On the other hand, tuition at colleges and universities across the land is skyrocketing.  If we’re putting more and more financial burdens on our young people to get more educated, we’re also potentially asking them to take out more student loans.  Could more debt also make them less ‘attractive’ when it comes to pairing up?

That, and antiquated marriage laws in certain states (like Indiana) split the marital pot when it comes to assets, but what about debt?  Should the other spouse or significant other be on the hook for the other’s debt?  Is that fair and equitable?  Is that promoting marriage, or not?

We certainly don’t have any answers here…we’re just here to raise the questions…

Start at R Bistro.  If you’ve never eaten here, your life officially is not complete.  Great local ingredients and one of the best chefs in town, Regina, will serve you up some heaven on a plate.

Hope you saved room for dessert.  Head to The Best Chocolate in Town for an after dinner gelato or some awesome chocolate.

If the date is bad, you could probably end it right there.  But, if it’s still flowing for ya, head further down the street to any of the cool bars…The Old Point for a more casual thing, MacNiven’s if pubs are your thing, and of course, the groovy new, speakeasy prohibition style Ball & Biscuit.

Last but certainly not least, as you stroll you can check out Silver in the City and other cool shops along the way.

Save this plan for a good date, if you can.  Mass Ave is awesome, and we want you to have good memories of your time there!  All the cool places are already there–all you need is, the date.

In fact, as I’ve ranted previously, I don’t think business moving forward into our future can only focus on profits at all costs.  It’s not only bad for the earth, but bad for business in general (a la ‘greed is good’ no longer being the case).

So, how can one balance or rectify these seemingly dichotomous ideas–that of making a profit and doing social good?  Well, here’s an excellent example.  My friend, Ninja Dave, is raising money for a not for profit cause via or through for profit business via…a fun party.  It is a win-win-win: his friend gets to make some money, of which a large chunk is given to the not for profit, and they’re also bringing people together.  (BTW, if you’d like details on the party, email David here.)

That, my friends, is socialpreneurship.  I hope if you are a business owner, you think about the social piece.  And if you’re social, I hope you’re thinking as well about creating value.  BOTH are valuable!

Yes, we’re in the Midwest.  This is a car city.  I get that.  But maybe a little during the summertime we might actually get out of our cars and visit our city in a quieter, healthier way….?

Broad Ripple Vintage - we’ve raved about this shop before - but if you seek a vintage Tshirt, dress, or other retro piece of awesomeness, this is a great broad ripple haunt.

Harloh’s: A Paige From the Past - new cool retro clothing store on VA avenue, which appears to be the new hot spot for vintage and retro clothing…

Butterfly Consignment - New consignment store specializing in top shelf brands…and best part of all?  Started by a young professional lawyer who left the big firm gig to bust out on her own - YAY!

Voodoo Vintage - also on Virginia Ave - this palace of vintage boasts “Old Skool Stuff”

And some others to consider as well:  The Toggery, Consigning Women (for furniture), Designer Consigner, and The Designer Men’s Room (for dudes).

If we left out any other great ones, of course you can always email us to let us know what we missed.  But, next time you stomp away from the mall, declaring that nothing is cool and/or affordable to buy anymore, no more pouting–head to these shops instead and save some green and create some green living all at once!

economic development.

But, that gave me the shot at this opportunity, and I have met, talked to, and learned from so many wonderful entrepreneurial and legal rock stars that it has been one of the very best things I’ve been involved in at law school.  Here’s the brochure on the program. And here’s the link to the online registration.

In a nutshell, we’ll be exploring 3 big buckets o’ stuff:

1.  Entrepreneurial Education - at undergrad, grad and law school levels;
2.  Social business - and the new L3C or Low Profit Limited Liability Company Business entity type (available in some of our neighboring states…but…ugh…not here…at least yet…;
3.  How gov’t entities can actually take, collect and make use of data to improve government services.

This is going to be AWESOME!  We’ve got national leaders coming in to talk about the L3Cs, and so many other state rock stars that I think it is really going to be top shelf.  Even without the program, I’ve learned so much about creating and fostering entrepreneurship throughout this fellowship year.  I’ve also had the privilege of meeting and getting to know my fellow fellow and our faculty mentor, who are both phenomenal.

I know young professionals might think I’ve officially gone off my rocker with this post - but hey - this symposium is the future.  Our young professionals are our future too.  So, it would behoove all of us to learn from each other at this forum.  I personally think everyone in the state of Indiana who cares about entrepreneurship, economic development and supporting business (i.e. lawyers and law firms) should be at this live event.  I’ve already learned a lot, and look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with the fellowship symposium attendees!

Usually, signpost #3 is the price for cigarettes.  (And why cigarettes are as important to gas prices, I’ll never know…)  But I was intrigued, because I knew there was absolutely no way that cigarettes were 99 cents.

As I got closer to the sign, I read it was the price for a 16 oz cup of coffee.  YAY!  While some might argue they are replacing one stimulant for another on this sign, I don’t care.  I’m in fact, thrilled.  Why?  Because smoking is an epidemic in this state - we have some of the highest smoking rates in the entire country.  For this gas station to focus instead on something else (in this case, coffee) instead of the normal and expected item (cigarettes), I think that is a step in the right direction to make this state healthier and smoke free.

So, in conclusion, while this isn’t of epic proportion in terms of change, congratulations to the Speedway Gas station on 71st & Binford Blvd.  You rock!  THANKS for trying to make this state a little healthier!

I used to compartmentalize my life.  I had my work world, my school world, my writing world, my entrepreneur world, etc.  Honestly, I got tired of dragging around 4 different business cards and trying to remember which world I put myself in with other people.  So I chucked all that.  Now, I’m just me, even though I do a lot of different things.  One business card.  One cool chick.

The coolest, most rad and epic people I know these days don’t just have one thing going on–they have MANY things going on…and the more eclectic, expansive, and diverse the stuff going on, the better.  One person I know has 5 different jobs, and really doesn’t “work” in the traditional sense anymore for one business.  Another person jokes he has a dozen different jobs - from comedian, to professor (at the undergrad and grad level) to media dude, and writer.  Another person writes, owns their own company, and consults - also does media stuff.  Another friend is a PT, a manager, and also a student.  Are you seeing the theme here?  Good.  If not, it’s this: better get off your duff and start doing more than just one thing.

Here’s my point, said in another way, which I try to also instill in my students: the new “safe” in terms of a career, is doing multiple careers at once.  If you’re going to pick one profession to study, that’s cool, but you’d better be writing and talking about it in the media too.  If you have two vastly different careers going on simultaneously, that’s actually safer than just one.  And, if you can figure out how to bundle them all uniquely into brand you and maximize that unique skill set, that is best of all.

I’m not sure everyone gets this, particularly the generations who were promised that if you work hard, and be loyal, you’ll be guaranteed a job for 30 years and a gold watch at the end of the road.  Folks, the real world just doesn’t work that way anymore.  None of us are promised or guaranteed anything, except of course death and taxes.

Today, I read the story of Cory Booker in O Magazine.  Look him up.  He didn’t just get one degree.  And, he too believes that there are no guarantees–other than maybe, if you work your you-know-what-off, you just might get lucky and get a job.  Friends, that’s great - but even better than that?  The ability to CREATE jobs.  The ability to create YOUR OWN destiny and life.  That’s where we need to head as a country, and that’s what we all need to think about as we ‘manage’ our careers.

40. Live somewhere else - for at least a year.  It will make you appreciate what we don’t have in IN, and what we could have, and what we do already have.

39. State Fair - duh.

38. Have a drink at The Slippery Noodle.

37. Go to a Colts game.

36. Go to the IMA.

35. Go through a young leadership program (see the Indy Guide for tips on the various programs).

34. Go to an undergrad college or grad school in IN!

33. Go to the top of Monument Circle.

32. Go to the Indy 500.

31. Explain where IN actually is on a map to your east and west coast smug friends.

30. See live theatre - at Fringe Festival, IRT, or anywhere else.

29. Eat the omlette of the day and cinnamon toast from Cafe Patachou.

28. Go to an outdoor movie at Tibbs or any other outdoor movie theatre.

27. Read a Kurt Vonnegut book.

26. Tour Crown Hill.

25. Detassel corn, or work food service anywhere in the state.

24. Take a date to the Symphony.

23. Shop a Vera Bradley warehouse sale.

22. Visit the Columbia Club.

21. Meet someone in an office in the Pyramids.

20. Daytrip to Brown County in the fall.

19. Daytrip to the outlet malls in Edinburgh and Michigan City - of course on the way to Chicago.

18. Antique during the summer in Michigan.

17. Visit the angel at Christmas time downtown.

16. Hit the farmer’s market in summer or the winter farmer’s market in the winter.

15. Duck pin bowl in Fountain Square.

14. Have a drink or two in Broad Ripple.

13. Attend Zoobilation.

12. Have a drink or two on Mass Ave.

11. Eat at Gray Brothers, Shapiro’s, and St. Elmo’s.

10. Get a library card from IMCPL.org.

9. Run the mini!

8. Buy (or rent) a house in Meridian Kessler.

7. Brag about the awesome cost of living in IN to those smug bi-coasters.

6. Drink a Rosebud Martini @ Nicky Blaine’s.

5. START A BUSINESS!

4. Fly in a friend to the IND airport and have them marvel at its awesomeness.

3. Watch Inside Indiana Business!

2. Join a club or cause in Indy (there’s bunches in our book).

1. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What other items do you recommend?

First, they actually shut down Park Avenue on Saturday mornings so that bicycles, walkers, runners, and skateboarders and rollerbladers can move down Park Avenue instead of cars.  They also shut down part of Times Square in the summer so people can just hang out on the street. That’s just cool.  What’s even cooler?  Along the way on Park Saturday morning, the city actually sponsors spots on Park where you can get your bike fixed, or rollerblades adjusted along the route.  Better than that?  It’s free.  They even had fitness classes going on around the street sponsored by Crunch Gym.  Check out the pic:

Next, they took one of their rail lines and turned it into a greenway, like Indy did with the Monon, but this one is elevated and runs along one of the rivers.  Last but certainly not least, the best thing of all I witnessed in NYC had nothing to do with anything special; in fact it was a little terrifying.  It was my cell phone.  I lost it in Times Square (yeah, probably one of the worst places to lose your phone).  However, I called it from a friend’s phone and a girl answered and met me a minute away to give me back my phone. No problem!  I of course had to give her a hug for saving my lifeline (and a little compensation).

This is what I absolutely love about New York, and for that matter, most cities in the US…the people! Sometimes New York gets a bad rap - the people are mean, too rushed, etc., but I totally disagree with this. People inherently in this country I think want to do the right thing, including get people who are lost reconnected…either to their physical selves or their life lines to others.  My visit to New York just increased my passion for our great country, in that people really do try to help each other out.  That’s the American way, and that ROCKS!!!!