Video: A Look Back From "21"

Patrick Roche preforms "21" at the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.

One word. Powerful.

Top 5 Takeaways - Tom Devlin: Master Entrepreneur, a WSU Forum Series Event

Tom Devlin: Master Entrepreneur proved to be as insightful as imagined.

An event from the Entrepreneurship Forum Series presented by Meritrust was a success for both professionals and students at Wichita State University today.

Mr. Tom Devlin is the Chairman and CEO of Devlin Enterprises, a diversified investment holding company based in Wichita, KS. Devlin founded Rent-A-Center in 1973 and after making it the largest rent-to-own chain in the country, sold it in 1987. Mr. Devlin has numerous businesses in his investment portfolio, including Wichita automobile dealerships, oil & gas lease interests and multiple championship golf courses to name a few.

Here are my top five takeaways from today's forum:

5. More good deals have been made hunting and golfing than anywhere else - Tom Devlin

(Left to Right: Interim Director Lou Heldman, Tom Devlin, Professor Don Hackett)

IMAGE: LUKE BARNHART/TWITTER

Quality deals are made by connecting with individuals rather than a conversation over a desk. Personality and the ability to connect with others makes all the difference.

4. You can take an average business concept, add great management and create a successful company - Tom Devlin

IMAGE: DON VINE IMAGES

The employees make or break a business. Having a good team is a must if you want to have a successful business.

3. "Entrepreneurship and innovation are necessary to grow our country's economy" - Senator Jerry Moran

Sen. Jerry Moran Speaks During the Forum Series Event

IMAGE: WSU CENTER FOR ENTR/TWITTER

Is this the key to fix the next generation America? Wichita State's President John Bardo thinks so. See his plan to build an Innovation Hub on WSU's campus.

2. Understand and fix issues quickly before it shows up in the financials - Tom Devlin

Billboards in Wichita Promoting the Forum Series

IMAGE: WSU CENTER FOR ENTR/TWITTER

That's the beauty of dashboards. Being able to sort key metrics from massive amounts of available data, known as the Big Data Strategy, and correcting the issues before it effects the financials.

1. "Customers pay your check, treat them with respect" - Tom Devlin

Forum Series Event in Devlin Hall 107, Wichita State University

IMAGE: WSU CENTER FOR ENTR/TWITTER

A simple idea yet it's forgotten by so many. But is it really that difficult to follow?


And for those younger students looking for extra advice, Mr. Devlin has a tip. Work as a golf caddy at Flint Hills National Golf Course, do a good job, and meet the "Charles Koch's of Wichita." Follow what other attendees said on Twitter by searching the hash tag #DevlinForum.


Have something to add? Feel free to comment below.

8 Lessons from 8 Mile

"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted. One moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?"

I often find myself intrigued by movies and music with meaning. I partly blame my English teachers from high school for deciphering line by line, boring book after boring book. My teachers could pull fifteen different meanings from one simple sentence, leaving the class flustered and annoyed.

The movie 8 Mile, featuring Eminem, Kim Basinger and the late Brittany Murphy, is one of my favorite inspirational movies. The story is set in Detroit in 1995, where Jimmy Smith Jr. is an aspiring white rapper determined to find his voice. With an alcoholic mother and no father, little money and the divide of 8 Mile (the city's perimeter that divides the urban from the suburban), Jimmy must learn to push through his obstacles in order to succeed.

Here is my takeaway of the 8 lessons from 8 Mile.

1. FOE
Family Over Everything. During several physical altercations between Jimmy and his mother's boyfriend, Jimmy stopped when he realized that his little sister was upset. He realized that his personal emotions didn't compare to his sister's feelings. --- Statistically, Mother's day has the least crime of any given day in the year across the United States. Even thugs take the day off to spend time with their mommas. Is FOE for you?

2. Work Hard, Play Hard
With little money and a dream to get recording time, Jimmy realized that working was his only option. He improved his performance at his job, ultimately getting the opportunity to pick up additional shifts to earn more income. --- If you want something, you have to work hard for it. There should be no free handouts. There should be no begging. Go flip burgers and earn it yourself.

3. Patience is a Virtue
At the first rap battle, Jimmy choked. Although discouraged and considered to be incompetent as a rapper, he worked harder, trained harder, and tried again. --- At some point, we all fail. We all lose. The question is, will you get back up? As best-selling author Seth Godin puts it, "If failure is not an option, then neither is success."

4. Dog Yourself
"I am white. I am a fuckin' bum. I do live in a trailer with my mom. My boy Future is an Uncle Tom. I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bob who shoots himself in his leg with his own gun. I did get jumped by all six of you chumps." In Jimmy's eyes, if he exposed everything negative about himself, what would his rival say about him? --- Come to terms with your downfalls, and use them as strengths. Make that an amazing opportunity to better yourself.

5. Respect isn't Free
As a white rapper in Detroit, Jimmy had to earn respect to earn credibility. --- This goes back to my point about free handouts. Don't walk into a new environment and act like you own it. Prove yourself. Build credibility and respect will follow.

6. Cheddar Bob
During an altercation between the Free World and Three One Third (rival crews), Jimmy's friend, Cheddar Bob, pulled a gun. After being told to holster it, Cheddar Bob accidentally shot himself in his leg. --- Realize the possible implications before you do something stupid. DUI, theft or bar fights to name a few.

7. Lone Ranger
Although Jimmy was close with his crew he made a point to say "I think i need to just do my own thing dog." --- This is probably my favorite part about this movie. Go against the grain and do your own thing. What will give you the best personal gain? (Hell, maybe I should be a rapper) I've never been one to be a follower and I think it has helped me think outside the box and give me a better grasp of the real world.

8. Don't Judge a Book by its Cover
You do a Google search for 8 Mile. The cover is Eminem. "Rap sucks and i hate vulgar language, why would I ever waste my time watching this?" --- We teach the youth to not judge someone by appearance, yet as adults we do it every day. It's unrealistic for me to say we should never do it. It happens. Just think about what the other person might be going through before you jump down their throat.


If you haven't seen the movie, i encourage you to do so. I also encourage you to apply these 8 lessons to whatever you do.

Social media causes social suicide

I often find myself amazed at how careless the common person has become over the last two decades. Speaking on behalf of a younger member of the Millennial generation, i can remember using VHS tapes, Walkman players, and the oh-so lovely Dial-Up internet connection. Accessing the internet on a cell phone for anything more than a ringtone was unthinkable. Fast forward a few years to 1997, when AOL instant messenger (American Online) and SixDegrees.com were founded. Both websites let users chat among each other, creating friend lists and user profiles. In 2002, the first social networking website surfaced: Friendster. 

Throughout grade school, bullying was started and finished on the playground. In middle school, rumors would spread the halls about how Sarah was no longer on Jake's top 8 friends on Myspace...which meant he had obviously broken up with her. Facebook had evolved in high school, where relationships were determined by whether or not a couple were FBO (Facebook Official). In 16 years, the world evolved from calling the internet a hype to astronauts Tweeting live from the International Space Station. 

16 years ago, companies hired employees based on interviews and applicant's resumes. In 2013, companies are viewing potential employee's Facebook and Twitter accounts, Instagram pictures and even a simple Google search of their name. I am amazed by the content some people post online. There is a term in the tattoo industry known as the job-stopper, which is a tattoo that is visible from the wrist to the finger tips and from the neck up. Although tattoo enthusiasts love tattoos, most think ahead in their future and think about placement before they get inky. As a internet user, we must also define a job-stopper. Let me expose a few examples i often see from high school classmates:

Cussing - i'm the shit, bitch. What would grandma say about that mouth? Stay classy.

Underage drinking - a beer a day keeps the doctor away. Although i wish this were true, it's illegal. Tasty or not, keep it offline until you're legal.

Drugs - tokin' up tonight. Unless you live in Colorado or Oregon, you probably shouldn't tell everyone this.

Traveling - headed to Chicago! Leave your doors unlocked, why don't you. Turn off the geo-tag feature on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter while you're at it. A simple click tells me where you're at.

Porn - i'd hit that. Did you really just share that picture of a naked women? Keep your hormones offline.

Education - thank god for that Accounting cheat sheet. Millennial's and Generation Z are not the only users of the internet. You better hope your professor doesn't see that. 

Need a more tangible example? Google the 22 year old Michigan women who dressed up as a Boston Marathon bombing victim for Halloween and posted a picture on her Instagram account. Within a few hours, she was fired from her job and had received hundreds of death threats to not only herself, but also to her parents. Aside from this being morally inappropriate, the bottom line is that this didn't belong on the internet.

We need to determine what constitutes a job-stopper in the internet world. What is acceptable and what is inappropriate? Could any repercussions result from what we post? We have evolved to a world where the internet is the first thing we check when we wake up and is the last think we check before bed. A world where we are more honest with a search engine then we are with our spouse or family. A world where movies, board games, books and photos are accessible at our fingertips. Employers are looking, parents are monitoring, professors are judging, and significant others are stalking. Think twice before you post.