This article originally appeared on American Express Open Forum.

According to the Small Business Administration, 90 percent of small businesses are family-owned, yet at any give time, 40 percent are at risk of failing. One-third of those businesses are Fortune 500 firms.

The chances of success is even less if your company is extremely wealthy. Only 15 percent of businesses with interests valued at at least 300 million succeed past the second generation, according to a study by Prince & Associates, Inc. and Campden Research.

Stephen Hillenmeyer is a fifth generation businessman at  Stephen Hillenmeyer Landscape Services and is walking proof that statistics can be beaten. Twenty years before the Civil War began, Francis Hillenmeyer founded Hillenmeyer Landscaping Services and today that business is still going strong. When the time is right, Stephen's son Chase will take over, pulling the longstanding business into its sixth generation.

Here are six tips Hillenmeyer provided to help your family business last just as long:

1) Don't force your child to join the family business. No one likes being told what to do. Furthermore, if your child is not as passionate about the business as you are, you're heading towards disaster. Don't assume that the business will grow on them.

Stephen was not forced to join the family business, nor did he force either of his sons. "When I was growing up, being in the business felt right to me. I encouraged both my sons to go out there and try other things. My younger son graduated college and now he does wealth management in Chicago. That's fine with me. My older son, Chase, made the decision to join on his own. Unlike myself, who majored in horticulture, I encouraged Chase to major in business. Horticulture is a closed field—very specific. It can be learned on the job. But business opens many doors. This way, if he changed his mind, he had many other options. Family businesses should want the same for their children."

2) Learn how to deal with family disputes—especially when it involves money.

"I was the youngest of nine siblings. We definitely had our issues. For example, if someone has been working with the company for five years, and then another family member joins, should they be paid the same? If two people have been working for the same amount of time, but one puts way more effort into the job while the other slacks off, should they both have the same equity in the business?"

Research conducted by the SBA suggest that the person in charge of the business maintain a no-play attitude when it comes to the company. "The leader of the family business must not take sides with any member of the family, but rather must demonstrate that disagreements will not be permitted to affect the business."

3) Maintain your core principles. "Technology may change, and the way we do business may change, but we stand by the old principles we were founded upon," says Stephen. If the founding customer service model and tactics worked beyond the first generation, something is being done right. "We believe in complete honesty, integrity, fairness, and that the customer is always right."

4) Expand your business. As a family business (or any business), you always want to be growing. In addition to the services provided by Hillenmeyer Landscaping, Stephen decided to purchase a Weed Man franchise. With the family's extensive knowledge in the lawn care industry, they were able to take advantage of the Weed Man opportunities.

"I converted all of our commercial and residential accounts into Weed Man," says Hillenmeyer. "It was a great venture for me. They provided me with the knowledge, support and independent purchasing power. Since purchasing Weed Man, our business has grown 10 times more than it was 10 years ago."

5) Pay them for the work. A common mistake among family businesses is to think that, while their children are young, they can take advantage of free labor. This isn't the case. By paying them for their work, you're giving them an incentive and drive to do better.

"When I was ten, I started pulling wild onions for ten cents an hour," says Hillenmeyer. "I worked during the summer for about twenty hours a week and more as I got into high school. But it all happened very naturally. I just fell into it and enjoyed it."

6) Prepare your company for the future. By leaving the fate of the business in the hands of the next person without leaving them the proper preparation, you're increasing the chances of failing, says Hillenmeyer.

"As the current owner, you need to make sure that everything is in its best possible condition for the next person to take over. It's your company, so you need to decide how you want it to be when you're not around. It's important to make sure who is going to run the company and how it is going to be run. Don't put it on your kids to make those decisions, because that's when there's going to be hurt feelings. If i decided early on that one kid gets one thing and one kid gets another, they might be mad, but that's how it is. Communicate with your children about your future plans and make sure they know what is happening and why."

NOW READ: How to run a business with a partner >

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Steve Cooper of Forbes published an article earlier this week explaining why wrestlers make the best employees. With an intense amount of dedication, consistent work ethic, and enormous competitive drive, it makes sense that wrestlers would often go all out in competitive situations.

“Wrestling, in particular, is thought to require more individual commitment than most other sports due to the nature of the training and competing itself. The logical inference, then, is that with other sports, an athlete can go to practice or a game, and then go home to relax. Wrestlers, due to the weight class requirements, have to maintain their focus and drive around the clock for years at a time,” says Mendelson, a former college wrestler.

“In addition, wrestling is an individual sport and the athlete experiences both failure and success as an individual. As a result, the wrestler endures more physical, emotional, and psychological stress, both positive and negative, than an athlete in another sport.”

Cooper was a wrestler and explains that the enjoyment he gets from meeting expectations leads him to encourage the success of others, which is another great quality in the work place.

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Today's advice comes from Mark Cuban, American businessman and basketball team owner, via MSNBC: 

"It's not about money or connections — it's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone... And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time."

Entrepreneurial endeavors are fraught with risk. According to Cuban, accepting and learning from failure separate those who make it to the top from their counterparts. 

One critical component of this lesson is there is no shame in failing; basketball lore tells us that sophomore Michael Jordan didn't earn a spot on his high school's varsity basketball team. Yet in a Sports Illustrated feature, Jordan's high school coach Clifton Herring said that "if Jordan distinguished himself at all during the tryout, it was through his supreme effort. He was first in line for the conditioning drills, and he ran them as hard as anyone, and when they were over he wanted to run some more." 

Jordan was clearly willing to "outwork and outlearn everyone," and if he had let the disappointment of being placed on the J.V. squad kill his dreams, he never would have materialized into one of the greatest basketball players in history. 

"It doesn't matter how many times you fail. You only have to be right once and then everyone can tell you that you are an overnight success."

Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com. Be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email.

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It's something frequently touted by politicians: investing in a given sector creates jobs not just in the industry itself, but in the businesses that serve it. 

Now we know which sectors produce the most jobs bang for their respective job buck, thanks to a recent report from ISI, via the Economic Policy Institute:

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Adam Smith, former CFO and treasurer of medical supplies manufacturer Vante, caused quite a stir when he put up a video of himself bullying a Chick-fil-A drive-thru employee in Tucson on YouTube.

Smith berates the worker about her company in the video, which was initially titled ”Reduce $’s to Chick-Fil-A’s Hate Groups.” It has since been taken down (though others have uploaded it too).

"I don't know how you live with yourself and work here," he tells the employee at the window. "I don't understand it. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values. You deserve better." 

”I’m a nice guy, by the way … totally heterosexual," he continues. "Not a gay in me, I just can’t stand the hate.”

Chick-fil-A is currently in the middle of a controversy sparked by president and COO Dan Cathy's comments about gay marriage. He said that going against the Biblical definition of marriage is "inviting God's judgment on our nation."

Mayors slammed Chick-fil-A's stance on the issue and Jim Henson Co. pulled its toys from kids meals. Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee declared Wednesday "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," prompting crowds of supporters around the country to pack the restaurants. Chick-fil-A even set a one-day sales record that day.

Watch the video:

Vante didn't approve of Smith's behavior, and he's no longer working there.

Here's the press release from Vante announcing that Smith is "no longer an employee of our company," effective immediately:

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Sir Lancelot had the Holy Grail. Captain Ahab had Moby Dick. For scientists who study learning, the ultimate quest is to unlock the secrets of engagement. How do we engage students in learning, and then keep them in that state? So ardent is their search that it can lead them down paths that may seem, to the uninitiated, a bit silly — as demonstrated by two recent developments.

Last month, it emerged that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has directed millions of dollars into educational research, has awarded grants to study the use of galvanic skin response sensors in the classroom. Immediately dubbed “mood bracelets” and “educational pedometers” by critics, these are small devices worn around the wrist that gauge the user’s physiological arousal by measuring the amount of sweat on the skin. The idea is that a teacher instructing a roomful of students wearing the devices would instantly know who was engaged and who was bored or distracted. The problem is that the sensors are inexact indicators of the wearer’s mental state: a student’s nervous system might be active because there’s test coming up next period — or because there’s an attractive classmate one desk over.

Then last week, a professor of physics education at Kennesaw State University in Georgia reported the results of a pilot study using special glasses that track where and how long wearers direct their gaze. After analyzing the data produced by undergraduates who wore the glasses during lectures, professor David Rosengrant concluded that it was not the case, as many teachers believe, that students were most engaged for the first 15 minutes or so of class, after which their attention gradually slacked off. Rather, he said, student engagement ebbed and flowed over the course of the 70-minute lecture, and spiked whenever the professor used humor, stood close to the student, or talked about material that was not included in the Power Point presentation projected on a screen at the front of the room. Rosengrant also determined that cell phones and the web — especially Facebook — were the greatest obstacles to maintaining students’ engagement in the classroom.

Interesting, but hardly revelatory. Clearly, such devices have a long way to go before they can offer real insight into students’ thoughts and feelings. The irony is that, after many years of investigation, scientists already have a pretty good idea of what captures the attention of an audience — whether it’s students in a classroom, a group of coworkers at a meeting, or a gathering of guests in front of whom you’re making a toast. Follow the strategies below, and you won’t need a sweat sensor or special glasses to know that your listeners are fully engaged.

1. Stimulate curiousity

“Sometimes I think that we, as teachers, are so eager to get to the answers that we do not devote sufficient time to developing the question,” notes Dan Willingham, a cognitive scientist at the University of Virginia. “But it’s the question that piques people’s interest. Being told an answer doesn’t do anything for you.” Take the information you want your audience to know by the end and frame a question that will direct your listeners toward that answer.

2. Introduce change and surprise

Human beings quickly become habituated to the status quo. When something in our environment shifts, however, we start paying attention again. A good rule of thumb is to switch things up every 15 minutes or so — tell a joke or a story, show a picture, address your topic in a different way.

3. Stress relevance and concreteness

The human mind can’t handle too much abstraction. Bring your ideas down to earth by explaining how they connect to your listeners’ lives, and by embedding sensory details — what things look, sound, feel and taste like — into your account.

4. Tell stories

Researchers who study human cognition say that stories are “psychologically privileged” — that is, our minds treat them differently than other kinds of information. We understand them better, remember them more accurately, and we find them more engaging to listen to in the first place. When planning your presentation, think about how to capture your ideas in a narrative. And remember, good stories usually have strong characters, a conflict — the main character can’t get what he wants — and complications on the way to overcoming that conflict. Come to think of it, a lot like the stories of the Holy Grail and Moby Dick.

This article originally appeared at TIME.

NOW READ: 12 Mind-Blowing Concepts From Malcolm Gladwell's Best-Sellers >

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Fourteen months after starting her own insurance agency, Dawn Berry found herself surrounded by stacks of paper.

Her inbox was brimming with more than 500 emails that needed to be answered or trashed.

And just finding a pen on her cluttered desk became a challenge.

Berry realized she needed to get smarter about managing time and making Provident Insurance Agency in Florissant, Mo., run more smoothly. She hired a productivity coach and saw immediate results.

She began completing tasks that would take less than two minutes right away and delegated routine work to her assistant so she could focus on selling. Now, at the end of each day, she has fewer than 50 emails waiting in her inbox.

In 2011, by better managing her time, Berry grew her business to a point where she could hire her first full-time employee, making her all the more able to focus on the important aspects of the company. "I have a do-it-now mentality," she says.

If you feel as overwhelmed as Berry did, you may need to rethink how you use your time. Here are seven ways you may be wasting time without even realizing it.

1. You overload on administrative work. If you've spent three hours reconciling a bank statement, you're making poor use of your time. Too often, small-business owners waste time on tasks they don't like or aren't even good at. What's more, they often expend energy avoiding such tasks and then spend more time than necessary doing them, says Cathy Sexton, the St. Louis, Mo., productivity coach who helped Berry. "If we just hired it out, it would be less expensive," Sexton says of tasks like bookkeeping and website maintenance. "It's looking at your time and putting a value on it."

2. You put off quick tasks. If you can pay a bill or schedule an appointment in a couple of minutes, do it immediately. Putting chores aside for later—no matter how mundane—is a common way small-business owners waste time, says David Allen, author of the runaway bestseller Getting Things Done (Viking 2001). People often set emails aside for later, for example, and then have to search for them and reread them. "It will take you more time to remember it later than just doing it now," Allen says.

3. You micromanage employees. Too many employees need their hand held throughout the day, says Jason Jennings, author of The Reinventors - How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change (Portfolio, 2012). As a result, small-business owners often waste precious time micromanaging such workers just to make sure they do their jobs properly. If you have to guide an employee through every aspect of the job and he isn't making progress toward working independently, Jennings advises that you let him go. Harsh as it may seem, firing people who are slowing you down may be the best solution for your business.

4. You let daily developments drive you. Putting out tiny fires throughout the day is a big misuse of time, Allen says. Rather than thinking about strategies to expand your business, you're bogged down dealing with every issue that comes your way minute-by-minute. "That's not making good priority decisions about things." To stay focused on what really matters, try to block out time each day for your strategic priorities.

5. You don't have a clear social-media strategy. Limiting the amount of time you spend on social media sites will certainly help your productivity. But even if you devote only one hour each day to social media activity, you will still be wasting time if you don't have a game plan, Sexton says. "Social media is part of your marketing plan. You really need to understand what your desired results are."

6. You try to reinvent the wheel. Hanging onto projects or products that no longer look promising is a big time-suck, Jennings says. "The reason people are stymied and can't get stuff done is because they are constantly reinventing the wheel. They can't let go." Stop and ask yourself, "How promising does this endeavor look?" Be honest with yourself and decide if it's time to drop it and move on.

7. You repeat the same things over and over. Customer communication is important, but if you always have to answer the same questions from different customers, you're wasting time, says Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future (Crown Business, 2012). Rather than starting from scratch each time, Sexton recommends creating a template for such routine tasks as email responses to common queries, invoices, client letters and meeting agendas.

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More young adults than ever are living with their parents—and this trend could just be getting started.

The share of adults aged 20-34 living at home rose to 24 percent during the recession, up from 17 percent in 1980, according to a study by Ohio State's Zhenchao Qian.

Too many young people are unemployed or terrified of losing their jobs, not to mention scared of the long-dismal housing market.

Qian also noted secular trends that are keeping kids at home like the declining marriage rate. He also found that men and non-white groups are more likely to live at home.

We've picked out the ten cities with the most young adults living at home. This list includes several notable centers of inequality like Bridgeport, NYC and LA. These may be places where home prices remain too high for millennials.

As several commenters pointed out below, this may not be a bad trend.

#10 Riverside, Calif.

26 percent of young adults live with their parents.

Median income for young adults is $18,000. Nine percent of them are unemployed, and 55 percent of them are unmarried.

Data includes young adults aged 25-29 from 2007-2009. Source: US2010.

#9 Scranton, PA

27 percent of young adults live with their parents.

Median income for young adults is $21,000. Six percent of them are unemployed, and 64 percent of them are unmarried.

Data includes young adults aged 25-29 from 2007-2009. Source: US2010.

#8 El Paso, TX

28 percent of young adults live with their parents.

Median income for young adults is $14,000. Seven percent of them are unemployed, and 52 percent of them are unmarried.

Data includes young adults aged 25-29 from 2007-2009. Source: US2010.

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We're hiring a Conference Programmer to join the growing Business Insider events team.

Business Insider events are designed like the web site: fast-paced and to-the-point. Informed editors moderate the discussions. Panelists and presenters explain real case studies or strategies. Beyond sound bites, genuine business intelligence is revealed and analyzed. Attendees never sit for more than an hour without a networking and coffee break, and the agenda provides ample time for business development. Check out our portfolio of events here.

What's the job?

We're looking for a creative, hardworking Conference Programmer with extremely strong writing, analytic and information-gathering skills to develop the intellectual content for Business Insider's conferences. You will learn about topics like the future of digital media, social commerce, mobile advertising, startups and much more!  As Conference Programmer, you will also conduct in-depth market research in order to determine the most relevant speakers and topics, write effective posts and promotional materials, and take a lead role in helping to drive attendance at our events. You will leverage your extensive network of contacts to recruit top speaking talent.

If this role is for you, here are some of the traits you possess:

• Ability to quickly sort through masses of information and know what matters
• Knowledge of start-ups, tech companies, social, online and mobile media
• Understanding of business modeling and concepts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Top-notch organizational skills
• Ability to lead projects and motivate others 
• Strong communication and relationship building skills
• Strong network of potential speakers

The role offers a unique chance to help develop a product and grow a business in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. It is full-time and is based in our New York City office. The ideal candidate is a compelling and clear writer, has a few years experience as a conference producer and/or reporter in the tech and media space, and is eager to work in a start-up environment. 

How do I apply?

If interested, please email your cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to Megan Knapp at mknapp@businessinsider.com

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Millennials are taking over the workplace and edging out Baby Boomers even as that group delays retirement. 

Twenty-somethings could make up half the workforce by 2020, according to this infographic by Red Tree Leadership and Development. The group used data from the Census and Pew Research. 

Check it out: 

DON'T MISS: These U.S. Cities Have The Best And Worst Commutes [INFOGRAPHIC] >

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Although training for the Olympics can be a full-time job, many athletes need another job to pay the rent.

Remember, the International Olympic Committee doesn't pay them squat.

Some of them have predictable jobs, coaching the next generation of athletes, but others are harder to guess. Like US fencing star Race Imboden, who moonlights as a DJ.

Triathlon Gwen Jorgensen works as an accountant at Ernst & Young

Source: Accounting Today

Hong Kong's Chi Yip Cheung is a full-time fireman when he's not competing in the judo matches

Source: South China Morning Post

Norwegian marathon runner Urige Buta is also a janitor

Source: Reuters

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This article originally appeared on American Express Open Forum.

When promoting a new business, it probably doesn't hurt that Parker Boase and Gregory Lucas used to be models. But these two guys are more than just pretty faces.

Having worked in the hospitality industry while modeling, the two friends often talked about starting their own business. Then at the end of  2011, they finally decided to give it a try in the high-end cocktail game.

Two and a half weeks later, Liquid Lab NYC was born with a catalog of 150 original cocktails that incorporated molecular mixology. The company officially launched at the end of May, and already has a number of accomplishments under its belt, including an ad for Match.com.

Don't Underestimate the Power of a Referral 

To put their concept to the test as well as to get their name out there, the Liquid Lab NYC team created a series of cocktails and designed menus for Ava Lounge at Dream Hotel in New York City and Inc Lounge at Time Hotel.

"We did those for free," Lucas says, because it meant exposure to the hotels' clientele as well as potential publicity, like a mention in BlackBook magazine. Additionally, the company's logo and website were incorporated into the menus.

That was all it took.

"We kept getting jobs referred through the hotels,"  Lucas says, noting that it was then that he and Boase realized that there really was a demand for mixologists and mixology classes. Still in beta phase, in addition to catering events with signature cocktails, Liquid Lab NYC began holding mixology classes, consisting of a fun night in which students get to make their own signature cocktails and enjoy them afterwards.

The class experiment led to another referral—for an ad for Match.com, where members get to interact with each other on dates while making their own cocktails.

Thank Goodness For Experience 

Starting a new business is not easy, admits Lucas. "If we didn't have that footing in the industry, it would have been very challenging to develop a company like this," he says. Boase and Lucas have spent years in the industry making contacts and networking with people.

"We don't want to turn anything down, because we are new. But having contacts allows us to pick and choose who we aspire to work with and pick who we want to represent what we are about," explains Lucas.

The partners are also sure to utilize their strong points to drive the business forward. Lucas, who studied business operation management, handles a lot of the licenses and certificates. He admits that without his education, tackling all the paperwork would be "too much of an intimidating endeavor." Boase, who comes from a culinary background, provided the company with his expertise, which allowed them to venture into molecular mixology.

To remain true to the lab aspect of their business, Boase and Lucas spend two days a week in the kitchen experimenting with their creations. Most recently, they came up with sangria pops, the perfect refreshment for a hot summer day.

SEE ALSO:

The Guy Who Helped Howard Schultz Reinvent Starbucks Tells Us How He Did It >

Guy Kawasaki's 5 Innovation Tips >

How To Run A Business With A Partner >

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The days when a startup could sell investors on a dream and no revenue are coming to a close, says angel investor Chris Dixon.

Now, if you're a consumer startup (ad based/no clear business model) and you don't have at least 10 million users, you're going to have trouble raising a Series A, he says.

Dixon says there is too much competition in the consumer space. Investors have already funded a lot of startups and there are only so many products people use. In addition, companies like Instagram have shown good startups can scale incredibly fast. They've  set the bar higher for everyone else.

Transaction-based startups, like e-commerce companies, can afford to have fewer users and still get funded, says Dixon. Revenue becomes the more important figure.

His advice to founders: "If you are thinking of starting a non-transactional consumer startup, be aware that you are entering what is perhaps the most competitive sector in tech in the last decade." And if a VC does offer you money, take it.

Here's Dixon's post >

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Today's advice comes from Tara Hunt, CEO & co-founder of Buyosphere, via Inc.: 

"I was so laser focused that...I stopped going out with friends. I didn't watch movies (unless they had something to do with my business). I would not take my eyes off the prize because I was convinced that laser focus is what I needed and any distraction would derail me from a successful path." 

When embarking on a new enterprise, one must always be searching for creative solutions. Determination and dedication are important personality traits of any entrepreneur, but all too often, having a "laser focus" on a long-term project leads to myopia and isolation. Taking this approach can alienate loved ones and supporters, who often serve as muses for innovation. External creative forces from daily living are also lost when one turns inward to focus on a project. 

According to U.S. News and World Report, "Fortune 500 companies, including Hewlett-Packard and Sears, have hired creativity consultants to help boost innovation." While startups don't have the capital [or the need] for such services, creativity is fueled by experiences, and being housebound won't generate new ideas. 

"It wasn't until I was forced to take a step back and recalibrate that I realized my focus was hurting my business more than helping it. I had lost my vision, my community, my passion--even my waistline." 

Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com. Be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email. 

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It's true that college graduates have a much lower unemployment rate than those without degrees, but... yikes, ugly chart here.

This is from Nomura, which looked at the Household Survey to show that nearly all of the job losses in the month were from college grads.

The Household Survey (which is released at the same time as the main Non-Farm Payrolls, but which is often overlooked) is much more volatile. So this could just be noise. But that's a big blue bar of noise.

Here's how unemployment stacks up by education level.

Finally, here's the same unemployment rates by educational level, charted to the beginning of 2008, around the start of the recession.

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Hedge fund manager James Altucher recently wrote about how multitasking can kill you. Neuroscience shows that our brains simply weren't created for it. Yet many people continue to live hyper-connected lives, essentially creating 24/7 workweeks — no matter how unhealthy it is.

This excellent infographic by OnlineUniversities.com shows how acutely information overload affects productivity: 

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Former Vante CFO Adam Smith struck a nerve when he put up a video of himself bullying a worker at the Chick-fil-A drive-thru window.

There was widespread criticism, and he was promptly fired from his position at Vante for how he acted.

Now, Smith has taken to YouTube again, posting a nearly eight minute video in which he apologizes and clarifies some questions that have been floating around.

First, he addresses Rachel — the worker who was at the window.

"Rachel, I am so very sorry for the way I spoke to you on Wednesday. You handled my frustrating rant with such dignity and composure. Every time I watch the video I'm blown away by, really the beauty in what you did, in your kindness and your patience with me.

You should know that I never planned to say the things I said to you that day, and how I said them. I planned to peacefully participate in the August 1st YouTube post where Jackson Pearce asked people to simply order a large water to show support for the gay community.

But when I got to your window, after seeing all the people in and outside the restaurant that came to support Chick-fil-A, I lost it. I just lost it. I couldn't believe the number of people came out to support a corporation that associates themselves with anti-gay groups, like Exodus International and the American Family Association.

And how did I lose it? By making you listen to my frustration and disgust. It wasn't right, and for that I am so sorry."

Smith also clarifies a few things about the situation.

The morning after the drive-through incident, Smith went back to the Chick-fil-A to see how Rachel was doing, but she didn't want to talk. He says that he understands, and that he "totally deserved the silent treatment."

His former employer, Vante, told him to stay "radio silent" and not post an apology video, even though he wanted to. Vante's voicemail hit capacity, and both employees and customers received long streams of hate mail and threats. Smith was fired later that day.

Why did he post the video if he felt bad about what he did to Rachel, the worker?

"When I first thought about participating in this protest, I was really excited. I felt purpose in standing up against Chick-fil-A's funding of anti-human rights groups. I felt like it was the right thing to do — the human thing to do.

After recording the conversation, my enthusiasm in standing up against Chick-fil-A was very high, and in that moment, I decided to post the video. For me, and at that moment, the main goal of supporting the gay community outweighed the collateral damage that Rachel became. And I literally just saw Rachel as collateral damage.

We have to stop rationalizing our destructive actions this way. We have to start seeing people as people. We aren't ever going to make social progress by personally attacking people. I'm clearly guilty of this.

The degree of reaction my video ended up having took me by surprise, obviously. There was a lot of passion expressed, and still is being expressed. Part of me is quite discouraged by the threats made to my family and former co-workers.

But another part of me is encouraged. If people can get this passionate about a guy being rude to a girl in a drive-through, how much more passion can we have for our fellow human beings whose basic rights are being threatened by corporations like Chick-fil-A. How much more passion can we channel toward fighting for equal rights — for all people, not just straight ones."

At the window, why did he say that he wasn't gay?

"No, I'm not in the closet as many comics suggested, but if I were, I'd be very proud to be. The reason why I said that I wasn't gay was because I wanted to convey that you don't have to be gay to be for gay rights. Just because someone is different than me, doesn't mean that I can't have empathy on their unique struggles. You don't have to be gay to want to help the gay community. That's a stigma, I'm trying to stop that."

Did he release his own personal information on the web?

"I never intended for my former employer and the University of Arizona to be associated with my personal activism. I never intended to have my personal and financial information be associated with this video. I have a family — a young family. I would never knowingly put them at risk. They're my first responsibility."

Here's the apology video:

And see the original video that started all of this:

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Jeff Stibel, a brain scientist and author tells Harvard Business Review that if you have four specific symptoms, you suffer from a common ailment.

Do you have it?

Better to find out sooner rather than later.

Do you wake up before your alarm goes off, hop out of bed excited to go to work?

Do you race to the car, forgetting breakfast, your morning coffee, and the paper?

Halfway to work, do you look down, realize you forgot to shower, shave, or get dressed?

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This article originally appeared on American Express Open Forum.

Networking is important for any business for a number of reasons. Whether you're seeking out contacts that could help fuel your company, looking for industry advice from experts in the field, or on the prowl for a business partner, there's no better way to achieve your overall goal than networking.

Networking can serve as a lifeline for some businesses, which is why these relationships are important to cultivate. Keep in mind that networking doesn't begin or end at a networking event. Networking can be done anywhere; at a bookstore, over lunch, during a conference or in your office kitchen.

"It's a common misconception that simply attending a networking event will bring you new business right away," says Ivan Misner and David Alexander, authors of "Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections." They also added that neither will reading books. Like most skills, you only learn with practice.

Networking Is Just The Beginning: Attending one event or handing out a few cards isn't enough. To really put your all into networking, you've got to go the extra mile. "Some people go to the chamber of commerce mixer, exchange a few business cards, then say, 'There, I've networked'," says Misner and Alexander. "Wrong. That's only the beginning. You have to attend a variety of events to broaden your network base."

Follow-Up: Networking provides the connection, but follow-ups provide the bridge. Without the bridge, there's no way to get from one place to the next. "A contact that you do not follow-up with is a contact that will never become a part of your network," the co-authors say. "There will be no business—no sales, no referrals, no meeting the powerful CEO he knows—unless you follow through."

Comb Through Old Emails: So you've got an inbox with 3,000 old messages? You might want to dig through them. The smallest thing, like an old press release you junked, could give a connection to a firm or business you're interested in. By going through old emails, you might also come across contacts you forgot you'd had. Organize your inbox, sent items and archives to weed out potential contacts.

Utilize Networking Apps: Networking apps make the process easier for you, so you should take advantage of the them. The CardMuch app easily turns business cards into contacts; Happening finds networking events in your area; Hashable allows you to create virtual business cards.

Always Have Business Cards: As mentioned previously, you never know when you're going to run into someone, so have a handful in your wallet for quick distributing. When at an event, this is a given. Hand two business cards to anyone you meet; one for them, and one for someone he or she may want to pass it off to. Most likely, they will return the gesture and give you two as well. This essentially multiplies the number of people who could potentially contact you for business.

Take Notes: On the back of business cards, write down quick notes about your interaction with the person. Did they mention they were looking for graphic designers who specialize in logo design? Or that they recently adopted a puppy? Write that down. In your follow-up, you could mention someone you know who designs logos and ask how that puppy is doing.

Get A Networking Partner: This less common practice is similar to referral networking, with a much larger commitment and loyalty. Find someone also networking, whether it be a friend in an unrelated field or a colleague from work, and exchange a stack of business cards. Make it a priority to bring up your networking partner's name when it is relevant, and he will do the same for you. If your networking partner was a logo designer, you'd give his card to the person who mentioned he was looking for one.

Take A Chance, Reach Out To Them:  You don't have to physically meet a person to network with them. If the person you'd like to chat with has a blog or wrote an article you liked, reach out to them. The worst thing that could happen is they say no or don't give a reply. The best things that could happen are virtually limitless.

SEE ALSO:

How to successfully follow up with prospective clients > 

The best way to socialize with colleagues and prospective clients > 

GUY KAWASAKI: If you want to innovate, you've got to be willing to polarize people >  

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Roy Baumeister wrote a wonderful book on the benefits of self-control, or discipline. He notes self-control is one of the most important traits in predicting success in life, good relationships, earning more money, being successful in your field, staying out of jail, even living longer.

It's the foundation for morality and moral behavior. It is one of the more important factors in a person's success, and unlike IQ very amenable to training.

Here he notes the benefits of practicing self-control, including not swearing, and so like a muscle, willpower improves with practice:

In contrast, here's beatnick poet Allen Ginsberg, arguing that restrictions on swearing inhibit communication, even morality:

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