"They're all going to be working for me when this is over." --Sam Solovey
Sam grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. the youngest of three children. Following graduation from Colgate University, he headed to New York City to work for Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting). After a year in the corporate world, Sam returned to the DC area in 1999 and co-founded an Internet media company called Potomac Tech Wire. Tech Wires since launched in seven other markets in the U.S. and Europe. Sam oversees sales and business development for all the Tech Wires but says his true passion is talk radio, having hosted an innovative radio program, titled The Untrained Psychologist, during his days at Colgate.
What is your definition of "success"?
Success is reaching the top of the mountain that others said I could not climb, taking a deep breath while admiring the view atop, and then asking myself, "Where's the next and even higher peak."
Who do you admire most (personally and/or professionally)?
Personally: David and Traci Solovey. My parents' tremendous love for one another and their unconditional love for my brother Jon, sister Stacey and me lies at the foundation of my self-confidence, sense of humor, determination and intense passion for life experience. My parents have led successful professional lives as entrepreneurs, but their true legacy is the close-knit family they have cultivated, the values they have instilled in their children and their generoisty to loved ones and the community. My mother and father will always be a centerpiece in my life.
Professionally: My parents, Donald Trump, Benjamin Franklin and Studs Terkel are all at the top of my list... I also admire Howard Stern. He is the Donald Trump of media and despite his critics, he has remained one of the best in the business for his entire career. Early on, radio station managers told him he would fail and that his innovative approach would never work. Despite tough industry regulations, Howard Stern continues to accomplish his on-air goals with ingenuity and determination. He is incredibly loyal to his employees, and they are to him. Whether you love or hate Howard Stern's on-air persona, he inspires a strong response, and that alone is admirable.
What cartoon character do you most relate to and why?
Wil-E-Coyote: He is the most creative, industrious, ingenious, and dogged, and at the end of the day he and the RoadRunner depart as friends.
Sam may stay around and end up being the one we cringe at weekly, or he will burn himself out spinning in place.
Sam is very nervous and I think he was watching the clock and saw them slipping towards a possible boys team loss and tried to compensate.
I like that he took a risk, and he made me laugh with that shot at the $1,000 sale. How he selected the guy he made the offer to is beyond me, but he almost succeeded.
I don't like that he went around the leader and went solo rather than team.
His speech to Trump was over the top, and he might have made himself some enemies with that as well as his antics. If he is at any time perceived as a threat or a hinderance, his team will attempt to orchestrate his removal.
The reason, I think Donald is keeping Sam around, as their is always a person like him you have to deal with in business. I think Donald is keeping him around is to see how his fellow members deal with a winner like Sam. It will be interesting to see next week's episode when Sam is the manager of the team.
That's what I would have done... make him the leader of the team to bring out his true colors. He's all mouth right now, and this will show what he's made of. I'm sure they're using logic to weed him out. Smart move guys!
I can't believe he sat there acting like he didn't fall asleep and lay on the floor. He had to of known cameras were going to record that.
I think that Donald sees something in Sam. Everyone and I mean everyone said that they didn't like him. But you know what, just think, how many bosses are liked by their employees? How many of your bosses did you like? Also Sam thinks big. Sure it's a stretch to ask someone for $1000 for a cup of lemonade. But hey just maybe they would have bought it then he would have been the hero. In this last show the leader gave Sam 1 thing to do. Was that right? Maybe Sam was bored so why not take a nap.
Truthfully tho at first I thought Donald wouldn't tolerate someone sleeping on the job. But hey sometimes CEO's do strange things. And I do have to agree, If you are going to head a company then you should be meeting with the head of the company that you are dealing with. Why do you think major deals happen on the Golf Course?
I thought the guys were going to win last night with the ad campaign. I thought theirs was better than the girls. But the girls met with the CEO and big wigs of the company and found out what exactly they were looking for and tailored their presentation to that idea. Oh and SEX SELLS!!!
If I had to pick between an employee who bypasses the customer's requirements, or an employee who fell asleep, I would fire the one who bypassed the customer.
I don't disagree with Trump's choice to fire Jason, but I sure do not like Sam. I hope he's not a decoy put in by the networks for ratings. I'd like to see him gone.
Ron Ackerman said this in post #9 : I think that Donald sees something in Sam. Everyone and I mean everyone said that they didn't like him.
I guess I'm going to get in deep doo-doo here, but I rather like Sam. His style is off-putting because he is so very "hyper" but a good manager can put that to work.
But you know what, just think, how many bosses are liked by their employees? How many of your bosses did you like?
Ron you are correct about liking the boss. Note Sam's background with Andersen/Accenture ... and that he left the "corporate world" and went solo. It's lonely at the top. Also, I don't think Sam is crazy, just eccentric. Know of any very rich eccentrics ?
Also Sam thinks big. Sure it's a stretch to ask someone for $1000 for a cup of lemonade. But hey just maybe they would have bought it then he would have been the hero.
I think in football that's called a "Hail Mary pass" ?
In this last show the leader gave Sam 1 thing to do. Was that right? Maybe Sam was bored so why not take a nap.
Putting a guy like Sam in front of a screen in Epi 2 and forcing him to do rote things was poor management, lacked insight and was wasteful.
Truthfully tho' at first I thought Donald wouldn't tolerate someone sleeping on the job. But hey sometimes CEO's do strange things. And I do have to agree, If you are going to head a company then you should be meeting with the head of the company that you are dealing with.
Why do you think major deals happen on the Golf Course?
Also in the restrooms ?
I thought the guys were going to win last night with the ad campaign. I thought theirs was better than the girls. But the girls met with the CEO and big wigs of the company and found out what exactly they were looking for and tailored their presentation to that idea. Oh and SEX SELLS!!!
We keep saying "sex sells" but I thought that the women's campaign discounted possible FEMALE users of the card. The men's campaign did the same by using the female voice over "husband" thing.
But for this task, the women targeted not only the major market, but also the Client representatives and the ad agency owner, and Trump -- all MEN !
The gender of the potential buyer must always be considered, so selling to the opposite sex is an art form all it's own. In Epi 1, the men tried to use a woman to sell their lemonade, but instead could/should have planned a way to sell more lemonade to women. I can think of several ways.
Did anyone else catch Sam in a lie? He told Trump that he had to choose Bowie and Kwame because they didn't respect him. Then out in the lobby he told them he knows they respected him, and he didn't have a problem with them, and he said he was sorry.
Trump was on to him though. He pointed out the two were picked because they were critical of Sam.
Yes, one thing about old Donald -- when it came right down to it, he saw right through Sam's lies and bulls%&$#. How can you possibly be a leader when everyone else on your team spends all there time laughing at you, telling you to shut up or calm down. As they said -- he was just a distraction. The remaining guys seem pretty sharp -- now that they can focus without Sam, let's see what happens next week.
01-09-2004 06:30 AM
