Author Archives: jlexpa

What it’s really like starting a business

For years I’ve said that starting a business is like jumping off of a cliff and learning to fly. Somehow I flew. Rent wasn’t cheap. It was 2008, and I was living in New York City. I was in my early thirties, single and stupid enough to leap off of a cliff without a parachute.…More

What the crosswalk lady said unsettled me

On our way home from school, a stream of neighborhood children cross at an intersection where a woman with a rich Latin-American accent greets every child by name as she helps them across the street every day. Dulce’s our crosswalk lady.More

Did our five-day old baby really need three spinal taps?

My wife just gave birth to our second son at home (on purpose). And five days later, our pediatrician pushed us into the ER because our baby had a low temperature. We thought he was just jaundiced (something a lot of newborns get but can be easily treated with special lights). But we weren’t prepared…More

The secret to dealing with people in business

At the core of every business isn’t money. It’s relationships. Now, I don’t mean that you need to go on a business retreat and hold hands with your coworkers as you dance around a campfire singing Kumbaya. But we can be practicing ways of relating to others that build mutual respect, trust, and maybe even…More

One of the greatest challenges for an NYC parent: Preschool

NYC is notorious for being competitive…for everything—even preschool. That’s right, we aren’t talking about college, Ivy League, Harvard…Nah. I’m talking about the institution where your kids go to play with blocks, take naps, and get milk and cookies.More