Admittedly, I haven’t watched much of the Olympics, but I have read a number of articles that I found interesting regarding unofficial sponsors of the Olympics. Athletes and sponsorships are big business, and it is often entrepreneurial brands that (attempt to) find less expensive ways to capture the public’s attention at high-profile events.

These two were some of the more unique instances:

* In an official team photo of the U.S. men’s basketball team, member Dwight Howard’s footwear was obscured, as he won’t wear Nikes. I think the picture that Nike released allowed Howard’s foot to be invisible in what was probably the easiest way possible.

* Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser of sunglass company Oakley attracted a ton of attention.

At the end of the day, sponsors pay athletes a lot of money and have to insist on pushing their athletes to do all they can do to protect the brands’ investments.

Ronn Torossian
5WPR

As a PR professional who started his PR career in politics, I remain consumed and fascinated with the art of the spin, particularly in the political sphere. Today’s reality is a McCain vs. Obama race, but the real story is the PR behind the campaign. From how Rudy Guiliani ran his race — focusing on Florida — to the way Hillary Clinton conducted her campaign, handling political public relations is often the most intense, serious, and challenging work a PR professional can have.

This article in The Atlantic is a necessary read for anyone interested in learning from mistakes. Although, as I often say, it’s easy to criticize and harder to do, and in business and life, hindsight is always 20/20. Nevertheless, the number of documents leaked at this extremely high level was amazing, and, as stated, “Everything from major strategic plans to bitchy staff e-mail feuds was handed over.”

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Being an entrepreneur is always exciting, challenging and a real endeavor.  And it’s harder than anything you have ever dreamed of doing.

This week was a particularly tough one.  Each day brought new challenges that kept me at the office, out with clients or at media events until at least 10 p.m.  To maintain sanity during weeks like this one, I wake up early (5 AM’ish) just to run.   Before I turn around, it’s suddenly 3 p.m. and I haven’t eaten at all day.  Yes, a tough week.

I really love what I do, and I think any great entrepreneur has to love his work in order to maintain focus.  There’s such a rush of excitement when things are good.  I love the high highs. This week is one of those weeks where the energy is nonstop.  And now, as it begins to wind down, there’s only one last thing to worry about – the rain forecast for tomorrow’s 5WPR summer party.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Last night I had a fascinating dinner at an NYC hotspot with a very close, successful friend and two of his business colleagues, both CEOs who run major corporations (corporation names anyone would recognize).  Throughout a very fun, fascinating two hour discussion on China’s impressive opening ceremony of the Olympics, we attracted many different people to our table.

As this incredibly networked restaurant, we made a few very important contacts each of us hadn’t known previously.  From the owner of a major NYC retail chain to a celebrity’s right hand man to a major tech CEO – between the four of us we racked up a ton of contacts.  All by being in a certain restaurant at a certain time, we ended up expanding networks, enjoying and ultimately building businesses.

The instance reminded me of a recent discussion with the CEO of a publicly traded company, who spoke of a certain place he dined for breakfast anytime he visited NYC.  He said his stock rose or fell depending on whom he was seen having breakfast with.  His stock literally would move depending on how he greeted certain analysts, or bigwigs.

I often speak to young professionals and college students, and one of the most important messages I can impart is to surround yourself with the people you want to be.  Put yourself in the line of fire.  Surround your personal and professional being with people who are successful and well-connected, and it will benefit you in many ways.

I host a series of different networking events every month for clients, colleagues, and friends.  My tagline is always “Put smart successful people in a room together, and they will figure out a way to make money.”

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Had a fascinating discussion with a tremendously successful young entrepreneur yesterday for whom I hold deep respect.  He spoke to me about the very important need to effectively manage one’s eighteen waking hours (on average I sleep 5-6 hours).  Long story short, he spoke of making me 20% more effective if I let him oversee my schedule for 60 days, and I plan to let him do so.  While I have long believed the more hours I work, the more successful we become, as responsibilities increase it’s about being more effective during the hours that we work.

Here are some keys he suggested to me, which he claimed would add hours of effectiveness per week:

·        Bring clothes to the gym so you don’t need to commute home

·        Rather than reading the paper at home before you leave, read in the car or subway (once you are at your desk, your odds of down time is lowered)

·        Schedule as many meetings as possible in your own office (minimizing travel time)

·        Schedule open hours with staff during a set time every day (rather than coming and going all day, you can simply schedule back to back to back)

There were many deeper ones than this which I don’t want to share… but time, especially in the service business, is all we have… and maximizing one’s time is key.

Ronn Torossian

5W PR