Spending the Weekend with 50 Entrepreneurs Just Down the Road from Disney World

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

October 27, 2023

 

What are you up to this weekend? I ask because early this month (at the end of September and start of October), I spent a Friday night, and all of Saturday and Sunday with 50 entrepreneurs in a hotel ballroom. 

 

Sound boring? Quite the contrary, it was inspiring and invigorating.

Yes, it helped that the hotel just happened to be right outside Walt Disney World, and most of these entrepreneurs had some kind of connection to Disney, whether being a fan or having a link through their business. 

 

But in reality, this gathering really had nothing to do with Mickey Mouse. It was about the lessons and takeaways, and the people. Lessons and insights didn’t just come from a great lineup of speakers, but also from the fellow entrepreneurs who happened to be seated at your table.

 

The annual gathering is called the “Momentum Weekend Workshop,” and it’s put together and hosted by Lou Mongello. In terms of entrepreneurial journeys, Mongello was a lawyer in New Jersey, who left legal work behind to follow his dream. He moved to the Orlando area, wrote books about Disney trivia, and has become a wildly successful Disney podcaster. And he is an entrepreneur who helps and coaches others who are at various stages of their own entrepreneurial journeys.

 

At Momentum this year, speakers covered a wide range of topics, including monetization, email newsletters, how to tell the story of you and your business via social media, search engine optimization, creating a media kit, bookkeeping basics, how artificial intelligence can make entrepreneurs more productive, the relationship economy, and much more.

 

Entrepreneurs are a fascinating and diverse bunch. If you doubt that, spend a weekend with them like I did.  They’re serious about their businesses, of course. For the most part, they are an optimistic group. Indeed, if you’re starting up, operating, and owning a business, deep down in, you have to be an optimist. And they understand the importance of values and traits like perseverance, trust, persistence, serving others, offering value to customers, and sacrifice.

 

And yes, as I’ve discovered over the years, entrepreneurs often are generous. That is, most entrepreneurs, despite being wildly busy, tend to be generous with their time and energy in helping others who are looking to startup or are building their own businesses.

 

Oh yes, and when you’re in a hotel ballroom with 50 people for more than two days, it helps that entrepreneurs, or at least this assembly of entrepreneurs, also rank as fun, humorous, and joyful. For good measure, the life of the entrepreneur – especially the solo-preneur – can be lonely at times. It pays to find a network of other business owners to help with ideas, advice, and perhaps just being willing to listen when blowing off some steam – maybe over a few drinks or a nice meal. This Momentum group was clearly that as well. 

 

Not a bad way to spend a weekend. There’s a reason why this was my third Momentum weekend, and I hope to attend more in the future. Thanks to entrepreneur and WDW Radio podcaster Lou Mongello for making this happen (check out all things Lou Mongello, including his Momentum gatherings, at www.loumongello.com).  

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

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Consider books by Ray Keating, including…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 18 books in the series now.

 

• Order The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle editions and paperbacks via Amazon here and signed books here. And don’t forget the first book in this growing series, i.e., The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

NEW BOOK: “The Weekly Economist” by DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating Helps Readers to Think More Like an Economist

 Ray Keating’s New Book Offers Quick Reads on Wide-Ranging Topics and Questions Related to the Economy and Business

If you don’t have a degree in economics, how do you figure out what actually makes economic sense and what doesn’t? Ray Keating, a leading economist on small business and entrepreneurship, offers help with a new book titled The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist.

 

Whether via CNBC, CNN, FOX, websites, or other outlets, many assertions regarding the economy and economic policy are presented that leave people wondering what’s accurate and what’s not. That’s especially the case when declarations by one talking head are conflicted by the next one. The Weekly Economist offers quick reads on topics essential to thinking clearly on economics, or applying sound economic principles to hot topics.

 

Ray Keating notes, “Yes, economics and thinking more like an economist matter. It is my hope that individuals, by taking just a few minutes for a quick read each week, can clarify their thinking on economics, and thereby, improve their own lives, and the lives of family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, as well as people across the nation and around the world."

 

Beyond a general readership interested in the economy, The Weekly Economist is ideal for the classroom, boardroom and workplace.

 

The Weekly Economist complements Ray Keating’s Free Trade Rocks: 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know, which is an excellent economics introduction to the often controversial topic of free trade.

 

Paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition of The Weekly Economist are available at Amazon.com, and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Review copies, and author interviews and appearances are available upon request. 

 

Praise for Ray Keating’s work…

 

“Keating is at his best when tackling the issue that introduced him to the world of conservative thought: the benefits of the free market.”  - Kirkus Reviews

 

“Keating is no sour-puss conservative... Keating’s pro-growth agenda of dramatic supply-side tax and regulatory cuts, school choice, and much smaller government stands as New York’s only chance at rebirth.”  - Steve Forbes

 

Ray Keating's "take on the economy is unabashedly supply-side, offering a clear understanding that risk taking and entrepreneurship are the engines of economic growth.” - Jack Kemp

 

“Keating manages to bring this seemingly dull subject to accessible life with real-world examples often torn straight from recent headlines, along with a comprehensive and (mostly) impartial view on the topic.” – Self-Publishing Review on Free Trade Rocks!

 

“A common-sense explanation of why politicians and bureaucrats shouldn't throw sand in the gears of global trade.” - Dan Mitchell, Chairman, Center for Freedom and Prosperity, on Free Trade Rocks!

Brand Matters: The Disney Buses Example

by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 6, 2019

The Walt Disney Company understands the value of its brand or brands. There is a lesson in this for entrepreneurs no matter how big their businesses, as well as for individuals who should be building their own brand in their careers.

Consider the fact that a change in the buses transporting guests around Walt Disney World has made news. It was announced by Disney that these buses will be getting a new look during the month of July. The outside of each bus will feature one of the “sensational six,” that is, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto. The interiors of the buses will be spruced up as well, including USB charging ports. 

As stated on the Disney Parks Blog: “The next time you are at a Walt Disney World Resort bus loop, be on the lookout for Mickey and his friends!... The new buses sure do bring a fun look to the complimentary Walt Disney World transportation that resort guests can enjoy throughout their vacations!”

That’s Disney advancing or reinforcing its brand, by providing fun quality service – in this case, working to expand the enjoyment of a Disney World vacation even via the buses shuttling people around – for their customers.

Now, consider the following point regarding one’s brand from an article at Entrepreneur.com:

Your brand is the sum total of your customers’ perceptions, notions and experience. It is the face, personality and the values espoused by your business – and everything in between.

More importantly, every single facet of your business – be it your social media profile, the tone of your voicemails or the way you present, market and deliver a service – captures the essence of your branding and sends an implicit message about how much you respect your own business.

Beyond that, your brand represents who you are, what you believe in and how you want to be perceived by your audience. That is why branding is so important to an organization.

Disney clearly gets this, and so should small business owners and individuals looking to grow and advance their enterprises and careers. How do people perceive you and your work? 

Noted a bit later in the Entrepreneur.com piece:

Your mission is to get them to see you as a dependable thought leader/influencer who addresses their needs or problems with panache, candour and hopefully, better than anybody else. 

Good thoughts. In the end, your brand matters – your own brand and your company’s. And that brand is communicated in so many different ways – even via buses shuttling people around a theme park.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

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