It is my hope that you didn’t notice.

I was gone for a couple weeks on my honeymoon.

I’ve written enough posts on the weekends that I’ve scheduled out my writing pieces. I have about thirty or so posts that I’ve written, but have yet to release yet. I could very well disappear for a couple months, and none of my readers would ever know.

The reason I schedule out posts is threefold:

1. Usually, I find myself with the most time to write on the weekends
2. There’s less stress in trying to pump out writing pieces (trying to be as frequent as ever other day)
3. I usually write in flashes of inspiration; usually I write more than one post

While away, I reflected on the venture capital model, capital markets, and I read. I read a lot. With me, I brought along a business book; but, by far, my most enjoyable read came from the classic work, “The Great Gatsby.”

In my younger years I was forced to read Fitzgerald’s “classic.” And most likely, because of that force, I didn’t like it.

For some reason I decided to take it with me on the vacation and give it another try. This time, I very much enjoyed it. I read it twice in less than ten days. While reading his work, I really gained a new appreciation for classic writings and how interwoven they can be with my current life interests: venture capital, finance, capital markets and technology. There are so many themes that are experienced today by the individual, as well as our economy.

Going forward, I’m really excited about VentureDig. With my current work-load, I can’t promise 14 posts a day like Tech Crunch or other publications; however, I can certainly assure you of the consistent direction VentureDig seems to be going: providing meaningful content about technology and finace; and also featuring the best-of-class startup web/tech ventures. To submit your venture, click here.

Any feedback or comments on VentureDig is, of course, much appreciated.

What trait is found in the best online companies?

The best online companies solve offline problems, not online ones.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in downtown LA–specifically in the diamond district… I’ve learned a lot since getting engaged. No one told me the engagement ring was only part one of two. Who invented wedding bands? And for what purpose? I’m postulating that jewelers invented them long ago to suck more money out of a man’s pocket… But I digress.

Anyways, Laura (fiance) and I had some time to kill in between sizing rings.  So we decided to wander around in search of a lunch spot. For about ten minutes we ventured down foreign streets crowded with McDonalds, Tacqueria’s, KFC’s and Carls Jr’s. We decided to pass on those options and continue our search.

Side note: for anyone that’s been to downtown LA, it’s not a place you want to wander around in.

Anyways, we ended up in an alley that Tony Soprano himself wouldn’t dare explore. At this time, I suddenly remembered, “Yelp.” So in the discreetest manner possible, I pulled out my iPhone and brought up Yelp. We quickly found a popular lunch spot 0.2 miles from us. It had over 120 reviews, with virtually all of them resulting in 5 stars.

The place was called, “Lost Souls Cafe.” It boasted a trendy, veganish style.  The walls hung with abstract, radical art.  The food was amazing; the atmosphere was relaxing. Even though we’re both meatatarians, we loved it.

Yelp not only resulted in an enjoyable day, but also potentially got us off the evening news.

So often I forget about all the incredible problem-solving web products available. Why? The primary reason revolves around the fact that non-critical applications soak up mind space, oftentimes resulting in the “crowding out” of useful ones. When I’m away from my laptop, I usually forget about useful web products. It’s easy to forget with all the clutter on the web. Additionally, when I discover a nifty website/app on my laptop, I associate it as being useful when I’m on my laptop.

I’ve found that the most promising social media products are ones that support your life, not ones that attempt to be life.

Again, the best online products are ones that solve offline problems, not online ones.

Let’s look at ones that solve online problems (listed below is the companies name and the problems it proposes to solve):

- tweetreplies.com – Have your @replies send directly to your email in real time, the emails are sent out every 10 minutes.

- twtpoll.com – Create simple survey/poll in a snap. Nifty!

- twtvite.com – Send quick invite for your event.

- Tweetvisor.com – Twitter dashboard for real-time updates about favorite topics, news and tweets.

- WatchThatPage – is a new service that fulfills one specific aim, namely letting users remain fully posted on updates as regards their favorite websites and online destinations.

- Floc: Let’s you connect with online friends

- Delicious: Let’s you organize online websites

- Alltop: Let’s locate online websites by category

- Plus 1000′s more (check out KillerStartups)

Ones that solve offline problems:

- Meetup.com: Provides information for specific interest groups by area (Fred Wilson spotted a winner in this one)

- Craigslist: Provides a marketplace to sell your offline items

- Ebay: Online auction site to sell your offline items

- Yelp: Online reviews for what’s great in your area (restaurants, dentists, bars, etc.)

- Wikipedia: Online encyclopedia that houses offline information

- Google (and most of their products): Information-focused tools that help you uncover the world

- 37 Signals: Online platform that assists you in solving offline problems

How do you tell if a company is solving an offline problem?

Ask yourself, “where did this problem stem from? Offline or online?”

You’ll know if a company is solving an offline product by the times of need. If you’re outside and you spot a problem (i.e. old books that have been stacked in your garage forever, you’re lost, you can’t find a good bar, you need more insight on a textbook’s explanation of a concept, etc). Those are all offline problems, and there are web apps that solve them.

It’s easy to say everything solves an offline problem. I can picture someone arguing: “Twithaurity allows me to rank other tweets, which saves me time because I don’t have to build it myself.”

But why do you want to rank “tweets,” and where did this stem from?

- Twitter.

Is twitter offline or online?

- Online.

Which then, means you’re solving an “online” problem.

Bottom line:

In the end, a company’s long-term sustainability is contingent upon it’s real-life applicability.

That said, can anyone point me in the direction of a website that gives away free diamond wedding bands? It will definitely help my offline problem…

Even if I didn’t mean to, I came across the “Hollywood Diet” for organizing my life over the holiday season.

Over the course of the past three months I’ve flirted with different organization systems (i.e. how to become more effective, productive, as well as get the most out of life). I’ve tried bits and pieces here and there; yet, I couldn’t find one system that worked perfectly.

By far, the most potent piece of work came from Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week. However, I believe it’s unreasonable, and undesirable for many lifestyles out there. Certain aspects of Tim’s work can easily be molded into your life; however,  following his book in a doctrinaire fashion is impractical–and more importantly–ineffective for many people.

So I’ve decided to take bits and pieces out of his book and slowly, but surely, implement them into my life.

In addition to Tim’s book, I’ve also gathered some nuggets of wisdom from David Allen’s Getting Things Done. David unveils some very specific tips to becoming more effective.

For the past couple weeks I’ve tried the following:

1. Working in Remote Locations: I’ve found myself to be 10x as productive working out of the office than in the office. I don’t think this type of arrangement can work for everyone, or every job; however, if your job involves planning, researching and executing projects, you can easily find a way to be extremely effective while working in a remote location (unless you have confidential legal doc’s) My best piece of advice would be to constantly try new locations, and settle for one that feels special to you, and allows you to do your best work without too many distractions.

2. Put on your workout clothes first thing in the morning: One of the simplest, yet most effective actions, is also the simplest. When you wake up, put on your work out clothes. That’s it. You’ll feel obligated to get some exercise done before the workday starts. Even 5 minutes is better than nothing. The purpose of this is not to lose weight; the purpose is one thing: breathing. After you workout in the morning, you’ll notice that you’ll have a different breathing pattern for the rest of the day. You’ll feel less stress. Your mind will be more alert, and you’ll also come across as more reliable.

3. Conducting Weekly Reviews of Life, Career, Direction, Long-Term Goals: Start by thinking about the end-result you desire, and then determine how you plan to get there (for reference see this post)

4. Tibetan Meditation: Unlike Zen meditation, which is disciplined, rigid and focused; Tibetan meditation is much more characterized by breathing, feel and simplicity. A simple Tibetan meditation is to set aside 15 minutes, close your eyes and focus on your breathing (it’s harder than you think). You don’t have to sit in an “indian” style, cross legged position. You can sit in a chair, or lay down (if you have the discipline to not fall asleep). It’s recommended that your back be in a straight line. An effusion of thoughts, ideas and memories will fill your mind. Your goal is to push them away and concentrate on your breathing. Think about your breath moving into your lungs and out. Think about the path that air travels through to reach your lungs.

It’s worth noting that Tibetan meditation can be implemented into whatever religion you practice. For instance, if your belief stems from Judeo-Christian traditions, you can simply reflect on a certain verse or passage while doing this. If you’re an atheist, or agnostic (don’t know, don’t care), you can reflect on a quote that inspires you.

5. Checking Email 3 times per day (and none on mobile device): This was, by far, the hardest action to implement. In the 4-Hour Work Week, Tim recommends checking your email twice a day. I think that’s hard for many to grasp (especially if you’re an email addict like myself). Still, though, I think having your email always opened up is the easiest way to lose track of time. It’s one of the biggest time wasters of this century.

Not all who wander are lost?

If your email is always open, you sacrafice a productive mindset with email. J.R.R. Tolkien once said, “Not all who wander are lost.” However, the internet wasn’t around when he wrote that. If you wander around on the internet, or in your email, you’ll lose a laughably large amount of time.

For instance, if your email is always open, and a new email comes in that you don’t want to tackle at this time, you may end up delaying it, saying to yourself, “I’ll take care of this tonight” (as you finish surfing YouTube for videos that are barely related to your work). Moreover, what ends up happening is that the email gets pushed back further and further, and ultimately remains undone.

As an alternative, you can wait until a certain time of the day, where you enter your email inbox with the mindset of, “Let’s knock down these emails immediately,” As a result, you’ll finish off items that you would have otherwise delayed, and also free up the rest of your day so that you can focus on productive activities.

6. Doing things immediately if they take less than two minutes: This one works perfectly with the previous action. Tonight, instead of checking your email, wait until tomorrow. When you wake up, don’t check your email. Grab some coffee, work out, read the newspaper or google reader (if you have discipline to not check your email). After that, open up your email and take care of the tasks that take less than two minutes. If they take more than two minutes, either: (i) put it on your “next action” list, (ii) defer it in your calendar with a reminder, or (iii) delegate it.

7. Stop Tweeting Your Life Away: For many people on Twitter, the first thing they do when they have down-time is check Twitter. It’s become a habit like smoking. Some habits to avoid: Constantly checking the Twitter feed on your phone, or switching back and forth between Tweetdeck. What ends up happening is that you’ll stumble upon an interesting story from someone, click the link, which then propels you down a spiraling, endless hour of reading something that otherwise wouldn’t have taken place.

I love Twitter as much as other social media addicts; however, I decided to challenge myself and stop letting it absorb my life; and instead, let it complement my life. Of course, if your job revolves around Twitter or promoting your brand on Twitter, it’s okay to use a service like “Twitthat” to drive traffic to your company or blog. But think hard about your productivity when you’re surfing Tweetdeck all day.

Wrapping things up:

The title of this post may be misleading. While these actions are simple, they’re tough to actually carry out. However, the result of implementing these actions into your life is worth a try. If you’ve grown tired of being known as the person that checks their  mobile device throughout the day, reading “Tweets” while at dinner or during a conversation with someone (yes, I’ll admit I’m one of those people), then these actions are worth taking seriously.

If you’ve gone through a similiar paradigm shift with social media lately, please share below!

From time to time, I’ll be reviewing some sites and restaurants. Most of them will be in Orange County, CA.

If you’re ever traveling to Orange County, you’ll find that there are a wealth of restaurants that propose to be elegant by simply listing food items with high-end prices. You want to avoid these places. They are dramatically overpriced and the food is overrated.

There are a wealth of underground hot spots in Orange County that have wonderful food, and they have modest prices. These places are authentic, high-end spots that have a special feel to them. They’re timeless.

Pizza e Vino is one of them. Located in the heart of Santa Margarita, CA on the rural, gorgeous lake, Pizza e Vino brings authentic, neopolatan Italian pizza to the heart of South Orange County.

The menu is filled predominantly with pizza and wine. They focus on quality, not quantity, which is refreshing. Their pizza is baked at 900 degrees in a wood burning oven imported from Italy. The crust is hand-formed from dough, which is made daily from Italian flour. The sauce is made from tomatoes grown only in the San Marzano valley of Italy. Toppings include Mozzarella di Bufala and a variety of meats & vegetables.

For the non-pizza people, the wine alone is worth a trip. Additionally, they have handcrafted salads & appetizers including Artichoke Arugula Salad and Caprese Made with Fresh Local and Organic Produce.

They have a quaint wine bar, where you can sip Italian & California wines and select beer from Italy and American Microbrews.

Here’s a quote from the OC Register that puts the environment together very nicely:

Pizza e Vino, tucked into a shopping center anchored by a Ralphs, isn’t only a shining star for the city, it’s a shining star in Orange County where finding a crispy-thin Neapolitan pizza – baked in an imported, wood-burning oven – is a nearly impossible feat.

And oh what a pizza it is . . . .

Maybe it’s something they put in their pizzas, well duh, it totally is (great ingredients, but you got the joke right?), but I was seriously craving a return visit the night after we went.

I’ll also give credit to the setting – a dim wine bar (there’s wine, I didn’t drink any) with classical Italian music – as another reason to return for more.

Thoughts from locals:

Finally, RSM has a delicious restaurant with all the fixins! I checked it out after a friend told me how yummy it is. I had family in town and decided this would be a great place to take them. It was better than I ever imagined. The garlic bread is to die for, the pizza toppings are so fresh and the crust is perfect. I loved it so much I took my husband the following week and keep in mind he is picky about his pizza. He loved it and as soon as we picked up his mom from the airport the following week, we headed straight to PIzza E Vino. Of course she fell in love too. The atmosphere is cozy, the service is great and the food is simply delicious and perfect.

- OC Community Member

Authenic Naples-style pizza, wood-fired, thin crust with delectable toppings, fresh mozzerella and herbs. My favorite pizza is the Stefano, which is a white pizza with olive oil, wild shrimp, toasted garlic, and fresh basil. The antipasto salad is excellent too – light and refreshing! The atmosphere is relaxing and there is a charming lilttle area to dine on the outside patio – great for a date.

- OC Community Member

My wife just back from Italy and this place is authentic. The Napoletana style pizza is great, perfect crust, yummy sauce, just the right amount of toppings. They cook the pizza in a real wood burning oven and it cooks fast. I like to bring my own wine and the corkage is reasonable. Friendly staff.
If you like American style pizza with too much cheese and heavy crust this place is not for you.

- OC Community Member

This place has great ambiance and great attention to detail by the chef/owner/employees. From the cozy decor to the music this quaint Italian eatery has it all. Great pizza, wine, appetizers, desserts! If you have visited Italy it will make you nostalgic. If you are from NY it will make you think you are home. This place is as authentic as it gets. This is not Pizza Hut kind of pizza. This place lives and breaths Italy. The attention to quality food and ingredients is obvious in every dish.

Great for dates, families, everyday type of food, a night out on the town. It fits the bill for every mood. Thank you for bringing a bit of the Italy to RSM!!!

- OC Community Member

Timothy Ferriss’ “4-Hour Work Week,” is still hot. Especially after his show, “Trial by Fire,” premiered on the History Channel last week.

Timothy’s book, The 4-Hour Work Week (“4HWW”), lays forth a blue print, new-age lifestyle founded on outsourcing, automation, working wherever you want, taking mini-retirements, posing as an expert, checking email only two times/day and accomplishing challenging tasks.

Like a mullet, Timothy isn’t sporting a characteristic, he’s sporting a lifestyle.

Everyone is a skeptic when they first hear of Tim’s idea. “How do you survive? Can you really work four hours and make money?”

After a certain point, yes, it’s possible. But it’s harder than Tim makes it out to be.

First, you have to work extremely hard to get to the point of working only four hours a week. Like an airplane taking off, you have work extremely hard before you can get to cruising altitude.

However, I think an even more important question than, “Can you live off of working four hours per week,” is: “Who does it work for?”

Tim is single without a family to support. Will it work for someone who has kids flying around? Probably not. And if so, not for very long.

That’s really the main part of Tim’s book that I have a problem with. He believes that if he can do something, anyone can. I liken his reasoning to, “I have brown hair. I’ve never been struck been lightning; therefore, everyone with brown hair will never get struck with lightning.”

Additionally, his Chapter 8, “Outsourcing Life,” is drastically overstated. Tim reasons you can, “build an army of overseas MBAs for $5 per hour and do whatever you want.”

From my experience outsourcing, this figure is way too low. India MBA’s go for well over $20/hr. In fact, you may get an MBA in the U.S. at a cheaper rate. The outsource sector in India is bloated. Service providers in India have enough supply (work) to last for a long-time.

Although I disagree with his reasoning and outsource expectations, I think the rest of his book is quite valuable. He outlines a life-style that focuses on results. His philosophy is awesome.

In my own words, his philosophy is about aligning interests with output.

For the past four months I’ve experimented with components of Tim’s philosophy.

I’ve worked in a remote location for the past four months. It’s allowed me to focus on results, rather than busy-work. Granted, I’ve gone into the office at least once/week.

Additionally, I’ve developed my own lifestyle. Whereas Tim espouses 4 hours per week and working in a remote location, I’ve adopted a lifestyle that focuses on results and working in a remote location. The difference between 4HWW lifestyle and my lifestyle revolves around work. I work extremely hard, and it’s definitely a lot more than four hours per week. However, it doesn’t feel like work because it’s what I enjoy doing. I enjoy reading up on venture funds, researching, constantly getting a pulse of the industry, speaking with entrepreneurs and pulling due diligence all-nighters. Additionally, during nights and weekends, I involve myself with side-projects.

My lifestyle looks a lot like this:

Tim heavily espouses the four hour work week. But think of teachers or volunteers. Take for instance, a lady named Rachel, who’s job revolves around raising money for children in Africa. Should she work only four hours per week? Should she ditch her job of helping poor children, and instead take a two month vacation in Cabo?

I don’t think so, in fact the four hour work week can quickly become a rather selfish lifestyle. It tells you to focus on yourself.

The secret of this world: It’s not about you.

It’s about answering the question, “What passion can I embrace that result in making this world a better place?”

In the end, I think rather than striving for working as little as possible, you should strive to find a paying job that is aligned with your passion.

Most individuals, when they think of a vacation to France, think of either Paris or Cannes. Yet, one of the most underrated travel destinations of the country is north-west France: Brittany.

I even spoke with a friend from Paris. And, when asked if he’s ever been up to Brittany, he had no idea where Brittany was! And he’s from Paris

Brittany has a rich and traditional history intertwined with Britain and France culture. Most peculiar, they are likened to the Celts. What’s even more interesting is their Celtic links boasts an entirely different native language then French…why did I have to study it then? Anyways, Brittany’s political history is often stereotyped as strictly French. Some refer to the region as “Gallo-Romance” matter. However, this is an error. A misconception being that the Gallo section of Brittany has reforged links with Britain (Normandy’s “sidekick”). The Hundred Years’ War has dulled these facts; however, they still hold true today. The true natives know it, and now you do, as well

Although I enjoy history, it doesn’t play a major factor in my decision of where to travel.

What does? Beauty.

Cote Demeraude Saint Malo

Cote D’emeraude Saint Malo is built in granite rock in the English Channel.  The bathing resort of Saint Malo is known for its castle, the cathedral of Saint Vincent, and its 14th century ramparts which overlook the sea. Saint Malo is the birthplace of famous French writer and statesman, Chateaubriand.

The Parish Closes

The Parish Closes of St. Thegonnec, Guimiliau and Lampaul-Guimiliau, which were built as early as 1532, are symbols of Brittany’s Catholic and Celtic heritage. These granite religious structures are an intricate mesh of skilled of craftsmanship and imagery. Churches, altarpieces and crosses are adorned with elves, gods and fairies carved in wood.

Quimper

Located in the heart of traditional Brittany and flanked by the Odet and Steir rivers, Quimper is famous for its faience ceramics which have been produced by skilled craftsmen since the 17th century. The Gothic Cathedral of Saint Corentin has exceptional 15th century stained glass windows. Pont-Aven, Home to artist colony known as the “School of Pont-Aven” led by the painter Paul Gauguin, is a pretty market village of white houses.

Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometer off the country’s north coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches.

Pictures say enough about Mont Saint Michel:

The Four Hour Work Week.

Bull?

I don’t know yet.

Don’t know what it is?

Stop now and read about it here.

I’ve read it, and I LOVED it. Simply spectacular. It’s definitely an earth shaking, action inspiring book. It’s great, and there’s not some self-promoting author behind it. The guy believes in what he preaches (or I was ruthlessly fooled, that is).

In short, he believes that you can live a lifestyle that revolves around, outsourcing, automation, travel, fun, learning new skills constantly and working only four hours.

When I heard my cousin from France was coming out to visit, and that he was traveling the world, I thought, “Hey, cool. He’s probably read the four hour work week and is really living it.”

Nope, not at all. I found out that my cousin hasn’t even heard of the book.

So, how has he been able to travel the world for eight months straight, and only work four months?

“Simple,” he said, “For a period of four months I hold three jobs and work 120+ hour weeks. I then travel the world for eight months and do whatever I want.”

Wow. That sounds great. But better yet, it sounds realistic.

The problem that many have had with Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Work Week is, (i) Automation only works for some people, (ii) A lot of jobs are impossible to work from home, (iii) some jobs are great (like a non-profit aimed at helping children with disabilities) who would want to ditch that job when it’s self-fulfilling?

The great part about my French cousin’s philosophy of “work for four months like a work-a-holic, and then travel the world” is that you don’t have to always worry about making money. Whenever you own a business, even automated, it’s on your mind all the time.

So anyways, without any further comments, here’s an interview I conducted with my cousin from France. His name is William Ollivier and you can find his blog here: http://will-o.skyblog.com

The video is really raw, and some parts are really funny (in a cheezy way!), so have fun and check it out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8s6XvhYCpI]

by Guest Author: LauraDig

Living in California, the closest we come to ancient architecture and the ruins of old villages is through our imagination and of course, Disney books. To be in the presence of what resembles Disney’s antique towns is awe inspiring and the village of Eze drums up imaginations I had as a child of being rescued by my prince.

Situated on a hill in the Cote d’Azur between Nice and Cannes, getting to the village is an adventure as it entails a hike up a hill – which must be walked because cars can not fit on the small roads.
Charm and beauty surround the tiny town filled with specialty shops, a hotel and my favorite, a restaurant that was formed by digging into the hill.

The exquisite nature of the old town is found in the gardens and breathtaking view. As you walk through the botanical gardens, making your way to the top of the town, make sure to look behind you and gaze at the beauty of the Mediterranean see. Once you reach the top, you may experience a Leonardo DiCaprio moment and think you are king of the world. The view is surreal and you would never imagine a place more peaceful.
Enjoying the little village is best done in the off season when tourists are not swarming. Plants start to take life during the early spring and the clear sky brings the suns warmth during the chilly season.

But no matter what time of year you go, you can not escape the history and charm that surrounds the primeval village.

C’est la vie