I really love books and magazines. Vogue, GQ, fiction, autobiographies, and even books for dummies. I love them all. I sometimes find myself in Barnes and Noble for hours just browsing through the aisles. I end up sitting at a table with a dozen books and mags to look through but on my most recent visit, I decided to pick some things up. As it stands, I’m an upwardly mobile business man…But I want to be a business…Man! Knowledge is power and I realized there is only but so much knowledge I can gain if I don’t actually leave the store with books to read at my leisure. So I did just that. I picked up 3 books on business and just success in general:

1: The Lords of Strategy: The Secret Intellectual History of the New Corporate World by Walter Kiechel III

2: Money Talks Bullsh*t Walks by Ben Johnson

3: Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz

As I read these books, I’ll be taking notes and posting useful information from time to time so stay tuned. That is, if you don’t go out n get these books yourself. Oh and I picked up the newest GQ Magazine as well. It features Kobe Bryant, Drake, and even McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse. I had to have it… *Kanye Shrug*

That’s usually how I get dressed. I start with shoes and work my way up. I believe that shoes can tell you a lot about a person and mine usually reflect how I’m feeling and where I’m going on that particular occasion. Most of the windows I open on my computer are usually designated to different sites with shoes I like so I figured I’d share some things with you folks.

1: I was recently introduced to a shoe site for women that is so unique that I immediately got jealous because there isn’t anything like it for men. Run by Kim Kardashian, one of the most stylish (and most beautiful) women in the world, Shoe Dazzle defines “recession proof”. Ladies, if you aren’t already a member of this site, I suggest you get on it right now. It’s so simple and sooooo worth it. You take a survey, which is used by fashion experts to get to know your style. After that, you get to choose 1 from 5 pairs of amazing shoes per month for only 39.95 per pair. You aren’t obligated to purchase every month so you can just browse until you come across that must have pair of shoes. Real men love women with sexy shoes. Especially if they look expensive but really aren’t. You’re Welcome…

2: If you love shoes as much as I do, you probably know the importance of originality. Osborn Design shoes are the epitome of original. Using patterns and materials not usually seen on footwear, these aren’t just shoes; they are art. Run by Carla and Aaron Osborn, this Brooklyn based company is really pushing the limits with this very dope and affordable line of unisex footwear. Check out their shoes here.

3: The mocassin style shoe is very much in style for men these days so a lot of different brands are capitalizing on this. Complex Magazine recently put together a list of the 14 best mocassin inspired shoes for men. It features brands like Quoddy, L.L. Bean, J.Crew, and Visvim. I actually just ordered the SeaVees boots to add to my closet. They are my first pair of moccasin inspired anything and they look so comfy. I’ll let you know how they feel when they arrive. Check out the list here and be sure to get yourself a pair by the time Spring rolls around. Your style will thank you.

Because it’s Restaurant Week in NYC!!! Well, in all actuality, it isn’t really a week. The city wide extravaganza for all us “foodies” starts tomorrow, January 25th, and ends on February 7th. But wait, there’s more. Select restaurants are actually extending their participation all the way through February 28th! Some of you may be wondering, “What the hell is Restaurant Week and how do I get there?” And to that I say, “Good question.” Restaurant Week (RW) is an amazing opportunity for people to visit a large selection of participating establishments and eat for only a fraction of the normal prices. It’s a time to try new restaurants, especially the ones that may normally be out of your budget. But this year, NYC Restaurant Week is better than ever. Not only because of the fact that some restaurants are extending their dates, but also because of the Restaurant Week Truck. NYC is big on food trucks and stands so it’s only right that there are soups from 24 of NYC’s best restaurants riding around the city. If you decide to participate in this years RW, which you should, hit us up so we can know where the best food is. We can make a shindig out of it and have some fun! I’ll be back in NYC on the weekend to indulge my fat side! For more info on NYC Restaurant Week, click HERE. Don’t forget to work out daily!

At the end of 2009, one of the illest, most artistic websites I’ve ever seen was launched. Manned by directors Coodie and Chike, as well as former CEO of Roc-a-Fella Records, Dame Dash, Creative Control brings something brand new to the table. It is what I would call raw art and genius caught on video. It displays everything from short conceptual films, to musical performances, to interviews. Creative Control has linked with the likes of the NYC socialite twins Dee and Ricky, to Erykah Badu, with each collaboration being nothing short of amazing. It is worth checking out, and I’m sure it will only get better. You’ll catch me on there one day doing something like this interview with one of my favorite photographers, Sante D’Orazio. Kudos to Dame, Coodie, and Chike.

I think the amount of money people spend on food is highly underrated as well as underestimated. For me, food is where most of my money goes because I just love to eat. I’m going to need my own personal chef when I make my millions or at least an immense refrigerator. Until then, I’ll be frequenting some, if not all, of the restaurants I came across in this article about cheap eats. It’s football season AND it’s a recession which means it’s the perfect time to indulge in wings from Buffalo Wild Wings or a burrito from Chipotle. Check out the article here for the remaining restaurants on the list. Make sure to invest in a treadmill with all the money you save!

Granted, competition occurs in any industry and in the ad business a certain amount of trash talk is bound to take place. I mean even Bounty paper towels does the split screen of the other paper towel ‘not quite’ being able to wipe up Billy’s spilled apple juice quite as good. In America’s wireless market the big guns are Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. (sorry Hoodlynites, sadly Cricket and Metro PCS aren’t among them). In my opinion, the overall breakdown of these are Verizon has the best service but the phones are trash, and then there are the other three: AT&T if you want an iPhone, T-Mobile to easily use international and unlocked phones, and Sprint for, well I’m not sure, I don’t like Sprint really, lol.

Recently Verizon, who has remained pretty neutral by taking a ‘better service than ALL of yall’ approach, has decided to specifically COME AT THE JUGULAR of both AT&T and Apple in their advertising. In the most recent future it started with the ‘There’s a Map for that’ TV spots, which I think are really well done. A direct spin off of Apple’s ‘There’s an APP for that’, Verizon points to the fact that AT&T’s service is really sketchy in some instances(and I can vouch, I have AT&T) and show how there’s a MAP for the reason why calls drop and customers can’t get reception everywhere. It’s witty, simple and the premise is clear.

Furthering this along, I saw another TV ad where a number of short phrases in black text appear on a white background(obviously very Apple-esque). These statements like ‘iDont have a real keyboard’ and ‘iDont take pictures in the dark’ are clear jabs and amongst the things that iPhone critics usually argue. It’s all really funny to me.

But on the hardware front, what does this all mean? Well the phone, Motorola’s Droid, is allegedly releasing on October 30th. It’s running Android, Google’s OS, and it’s supposed to have some pretty big features. Check out more about it here and catch pics of it here.

I’m excited to see what this ends up being but I refuse to give glory to anything else presented as the ‘iPhone killer’, because that’s clearly been a bust in the past. Blackberry storm anyone? Yea, lets not rehash horror stories. Perhaps the changing tide will be Googles involvement and the marketing dollars being put behind it. Only time will tell. All you Verizon folk be sure to let me know if you cop, I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.

In my travels (from Brooklyn to Manhattan), I’ve met some amazing people. I’ve come in contact with fashion designers, painters, singers, bloggers, bankers, etc. One may think it would be difficult for an artist to relate to people that aren’t in a related field but I like my social networks to be as well rounded as possible. And believe it or not, most of the folk I meet are like minded in the sense that we are all entrepreneurs. We all strive to be our own entity. And we all need guidance at times, so I’m going to give you some today. Well, it’s actually the guidance of a friend and business woman, Ms. Sakita Holley, but I insisted on sharing it with you all. Her article, “The 10 Rules for Building a Successful Personal Brand” is so well written, and surely a push in the direction of success. Take heed.

Rule # 1: Be Consistent

While it is okay to grow your brand through several phases it’s not okay to change your legal name 12 times in one year. Think about who you are and who you wish to become. Make sure this is a true reflection of self and not a watered down carbon copy of someone else. Consistency will lead to recognition and ultimately this is what we’re all after.

Check out the remaining rules here, and follow Ms. Holley on Twitter for your daily dosage of guidance @MissSuccess!

Soooo I’m back in D.C. for school, which starts at 8:30am daily. I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a morning person. I usually wake up too late to indulge in a proper breakfast at home so I tend to have to eat out or wait until lunch time to get a jolt of energy via food. Yea I know. Old habits die hard. But I have found a solution! Baked and Wired is my latest discovery and soon to be addiction. The name is so fitting because they specialize in baked goods, like cookies, pies, and bread as well as coffee. Click here for more info. They are located in Georgetown so if you’re in the area, the banana bread is surely worth the trip!