SAM SILVERMAN LLC
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA

Sam is empowered by helping others learn how to develop new skillsets and think about entrepreneurship and productivity differently. He is committed to working with companies and individuals who want to take their performance to the next level with a focus on financial success and lifestyle flexibility. An alumnus of Yale College and Stanford Business School, Sam has been investing since 2007. His EB-5 investment company currently sponsors more than $500 million in EB-5 investment capital in projects with a total development value of more than $4 billion across 26 states. His success has earned him a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurship. Sam has been invited to speak with audiences around the world ranging from ultra high net worth foreign investors, to real estate development executives, to Stanford GSB students. With a focus on practical strategies and techniques to grow businesses, Sam provides audiences with valuable insights that can be immediately applied to save time and increase productivity. Join my newsletter and get free productivity tips and inspirational stories Whenever I am planning a trip, I have my virtual assistant (VA) make a comprehensive travel guide with all top restaurants and things to do in the local area. I also have her put together a short list of recommended Airbnb options based on my preferences. Another task I commonly assign is data entry—converting data from a pdf or website into an organized Google sheet or Excel file. Having my VA do these types of task is very helpful at the end of the year, for example, when I need to convert a pdf credit card statement into Excel format to prepare a list of deductible expenses for taxes. I also have my VA help with hiring—she helped me find a personal trainer and personal chef by posting ads on a few different sites, screening the candidates down to a short list, and then scheduling short phone interviews for me to do the final round. help of a productive VA. : Our company is launching a new E-2 Visa investment business, and we want to promote it to all immigration attorneys who focus on E-2 Visa filings and work with foreign investors who are seeking business investments that qualify for an E-2 Visa. : From each subsequent website in the search, copy down the name of the firm, its address, the name, email, and phone numbers for the top 3 listed attorneys, and a link to the website. All of this data should be entered into a Google sheet (link here). : Design a MailChimp campaign to promote the product or service you are offering (with several clickable calls to action), and then send it out to the MailChimp list of potential clients you compiled by following the steps above. Between calculated risk and reckless decision-making lies the dividing line between profit and loss. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business Risk-taking may be intimidating, but most people take risks that they don’t consider risks. Current statistics from the New York Federal Reserve indicate that student debt is second only to mortgage debt. Without a guarantee of the desired salary or even a job at all, this is a financially risky undertaking. However, current Bureau of Labor Statistics currently report that the employment rate and average salary for college grads with a four-year degree are substantially higher than those for high school grads, thus reducing the likelihood of a negative outcome and making it a less risky option than foregoing a college education. Starting your own business, on the other hand, carries with it an undeniably high level of risk. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, only one-fifth of new businesses last longer than a year, and only half of the remaining ones make it past their fifth year. After 10 years, less than one-third of those businesses still exist. The odds are not in an entrepreneur’s favor, but despite these discouraging statistics, successful entrepreneurs are not dissuaded from moving forward. Entrepreneurs, in general, handle risks better than others. They don’t run the other way when confronted with the possibility of a negative outcome, but at the same time, they don’t dive headfirst into the risk pile. Rather, they carefully evaluate their options and marshal their resources to ensure that they have maximized the potential of a positive outcome and established a backup plan—something in place to help cushion the fall should the venture take a bad turn. This form of calculated risk-taking enables entrepreneurs to break free from the shackles of safety and confidently progress in their endeavors. , successful entrepreneurs participate in calculated risk-taking and use whatever resources they have at their disposal to limit the impact if it ends up negative. Those resources might include money, associations, skills, and more. Mark Zuckerburg, for example, took a calculated risk when purchasing Instagram for more than it was valued, but he first ensured that he had enough financial backing to cover any potential losses. Walt Disney, the well-known founder of Walt Disney Co. and creator of Mickey Mouse, suffered setback after setback in his entrepreneurial efforts until eventually joining up with his brother, a shrewd businessman, to launch a successful business. When the character he had created was then stolen by a competitor, joining with the right person allowed him to recover and move forward. One of the most important lessons I have learned in business is to focus on both the creation and capture of value in a given marketplace. It sounds simple, but in order to have a successful, profitable enterprise, you must be able to consistently create value (i.e., your product or service must make something easier or enhance an experience), and you must also be able to capture the value you have created in the form of profits. If you have only one of these two essentials, your business will not make it, no matter how popular your product or service is in the market.