and so it begins . . .

Ah, I am finally free from my role as an intermediary in the product driven war waged by large financial firms that only care about the bottom line. Don't get me wrong working for the "man" has taught me many valuable life lessons. The most memorable of these lessons is simple - if you do not have passion for what you do you will not enjoy it.

It is amazing how basic this principle is; however, many people continue to push forward with careers that do not inspire them. I believe that all of us were put on this planet to achieve something great, or at least be a part of something great. How do we accomplish this if every morning we wake up wishing that it were Saturday? If your weeks/months/life flies by with you constantly struggling to remember what you accomplished day-to-day it may be time to get on Monster.

Today I leave the cushy corporate office behind and embark on a life long adventure armed with nothing more than my determination and a well-researched business plan. Today I make it a point to stop and "smell the roses" or in my case the fryer oil. If I achieve nothing else on my journey it will be to develop the self-awareness needed to make everyday count.

I need to raise an additional $80,000 (out of $170,000) in the next 30 days. Luckily I have discovered two words in the English language, that when combined, entices people to believe in something bigger than themselves - "entrepreneurial spirit." Anyone with means, which can be defined as a potential investor, likes to believe that they can see the big picture and are intelligent enough to spot trends before they make someone else rich. My job is to draw this "entrepreneurial spirit" out of everyone that I encounter and inspire them to believe that le truc is the project they have been waiting for.

I meet with a very successful financial advisor today for lunch. If you do not consider financial advisors to be entrepreneurial you’re kidding yourself. Setting client expectations correctly while consistently under promising and over delivering has got to be one of the world's great balancing acts. This FA in particular has mastered his craft. By the end of lunch I would like to think that he has become a believer - stay tuned to see what interesting prospects he sends my way.

Raising money in one of history's most volatile economic climates is no different - you have to balance investor expectations with realistic performance metrics. Still it has to be sexy or why should they take the time to hear your pitch. Every successful entrepreneur needs an elevator pitch. What is that you say? An elevator pitch is 3-5 sentences that you can spit out if you were riding up 10 floors in an elevator with a potential investor.

Here is mine, let me know what you think. le truc is a sustainable street food project that places emphasis on three things: food, customer service and making our investors rich. Catchy huh? I have found that while this sounds ridiculous it always gets a response, as they are shocked by how forward my approach is. Most people will at least give me a chance to clarify how I plan to accomplish making them rich. Hello new opportunity!

The bottom-line is that they are getting off that elevator and will likely disappear forever - if it takes a little shock value to get them to hand over that business card it is well worth it. My new credo: when you get a chance, no matter what it is, make it count. Entrepreneurs’ will continue to find creative solutions to raise money in any economic climate. If I play the number game for long enough the odds have to eventually stack in my favor (right?).