Joe's Development

Wolfmother - Vagabond. From the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack....

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:57:00 -0500

Wolfmother - Vagabond.

From the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. Great soundtrack, fantastic movie I completely relate to.

"Ain’t no tuition for having no ambition, and ain’t no loans for sitting your ass at..."

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:51:24 -0500

““Ain’t no tuition for having no ambition, and ain’t no loans for sitting your ass at home.””

Thanks... AGAIN!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:02:37 -0500

Last week was a pretty great week for me. I decided to pay tribute to my mom by writing stories, posting pictures, and uploading songs that remind me of her. It made me realize how much writing is a very therapeutic thing for me. I love talking about my family, especially Mom, but how often do people get a chance to talk about your family in an open forum? It felt good to have a chance to tell anyone who reads my posts about Mom, and to display how much she means to me.

To my amazement, I got an amazing response from all of you! Texts, emails, comments, facebook messages. It surprised me very much, as I’m never quite sure who actually reads what I write.

At the end of February, I received a lot of messages about what I wrote on the day of my family’s accident. I received even more last week while writing about Mom. So, thanks again everyone! I really am lucky as hell to have been born into this family, and to have the friends that I do.

Happy Birthday Gerry!

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:59:00 -0500

Happy Birthday to my cousin Gerry! I gotta be honest, I don’t know how old he is today.. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I looked up to him while I was growing up (and still do).

So, here’s to Gerry on his birthday! Hope for many happy returns!

(sorry for any errors. I’m typing this on my phone, on a train to LI for his birthday dinner)

Happy Birthday Ma!

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

Mom would be 54 years old today! Not sure if she’d want me to make that public…

Today’s a great day as far as I’m concerned. I’m grateful for the fact that my mother was such an amazing person. Every story I hear about her makes me proud that I’m a part of her, and she’s a part of me. And, every story I hear about her, makes me realize how alike we really are. For example, this is the story my uncle Fran, her brother, sent out this morning:

“Some of my fondest memories of my little sister have to do with the classic battles that she had with Grandma Elliott. Both loved a good argument and both loved to test you to see if you could hold your own in a good argument. And heaven help you if you couldn’t.”

If you replaced the words “my little sister” with Joseph, and Grandma Elliot with… anybody (Reece Pacheco), that sentence could be about me.

If she were alive today, I’m certain I would call her “Ma”. So, Happy Birthday Ma! I love you with all my heart!

Counting Crows - Goodnight Elisabeth “Well I wish you were...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:06:16 -0500

Counting Crows - Goodnight Elisabeth

“Well I wish you were inside of me. I hope that you’re ok. I hope your resting quietly. I just wanted to say, goodnight Elizabeth.”

Why Her?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

One question I ask myself everyday is “Why her and not me?” Mom was such an amazing person, and was such an important part of the lives of so many people. Why did I walk away from that car accident, and she didn’t?

I hear so many people say things like, “everything happens for a reason.” Well, then why is she gone, and I’m here?

I don’t know. But, I can tell you that if such an amazing person is going to be taken from us, and I was allowed to live, I’m here for a reason. I don’t know exactly what it is, or where its gonna take me, but I do know it’s not to live an ordinary life.

I will be successful, I will be known by people, and I will give back in every way that I can to make the lives of others better. And it will be fueled by the fact that someone more amazing than me gave her life, to save mine.

Kanye West - Hey Mama (Live) ”I wanna scream so loud for...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:44:44 -0500

Kanye West - Hey Mama (Live) ”I wanna scream so loud for you, cause I’m so proud of you.”

This version is great, anyone who hasn’t seen it should definitely check it out. I listen to this song almost daily to remind myself to make sure to live in a way my mom would be proud of.

Cover of Lynard Skynard - Simple Man, By Shine Down. From the...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:50:00 -0500

Cover of Lynard Skynard - Simple Man, By Shine Down.

From the first time I heard this song, I’ve always pictured it as something my mom would say to me. I have this line written on my mirror, cause it reminds me of her. ”All that I want for you my son, is to be satisfied.”

"To say Bethy had a magnetic personality would be a gross understatement. There was just something..."

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

“To say Bethy had a magnetic personality would be a gross understatement. There was just something about her. She was so much fun; she just drew all of us to her. I suspect all of us (us being the cousins) felt this way, but I always felt like I had a special relationship with her - I always felt like I was her favorite nephew. That’s part of what made her so special – she made all of us feel that way…. Brian and I were talking about her one night up there and he made a really good point. He said that sometimes when a person dies people make them out to be better than they were or more than they were in life. People have a tendency to, understandably, exaggerate the positive attributes of the deceased. But, he said, Bethy was an exception – it was impossible to overstate what she meant to those that knew her. True indeed.”

- Excerpts from an email I received from my cousin a short while after my dad passed away. Having not known my mom I always love hearing stories about her, and this was no exception. It really meant a lot to me that he wrote this. Hearing all the good things about Mom, makes me feel better about who I am, because I know she’s a part of me.

March 5th is my Mom’s birthday, so instead of just talking...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:01:15 -0500

March 5th is my Mom’s birthday, so instead of just talking about her on Friday, I’m devoting this whole week to her. I’m not sure about the origin of this picture, but I believe it shows how absolutely gorgeous she was. I love my mom more than anyone could possibly imagine. I only know her through pictures, stories, and recently video, but everything I learn about her only makes me prouder that she’s my Mom… more stories to come.

Start of A New Market

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:16:00 -0500

Today the Business Development team of HomeField starts it’s next market, Men’s Division I soccer. We closed out our Spring Market of Div. I Men’s Lacrosse with 42% of the teams paying, and I expect to be above 50% by the end of the May.

Some of the things I’ve learned from this Market:

1. Focusing on a small niche market can provide the word of mouth you need to make your next market easier to conquer. For example, we already have more than 20% of Women’s Lacrosse paying for HomeField even without picking up a phone to call a Women’s Lacrosse team.

2. Setting individual goals for the day, and trying to surpass them, will yield tremendous results in productivity, even on days you aren’t “feeling it” (believe me you’ll have them). I try to make a minimum of 75 phone calls a day. If I make 76, I’m happy, however I never do my count until after the day is over. Before I even know it, somedays I will have made 150 phone calls.

3. Making someone feel like they are special to you goes a long way, and sometimes it’s as easy as using that persons name. Sounds dumb, I know, but saying someones name is so important when talking on the phone, and especially talking in person.

These are business lessons, but I think it’s easy to figure out how they can apply to other areas of life.

Thank you to everyone who had a drink at 8pm last night in...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:57:00 -0500

Thank you to everyone who had a drink at 8pm last night in memory of Mom, Tommy, and my brother/sister. Above is a picture of the Spinosa’s toast at that moment.

Thank you to everyone who called, texted, emailed, or messaged me in some way. I can’t tell you how much it meant to hear from all of you. It won’t be forgotten…

Today Never Get's Easier

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:26:00 -0500

Every year I want to write about this day, and every year I just can’t bring myself to do it. Something just doesn’t seem right about it. However, anyone reading this right now, if you’d like to ask me about this day, I’d be more than willing to talk about it with you. It’s a question that will probably tell you a lot about who I am.

25 years ago today my family lost my mother, Elizabeth Yevoli, my cousin Tommy Fountain, and a child that my mother was pregnant with at the time.

I usually don’t have a problem going into details about that day, but for some reason I never can on this day. I just wanted to make sure I write something. I think about that day every single day of my life, and even though I don’t remember Mom, or Tommy, and I never got to meet the brother or sister I would have had, I miss them and love them more than anything.

I just hope they’re proud of who am I today.

Personal Investments

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:57:31 -0500

Since I’ve been part of startup company for the past 3 years, investments have become a pretty important part of my life. As with almost every business, investments are a crucial part of the survival and the growth of a company.

I’ve learned first hand, getting an investment is hard. Especially the early ones. You’re asking someone, usually a complete stranger (or close to it) to give you money based on an idea. And the funny thing is, most people investing in a startup know that they are probably never getting that money back.

So why do it? Obviously, it’s the hope of a big return on investment (ROI), but when you get down to the root of the reason behind the investment, I believe it’s something more. Investors will have to believe in the company’s idea (core values), first and foremost. They have to know that the founders of the company are hard working, ambitious, and willing to sacrifice. Investors will have to believe that the company has the potential to grow, evolve, and persevere in the years to come. The bottom line is, they have to believe that the company is in fact something special, that it will defy the odds and produce that huge ROI that they were hoping for.

So I ask you, if you were a startup, would you invest in yourself? Do you work as hard as you can? Are you willing to sacrifice for what you believe in? Do you learn from your mistakes, and evolve to never make them again? Do you challenge yourself everyday to grow, to become better, to move forward?

Will the way you live your life produce the ROI that you are looking for?

Trip to Florida

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:32:08 -0500

This weekend I went to Florida with Dan and Nevin Spinosa, to visit another one of my best friends, Frank Lazio.

Had a great time, with great friends. Fort Lauderdale is amazing, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous of Frank’s set up down there. I may spend sometime there this summer, or maybe even sooner.

It’s been a while since I’ve spent an extended period of time with Frank since he’s moved away, and to a lesser extent, the same goes with Dan. However, not a single thing has changed. It was as if I see everyone, everyday. Unfortunately, the 4th piece of the puzzle, Nick Romeo, was unable to make it, but we all still had a great time together.

On the trip back up to New York, (BTW, we drove to Florida) I remember sitting in the back seat and thinking to myself, these kids aren’t my friends, they’re my family. Not to ashamed to say, I’m a pretty lucky guy.

P.S. Happy Birthday to my cousin Tommy. Today would be his 34th birthday. We lost Tom almost 25 years ago. More on that later this month.

"We are always on, other people can be off, and we can try to turn them on, but some people..."

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:59:45 -0500

“We are always on,
other people can be off,
and we can try to turn them on,
but some people don’t have a light switch.”

- Poetry by Nick Romeo

My Godson, Nicholas Altman!… BTW, he’s Godchild #4...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:16:00 -0500

My Godson, Nicholas Altman!… BTW, he’s Godchild #4 for me! That’s a lot of responsibility!

"Some say Hov how’d you get so fly? I say, “by not being afraid to fall out the sky."

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:53:24 -0500

“Some say Hov how’d you get so fly? I say, “by not being afraid to fall out the sky.””

fred-wilson: cnewmark: Rate of job loss, Bush v Obama (fact...

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:43:57 -0500

fred-wilson:

cnewmark: Rate of job loss, Bush v Obama (fact checked)