Just DO It! From Lacoste to Nike!

Ever visited that amazingly seductive place... Someday Isle? Even a good education isn't much of a help when it comes to being successful.

The results of a survey business school graduates M.B.A. graduates were very disappointing. Only 10% of those who completed the Entrepreneurial Studies program were successful in starting a business.

The problem?

Simple. The majority of the graduates kept waiting for everything to be right before attempting to launch a business (think "personal profit centre") . . . and that never happened.

In his book "Victory!", Brian Tracy explains that the students who succeeded were the ones who took action -- even if everything wasn't quite "right." He also points out that those who achieved success often did it in a different kind of business than the one they had originally planned for. If their first path was blocked, they tried another one -- or if an unexpected opportunity opened up, they jumped on it.

Quick Tip: How to Make Sure You Never Again Drive Off Without Your Important Stuff

Whenever you have an important carry-along -- a cash-filled briefcase, your Stradivarius, or even your laptop -- don't take the chance that you might leave it behind in your partner's office or a motel room. Before you set it down or hide it under the bed, put your car keys inside it.

It's Good to Know: About the Changing McDonald's Menu

McDonald's is making changes, spurred not only by anti-fat and anti-starch advocates but also by the demands of an aging baby-boomer population and changing tastes.

Hamburgers are on their way out. Salads and vegetable wraps are coming in.

How would Ray Croc feel about this? Years ago, the founder of McDonald's said, "I don't know what we are going to be selling at the beginning of the next century, but I know that whatever it will be, it will be what the consumer is expecting."

Donald Trumps is fashionable again...

There's a section in Donald Trump's new book, "How to Get Rich", that goes through a week of his life on an hour-by-hour basis. It's pretty interesting. For example, although he generally starts his office work between 8:00 and 9:00, he usually wakes up much earlier -- 5:00 or 5:30 -- and spends several hours reading (five to seven newspapers) and thinking.

One quote from the book: "I'm not antisocial, but to me, 15 minutes is a very long lunch."

And before there was Nike... Who Is Rene Lacoste?

Rene Lacoste is the French tennis player who became a legend when he and his team mates stole the Davis Cup away from the Americans for the first time in 1927. He was nicknamed "the Alligator" because of his reputation for tenacity on the tennis court -- "never giving up my prey!" as Lacoste put it. A friend designed an alligator emblem for him, which was embroidered on the shirts and blazers he wore on the tennis court. In 1933, he teamed up with a French knitwear manufacturer and the still-popular "alligator shirt" was born -- perhaps the first time a designer logo was featured on the outside of a piece of clothing.