the 20-70-10 rule. What this means is that in a group of 10 people, two employees will stand out as the top performers. The next seven are like the peloton in the Tour de France. And then the bottom person is a non-producer. If you follow this system (created by GE’s Jack... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 11, 2019 at 7:40 am • 

Direct Primary Care: Guest Post by Dr. Alex Lickerman, Founder and CEO of Imagine MD

I remember sitting in the waiting room for an annual physical. There were four or five people around me reading People Magazines from three years ago. The person behind the counter would answer a phone call, schedule a time with a patient, hang up, and then immediately the phone would ring again. The image I remember... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 4, 2019 at 10:41 am • 
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Please, take this idea: Toothpaste for breakfast

“There’s an app for that.” These five little words completely changed the world of inventing things. Prior to the iPhone, inventions were a physical object, some sort of contraption that would change your every day life. After the iPhone, it seemed like every new invention was delivered in app form. As inventions became smaller, going from... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
January 30, 2019 at 8:34 am • 

Cauliflower is having a moment

On the night the original food pyramid was revealed, Vegetables sat in the crowd assuming they would land the coveted bottom block. It was like the Oscars and they were the clear front runner. There was, seemingly, no real competition for “Healthiest Food.” But then it happened. The new food pyramid was displayed and the bottom block... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
January 21, 2019 at 7:15 am • 

What happened to the good old fashioned sick day?

In the entire history of the world, there has never been a better era than right now to take a sick day. And yet here we are totally wasting it. The situation has become so bad that I’ve started to see articles titled, “Are sick days a thing of the past?” A thing of the past? The sick day... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
January 14, 2019 at 7:31 am • 
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Reducing healthcare costs: Q&A with Brian Uhlig

Reducing healthcare costs: Q&A with Brian Uhlig
Have you ever been walking behind a parent and their kid and the kid is like four rounds into the “Why” game? Why did he miss the field goal? Well, because sometimes the end-of-game pressure.. Why? And the timeout right before adds to it… Why?  Eventually the parent breaks down and replies, “Because that’s Chicago sports, alright! Now let’s get some... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
January 7, 2019 at 8:12 am •