A bottle of Chateauneuf de Papes: Vieux Telegraphe, “La Crau,” over the Missouri River

Even within the Show Me State of Missouri, you can find many Travis Browns.  Travis Brown the cyclist.  Travis Brown the school superintendent.  A Travis Browne that fights.  There are Travis Browns that sing, that play professional football, and even Travis Browns that advertise tattoos.  However, I think that my profile is still relatively-unique in its focus on fine wines, entrepreneurship, and growing our Midwest economy.

If there’s one Travis Brown that I should partner with, it is likely another Travis Brown with a creative focus on photography, graphic arts, and creative productions.  It turns out that even near Saint Louis, there’s another Travis Brown whose career is precisely that as well.  Even though the two of us have never met, occasionally I get to observe his handiwork inside an Opera Theatre of Saint Louis event.

Growing up on our family farm in Ste. Genevieve County, my mother and father used to say that “there’s a Brown in everything.”

There are certainly fewer Travis Brown searches related to the Northern or Southern Rhone valleys in France.  That is likely in part due merely to the fact that the name “Travis” is often thought to be derived from native American/French Canadian roots (like travois).  In any event, for those looking for great wines on this blog, I often refer you, again, to the South of France.

Pitching your brand story has always been a quest to convert entrepreneurial courage into pragmatic success.  Ideas are plentiful in our world.  What is not so easy to organize is applying your time, along with your money, to convert a notion into a worthy product or service that others want to see in our universe.

However, entrepreneurship is not a degree earned.  It’s not even a place you occupy.  It’s having ideas converted into positive habits that reward themselves.

Count, as an example, all of the lobbying entrepreneurs working in the following New York City video:

America is a great idea in part because, on average, we’re still a place where free experiences can be exchanged easily, in a seamless manner that involves many diverse buyers and sellers.

Let’s start with the bus driver in this video.  He is likely working for the bus company owner.  But, what about the guy or gal “selling” the open deck experience on top of the bus?  Is he/she working for tips?

Most of us riding that bus would appreciate knowing the finer details of New York City, pitched to us in real time, in a manner that is more interesting than just reading about it.  That creates value among participants.  That reward is given to the person that drives that value up by filling that interest.

Is this hospitality service only about the facts, that is, what information you can read on a map?  Not if the entrepreneur is seeking to maximize his or her value.

No, as social networks, humans desire to share our emotions, our feelings, and even our hardships, with others.  On a bus ride through Manhattan, this “need to belong” becomes part of our memory.

So, for the visiting couple, they may not remember what was said on this ride.  One year from now, they likely will not remember all of the building names by which they traveled.  However, as emotional creatures, they will remember how the entrepreneurs made them feel along the way.

If the ride was cold, but the driver offered you a blanket:  you will remember that feeling of courtesy.  If the ride was hot, but the driver gave you bad excuses for the air conditioning being out:  you will also remember that feeling as well.

But think about the others in this video.  The street vendors lining up to sell a poster, a buggy ride, or a photo.  The cabbies driving in and around the park positioning their cab based upon early morning supply and demand.  Even the park and museum vendors respond to seasonal human interests by making dog walking refuse bags available, or opening coffee shacks at major points of interest within Central Park.  Even within New York City, where the price of work is very high, the spirited sense to produce things in demand still seeks out a customer every day.

Too often, aspiring entrepreneurs dwell too much on the price of their products or services.  Let us never forget how we wish our customers to feel throughout any experience that we wish to share.  If we courageously apply our quest to improve the feelings of others using our services, good fortune awaits our applied habits of excellence.

However, if our job creators are to turn around America’s economy, they cannot turn a blind eye to leading reforms happening within their own state capitols. Watching Washington, D.C., languish its way through more than 73,000 pages of Internal Revenue Service regulations could easily consume years. However, the chief executives of our states, the 50 governors, often navigate substantial tax code changes within weeks or months. If turning around Washington, D.C. can be likened to shifting the direction of a battleship, realizing change within the states is more akin to a few folks padding rapids inside a canoe.

The trend towards state action, in part as a hedge against rising uncertainties with federal taxes, may be on pace to break a state legislative record. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback led with tax cuts this past January. State legislatures in Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Louisiana, and North Carolina have responded with tax cut bills of their own. What do these states have in common on other issues beyond income tax reform? Their commitment to take responsibility for reigning in major increases in state spending is clear. States serious about economic growth are putting new ideas on the table.

Based on the headlines, and even well-meaning critiques, the strength of this trend is not always apparent. Governors who lead with bold tax-cutting principles are fought by many stakeholders. Those who choose to oppose new, independent tax codes often write political obituaries before bills are even considered. Owners of small businesses know that success starts with courage and conviction. If the process for tax reform were an easy one, every governor, speaker, and senator would be leading the charge.

Governors do not have to guess about the past performance of how their business climate has lured new income. Thanks to migration data, we see the clear evidence that when states make empty promises, taxpayers leave. That means that auditing Milwaukee’s leadership versus the loss of more $22 billion in adjusted gross income within Chicago will be easier to do. That’s one audit worth having in our economic future.

Source: Forbes.com

Even the learjet airframe seems crafted like Kansas Governor Sam Brownback – focused, fast, and relentless towards the pursuit of less drag.  What Governor Brownback has engineering by removing a state income tax for many small businesses may enable a faster economic growth rate.  By flattening his tax code, his Midwestern efforts may make his economy just like the custom-built Kansas learjets – ready to fly direct, sharp, and high.

I don’t have any time flying a Learjet. My opinions are based upon its hangar reputation and pilot gossip.  Without paying much attention to it, it seems that I hear of landing gear complications the most out of any squawk.  One time outbound from a lobbying run out of the Jefferson City airport, I saw one come in with gear/brake/reverse thruster issues.  Fortunately for the crew that day, they skirted off the side of the runway without personal injury. However, their jet was down for maintenance there for several weeks, along with their pilots’ wounded egos.

Perhaps if I had had a different start in government affairs, or an earlier start in general aviation, I might have worked my behind into an older Learjet.  However, now, I have become a loyal believer in efficiency through large and diverse payloads.  For most of my missions, I will gladly choose my Swiss army transport plane full of everything I can think of before my startup.

However, for those used to flying high and fast, with fewer than five passengers and not much gear, the Lear will remain their 446 knot per hour workhorse.  Plus, as my wife once observed leaving Midway Chicago airport, there may be nothing as sleek as seeing Lady Gaga swing out of a jet black Learjet.  Apparently, Sinatra is not the only famed musician that enjoys the rarified air to the tune of “come fly with me.”

Following in Fortuño’s footsteps, Padilla seeks to expand an economy roughly the size of Delaware.  As the new governor articulated in his message platform, his plan will “attract industries that cannot operate outside the United States because of security and tax reasons.”

From the mainland, looking out toward the Caribbean, Puerto Rico’s strategic path towards a U.S.-based tax haven makes a lot of sense.  In recent years, it has become harder and harder to repatriate income into the United States, with an estimated $8 trillion settling offshore.  Certain industries, such as those investment funds regulated within U.S. securities law, still might prefer to do business within an American-based jurisdiction.  Then, there’s the issue of real tax advantages, such as simplification and lower effective rates.  Where else within U.S. territorial waters can the U.S. stop the filing of a federal income tax return, other than Puerto Rico?  Recently, the Internal Revenue Service issued this advice in Topic 901; as of January 4^th, 2013:

“In general, United States citizens and resident aliens who are bona fide residents of Puerto Rico during the entire tax year, which for most individuals is January 1 to December 31, are only required to file a U.S. federal income tax return if they have income from sources outside of Puerto Rico or if they are employees of the U.S. government.”

How can someone potentially prove that all of his or her income is sourced within Puerto Rico?  Well, a first step is moving yourself and your assets there.  Sources, such as Bloomberg, are now reporting that at least ten wealthy investors have already made the jump.  Then, for some, there is utilizing the new law that was set up to lure businesses into Puerto Rico – known as Act 22, it exempts those who qualify from income tax on their interest, dividends, and certain long-term gains from securities.  There’s no need for a Phil Mickelson apology tour like hedge fund billionaire John Paulson has attempted.  Puerto Rico incentives will matter to those who meet their attractive conditions.

On the international front, legal advisers explaining Act 22 advise foreign investors that as long as they do not own residential holdings within the United States (excluding Puerto Rico), they may not be subject to U.S. estate taxes.  This tax code structure could provide Puerto Rico with the best of both worlds on how money walks onto the island – foreign assets if you want it offshore, and domestic governance if you need it onshore.

Since states like Florida (without a personal income tax) have attracted $86 billion in adjusted gross income due in part to tax factors (1995-2010), Puerto Rico’s competitive climate could show other states how tax code incentives work with financial services.  Governors like Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal are pressing to repeal state personal income taxes altogether for the same goal:  Más dinero para tu bolsillo (more money in your pocket).  Within the next decade, if these state initiatives do not pass… Puerto Rico could have more money in its tax-haven pocket as a result.

Travis H. Brown is a contributor to Forbes.com: Source Link

Throughout my book tour travels, we have a chance to meet families who are the stories within our How Money Walks data.  We have met couples in Naples, Florida, who have migrated their snowbird status away from part-time to full-time.  They might move from cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, or Saint Louis.

While their story is big and personal to them, too often this significant change in census trends goes unreported.  That is why it is good to see someone like Michael Barone’s summary on census changes in the Washington Examiner.  Thanks to blogs like Kevin Glass or Michael Barone, others who are less familiar with our deep dives into these long-term trends might become more interested into what is rebuilding America’s center of wealth.

But for those with a personal interest, it seems better to apply some kind of a call to action than just that of your own.  What can those families do to help spread the word that incentives really do matter?  Here are three ways to apply this at your next community meeting:

1. Sponsor a trivia night using the long-term data from our application:  how many of your neighbors really understand how and from your community’s income is rising or falling?
2. Share your community data with a recent college graduate:  is your son or daughter aware of the connection between how income flow can oftentimes direct him/her to a more prosperous job?
3. Share your trivia news with your local legislator.  Too often, local decisions are being made with little regard for their true impact.  By sharing census news about what has been changing in your city over the last decade, legislators can make more informed choices.

To measure is to know.  Let’s help spread the knowledge of how America is working today.

In the above video, I want through a few tips that our Pelopidas media relations and/or special events team tries to employ whenever the venue is so large and broad.  Ironically, a rule that I follow is:  the bigger the show, the smaller our focus should be.  Like a small business entrepreneur, defining your goals from a large event is key.  For this book tour promotion, we determined that our target audience was mainly – under the age of 30, and likely to stop by our booth for less than three minutes unless we engage.

A good rule of thumb on exhibit booth traffic based upon past experience with large shows is to expect about 10% of total attendees to pass by at some point over several days.  So, if the conference that you intend to staff expects more than 10,000 in attendance, that could mean that your booth could see about 1,000 pairs of eyeballs, or roughly 300 people passing per day.  Assigning sales or marketing goals within this reality can help you determine the best staffing needs for your kind of experience.

During this conference, our How Money Walks blogger was also live blogging the entire weekend list of notable speakers and VIPs.  By assigning specific roles to everyone’s highest and best use, we tried to operate our How Money Walks tour booth like a well-trained, high-tech Apple store.  Our staff had a blast, our customers enjoyed the experience, and we were able to market media right on site throughout the major event.

I recently lead my book tour to CPAC 2013. The How Money Walks booth generated a great deal of media buzz and conference excitement. We used large touch screen televisions to drive interactive data and prompted attendees to “transform their state” with our data. In this video we discuss a few pointers on connecting with media and creating quality interactive engagement at your next conference.

Bobby Jindal rolls out State Income Tax Reform with Travis H. Brown’s How Money Walks Data. The Data used by both Governor Jindal and Executive Director of the Louisiana Department of Revenue Tim Barfield can be found in the How Money Walks ebook and app.